Chapter Eighteen
“Hi, is that you Lori?”
“Yes. Who is it?’
Yay! My pathetic, sick voice must be working if she doesn’t recognize me. I do a loud disgusting sniff and then cough. It sounds like I’ve been on forty cigarettes a day for a hundred years.
“It’s Suzy,” I say making my voice come from the back of my throat so it sounds all hoarse.
“I didn’t recognize you. Are you okay? You sound dreadful.” The concern in her voice makes me feel really guilty. I hate having to lie like this but what else can I do?
“I feel like crap.” Sniff, sniff, cough. “There’s no way I’m going to make the picnic. Mom says I’ve got to stay in bed.” I reckon playing the Mom-card is especially crafty, as Lori always listens to what her Mom says. A little too much if you ask me, but that’s another story. And she is the youngest so she’s bound to be spoilt and wrapped up in cotton-wool a bit. Hey, I’m the youngest. Why didn’t I get that treatment?
“Oh no. Poor you. Guy will be so disappointed.”
He will? That’s news to me. I texted him earlier to say I couldn’t make it because I was sick and got a very terse text back saying: ‘ok c u monday.’
What’s a girl to make of that? It’s not as if we haven’t been seeing each other or anything. As well as our evenings out—of which there have been several—I see him most lunchtimes at school, unless he’s got a practice or I have a meeting.
If I have a meeting. It still makes me laugh when I think of it.
“He didn’t seem to be when I texted him earlier. He didn’t seem at all concerned.”
“I’m sure he was, but you know what boys are like, can’t show their feelings. I’ll have a chat with him later, tell him off.”
“It’s fine. Please don’t say anything.” All I need on top of everything else is for Guy to think I’ve fallen out with him.
“Okay. If you don’t want me to. Look why don’t I come over before the picnic starts? I’ll bring some magazines. Mom bought me the latest Cosmo you can borrow that if you like.”
“NO,” I shout then quickly cough to hide it. “I mean, thanks but no you mustn’t. I’m very contagious and you can’t risk catching anything. Not with the netball finals coming up.” Notice being ill hasn’t affected my talent for thinking on my feet. Except I’m not ill, am I? Oh well, whatever. I’m still good at wriggling my way out of things—hardly surprising the amount of balancing and wriggling I’ve been doing these last few months. “I’d hate to be responsible for the best player on the team missing the most important match of the season.”
I launch into a long cough and throw in a couple of sniffs when I finish. You know I really should have taken drama. I’m a natural.
“I suppose you’re right. Well take care. And I’ll ring you as soon as I get home. If you’re feeling a bit better tomorrow I’ll pop around then.”
You know, this is so weird. The most popular girl in school and leader of the in-crowd is concerned about me. And I’m having to let her down. Never in a month of Sundays did I ever picture myself in this situation. And believe me I’ve envisaged a lot situations in the past. Well, only the recent past because Maddie and I never cared about being in the popular group before. We used spend our time laughing at them.
Just wait ’til Maddie hears about this. I’m sure she’ll agree this confirms I’ve truly made it. I’m where I set out to be. And it’s definitely worth all the sacrifices I’ve had to make. I feel sort of cleansed. A bit like how people must feel after a colonic irrigation. Gross, what on earth made me think of that? Oh yes. Maddie mentioned it to me. Said she was thinking of having one. Actually I think she was winding me up.
“Why don’t I phone you later instead. In case I’m asleep and the ringing wakes me up, you know how loud the ring tone is on my cell.” And just in case I’m back after you, which I could well be as Truck-fest is over an hours drive away.
I glance at my watch. Crap. I’m going to be late if I don’t get rid of Lori. I have another coughing fit, which seems to do the trick and we say goodbye. Then I make a mad dash for the bathroom.
No need to make an effort, obviously. As I’m not trying to impress. Though for the sake of my personal pride I can’t go out looking a total wreck so I do put on a light covering of foundation, some lip-gloss and a touch of mascara—no eye-shadow as I read recently that you should do lips or eyes and not both. So, now I’m suddenly an officiando on make-up. It’s truly scary.
