gave me a hug.
“It’l be okay, Perdy. He’s noticed you. It’l be different for you,” she said, but her reassurance didn’t work on me.
“Like I said before, we must be living in two different worlds. Now, when are you going to talk to Joey?” She paled at the thought. “I need something new to wear. And somewhere to go. And someone else to tel him for me.” We giggled together until one of the cleaners cleared their throat and wiped down our table for the fifth or sixth time. We decided it was time to start shopping.
We wandered up Grafton Street, stopping to listen to the occasional busker. At the entrance to Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre, a man gave me a leery smile. I might not have noticed him, but his eyes were a strangely yelow shade of amber that attracted my attention. He seemed familiar, but it wasn’t until we passed him by that I remembered he had been standing across from our school the day before. I looked back to check, but I couldn’t see him anymore and assumed I had been mistaken.
We spent the rest of the day trawling the clothes shops and picking up a couple of sale bargains. For once, shopping cheered me up a little. Until I got home.
Gran was waiting for me in the kitchen. “What did you get?” she said, spying my bag. I shoved it at her. She looked at the contents and nodded.
“So, is this where you were during your last couple of classes today?” she asked sternly.
I groaned and sank into a chair across from her.
“Indeed. Your school rang me and asked where you were. I told them you had come home sick with my permission. Do you have a good reason for me to lie for you, or should I cal them straight back with the truth?”
“Ah, Gran, stop. I didn’t ask you to lie. I was having a realy bad day, okay? I was ready to hit someone, so I figured it would be better to step away than end up in trouble for flipping out at school.”
She studied me for a couple of minutes. “That actualy sounds like a good reason to me. The real problem is your father. What’s stopping me from teling him the truth? Nothing. At least, not yet.”
Her eyes took on a mischievous glint, and I knew she was up for making a deal.
“What do you want?” I asked, wary because I knew she would think of something either ridiculous or embarrassing. Probably both.
“I want you to wear your hair down for the rest of the week,” she said with a cheeky grin. “And no navy jumpers either. In fact, no dark clothes at al. I want you to look like a girl for the whole week.”
“Gran!” I protested. “You’re not serious!”
“I’m deadly serious. Unless you want your father to have you homeschooled for going on the hop?” I couldn’t believe my grandmother sometimes. But knowing her, this was my only choice. I hated wearing my hair down, but at least I would be able to sort of hide behind it. The clothes part wouldn’t be too bad, but she reaped some kind of sadistic pleasure from me bringing attention on myself. When she was younger, she worked as a club singer and had long, dark red hair like mine. She always brushed my hair and said it was wasted on me because I didn’t use it to my advantage.
Whatever that meant.
I ran upstairs to hide my shopping bag from my Dad and decided to give Amelia a cal. I was stil afraid she was mad at me.
“Hey, Amelia, it’s Perdy.”
“Oh, hey.”
“Um... you didn’t text me back earlier.”
“Yeah, sorry, I didn’t have credit. Did you get anything nice?” She sounded chirpy enough.
“You’re not angry at me?”
“Why would I be angry?” She laughed down the phone, it was a complete relief.
“Oh. Wel, ‘cos I kind of got pissy with your brother when he picked up for Dawn before, and then I went off with Tammie even though I wasn’t realy talking to her.
My head was just melted, I needed to get out of there before I threw something at Dawn.”
“Hold on, he picked up for Dawn? What, like, against you?”
“Yeah, wel, sort of. It
“It’l be okay, Perdy. He’s noticed you. It’l be different for you,” she said, but her reassurance didn’t work on me.
“Like I said before, we must be living in two different worlds. Now, when are you going to talk to Joey?” She paled at the thought. “I need something new to wear. And somewhere to go. And someone else to tel him for me.” We giggled together until one of the cleaners cleared their throat and wiped down our table for the fifth or sixth time. We decided it was time to start shopping.
We wandered up Grafton Street, stopping to listen to the occasional busker. At the entrance to Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre, a man gave me a leery smile. I might not have noticed him, but his eyes were a strangely yelow shade of amber that attracted my attention. He seemed familiar, but it wasn’t until we passed him by that I remembered he had been standing across from our school the day before. I looked back to check, but I couldn’t see him anymore and assumed I had been mistaken.
We spent the rest of the day trawling the clothes shops and picking up a couple of sale bargains. For once, shopping cheered me up a little. Until I got home.
Gran was waiting for me in the kitchen. “What did you get?” she said, spying my bag. I shoved it at her. She looked at the contents and nodded.
“So, is this where you were during your last couple of classes today?” she asked sternly.
I groaned and sank into a chair across from her.
“Indeed. Your school rang me and asked where you were. I told them you had come home sick with my permission. Do you have a good reason for me to lie for you, or should I cal them straight back with the truth?”
“Ah, Gran, stop. I didn’t ask you to lie. I was having a realy bad day, okay? I was ready to hit someone, so I figured it would be better to step away than end up in trouble for flipping out at school.”
She studied me for a couple of minutes. “That actualy sounds like a good reason to me. The real problem is your father. What’s stopping me from teling him the truth? Nothing. At least, not yet.”
Her eyes took on a mischievous glint, and I knew she was up for making a deal.
“What do you want?” I asked, wary because I knew she would think of something either ridiculous or embarrassing. Probably both.
“I want you to wear your hair down for the rest of the week,” she said with a cheeky grin. “And no navy jumpers either. In fact, no dark clothes at al. I want you to look like a girl for the whole week.”
“Gran!” I protested. “You’re not serious!”
“I’m deadly serious. Unless you want your father to have you homeschooled for going on the hop?” I couldn’t believe my grandmother sometimes. But knowing her, this was my only choice. I hated wearing my hair down, but at least I would be able to sort of hide behind it. The clothes part wouldn’t be too bad, but she reaped some kind of sadistic pleasure from me bringing attention on myself. When she was younger, she worked as a club singer and had long, dark red hair like mine. She always brushed my hair and said it was wasted on me because I didn’t use it to my advantage.
Whatever that meant.
I ran upstairs to hide my shopping bag from my Dad and decided to give Amelia a cal. I was stil afraid she was mad at me.
“Hey, Amelia, it’s Perdy.”
“Oh, hey.”
“Um... you didn’t text me back earlier.”
“Yeah, sorry, I didn’t have credit. Did you get anything nice?” She sounded chirpy enough.
“You’re not angry at me?”
“Why would I be angry?” She laughed down the phone, it was a complete relief.
“Oh. Wel, ‘cos I kind of got pissy with your brother when he picked up for Dawn before, and then I went off with Tammie even though I wasn’t realy talking to her.
My head was just melted, I needed to get out of there before I threw something at Dawn.”
“Hold on, he picked up for Dawn? What, like, against you?”
“Yeah, wel, sort of. It
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