A Hole in the World (11 page)

‘Morning.’

The door to the hall opens and Julia enters, scratching at her hair and yawning like crazy. ‘Morning,’ she mutters. ‘You all okay?’

‘Pretty good,’ Bianca says, grabbing tupperware to put the sandwiches into. ‘Alexandra is making lunch and Scotty is eating your food.’

‘All your friends seem to eat my food,’ Julia says, dropping down into a chair and scrounging the cereal off Scotty.

‘It’s because your food is so good, Missus W., just like your parenting.’

The sarcasm Bianca detects in Scotty’s tone appears to be lost on Julia, for she replies with, ‘You’re too nice to me, Scotty.’

‘Come on,’ Bianca says, grabbing Scotty by the back of the blazer even as Alexandra snaps the Tupperware closed and runs across to tuck it into her bag. ‘We’re going to be late if we’re not careful.’

‘Oy!’ Scotty twists around and her grip slips free. ‘You say that every morning and are we
ever
late?’

‘Really want me to answer that?’ Bianca says, but the scowl is more for his sarcasm and he seems to detect that, for he drops his spoon in the bowl, chirps a goodbye in Julia’s direction and heads for the door.

Bianca sighs and picks Alexandra’s pink bag up off the floor, throwing it at the blonde girl, who catches it with a smile, having returned to grab a bottle of water.

The bag was a present from Bianca seven days ago. Once she realised Alexandra would
definitely
be staying for a while, she bought her the things she felt the girl would need, including, but not limited to, a toothbrush of her own and a bag to put some stuff in.

‘You don’t have to be so rough with me,’ Scotty says, as the door closed.

‘You should be happy, Scotty!’ Alexandra announces. ‘For it is a beautiful day and we are going to school!’

‘But I’m
not
happy,’ Scotty says, huffing and slowing down. ‘School should
not
be something you’re deliberately on time for!’

Bianca puts her hands on his shoulder blades. ‘There, there, Scotts,’ she says, kissing his cheek. ‘We all have our crosses to bear.’ She plants a foot on his backside and
shoves
. He stumbles forwards, shouting obscenities, but she’s already grabbing his hand and dragging him down the road.

‘No way in hell am I letting you make us
early
!’ he shouts, helplessly. ‘I couldn’t bear the shame!’

Alexandra giggles and runs after them.

*

‘I
would
have made it on time,’ Scotty complains, half way to school. There’s a shoe print on the back of his blazer, something Alexandra seemed to
enjoy
pointing out.

She giggles. ‘You did not
appear
to be,’ she says. ‘Bianca was completely justified in her actions.’

‘Ha.’  Bianca grins at Scotty and reaches over to ruffle his hair.

‘Hey, guys!’ a voice shouts. ‘Wait up!’

The three friends turn around to see Cory jogging to catch up with them. He slides smoothly in between the two girls, effectively shoving Bianca and Scotty into the road, and grins at Alexandra, who smiles back. ‘How you doing?’

‘That’s okay, no one wait for me...’ Daisy says, trailing dejectedly up behind them.  By the time she’s caught up with Scotty and Bianca, Alexandra and Cory are already wandering off up ahead, chatting animatedly and laughing at regular intervals.

‘Since when do you guys walk this way?’ Scotty enquires.

‘Since today, it seems.’ Daisy throws her hands up and sighs.

‘It’s something to do with Alexandra, isn’t it?’ Scotty says.

They all start walking again and Daisy nods.  ‘I swear,’ she says, ‘he hasn’t stopped talking about her in a week.’

‘Ah...’ Scotty chuckles. ‘He has it
bad
.’

‘What?’ Bianca snaps out of the reverie she was in, watching Alexandra’s hair glint golden in the sunlight, and stares at her friend. ‘
What
are you talking about?’

‘Cory! He’s totally crushing on Alexandra!’ he exclaims. ‘Can’t you see it?’

Bianca glances up towards Cory and Alexandra’s backs, the two of them laughing and chatting together, Cory deliberately grazing the back of her hand with his as they walk.

‘Son of a...!’ Bianca gasps.

‘You see it now?’ Scotty enquires.

