Friday is always the best night of the week, knowing there is no school the next day. After loads of list-writing the Gang has a shopping trip planned this weekend, which will be large amounts of fun. Before I go to bed I hide my savings tin under it.* I had to start the sneakiness because Mum was forever ‘borrowing’† money. She says, in her defence, that she always puts it back, but the first time I noticed some missing I went into a proper strop about having a thief in the house. Quite rightly, I felt, but then I ended up having to apologize for throwing a hissy fit, even though I didn’t think I had anything to apologize for. Now I move the hiding place regularly so that no one is even tempted to steal – I mean borrow – from me any more.
I have a good stash at the moment because I’ve been thrifty with my allowance and Mum and Dad pay us for special jobs around the house. I’ve been volunteering for lots of those, like washing the car or weeding in the garden. And Gran hates vacuuming, so she’s usually good for a few euros for that. Oh, and dusting: that is one boring activity! Of course I am a paid artist’s model too, from time to time, even if it is Gran who’s the ‘artist’.
The next morning, the Gang get the bus and sit upstairs but not right at the front because we might look like total kids if we did and we’re teens now and have had to give up some of the fun childish things. I nearly lose my breath when Stevie Lee gets on a few stops after us and comes upstairs too. He’s with some of the lads and doesn’t bother to say hello. Well, actually we don’t look around because we’re being cool, so they’d have to be really UNcool if they were to try to get our attention, which they SO don’t need to do because they’re, like, SIXTEEN and needn’t bother with us. They sit in the long back seat and I just know my neck is bright red from him being close by, which he will SO see because my hair is in a ponytail. I hope I have no spots back there, either, flashing up even redder than my sweaty, red neck.‡
I try to open the window above me to create a breeze but all that happens is that I catch my hand in it and then, when it’s ajar, a branch of a tree whips in through the space and thwacks me. I have to pretend it’s no big deal or everyone will be looking at me and if I draw attention to myself I just KNOW someone will remember the pants incident from the summer and mention it and I’ll be megamorto.
I’m stinging from the window, the tree and major embarrassment now. Why do I have to be so clumsy? I feel slightly sick at the thought of falling off the stage during my Teen Factor X tryout. Why did I even THINK of that? With the Quinn genes lurking in my body, now it’s almost guaranteed to happen. I glance guiltily at Uggs and Dix but decide that this is even more reason not to tell anyone so they don’t insist on coming along to witness my humiliation.
You’d have thought it would be better when the bus stops for us to get off but that’s when it’s worst, if you ask me. I delay as long as possible so that anyone cool from Oakdale wanting our stop too might be ahead of us and have gone on to the mean streets of Dublin without noticing usб too much.
I let Uggs and Dixie get a head start, but all that happens is that I delay TOO long and the bus has started to drive off so I have to come crashing down the stairs in a v v awkward way, shouting, ‘Wait, wait, this is my stop!’
Like a lunatic.
Most inelegant.
Stevie Lee is right outside the bus doors as they fly open (mega ARGH!) and he helps to steady me when I tumble on to the footpath. He does actually look concerned, but also like he’s gonna burst out laughing. I brush him off with, ‘I’m fine, really, just couldn’t find something from my bag under the seat and then I lost my footing on the steps,’ which is (Way) Too Much Information.
He goes, ‘You’re such a funny little thing.’
Er, WHAT??? This is not good. A ‘funny, little THING’? Exsqueeze me?
When he is safely out of earshot further up the street with his pals, Dixie says, ‘Way to go, lady!’
She is the definition of irony§ with this. ‘You made an impact,’ she continues, for good measure.
Uggs says, ‘Jen, there is never a dull moment with you around.’ And there’s no irony there: he means it.
I am scarlet.
We cool me down with an ice cream** and I find the will to carry on, JUST.