More importantly however, and I’m really excited about this, laid out on my bed for me to wear is my favorite long black tie-dye skirt and a striped shirt that Maddie gave me for my birthday last year.
After admiring them on the bed briefly, I put on my clothes and pull open my closet so I can see myself in the full-length mirror on the inside of the door. I gasp at my reflection. It’s like looking at the ghost of Christmas past or whoever it was in that book. I look strange, but in a familiar sort of way. And the more I stare at myself the more I like what I see. For want of something better to say, it’s like I’ve come home. Maddie will laugh when I tell her, she’s always saying I have over-the-top clichéd tendencies.
“Suzy. Ryan’s here,” Mom calls.
“Won’t be a minute.”
Crap. I’m nowhere near ready. My hair isn’t properly dry which means I’ll be sporting the ultimate in frizz within a couple of hours. I’ll have to put it up. Even though Ryan loves it down. Oh no. I seriously didn’t think that. Some evil little monster in my head planted the thought there.
Right, no question now. My hair is going up. I grab it with both hands and scrape it as tightly as I can off my face—so tightly in fact that I almost rip my hair from my scalp. Ouch. I look in the mirror and cringe. Well, Ryan won’t be under any illusion that I made an effort for him. That’s for sure.
I run down the stairs into the hall where Ryan is waiting by the front door leaning casually against the wall, a lazy cute smile on his face. Stop it.
“Hi Suzy.”
“Hi Ryan. You go to the car and I’ll join you in a sec. I just want to have a quick word with Mom.”
He frowns but doesn’t say anything, just shrugs his shoulders then opens the front door and heads off down the path toward his car.
“Suzy,” admonishes Mom in that special tone of hers. “That wasn’t very nice.”
Suddenly it feels like I’ve stepped back into my old life with Mom having a go at me for everything I do. I wonder if it’s the clothes I’m wearing. They must bring out the tyrant in her. Or am I doing my usual and blowing things out of proportion? I guess I could be. I’ll put it down to these nerves of mine which are messing with my head big time. Not because of my feelings for Ryan, before anyone gets the wrong idea. But because of all this deceit. It doesn’t sit right. And I feel I’m setting myself up for a huge fall.
“What wasn’t?” I reply in the calmest voice I can muster.
“Speaking to Ryan like that.”
“He doesn’t mind. Anyway I need to speak to you and I don’t want him to hear.” She doesn’t look convinced. Oh well not a lot I can do about that now I don’t have time. “Look, if anyone from school phones, like Lori or Guy, please will you tell them I’m sick and asleep in bed?”
Now she really looks cross. She folds her arms and glares at me. And believe me she knows how to glare. Grown men have withered under less.
“Suzy. If you think I’m going to lie for you then think again. I’ve warned you before about playing people off against one another.”
“But Mom you don’t understand. I can go to VC events any time. How often will I get the chance to go to Truck-fest? I’ll tell you. Probably never again seeing as it won’t come back to this area for another five years and who knows where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing by then. I didn’t have a choice.”
“Of course you had a choice. There’s always a choice. You could have told your friends about Truck-fest. They might have wanted to come with you. In fact the club could have changed the date for their picnic so you could all go.” God help me. She’s on a roll. “See Suzy there’s always a choice. And lying shouldn’t be one of them.”
I let out a huge sigh. She just doesn’t get it. Doesn’t get it at all.
“I know what you’re saying, Mom. And I’m really sorry for putting you on the spot like this. But it’s too late to change things now. I’ve already told everyone I’m not well. You don’t want me to lose all my new friends do you? Especially after I’m doing so well at school and everything.” Okay so that’s a bit below the belt but really I have to employ whatever tactics I can. And quickly. Or Ryan might go without me.
She breathes loudly through her nose. If fire comes out of her nostrils it wouldn’t surprise me.
“Just this once. But don’t ask me to do it again. Because you know what the answer will be.”
“Thanks Mom. You’re the best.” I fling my arms around her and give her a big kiss on the check. “See you later. Love you.”