The Boyfriend Bet (13 page)

“Now that’s bad timing,” I heard Bex whisper as she (like
everyone else) just stared at the phone.

“Is this the lost phone in question?” Mr Harrison bent down
to retrieve the phone and Amelia let out the loudest wail I have ever heard.
Miss Smith (our old P.E teacher) had pushed through the crowd with Ms Marney
(the drama teacher). Ms Marney put her arms around a sobbing but defeated
looking Amelia as Miss Smith scooped up her belongings and put them back into
her bag. Amelia had admitted defeat, she fought no more as Ms Marney guided her
through to the offices and Miss Smith, carrying Amelia’s bag, followed behind
them. All that was left was for a very red looking Mr Harrison to bellow at us
that there was “nothing to see” and to “move on!”

Everyone started to dwindle away, gossiping madly about
what they had just witnessed. I stood up slowly from my seated position on the
step, standing on the lipstick. It had been missed in the super speedy clean
up. I felt really sad as I bent down to pick it up, as well as a strange twinge
of guilt. When I stood up I was surprised to see Ella, still standing in the
same position where she had witnessed Amelia’s meltdown. Everybody else had
cleared off but not her. She stood there, her phone in one hand. I looked at
her phone as I realised who had made the (probably anonymous) and very aptly
timed phone call to Amelia’s phone.

She was staring at me, a slow grin spreading across her
smug face. She let out a short laugh and then spun around on her heels and
marched off in the direction of Riley Jackson.

“Where have you been?” Mum asked. She was in a right
huffy mood. She was standing at the bottom of the stairs, with too many bags
for a weekend away and way too much make-up on.

“Erm, I have dancing every Friday night, Mum.” I
muttered. Now she was seeing the ‘ever so dishy Simon’ (I actually heard her
use those words the other day) her brain seemed to have melted away into
oblivion.

“You’ve been ages,” Mum said with gritted teeth, while
fluffing her hair in the hall mirror. What did she expect? I had just had to go
through another dress rehearsal with all kids who were performing tomorrow and
there was a costume change in the middle. Of course they still did not know
where they were supposed to be standing or what they should be doing. I think
the rehearsals are more for my benefit because I have now mastered getting
twenty or so five/six year olds dressed while the nine/ten year olds are doing
their dance. I mean, that is quite an achievement on my part - one song to help
that many kids get changed and stand in the right place!

I knew Mum just wanted to get off on her weekend away but
she didn’t even ask how I was or how was school. It was all “Do I look ok?” and
“You promise to be good?” After I had said yes repeatedly in a very
uninterested tone to the same questions that Mum had just worded differently,
she finally gave up.

“I’m fine, thanks for asking.” I muttered as Mum was
trying to push past me towards the front door. Ella was standing on the stairs,
I think she’d just come to make sure that Mum was actually going to leave us.

“Oh that’s good, honey.” Mum said, totally oblivious to
my sarcasm. “Ella told me about that crazy girl at school, stalking a teacher
and making threats to his family.” Mum shook her head.

I wish I’d never said anything to Mum now. Ella was
smirking at me and I didn’t want to be reminded of what had happened at school
today. It was obviously all anyone had talked about all day and the more times
I heard the story, the more outrageous it became. By the end of the day it was
going round that Amelia had actually punched Mr Harrison in the face, floored
him and then kicked him while he was down. The gossip at that school has become
excruciating to listen to. I’m not opposed to a bit of gossip but since the
assembly incident where everyone had seen my boyfriend making out with my
sister, I know how hurtful and ridiculous the gossips are.

“Maybe it wasn’t her though. I mean she said she’d lost
her phone and someone else could have sent those messages on her phone.” I
answered Mum but looked at Ella.

“You never know anyone really, do you? Ella was telling
me it was one of her friends.” Mum carried on, ignoring my comment and Ella
looked totally unfazed and nodded at Mum. “Maybe I shouldn’t leave you girls.
I’m starting to feel all panicky and worried.”

“Mum! Don’t be ridiculous,” Ella walked down the stairs
towards Mum. “She was just a girl, a bit sick in the head, but she’ll get help
now Mum. It’s just one silly girl. What are the chances that there’s going to
be anyone else who’s crazy around here?”

I could not believe the last comment and unfortunately
for me I’d just taken a swig from my water bottle and had spat the mouthful out
in disbelief. Mum and Ella stared at me in disgust.

“It’s no wonder I’m not comfortable with leaving you,”
Mum sighed, pointedly looking at me. It’s typical. It’s always the one they
least suspect who turns out to be the total nutter. There’s Mum worrying about
me when it’s that psycho bitch Ella we should all be worrying about.

I know Ella totally set Amelia up, but Ella had planned
this one well. Even Sarah and Bex were beginning to think that maybe it really
was Amelia and perhaps she did have a secret crush on Mr Huntley and maybe,
just maybe that goody-goody girl, Amelia Hargreaves could really be capable of
it all.       