She stares up ahead. She’d thought Alexandra was getting close to Cory and she was jealous of the friendship they’d managed to forge while not seeing each other much outside of school. When she compared it with the friendship
she
had with Alexandra, it seemed... different and it sent pangs through her chest that she didn’t really want to consider, but if Cory is
crushing
and Alexandra is... No. 

‘Well,’ she says, after a moment, having arrived at this definite negative, ‘he can’t have her!’

Scotty quirks an eyebrow at her, interested now. ‘Oh,
really
?’

She colours. ‘Well, no. She lives with me and... and... and... It’s just, she’s really naive, you know? And Cory would probably... He’d probably corrupt her or something!’

Scotty breaks out in a grin. ‘Oh my god!’ he exclaims ‘Cory’s not the only one crushing!’

‘What?!’ Bianca squeaks. She stops walking and jumps back a few steps. ‘No! Don’t be daft! I’m not... I’m
not
crushing!’

‘You totally are!’ Scotty claps his hands together. ‘If you’re not going to take her, though, you should leave her to someone who wants her...’ It’s obvious that he’s just trying to provoke her now, so Bianca ignores him.

‘Wait, what?’ Daisy looks confused and Bianca looks at her. ‘If you’re crushing on Alexandra, that would imply you’re a...’ Daisy trails off, eyes widening. ‘Oh.’

‘Yes, well, maybe I am!’ Bianca exclaims, with a huff. She puts her hands on her hips and blows a strand of hair off her nose. ‘It doesn’t
matter
, though – sexualities and stuff – because he
really
can’t have her. Can we change the subject now?!’

Daisy raises an eyebrow. ‘Uh huh... Sure.’ She eyes Bianca for a moment, as though trying to work out if she can ask something.

Bianca rolls her eyes. ‘Spit it out, Daisy,’ she says.

Daisy bites her lip. ‘Do you think I’m hot?’

Bianca throws her hands up, gives Daisy the finger and stalks off towards Alexandra and Cory. 

‘I...actually genuinely wanted to know,’ Daisy tells Scotty, with a sigh. Scotty smiles at her, throws an arm around her shoulders and the two wander off after the others.

*

‘Serious question time,’ Scotty says, sitting down beside Bianca at lunch. Alexandra and Cory are off to the side, chatting and ignoring Daisy, who seems perfectly content to just watch Cory from afar with a wistful look in her eyes. ‘
Are
you crushing on Alexandra?’

Bianca looks up from rifling through her bag and glowers. ‘Don’t be daft,’ she says, a tad too quickly.

‘It’s not daft. I know you and she’s
completely
your type!’ 

‘I’m into blonde and ditzy then?’ Bianca goes back to her bag and starts throwing random items at her friend: purse, keys, notepad, books, pens, tampons, makeup... Scotty catches them all and piles them up in his lap, watching her.

‘No, but you’re into nice, sweet girls who dote on your every word and, more importantly, girls like Alexandra who genuinely think you’re a lovely person and seem to have a big heart.’ He dumps all the stuff on the table. ‘I
do
remember Melissa!’

Bianca glances up from her bag, looking off into the distance with a dreamy look on her face. ‘Ah, Melissa,’ she says, wistfully. ‘That was a
good
summer...’

‘Earth to Bianca,’ Scotty says, waving his hand in front of her face. ‘You’re evading the question.’

She shrugs and turns back to her bag. ‘Yeah, well, maybe I just don’t see the logic in this questioning. I don’t like Alexandra that way. I really don’t.’

Scotty raises an eyebrow. ‘Isn’t that what you said about Melissa? Right up until she kissed you and you were
smitten
?’

Bianca sighs as she finally retrieves her lunch from where it had sunk to the very bottom of her bag and grabs the stuff back off the table, piling it back into her bag. ‘No, this is just like how I
don’t
like her...’ She glances off towards Cory and Alexandra, chatting nearby, then looks determinedly away. ‘Anyway, I guess she likes Cory.’

She cracks open the plastic box and looks down at her lunch inside. There’s a post-it attached to the plastic bag containing her sandwiches and written on the yellow surface is a note: ‘Enjoy your food!’ There are several love hearts scattered around the message and smiley faces in the O’s.

