Mates, Dates and Cosmic Kisses (9 page)

‘You better had,’ said Lucy and punched my arm.

But at least she was smiling.

When I got home that evening, I had a good think about everything Lucy had said. I knew she was right. I had lost myself somewhere along the way in the last few weeks. And to
tell the truth, I was beginning to get tired of staying in waiting for the phone and going slowly mental. I’d done everything I could think of to keep myself occupied. I’d colour
co-ordinated my wardrobe, I’d tidied all my books and CDs, I’d done all my homework, painted my nails, conditioned my hair, written my Christmas cards. I realised that I had to stop
waiting around for Mark to phone, it was ridiculous. I had to get myself a life again. I’d been neglecting my friends. And I was starting to miss them.

When Lucy phoned and asked if I wanted to go to Nesta’s, I didn’t think twice.

‘See you there at seven,’ I said.

‘I’m not infectious any more,’ said Nesta as Lucy and I sat as far away as we could from her in their sitting-room. ‘In fact, Mum says I can go out
again tomorrow. Hurrah.’

Lucy laughed, then went and plonked herself on the floor by the sofa where Nesta was lying like the Queen of Sheba, covered in a huge duvet and surrounded by boxes of tissues and Lemsips.

I’d phoned Nesta at lunch-time as promised and, before she could say anything, I apologised for being a total pain. We talked for about an hour and I didn’t even get in a state about
Mark maybe trying to get through. She was great about everything and said she really values me as a friend. I felt really close to her. She said she was sorry for putting the damper on my day in
the park with Mark and I said I’d been a complete prat. She agreed. We had a laugh and here we were like nothing ever happened.

‘How do you handle it, Lucy?’ I asked. ‘If Tony doesn’t phone?’

‘Easy,’ said Nesta. ‘I stand over him to make sure he does. I told him from the start that he’d better not mess her around and he knows better than to get me
mad.’

Lucy and I laughed. We both knew what Nesta could be like when she turned into Scary Girl mode. Not to be argued with.

‘Anyway,’ I said, joining Lucy on the floor. ‘I’ve had enough of boys. Too much trouble. Up. Down. Happy. Depressed. I can’t take it any more. I was OK before I met
Mark. And I’ve been mental ever since.’

‘Did he call this evening?’ asked Lucy.

‘What do you think?’

‘Maybe?’ said Lucy.

‘Nah,’ I said. ‘And I’ve had enough.
Enough.
I don’t know what game he’s playing but I don’t want to join in. First he says he had a mad week,
then, last Saturday, he says his mobile was nicked . . .’

Nesta’s face dropped.

‘What?’ I asked. ‘What is it?’

‘Nothing,’ she said. But I could tell that there was something she wasn’t saying. And I could tell Lucy knew whatever it was as she looked really worried too.

‘Nesta. Spill.’

She shook her head. ‘No, honestly, nothing. It doesn’t matter.’

We sat awkwardly for a few minutes.

‘Nesta, you
have
to tell me. I
know
you know something. If you don’t tell me I will imagine the worst possible thing in the world.’

‘Like what?’ she asked.

‘Er, like secretly you’ve been dating Mark all this time?’

She laughed. ‘No, it’s not
that
bad. Besides, you know I wouldn’t do that.’

‘So what, then?’

She shifted uncomfortably. ‘Well, promise you won’t stop speaking to me again.’

‘Promise,’ I said, starting to feel pretty uncomfortable myself. ‘Look, I know I’ve been a useless mate lately but I promise I won’t go funny, whatever you tell
me.’

I
had
to know. There’s
nothing
I hate more than when someone says they know something, then won’t tell you.

‘Well, last Saturday, remember you wouldn’t come out with us to the Hollywood Bowl?’

‘Yes,’ I nodded.

‘Well, we saw Mark there.’

‘Really?’

‘Yeah. He was with a bunch of mates.’

‘Well that’s not so bad. I mean, we didn’t have a date or anything.’

‘Yeah. But he was posing about. On his mobile phone.’

‘Oh,’ I said. ‘The creep. Why didn’t he just say he’d forgotten to ring or something? Why come up with a whole story about his phone being nicked?’