“For the last time, it was Ella!” I snapped, my temper
was beginning to rise. Sarah and Bex had come over almost the minute my mum had
left the house with a very smitten look on her face as Simon had carried her
bags. We watched as he loaded up the car, Mum looked so deliriously happy and
besotted with Simon that I had to stifle a giggle. She looked totally pathetic.
God knows what Simon sees in her when she acts like that, but on the other hand
Simon is a bit of a geek himself.

“I’m just saying, do you really think Ella would actually
take things that far? I mean, it is pretty serious.” Sarah sort of said the
same thing she had been saying all night but in different words. We were all
lounging around, Sarah and me on the sofa and Bex on the floor, crossed legged
reading her magazine. She was half reading and half joining in our discussion
when she felt like it.

“Yes!” I spat, “Of course she would.” I was getting so
worked up; why wouldn’t anyone listen to me?

“But, Amelia IS always speaking to Mr Huntley.” Bex
looked up from her mag.

“Yes, because she takes Geography,” I said, getting more
than irritable.

“And she said she lost her phone and then it fell out of
her bag for everyone to see!” Sarah nodded at Bex.

“Yes, and even you said you saw Ella put something into
her bag yesterday morning. It must have been her phone,” I huffed. Why did I
have to spell it out to them? Just how dumb were they?

“It might not have been though,” Sarah carried on
infuriating me.

“But, I thought she took something out of her bag.” Bex also
continued to seriously piss me off. I gave her the death stare. “Anyway, why do
you care Charley? Amelia’s out of the picture now; it’s no bad thing for you is
it?”

“Bex is right and I saw Riley chatting to you after
school. He looked well keen and you didn’t look too put out about it either.”
Sarah grinned.

I couldn’t believe this! Those two were missing the
point. Ella had just framed a totally innocent girl – whether she was annoying
or not was totally irrelevant. And yes, Riley had approached me after school
and yes he was full of it and was in his usual full-on, flirty mood. Amelia
Hargreaves was obviously out of sight – out of mind.

Even though I was slightly concerned how quickly Riley
seemed to have forgotten all about Amelia and apparently he’d completely moved
on in the space of two hours or something, I did enjoy the attention (I know,
shameful) and I especially enjoyed it when he said “If you’re bored later, then
come over and we can get the party started early.” Sam was lingering around and
had heard, looking completely put out by Riley’s invite, and then he’d mooched
off in the opposite direction. Riley had actually carried on and said, “Bring
your mates and your sister,” but Sam didn’t need to know that, did he!

Sarah obviously thought she had done enough to convince
me to drop the Ella and Amelia issue and was satisfied that the conversation
was over because she had pulled The Inbetweeners box set from her bag and was
waving it around. “Can I put it on now?” She asked me. I nodded as I shifted in
my seat and pretended to watch, but I had too much going on in that mind of
mine.

I really was in a situation and one I couldn’t even
discuss with my mates because they didn’t understand. I glanced sideways to see
Sarah already giggling, her eyes glued to the T.V. What was I to do? On one
hand, I had this totally hot boy living next door, who made me lose
concentration if he did something as little as just walking past the house. On
the other hand there was the one person I’d ever loved (yes, I know he cheated
on me) and he was hanging around, completely sorry and begging for my
forgiveness.  I know everybody hates a cheat but should we never forgive
anyone? Sam told me how Ella pursued him, not taking no for an answer and I
have seen how manipulative she can be. I think a friendship is acceptable
between me and Sam. Would I ever be able to forgive and forget enough for there
to be more? And Riley...he has everything and...and...the bet...shit, the bet!

Bex was snorting with laughter and then for some reason
looked round at me, Sarah was giggling and although I seemed to be staring at
the T.V., I could not have told you what had just happened for anything. I did
a weird sort of titter that was supposed to be a laugh and Bex gave me a funny
look but she carried on watching, leaving me with my thoughts again.

What if I did blag Riley...the look on Sam’s face would
be brilliant! I wondered just how jealous he’d be; or he’d realise that he’s
made a mistake and shouldn’t have let me go; or maybe he’d be waiting to pick
up the pieces when it all went wrong.  “I’d wait for you forever if that’s
how long it took.” I imagined Sam confessing his love to me after the dramatic
and heart wrenching break up from Riley Jackson. Then I’d realise that Sam was
the one all along and stop crying over Riley... WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? I
slapped myself round the face to eradicate the ridiculous, girly, fluffy crap
that had invaded my brain. Sam doesn’t speak like that and neither does any
teenage boy in the world for that matter.

Sarah and Bex were staring at me. Yes, I realised I had
just slapped myself around the face in the middle of a legendary Inbetweeners
scene that I had now interrupted and Sarah and Bex were not laughing anymore.