‘I shouldn’t have shown her Post-Its,’ Bianca says, with a sigh, brushing her fingertips over the perfectly shaped little hearts.

‘Oh, yeah, ‘cause you’re not crushing on her
at all
,’ Scotty says, watching her.

She smacks him around the head with the plastic box. ‘Shut
up
!’

*

‘Are you and Scotty experiencing problems in your relationship, Bianca?’ Alexandra enquires, as they walk home from school together. She’s stopped clinging to Bianca’s hand now and, instead, holds on to her bag. Bianca misses the contact but says nothing.

‘No, why would you think that?’ Bianca turns to look at her and the blonde shrugs.

‘Earlier, you and he appeared to have an argument and tonight he is not with us.’ Alexandra gestures at the distinct lack of Scotty walking home with them. ‘Has something happened?’

Bianca smiles at her. ‘Nah, don’t worry. Scotty and I are still besties. Always will be.’ She slings an arm around Alexandra’s shoulders.  ‘He’s just helping Cory set up for the party tonight.’

‘Oh, I see. This party...’ Alexandra furrows her brow, confusedly. ‘Is it a ball? A masquerade ball, perhaps?’

‘Err... no.’ Bianca offers her friend a sheepish grin and steps away again. ‘More like a... erm... well, just a party, really. If Cory has his way, it’ll be drinking, dancing and everyone making out with each other.’

‘Making out?’ Alexandra says, looking even more confused.

‘Kissing.’ Bianca sighs at Alexandra’s shocked look. ‘Alexandra,’ she says, ‘just how different
is
your world?’

‘Hmm...’ Alexandra looks thoughtful for a moment, as the two girls walk through the front door.

‘Mum! We’re home!’ Bianca shouts through the house.

‘We do not kiss those we do not have a
connection
with,’ Alexandra muses. Bianca nods, absently, and walks into the living room. Julia looks up from the sofa.

‘Who’s ‘we’?’ she enquires.

‘Just Alexandra, Mum,’ Bianca replies, leaning on the back of the sofa. ‘I said she could wear my pink party dress tonight.’

‘Hmm, as long as you get it back when she’s done,’ Julia says. ‘That dress was really expensive and I’d like you to wear it at least
once
before you completely out grow it.’

Bianca grins, knowing full well she’ll
never
wear it. ‘Yeah, well, Mum, at least
someone
will get some use out of it.’ She turns to Alexandra. ‘Come on! Upstairs, upstairs!’ She herds her out of the living room and up the stairs and the other girl giggles as she runs across the landing and into Bianca’s room.

‘Here it is,’ Bianca announces a couple of minutes later as she produces a beautiful pink party dress from the wardrobe. ‘And this is the green one... in case you wanna compare.’ She holds the two out together and Alexandra gives them an awed look.

‘They are simply marvellous!’ she exclaims, taking the pink one and laying it out on the bed. ‘I will truly be the belle of the ball in this!’

‘Alexandra, you’d be the belle of the ball if you wore a paper bag,’ Bianca says, only slightly jealously. She starts rooting around in the wardrobe as Alexandra examines the delicate lace trim around the neckline of the party dress.

‘What will
you
be wearing?’ Alexandra enquires.

‘Um...’ Bianca all but climbs into the wardrobe trying to find what she’s after and, when she almost trips straight into it, it’s Alexandra that hauls her back onto her feet.

‘Here we are!’ she exclaims, finally, dragging a pair of sparkly jeans and a fancy top from somewhere within the depths of the wardrobe. ‘This,’ she says, holding the two items against her body. ‘Simple and, you know... Trousers. I like trousers.’

Alexandra scowls at her. ‘Hm,’ she says, ‘I believe you can do better!’

‘Yeah, well...’ Bianca unbuttons and pulls her shirt off, depositing it on the floor at her feet, already reaching for the top to replace it. ‘Maybe I don’t wanna do better.’

Alexandra looks at her sadly. ‘But you are so
beautiful
,’ she says, plaintively. ‘Why must you refuse to show off your limbs?’

‘I do show off my limbs!’ Bianca holds her hands out towards her friend. ‘See? Arms! They go well with bracelets and
trousers
.’ She shrugs the purple top on over her head, messing up her hair in the process.