arrested?’ Her eyes light up and I realise now it’s the first time I’ve seen them like that in too long.
We walk home and I regale her with the story of my near escape and capture. I exaggerate it all for effect. But she knows I do that, so it’s not really lying.
‘Ethan sounds lush.’
‘I don’t know. He was a bit weird.’
‘And you’re not?’ She digs me in the side with her pointy elbow.
‘Hey, I’m not weird.’
‘True. In fact, you could do with a little weird in your life.’
‘Well, he’s not weird the way, say Barbra Jenkins is weird.’
‘God, no one is a weird as her. You know she eats soap? Anyway, go on.’
‘He’s so...’ I struggle to find the word.
‘Mysterious,’ Kiara says, wiggling her fingers.
‘No. Still. That’s it. He’s so still. And calm. He makes me feel like I’m all over the place.’
Kiara stops, takes my shoulders in her hands and spins me around to face her. ‘Petri, my dear friend, you are all over the place. Sounds to me like this guy is perfect for you. So tell me, was he cute?’
We carry on walking. ‘Well, I guess.’
‘Cuter than Ryan McManus?’
I look up at her shocked. ‘You know?’
‘Everyone knows you fancy him. It’s OK, almost half of our class fancies him. And that includes the boys.’
‘Well, I don’t.’
‘No? Why not?’
I think about telling her about how he gave my name up. But then I remember the look of concern on his face. He was really worried about me and I can’t help but think that’s kind of cute.
I shake my head. Time to stop kidding yourself, Petri. It was your stupid crush on him that got you in trouble in the first place. ‘I got over him I guess.’
‘Even more reason for you to go after this Ethan guy then.’
‘I don’t think I’ll ever see him again.’ The truth of that makes my heart feel too big for my chest. I have absolutely no way of getting in touch with him. I don’t even know what his surname is.
I buzz us into the compound and we head up the street. Kiara used to live here as well, when her mum worked for the company. She was made redundant six months ago so they had to move out. I watch Kiara as we pass her old house. Was the move partially responsible for her depression? She gazes up at her old bedroom window.
‘Oh, don’t worry about it,’ she says, when she senses me looking at her. ‘I hated that room anyway. It was always too cold in winter and too hot in summer. I much prefer my new attic room.’ She smiles at me. ‘Plus, the money Mum got for her redundancy will pay for the years and years of therapy I have ahead.’ She hooks her arm under mine again. For some reason we skip the rest of the way to my house, laughing like little kids.
‘Zizi!’ I shout as I open the door. ‘Kiara’s with me.’
Bare feet thud on the stairs as I shut the door behind us. Zizi doesn’t even acknowledge my existence. She rushes straight up to Kiara and pulls her into a hug, pressing Kiara’s head against her breasts.
When Kiara is let up for air, she stares at me over Zizi’s shoulder in confusion and discomfort. I shrug. It’s just Zizi being Zizi.
She takes Kiara’s face in her hands and stares into her eyes for the longest, most embarrassing time.
‘Er, Zizi,’ I say.
‘Grace told me. Oh, you poor, poor baby,’ Zizi says finally.
Kiara’s mouth drops open in shock, then snaps shut again. ‘I am going to kill my mother,’ she says through gritted teeth.
‘Oh, don’t be silly!’ Zizi says with a wave of her hand. ‘You have nothing to be ashamed of. All the finest minds struggle with depression. It’s part of being creative. Juice?’
I’m used to the frantic pace of my mother’s train of thought. But Kiara looks after Zizi in utter bewilderment as she wanders off.
I roll my eyes at Kiara and we both join my mother in the kitchen, where she’s now blitzing a pineapple in the blender.
‘Van Gogh was
We walk home and I regale her with the story of my near escape and capture. I exaggerate it all for effect. But she knows I do that, so it’s not really lying.
‘Ethan sounds lush.’
‘I don’t know. He was a bit weird.’
‘And you’re not?’ She digs me in the side with her pointy elbow.
‘Hey, I’m not weird.’
‘True. In fact, you could do with a little weird in your life.’
‘Well, he’s not weird the way, say Barbra Jenkins is weird.’
‘God, no one is a weird as her. You know she eats soap? Anyway, go on.’
‘He’s so...’ I struggle to find the word.
‘Mysterious,’ Kiara says, wiggling her fingers.
‘No. Still. That’s it. He’s so still. And calm. He makes me feel like I’m all over the place.’
Kiara stops, takes my shoulders in her hands and spins me around to face her. ‘Petri, my dear friend, you are all over the place. Sounds to me like this guy is perfect for you. So tell me, was he cute?’
We carry on walking. ‘Well, I guess.’
‘Cuter than Ryan McManus?’
I look up at her shocked. ‘You know?’
‘Everyone knows you fancy him. It’s OK, almost half of our class fancies him. And that includes the boys.’
‘Well, I don’t.’
‘No? Why not?’
I think about telling her about how he gave my name up. But then I remember the look of concern on his face. He was really worried about me and I can’t help but think that’s kind of cute.
I shake my head. Time to stop kidding yourself, Petri. It was your stupid crush on him that got you in trouble in the first place. ‘I got over him I guess.’
‘Even more reason for you to go after this Ethan guy then.’
‘I don’t think I’ll ever see him again.’ The truth of that makes my heart feel too big for my chest. I have absolutely no way of getting in touch with him. I don’t even know what his surname is.
I buzz us into the compound and we head up the street. Kiara used to live here as well, when her mum worked for the company. She was made redundant six months ago so they had to move out. I watch Kiara as we pass her old house. Was the move partially responsible for her depression? She gazes up at her old bedroom window.
‘Oh, don’t worry about it,’ she says, when she senses me looking at her. ‘I hated that room anyway. It was always too cold in winter and too hot in summer. I much prefer my new attic room.’ She smiles at me. ‘Plus, the money Mum got for her redundancy will pay for the years and years of therapy I have ahead.’ She hooks her arm under mine again. For some reason we skip the rest of the way to my house, laughing like little kids.
‘Zizi!’ I shout as I open the door. ‘Kiara’s with me.’
Bare feet thud on the stairs as I shut the door behind us. Zizi doesn’t even acknowledge my existence. She rushes straight up to Kiara and pulls her into a hug, pressing Kiara’s head against her breasts.
When Kiara is let up for air, she stares at me over Zizi’s shoulder in confusion and discomfort. I shrug. It’s just Zizi being Zizi.
She takes Kiara’s face in her hands and stares into her eyes for the longest, most embarrassing time.
‘Er, Zizi,’ I say.
‘Grace told me. Oh, you poor, poor baby,’ Zizi says finally.
Kiara’s mouth drops open in shock, then snaps shut again. ‘I am going to kill my mother,’ she says through gritted teeth.
‘Oh, don’t be silly!’ Zizi says with a wave of her hand. ‘You have nothing to be ashamed of. All the finest minds struggle with depression. It’s part of being creative. Juice?’
I’m used to the frantic pace of my mother’s train of thought. But Kiara looks after Zizi in utter bewilderment as she wanders off.
I roll my eyes at Kiara and we both join my mother in the kitchen, where she’s now blitzing a pineapple in the blender.
‘Van Gogh was
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