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Authors: Cecily Anne Paterson
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house! My nails are going to be shot after the first week!”
“Ssh,” warned Sam, looking around as if she was expecting to see Tiger Lily in the next seat. “If you want to keep it a secret, you really can’t talk about it. From now until you go, you’re sticking to the story. You’re going off to learn dressage and show jumping and horsey stuff. And you’re coming back to school at the end of the year. No mud, no building and especially no pig sheds.”
The bus was pulling up to school and as we got off, I made a face and pretended to zip my mouth shut and throw away the key. Sam made a movement like she was catching it and putting it in her pocket.
“Your secret is safe with me,” she said dramatically and pushed me along. “Now go. Be popular and beautiful. And quiet!”
It was tricky. I actually have always been a person who likes to talk a lot. If my head is full of thoughts, I tend to blurt them out regardless of where I am or who’s listening. It was something I wanted to change about myself because it’s kind of uncool. Silent, aloof girls who have a single witty comment to throw in at exactly the right place seem way more attractive.
So far I’d worked really hard to hold my tongue around Saffron, Tiger and the others. I wanted them to see me as cool, intelligent and unconcerned. But now I really did have to keep my mouth shut. This was a secret that I had to keep. My reputation and my entire social future depended on it!
“So, everyone’s coming to Westfield this afternoon?” Saffron said at recess, a piece of delicately wrapped sushi heading from her ultra-chic lunch box towards her lightly glossed mouth. She opened her mouth slightly and just kind of absorbed the sushi, hardly moving her jaw to chew. I was mesmerised by the way she ate. No, actually, that’s not entirely true. I was mesmerised by the way she did everything. I couldn’t get over how one person could be so perfect.
“Monday afternoon is shopping time,” Tiger Lily said, with a sideways glance to me, as if to explain. I nodded furiously so I could show that yes, I knew and that yes, I was free and wanted to go, and then I realised that I was looking a bit too keen so I pulled back on the nodding and said in what I thought was a cool, unconcerned sort of voice, “Oh, yeah, that’s right. Um, yep, I can come.”
“Nail polish!” said Lise, suddenly, holding up her hand to the light. She had a worried expression on her face and Isabella came to her rescue.
“I see what you mean. Wow, Lise. What is with your nails? Didn’t you get another bottle last time we went?” she asked.
Lise shook her head furiously. “Forgot!” she said mournfully. Her big blue puppy dog eyes seemed so upset that I wanted to help her feel better.
“Oh I need to get some too,” I said looking around at the group, “so that’s good. We can get it at the same place. It’s so annoying that we can’t wear anything at school but pink.”
There was a short silence. Lise looked at Isabella and Saffron glanced sideways at Tiger who began an eye roll before Saffron put her hand on her arm like a warning.
“No, it’s ok,” she said calmly tossing her ponytail. “She’s still learning.”
My heart sank. Obviously I had made a huge error but I had no idea what it was. If that wasn’t bad enough, I started to feel my face beginning to turn pink. A ray of shame crawled up my spine. Go away, go away, go away , I thought to myself, trying to get control of my face.
Saffron leant in to me.
“Coco, we don’t wear pink nail polish,” she said, very seriously. She was saying it kindly, as though she really wanted to help me.
“Everyone else does that. But we’re not like everyone else. As you know.” She said it meaningfully.
I nodded, grateful for her time.
“Oh, I know, I mean...” I stumbled. “I just.. I didn’t...”
“It’s okay,” she said. Her face was reassuring, and then suddenly flinty. “Just don’t say it
“Ssh,” warned Sam, looking around as if she was expecting to see Tiger Lily in the next seat. “If you want to keep it a secret, you really can’t talk about it. From now until you go, you’re sticking to the story. You’re going off to learn dressage and show jumping and horsey stuff. And you’re coming back to school at the end of the year. No mud, no building and especially no pig sheds.”
The bus was pulling up to school and as we got off, I made a face and pretended to zip my mouth shut and throw away the key. Sam made a movement like she was catching it and putting it in her pocket.
“Your secret is safe with me,” she said dramatically and pushed me along. “Now go. Be popular and beautiful. And quiet!”
It was tricky. I actually have always been a person who likes to talk a lot. If my head is full of thoughts, I tend to blurt them out regardless of where I am or who’s listening. It was something I wanted to change about myself because it’s kind of uncool. Silent, aloof girls who have a single witty comment to throw in at exactly the right place seem way more attractive.
So far I’d worked really hard to hold my tongue around Saffron, Tiger and the others. I wanted them to see me as cool, intelligent and unconcerned. But now I really did have to keep my mouth shut. This was a secret that I had to keep. My reputation and my entire social future depended on it!
“So, everyone’s coming to Westfield this afternoon?” Saffron said at recess, a piece of delicately wrapped sushi heading from her ultra-chic lunch box towards her lightly glossed mouth. She opened her mouth slightly and just kind of absorbed the sushi, hardly moving her jaw to chew. I was mesmerised by the way she ate. No, actually, that’s not entirely true. I was mesmerised by the way she did everything. I couldn’t get over how one person could be so perfect.
“Monday afternoon is shopping time,” Tiger Lily said, with a sideways glance to me, as if to explain. I nodded furiously so I could show that yes, I knew and that yes, I was free and wanted to go, and then I realised that I was looking a bit too keen so I pulled back on the nodding and said in what I thought was a cool, unconcerned sort of voice, “Oh, yeah, that’s right. Um, yep, I can come.”
“Nail polish!” said Lise, suddenly, holding up her hand to the light. She had a worried expression on her face and Isabella came to her rescue.
“I see what you mean. Wow, Lise. What is with your nails? Didn’t you get another bottle last time we went?” she asked.
Lise shook her head furiously. “Forgot!” she said mournfully. Her big blue puppy dog eyes seemed so upset that I wanted to help her feel better.
“Oh I need to get some too,” I said looking around at the group, “so that’s good. We can get it at the same place. It’s so annoying that we can’t wear anything at school but pink.”
There was a short silence. Lise looked at Isabella and Saffron glanced sideways at Tiger who began an eye roll before Saffron put her hand on her arm like a warning.
“No, it’s ok,” she said calmly tossing her ponytail. “She’s still learning.”
My heart sank. Obviously I had made a huge error but I had no idea what it was. If that wasn’t bad enough, I started to feel my face beginning to turn pink. A ray of shame crawled up my spine. Go away, go away, go away , I thought to myself, trying to get control of my face.
Saffron leant in to me.
“Coco, we don’t wear pink nail polish,” she said, very seriously. She was saying it kindly, as though she really wanted to help me.
“Everyone else does that. But we’re not like everyone else. As you know.” She said it meaningfully.
I nodded, grateful for her time.
“Oh, I know, I mean...” I stumbled. “I just.. I didn’t...”
“It’s okay,” she said. Her face was reassuring, and then suddenly flinty. “Just don’t say it
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