I’ll come clean,’ he starts to laugh, sensing my unease. He bounces a few paces ahead of me and then turns so that he’s facing me and walking backwards with me. What, so he wants to see my face when he reveals to me that he and Amber secretly dated three years ago and that this is the reason he’s stuck here in limbo and can’t move on because he can’t rest until he’s said something or done something or left her something behind? What? What?!
He stops suddenly but I don’t bang into him, I end up stopping inside him and so I freakishly leap out the other side. I spin round and shiver dramatically like I’ve just eaten a worm or something equally hideous. Of course he is in stitches – again.
‘You should see your face!’ he laughs on. ‘You look like you’ve just eaten a whole can of worms!’ he slaps his blurry thighs with both hands and bends over with laughter. I’m glad he’s finding this all so hilarious. No really.
‘Really?’ He tries to stop himself.
‘Yeah, really!’ I snap back and stomp on without him.
Maddie!’ he calls from behind me. I walk on. ‘Maddie?’ I ignore him again. ‘Mads?’ He’s certainly a trier, I’ll give him that. I’m almost tempted to turn round but I don’t have to. He’s back in front of me quick enough and smiling that broad smile of his, both eyes lit up with amusement. I manage to stop this time before I walk straight back into him and he tilts his head to one side.
‘Sorry,’ he says. ‘I was only teasing. I’ll tell you all about me and Amber then shall I?’
At the sound of those words, my belly and my heart do a small flip-flop, smack into each other and end up in the wrong places. I feel slightly sick at what I expect I might hear. I brace myself.
‘My dad does a bit of building work,’ he explains. ‘He was the carpenter who helped put in the skirting and doors and stuff when Amber’s parents had their extension done a few years ago. I was only about six or so I think. Mum took me there a few times on my way to school when he’d forgotten to take his lunch box with him.’
My whole body relaxes and I feel absolutely ridiculous for thinking that Amber and he might have…
‘Yeah, well, what else could you have thought, eh?’ he smiles down at me, damp hair sticking to my face. ‘I mean with girls it’s never straightforward, is it? There’s always that Eastenders element to take into consideration isn’t there? Or the Coronation Street conundrum, or are you more a Desperate Housewives girl? Honestly, the amount of total nonsense you females watch to the point of believing is … well…it’s…’
‘Un-believable?’ I help, forcing a smile even though it is at my own expense.
‘Pretty much, yeah.’ he nods, trying and failing to stamp in a particularly deep-looking puddle. ‘I like that you were jealous, though,’ he grins.
‘Come on - can’t you manage it this time?’ I goad, ignoring his comment and staring at the puddle. ‘If you managed to knock on my bedroom door then I’m sure a puddle is easy-peasy for somebody as dead clever as you!’ I dare a glance at his face.
His smile broadens, then his face contorts with concentration. He pounds and pounds in earnest until, with one almighty leap, he finally manages to hit the pool of water dead centre with both feet and covers me with the entire contents. As I stand stunned and soaked to the skin after all my earlier efforts to remain as dry as possible, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. So I do neither.
We walk back ‘home’ in silence. Unless you count the pains that Leo goes to in trying to explain that it had, after all, been my idea in the first place.
fifteen
After the events of this weekend, getting ready for school and the whole usual awfulness of it all is actually a pleasure this morning. I slept like a baby (whoever made that saying up never heard Davey
He stops suddenly but I don’t bang into him, I end up stopping inside him and so I freakishly leap out the other side. I spin round and shiver dramatically like I’ve just eaten a worm or something equally hideous. Of course he is in stitches – again.
‘You should see your face!’ he laughs on. ‘You look like you’ve just eaten a whole can of worms!’ he slaps his blurry thighs with both hands and bends over with laughter. I’m glad he’s finding this all so hilarious. No really.
‘Really?’ He tries to stop himself.
‘Yeah, really!’ I snap back and stomp on without him.
Maddie!’ he calls from behind me. I walk on. ‘Maddie?’ I ignore him again. ‘Mads?’ He’s certainly a trier, I’ll give him that. I’m almost tempted to turn round but I don’t have to. He’s back in front of me quick enough and smiling that broad smile of his, both eyes lit up with amusement. I manage to stop this time before I walk straight back into him and he tilts his head to one side.
‘Sorry,’ he says. ‘I was only teasing. I’ll tell you all about me and Amber then shall I?’
At the sound of those words, my belly and my heart do a small flip-flop, smack into each other and end up in the wrong places. I feel slightly sick at what I expect I might hear. I brace myself.
‘My dad does a bit of building work,’ he explains. ‘He was the carpenter who helped put in the skirting and doors and stuff when Amber’s parents had their extension done a few years ago. I was only about six or so I think. Mum took me there a few times on my way to school when he’d forgotten to take his lunch box with him.’
My whole body relaxes and I feel absolutely ridiculous for thinking that Amber and he might have…
‘Yeah, well, what else could you have thought, eh?’ he smiles down at me, damp hair sticking to my face. ‘I mean with girls it’s never straightforward, is it? There’s always that Eastenders element to take into consideration isn’t there? Or the Coronation Street conundrum, or are you more a Desperate Housewives girl? Honestly, the amount of total nonsense you females watch to the point of believing is … well…it’s…’
‘Un-believable?’ I help, forcing a smile even though it is at my own expense.
‘Pretty much, yeah.’ he nods, trying and failing to stamp in a particularly deep-looking puddle. ‘I like that you were jealous, though,’ he grins.
‘Come on - can’t you manage it this time?’ I goad, ignoring his comment and staring at the puddle. ‘If you managed to knock on my bedroom door then I’m sure a puddle is easy-peasy for somebody as dead clever as you!’ I dare a glance at his face.
His smile broadens, then his face contorts with concentration. He pounds and pounds in earnest until, with one almighty leap, he finally manages to hit the pool of water dead centre with both feet and covers me with the entire contents. As I stand stunned and soaked to the skin after all my earlier efforts to remain as dry as possible, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. So I do neither.
We walk back ‘home’ in silence. Unless you count the pains that Leo goes to in trying to explain that it had, after all, been my idea in the first place.
fifteen
After the events of this weekend, getting ready for school and the whole usual awfulness of it all is actually a pleasure this morning. I slept like a baby (whoever made that saying up never heard Davey
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