‘Boys do that when they feel confronted,’ said Lucy. ‘Believe me, I know, with two stupid brothers. Rather than tell the truth they’ll make up some daft story so they
don’t look bad.’

‘Well that’s it, then,’ I said. ‘No more boys. No matter how cute.’

‘Until you meet the next one you like,’ said Nesta.

‘No,’ I said. I really meant it this time. ‘Boys are bad for your mental health.’

‘Some are OK,’ said Nesta. ‘They don’t all mess you around. But friends are best. It’s not worth losing your friends over any boy.’

‘Absolutely,’ I agreed. ‘I mean, boys will come and go. But we’ll always be friends and be there for each other. Won’t we? Let’s make a pact that we’ll
never ever let a boy come between us again.’

‘Yeah,’ said Nesta. ‘And we’ll always tell the truth to each other, no matter how much we think it might hurt.’

‘Yeah,’ said Lucy. ‘A pact. If you can’t trust your mates, then who can you trust?’

I felt happier than I had for weeks. Sane again. It felt good to be back with my pals. Easy company. Uncomplicated.

‘To no boys,’ I said.

Lucy and Nesta looked doubtful.

‘How about to friends?’ said Nesta.

‘OK,’ I said. ‘To friends.’

When I got home later that night, Mum called me into the sitting-room. She was curled up on the sofa reading a vegetarian recipe book and Angus was at the desk in the bay
window, looking at some photographs in an album. Oh no, I thought.
Please
don’t let those be the wedding pictures come back. That was an episode I was hoping had been forgiven and
forgotten.

‘What are you reading a vegetarian recipe book for?’ I said, edging out of the room just in case the photos
were
from the wedding and it all blew up again.

‘Just looking at a few recipes for Christmas dinner,’ said Mum. ‘We can’t have you eating nothing but sprouts. How does a nut roast sound?’

‘Great,’ I said. What was going on? She didn’t seem too mad. Perhaps it wasn’t Amelia’s wedding album.

‘Want to see yourself as bridesmaid, Izzie?’ asked Angus.

I looked nervously at Mum, thinking, Oh-oh, here we go. But she didn’t even look up from her book.

I went to look over Angus’s shoulder. ‘Wow!’ I said. ‘They look fantastic.’

Angus turned and smiled. ‘Yes. Good solution, eh?’

‘Yeah,’ I said, breathing a sigh of relief. ‘Excellent solution.’

He’d had the photos done in black and white. In the few photos I was in, I looked completely normal. No wonder Mum was sitting there so cool about it all. In black and white, no one need
ever know her mad daughter had green hair on the day.

‘Some boy called when you were out,’ said Mum. ‘Mark. He said he’d phone back.’

‘Oh
no
’, I said. ‘Murphy’s Law.’

Mum looked at me quizzically. ‘Oh no? I thought he was the one that all the fuss was about?’

I sighed. ‘He was. But I just decided I’m through with boys.’

Mum and Angus laughed.

‘I can’t keep up, Izzie,’ said Mum.

‘Neither can I,’ I said. ‘I’m going to bed.’

As I went up the stairs, I had an idea.

‘Has anyone called since?’

‘No,’ said Mum. ‘I don’t think so.’

Great! I went into the hall and dialled 1471.

I scribbled down the number then went up to my room. At last! I thought. Now I could call him if I wanted.

But I was through with boys. Wasn’t I?

Chapter 10

‘I have a date,’
I said to Lucy on the phone the following morning. ‘A proper date. With Mark.’

He’d phoned back five minutes after I got home from Nesta’s, so I hadn’t had to think about whether to phone him or not.

‘We’re going to hang out this afternoon. Don’t be mad with me.’

‘I’m not mad with you,’ she said. ‘But I thought you were through with boys.’

‘I know, I
know. But
a girl can change her mind, can’t she?’

Talking about changing her mind, I must have tried on every outfit in my wardrobe. Nothing looked right. I wanted to look my best but didn’t want to look like I’d
made too much effort.

By twelve o’clock I had every item I owned out on the bed and I was meeting Mark in an hour. Help.

‘Having a clear-out?’ asked Mum, coming into my bedroom and surveying the mess everywhere.

‘
Mum
,’ I said. ‘You didn’t knock.’

Mum raised her eyes to the ceiling. ‘You never used to mind, Izzie.’

