Starting Over (21 page)

‘I know. I was coming to that conclusion myself, but they were the only people I had to hang out with and they're not so bad really. A bit self-centred, that's all. If I hadn't spent time with them, there was no one else. You don't know what it's been like. I did try, you know.'

Erin put her arm around me. ‘I am sure you have. But you deserve friends who are worthy of you.'

‘Worthy of me? I —'

‘Yeah. Of you. You're one of the best people I know and
anyone should be glad to have you as a friend. You're funny and kind and thoughtful and if they haven't got the decency to call you over the half-term or let you know that they were coming to the party too and see if you wanted to come along with them, then dump them because they really aren't your true friends. Friends are there for each other.'

She looked so earnest, I couldn't help but smile. ‘I guess. I think I —'

‘You've been there for them, haven't you?'

‘Yeah. I think friends are important and I —'

‘So why shouldn't you expect the same in return? You're not asking for anything that you're not prepared to give. And you give a lot. It has to be two-way to work. Don't give yourself away to people who don't appreciate you.'

‘I won't, Erin. You are right, and you know what? I did lose my confidence for a while back there, I was even worried that you wouldn't want to be my mate any more if I told you what a sad loser I've been. A real Molly No Mates. But I —'

‘You are so not a sad loser. And I will always be your mate. Through thick and thin. Forever. You don't want fair-weather friends who are only there when things are good; real friends are there through it all. Real friends witness your life. Your whole life. Good times. Crap times. I'll be there for you and I hope you'll be there for me and be someone I can call when life is rubbish and I feel the whole world is against me, and someone I can share the glory days with when I'm a winner and everything's going my way.'

‘The ups and downs,' I said and then I laughed. ‘I feel a song coming on.'

Erin slapped my arm. ‘I'm being serious. I've come over all Wise Woman of Wombatland.'

‘I know . . . and I appreciate it and what I've been trying to say for the last five minutes is that I agree. It's taken me a while, but last night when Ruby just breezed off without a thought about letting me know, it sealed the deal for me. Or rather no deal. I don't want, or, as you say, deserve, friends like that. Like them. I want real mates or nothing and I'm not going to settle for second best and OK, so it may take a while, but I can wait.'

‘Good,' said Erin.

‘Good.'

‘I know I've got the old crowd over in Ireland, but I do miss you, you know, it's not been the same since you left.'

‘I miss you too. So much.'

‘Group hug,' said Erin and made her eyes go crossed.

We looked at each other, shook our heads and chorused. ‘Nah.'

And then we hugged.

I really do love Erin.

For the rest of the party, we kept out of Ruby and Nicole's way, and when Ruby saw Erin dancing with Rajiv, I noticed them leave about ten minutes later. I played it cool with Joe and although I could see him checking out where I was, I decided that my plan of action was to be elusive. I could tell he needed
some space, but I was glad that I had kissed him as it had let me know that I hadn't imagined that there was definitely something between us. Mikey turned up with his girlfriend, Megan, halfway through the party so I had them to chat with while Erin was with Rajiv. After everyone had eaten and danced a little, suddenly the lights in the marquee went down.

Leela's mum got up on to the stage and went to the microphone and thanked everyone for coming. ‘And to finish the party, we'd like to give you a little entertainment. I hope you enjoy it.'

The lights came on again, some sitar music began to play and then blasted out into Bollywood rock music that got everyone's feet tapping. From the opening of the tent, ten women dressed in red-and-gold saris appeared, then danced into the room. They looked wonderful with their dark kohl-smudged eyes and jewels glittering in their hair. Soon they were joined by ten men in three-quarter-length kaftan coats over Indian trousers. Their dancing was superb and towards the end of the routine, from somewhere on the roof of the marquee, glitter was released so that it looked like it was raining diamonds. The dancers pulled everyone on to the dance floor and the place erupted, with people's arms waving, everyone trying to Indian dance with everything they'd got. Erin and I were immediately up doing the moves that Leela and her friends had shown us earlier in the week. As I watched the spectacle of colour and sound, I suddenly had an idea. Over the other side of the room, Joe was dancing about like a madman. I danced Indian-style over to him.

‘So what do you think?' I asked.

‘Brilliant. Great,' he said and put his arm around my waist and spun me round.

I indicated the whole marquee with my arms. ‘So. Bollywood. For the play.'

‘For the play?' he asked and then the penny dropped.
‘Yeah.
Bollywood! Bollytastic.'

‘That's what I thought,' I said. ‘I'm going to call Barry right now.'

‘You OK?' Dad asked as he came into my bedroom as I was finishing on the computer to Erin. She'd only been back home in Ireland about fifteen minutes, but already had been in touch.
Thank God for MSN,
I thought as I closed down the computer and wondered how people managed in past times. Pigeon-carrier? Post? It would be awful to have to wait for days for a letter. Being able to talk to Erin so immediately made me feel that she hadn't completely disappeared from my life.

I nodded to Dad, but I didn't feel OK. I felt sad. I'd been curled up on my bed with the laptop balanced on my stomach and my new best friends, the kittens, Posh and Becks - so named because the boy kitten liked to play footie with anything that was on the floor and the girl kitten liked to sit and be admired. ‘Just hard saying goodbye to Erin and starting over again, you know, school tomorrow . . .'

