Don't Even Think About It (13 page)

Ruth Wallace is the most annoying person I ever lived next door to.

Remember I said I was going to talk to her about Chris? Well, I did, and she said exactly what I thought she would – that clearly I wasn’t interested, and that I should finish with him. I had to agree, since I’d already figured that out for myself.

Then we decided that I had to meet him face to face, that it wasn’t nice to do something like that over the phone. Ruth told me I had to say that it wasn’t him, it was me. She says that’s the kind way of breaking up with someone.

I don’t know how Ruth knows stuff like that, but she does.

Anyway, when we had all that sorted out, and I was getting up to go home, Ruth said, ‘I know something you don’t.’ And she had this really smug look on her face.

So of course I said, ‘What are you talking about?’

And she said, ‘I can’t say any more.’

Is there anything more annoying than someone telling you they know something you don’t, and then not telling you what it is?

Then I said I’d push her out of the wheelchair, if she didn’t tell me, which of course didn’t scare her a bit. But she did take pity on me, because she said, ‘Look, I really can’t tell you who it is – I’d be killed – but I know someone who fancies you.’

And no matter how much I threatened her after that – I even went to her fridge and took out an almost-full litre of milk – she wouldn’t say another word.

Of course she could be making it all up – but why? We’re friends now. She doesn’t try and wind me up any more. Well, she does – last week she asked me if I ever thought of getting my head shaved and wearing a wig – but it’s only a bit of fun now, and I just tell her to get stuffed.

But this is different, and I don’t think she’s making it up. I just can’t imagine who it could be though. The only boys we both know are Chris and Bumble – unless it’s someone Ruth knows and I don’t. But how could someone I don’t even know fancy me? It doesn’t make sense.

It’s kind of nice though, to think that someone thinks you’re cool.

I’m still working on the birthday kitten idea with Dad. He won’t give me a definite yes, but that’s probably because he’s going to surprise me. I can read him like a book sometimes.

I really hope he gets a mostly white one, although of course I’ll take any kitten he gives me. As Granny Daly would say,
BEGGARS CAN’T BE CHOOSERS
.

Oh and guess what? Dad was right – it
was
Bumble who phoned the other night. He rang again last evening, and would you believe he actually meant it about us meeting up after all? We settled on next Thursday – I kind of want to get the whole breaking up with Chris thing over with first.

I am NOT looking forward to that. Better ring Chris now and arrange to meet him in town. God, I hope he hasn’t got me a birthday present yet – hope he didn’t pick up on the hints I was dropping about White Musk.

Well, I did it. It was awful, just awful.

I met him at our usual corner, and we went to Nosh and ordered Cokes, and he started telling me about his little sister’s birthday party the day before, and right in the middle of the bit when his sister’s best friend got sick into the bowl of trifle, I butted in, because I couldn’t bear it any longer, and I said, ‘Chris, I have something to say.’

And he just sat there, while I stuttered and stammered and told him it was me, not him, and how sorry I was, and his face went red and his eyes filled with tears, and I felt like a total monster.

And when I ran out of words, we just sat there for a bit, and I kept my eyes on the paper tablecloth, where Chris had been doodling stars while he was telling me about the birthday party. Then he kind of pulled himself together and stood up and said he had to go.

I could see he was really struggling not to cry in front of me, so I just nodded and let him walk out, and I stayed sitting there for about twenty minutes, to give him plenty of time to get away.

Breaking up sure stinks. I hope I never have to do it again. I think I’d rather if someone broke up with me, even if it made me really sad. It couldn’t be worse than feeling the way I do now.

Anyway, I wanted to talk to someone after that, so I called into Ruth on the way home, and she told me that I’d done the right thing, and that of course I wasn’t a monster, which was just what I needed to hear.

Imagine I thought she was horrible once. Just shows how wrong you can be.

She still refuses to tell me who fancies me – not that I want to get involved with anyone else right now. I think I’ve had enough of boys for a while.

Wouldn’t mind knowing who it was though.

Happy Birthday to me.

Hurrah that it’s a Saturday, so there’s no school. There’s also no sign of a kitten – I’ve just been downstairs to check – so Dad must be planning to take me to the Cats’ Home later to let me choose one for myself, which I was secretly hoping he’d do. He’s still in bed, which isn’t surprising, considering it’s only half past six in the morning.

So while I’m waiting for him to get up, I may as well tell you about meeting Bumble on Thursday.

You know what? It was as if we’d never been apart.

Of course he was late, like he always was, and I tried to look cross when he walked in, like I always used to do, and he managed to smile and look guilty at the same time, and I hadn’t the heart to give out to him.

Just like it always was.

I don’t know who talked more, him or me. I know we
ordered two lots of Coke, and then we got chips, because suddenly it was lunchtime. He told me I looked more grown-up, which is a good thing to hear when you’re almost fourteen, and I told him he needed a haircut, which he did.

And somewhere in between the first and second Coke, Bumble started talking about Catherine Eggleston.

He told me that going out with her had been a big mistake – that he’d never been interested in her, not really. He said he just laughed when Trudy Higgins told him that Catherine fancied him. He really didn’t believe her, until Catherine herself asked him out, less than a week after she finished with Terry McNamara. She asked
him
out – imagine.

And because she was beautiful, and because it was nice to think that someone like her was interested in him, Bumble said yes. I suppose most boys would say yes to Catherine Eggleston.

And for a while he enjoyed being with her. He liked seeing other boys looking at her when they were out together, and she could even be quite good fun sometimes. But in the end, it wasn’t enough – he just wasn’t interested, so he finished with her.

And then I told him about Chris, and how awful it had been finishing with him, and we agreed that breaking up really sucked.