‘Well I do now. I’m fourteen.’

‘Anyway,’ said Mum, ignoring me. ‘What are you doing?’

‘
Trying
to get dressed. But I’ve got nothing to wear.’

Mum looked at the heaps of clothes piled on the bed. ‘Nothing to wear?’ she laughed. ‘There’s loads of clothes here. Anyway, what’s the occasion?’

I shrugged. I didn’t want to tell her I was going out with Mark as she’d want to know everything. Who he was. What school he went to. Then she’d be inviting him round to give
him the once-over. No thanks.

‘I’m going to the Hollywood Bowl,’ I said. She didn’t need to know who with. But she had a silly grin on her face. I think she knew.

‘Then just wear your jeans.’

‘My bum looks big in them.’

‘Then wear a skirt.’

‘I can’t decide,’ I sighed, looking pointedly at my watch.

‘OK.
OK.
I know when I’m not wanted,’ Mum said, turning to leave. ‘And Izzie?’

‘Yes?’ Please don’t let her ask too many questions, I prayed.

‘Have a good time,’ she winked.

Sometimes I don’t get parents.

In the end, I grabbed my black ribbed sweater, my black jeans and black PVC coat. Black and mysterious, that’s me.

The weather looked freezing outside so I added a red scarf and gloves, then a bit of lippie, a bit of kohl, a spray of Mum’s Chanel No. 19 and I was out the door.

Mark was waiting for me outside Café Original when I got to North Finchley. I was glad I hadn’t dressed up too much as besides his jacket, he had on a navy fleece,
jeans and trainers. I tried my best to look cool as I walked towards him but my heart was beating madly. He looked gorgeous.

Gorgeous and waiting for me.

Gorgeous, waiting for me and waving.

My breath felt tight in my chest as I waved back.

‘Hi,’ he said, taking my hand and leading me into the café. ‘Let’s go and get a drink to warm us up.’

As we walked into the café all my anxieties from the last few weeks melted away. What did any of it matter now? I could see a few girls eyeing him up as we got drinks and took our
seats.

Ha ha, I thought, he’s with me. On a date. With
me
.

We spent the next few hours jibber-jabbering about everything. I found out he lives in Primrose Hill not far from Dad. He goes to school there as well and, most excellent, it’s one of the
five local schools invited to our end-of-term disco. He’s seventeen and a Libra (which is an air sign like me, so we’re really compatible). His favourite films are
The Matrix
and
American Pie
and
The Sixth Sense
(which is my favourite film). He’s got one older brother and a younger sister. Best subjects are maths and biology and he wants to be a doctor
when he grows up.

We’d just ordered two blueberry muffins (my weekend treat) and got on to our favourite foods, when a phone rang. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his mobile.

After he’d finished his call, he grinned at me. ‘Sorry about that. One of my mates, I’m seeing him later,’ he said.

I put on my most innocent look. ‘I thought you said your phone had been nicked.’

He shifted awkwardly and I could have sworn he blushed a bit. ‘Oh yeah,’ he said. ‘That. My dad got me a new one yesterday.’

We ate our muffins in silence then he looked right into my eyes and did a kind of slow smile. Then he stared at my mouth for a moment and my insides went all tingly.

‘Shall we go and have a walk before we go home?’ he asked.

Suddenly I felt really nervous. It was our first date. Would he want to kiss me? I’d only ever kissed two other boys and neither of them were important. One boy when I was a kid and then
some creepoid last year who had a nasty case of wandering hands. It was horrible and he poked his tongue in my mouth. All I could think was wet fish, wet fish! Sloppy, slimy. Blaghh.

This time it would be for real.

I tried to remember what Nesta’s brother had told us about kissing. Tony fancies himself as the Master Snogger and one time, before he was going out with Lucy, he offered to show me how it
was done. I laughed at him but now I wished I’d taken him up on it. I mean, how do you know if you’re a good kisser? I cast my mind back and desperately tried to remember what his
snogging tips were. I should have asked Lucy or Nesta before I came out. I know, I thought, I’ll phone them.

‘Sure, a walk sounds good,’ I said. ‘But just got to go to the ladies’. Won’t be a mo.’

I dashed into the ladies’, waited until all the cubicles were empty, then dialled Lucy’s number.