“You alright?” Bex said slowly.

“Yep,”I smiled, realising how deranged I must have
looked.

“And you’re trying to tell us that Ella is the crazy
one?” Sarah teased.

“You know, I might not be able to prove it was her but I
know it was. Anyway, I can’t let her always win and she won’t win this bet. I’m
gonna go get ready.” I stood up.

“Ready for what?” Sarah looked even more confused than
before.

“We’re going next door,” I said with a smile. I wasn’t a
girl that was just going to sit around day dreaming about fairytale scenarios
where boys behave in a way that no teenage boy would or ever has behaved. It
was time to get real and if I really wanted something, I had to go out and do
something about it.

“Just don’t forget to be you, yeah?” Bex narrowed her
eyes at me. She looked as though she couldn’t recognise me. I had succumbed and
let Sarah do the makeover she had been itching to do on me for weeks and as Mum
wasn’t here I had totally just raided her alcohol before Ella could get her
greedy little mitts on it and poured myself a very large vodka and orange.

 I had just used more make-up in the hour since I’d
marched upstairs to get ready than in the last month. Seriously, I bet if I
weighed myself I’d have put a couple of pounds on just through the million
layers of foundation, bronzer, eye-shadow and tons more that Sarah had applied,
reapplied and then generally just slapped across my face.

I’d even ditched my trademark Converse and skinny jeans
in favour of a teeny weeny black dress. So I was freezing but who needs to be
warm, fresh faced and natural when obviously a dress that only covered the bits
that it would be illegal not to cover and a face that wouldn’t look out of
place behind a make-up counter were clearly the only way someone like me was
going to be in any way remotely attractive.

I didn’t recognise myself when I looked in the mirror. I
looked more like Ella than me but according to Sarah, this was a good look. She
even complimented my blonde hair, even though the roots were starting to show.
Apparently I had the right amount of roots whatever that meant? Not too trashy,
Sarah had said. Not that I have anything against make-up. Make-up is bloody
brilliant and I wear it every day. It makes me feel tons better about myself,
but I don’t like too much make-up like a lot of the girls wear at school.
Apparently I had to trust Sarah with this one!

Bex was still staring at me. She didn’t look as convinced
by the new look anymore. She didn’t seem to like the new found attitude I’d
adopted in the last hour to match the new look either, but I couldn’t be
me
when
I was looking completely not like me. I had to be this totally new me and not
old me as old me clearly wasn’t good enough!

I fluffed up my hair in the mirror in that way Ella
always does and downed the rest of my third glass of vodka and orange. 
“Lipstick!” Sarah exclaimed, horrified as I wiped my mouth after the last swig.
Sarah handed me the red lippy that she said looked ‘gorgeous’ and she started
to top up her own make-up. Bex was looking a bit uneasy about the situation.

“What’s up with you?”I spat.I was more confident and
cocky now that I’d had a drink.

“Dunno?” Bex shrugged. She was making me furious because
she was the one who was always helping Sarah to put more make-up on me or
telling me to wear a skirt for school or heels or generally just telling me to
do anything that I wasn’t already doing. “I just don’t know if it’s a bit
much.” Bex shrugged again.

“Sarah wears a shit load of make-up,” I snapped
defensively.

“Yeah but that’s Sarah. That’s who she is. This isn’t you.”
Bex smiled - she looked a bit cautious and she was right to be.

“Yes but ME isn’t good enough is it? That’s what you lot
are always telling me anyway!” I huffed and Bex knew to back down. She looked totally
uncomfortable and Sarah was trying to smile at me reassuringly.

“You look lovely,” Sarah smiled and sprayed my hair again
with a mist of spray.  “We should decide what you’re wearing to the party
tomorrow night too and if you’re going to be hitting on Riley, I was thinking I
might totally hit on his brother. You know that one that’s always getting into
trouble?”

“What Jay?” I snorted.

“He is quite fit,” Sarah protested, “And ok, I’m not that
into him or anything but I haven’t had a boyfriend for months and it would be
so cool if you got with Riley and then I got with his brother. We could all
hang out.”

“Ha, double date!” Bex was sniggering, “How lame.”

“Well there would be no chance of that even if I did get
with Riley because Jay and Riley hate each other.” I added, ending Sarah’s
crappy idea.

I’d put an end to that silly idea. She couldn’t go out
with Jay when I purposely went out of my way to avoid him, although it doesn’t
seem to be working. “Come on let’s do this!” I picked up my phone and marched
towards the stairs.

I managed to walk down the stairs pretty damn well in my
heels, it must be the new found confidence. Sarah was eagerly tottering along
behind me and Bex was hanging back – dutifully following us, even though she didn’t
look entirely happy about it. I can’t believe that without any hesitation I
walked straight out of the house, right up to Riley’s front door and knocked
really loudly....