It was just lovely to be with Bumble again. I told him all about Ruth, and about Mam turning up out of the blue after Christmas. He and Mam always got on – I think Mam secretly thought of Bumble as my future husband. You know what mams are like.

Anyway, just before we said goodbye he gave me a little padded envelope and told me not to open it until my birthday, and it’s here in front of me now, and I think it’s about time I found out what’s in it.

It’s a bottle of White Musk, with a card that says, ‘Just make sure you don’t wear it when you’re meeting me.’ He’s so romantic.

Right, I can’t bear the kitten suspense any longer. Time to go downstairs and make lots of noise in the kitchen.

OK, I’ve had three sausages and two rashers, and there’s still no sign of Dad. Is he ever getting up?

Hang on, someone’s at the front door.

Molly is the cutest kitten you ever saw.

She’s like a ball of fur, white with orange paws and ears, and she’s got the tiniest little mew, and her tongue feels like the dark grey end of a rubber, the end that rubs out ink, and her tail is short and fat and fluffy, and the little pink pads under her paws are just adorable.

She’s already eaten half a tin of sardines and two saucers of kitten milk, and she’s got a milk moustache. She sneezed a minute ago, and she nearly fell over.

I want to eat her up, she’s so gorgeous.

You know where I found her? Sitting on the doormat in a Tayto box with a red ribbon around it and holes
punched in the sides. Dad sneaked downstairs with her when I was having breakfast and put her on the mat and rang the bell and hid around the corner until I came out and found her.

He kept her in his room last night.

Did you get that? My Dad, who really doesn’t like cats, spent the whole night with a mewing little kitten in his room, just so she’d be a surprise for me on my birthday. Is he the best dad in the world or what?

Hang on, the post has just come, and there’s an envelope from Mam. Hopefully containing a few dollars.

You won’t believe it. It’s a return ticket to San Francisco. I’m flying out on the tenth of July and coming back on the sixth of August.

Almost a whole month with her. I’m so happy I could cry.

Ruth loves Molly. She didn’t say one insulting thing about her, not that I’d care. Not after she gave me a year’s subscription to Mizz, which she said I was getting on condition that I passed them all on to her. I told her I’d think about it.

Chloe loves Molly too. She gave me
The Monster Cookie Book
for my birthday. It’s the size of an encyclopaedia, and it must have about two hundred cookie recipes in it.

She and Ruth almost fought over who’d hold Molly and naturally Ruth won. They’re both gone home now, and I’m just about to start getting ready to go out to
dinner with Dad. I decided that’s what I wanted to do most of all this evening.

Hang on – the doorbell’s just rung, and Dad’s in the shower, so I’d better answer it.

Dad has just knocked on my door and said if we don’t get moving, they’ll give our table away. I told him I’d be out in a sec.

You’ll never guess who was at the front door.

He was holding out a little bag, and he looked a bit shy. He said, ‘I just wanted to wish you happy birthday.’

I took the bag and opened it, and inside was a little sparkly red collar that looked as if it would fit perfectly around Molly’s neck. And when I looked back up at him, something happened.

My stomach flipped, in a really nice kind of way.

And suddenly I felt shy myself, and all I could do was smile and say, ‘Thank you, it’s lovely.’

And then he said, ‘Maybe we could go out some time.’

And I said, ‘I’d like that.’ And I watched him turn around and walk back next door.

I wonder what it’ll be like, kissing Damien Wallace.

As Granny Daly would say,
YOU JUST NEVER KNOW
WHAT’S WAITING AROUND THE CORNER.

We hope you enjoyed meeting Liz.

Now meet Tia and Tammy in
Blue Lavender Girl

and
Copper Girl
from Judy May.

I’m glad I didn’t waste brain cells thinking of anything else to do for the summer, because I just found out that I’m going to Aunt Maisie’s anyway. She always comes here so I’ve never seen her place. Mum tells me it’s a large cottage in its own grounds, but if she thinks that will change me into one of those
Pride and Prejudice
girls she’s very much mistaken. I’m sort of relieved though, because I hate everyone right now, but I won’t let them know that.

I need to use every minute I have to make it so they won’t go into my room while I’m away. That way they can’t pull another stunt like the salmon-coloured flowered wallpaper that appeared when I was off on the weekend school trip to that farm. I am going to push all the mess near the door so it’s impossible to get through.

I put all my favourite clothes into a big suitcase and then took them all out again deciding to wash everything first in case she doesn’t have a washing machine. I know she will, I
just … God, I don’t know.

I went around to meet Kira and Dee at the burger place, but they sounded worse than my mother. They kept saying that I’d have a good time and they wish they were going and that I might find a boyfriend there.

I didn’t even get to say goodbye properly because Dee’s brother’s friends arrived in, and this needed the girls’ full attention.

I looked up at the sky and wondered what’s happened to the stars these days. There are never any when I think to look up. When I was really little and we spent time in Dad’s uncle’s place by the beach, there were loads of stars. We used to all lie on the beach and Dad would teach us the names of the stars and Mum would get them all muddled up and not on purpose. It was such a laugh, but I haven’t explained it very well. It was one of those ‘you-had-to-have-been-there’ things.

I nearly forgot to pack this diary, good thing it was on top of my jeans with the beads otherwise I would have left it behind. It’s weird that I have written more in this than in English class for the last year.

I am in bed early.

PRETEND REASON: To get enough sleep to be up bright and early to get to the train in time.

REAL REASON: I am so angry with my parents that I keep wanting to bite someone’s head off whenever either of them says anything, and I don’t want to fall out with them just before I go or they might never let me come home.