‘Don't you like your school?'

‘It's OK. It's not that,' I said as I put the laptop aside.

‘And your director chappie —'

‘Barry.'

‘Yeah him, he likes your theme for the play, so you don't have to worry about that any more,' he said, then couldn't resist a quick burst of a Hindi song and a Bangra-type dance around the room. (Dad learned to speak Hindi when we lived in Rajasthan.) ‘I will take you back to India one day. To Udaipur, where you were born. It is one of the most beautiful places on earth: mountains around a lake and the City Palace
along its shores is one of the most glorious settings ... oh but, don't look so sad.'

‘I can't
help
it. I wish I was going back into school tomorrow with Erin and didn't have to go through the whole odd-girl-out thing again.'

Dad came to sit beside me and put an arm round me. With his other hand, he picked up Posh from my knee and plonked her on his. ‘It's my fault, isn't it? Hauling you off around the world.'

I shrugged. ‘Broadened my mind,' I said, quoting what he always used to tell us when we set off from one place to another. ‘It's just . . . it's been hard to make
good
friends and having Erin here only served to remind me how much I miss her.' She'd already texted twice: once just before she got on the plane and once when she landed on the other side, and then she'd got straight on the computer as soon as she got home.

‘You should have said earlier. We'd have kidnapped her. Not let her go back to Ireland.'

‘Her parents might have had something to say about that!'

Dad's expression looked concerned. ‘I am sorry, India. I know sometimes I've been selfish and not thought about you and how friends are so important, especially at your age. They can last a lifetime, and I am sure you and Erin will, but in the meantime, I'll be your friend.'

I laughed. ‘Dad, are you going to come down the mall, trying on lip-gloss? Squirting on perfume samples? Come with me pulling boys? Stay up all night eating Liquorice All Sorts and talking about boys?'

‘If necessary. I love Liquorice All Sorts. What colour lip-gloss do you think is me?'

Just at that moment, the doorbell rang and Dad pushed Posh aside and went to answer. A few minutes later, he came back in and announced, ‘Someone to see the Cinnamon Girl.'

I turned around to see that it was Leela. She came right over and sat next to me and, like Dad had done moments ago, she plonked Posh on her knee. Posh looked at me as if to say, ‘For heaven's sake, will
someone
keep still around here.'

‘Hey.' said Leela.

‘Hey,' I said.

‘I just brought some more of the kittens' things and ...'- she produced a little carrier bag with a ribbon on it - ‘and this to say thanks for rescuing them.'

I took the present and opened the ribbon. Inside was a gorgeous pink velvet make-up bag and some rust-coloured lip-gloss. She'd got the colour I like just right. ‘Wow. You didn't have to do this. I was glad to take the kittens. I love them. I've called them Posh and Becks.'

Leela laughed. ‘Perfect,' she said. ‘So, back to the nuthouse tomorrow, yeah?'

I nodded. ‘You ready?'

‘Not really. You?'

‘Not really.'

‘And ... I wanted to say, I ... I know it was private but ... I saw the message you left in church.'

I felt my stomach tighten and I could feel myself blushing.
‘Oh God, nooooo. How embarrassing.'

‘No it's not. Don't be embarrassed. I thought it was sweet.'
‘Nooooo,
you must think I'm totally desperate or something.' ‘Why? That's what church is for, isn't it? Saying what you need.'

‘What religion is your family? I thought after seeing some of the statues around your house that you were Hindu or something.'

Leela shook her head. ‘We're all something different. Gran's Hindu. So's Mum. Anisha is Buddhist. Rajiv is agnostic. Dad's Christian. The cats can't make up their minds. One is an atheist, the other is a devil-worshipper.'

I laughed. ‘What are you?'

‘Nudist... No, joking. Universal. Like, sometimes I like to go to the temple with Mum and Gran. Sometimes I like to go and sit in the church with Dad. I went with him this morning and that's when I saw your prayer.'

‘How did you know the message was from me?'

‘You mentioned Erin and how you'd like a friend like her, and I put two and two together. I don't know anyone else called Erin, not at our school anyhow.'

‘Right. Course. I still feel embarrassed though.'

‘God, don't be. I'll show you some of the messages I've left in there. Like, please let Mark Robinson notice me. Zahrah's fallen out with me, please make her call. Dear God, please let me have boobs. Size 34B if poss.' ‘No!'

Leela laughed. ‘Not the last one. That's my secret prayer just between you and me. I'm as flat-chested as an eight-year-old boy, and have you seen Brook and Zahrah? Like hubba hubba, mega bazongas. It's so not fair.'

I laughed. I liked Leela. She was so lucky that her friends were local.

‘You look fab,' I said. ‘Who needs boobs when you have a pretty face?'

‘Pff,'
she said. ‘Boys like boobs. Like Mark Robinson only has eyes for chestie bits. He treats me like I'm a kid. ‘At that moment her phone bleeped that she had a text. She pulled it out of her pocket and glanced down at it. ‘Mum. Got to go. But listen, tomorrow, if you want to hang out in the lunch break or whatever, you're welcome.'

‘Me? What about Brook and Zahrah?'

‘They're cool with it. We had a chat about you after you came round that day to see the kittens. We all liked you and all of us felt that we should have been more sensitive. It's rough being a new girl.'

‘Are you sure? I mean are they sure?'