When two paths cross

Eight

"You better today Buzz?" Toff asked as they arrived at school.
"Yeah I'm fine. I just got myself worked up. But I'm good, Joe helped." Dianne told her.
"What's going on between you two. Your more than just friends so don't say anything like that." Toff said, it was just the two of them waiting for everyone else and Toff was desperate to know.
"Nothing at all. He's my best friend." Dianne told her.
"No he's not. He's more than that. Tell you what, when you went his last night and he helped everything, what did he do?" Toff asked, already knowing it would be interesting!
"Right so I told him what was up, he told me it would be okay, helped with the situation, let me cry into his chest, held me, cuddled me, rubbed my back. That's it."
"See, boyfriend material!"
"But you would do the same thing for me, and your also my best friend." Dianne said.
"Yeah but I'm a girl best friend, he's a boy. And joes not like that usually. He likes you! And you like him!" Toff said as she got all excited.
"No I don't." Dianne kept saying.
"Right okay then, so you would cry into Caspar's chest, let him cuddled you until you had calmed down. I doubt it."
"Caspar's not my best friend through is he. Now look everyone's here, let's just leave the conversation." Dianne laughed as Toff rolled her eyes. A few other people walked towards them before Joe and Caspar walked in. Joe went straight over to Dianne and put his arm around her shoulder as he asked her is she was okay.

"Hey Kay, look. Surely she's only friends with them so she can increase her following." Becca, one of the popular girls, said to her best friend as they walked past Dianne on the way.
"I don't get why they are friends with her! Look at her. Who would want to be friends with and Australian who looks like a clown?" Kay laughed. "Not gonna stand up for yourself Buswell?" She said as Dianne just carried on walked. Dianne didn't say anything but turned around to walk a different way, as she did that Kay shook her leg out and tripped Dianne up. As Dianne fell to the floor Becca kicked her side while laughing and then they walked off.

"Why you limping?" Toff asked as Dianne walked into the canteen. "Have you been crying?" She asked, Dianne didn't say anything but took the seat next to Joe and sat down.
"Did they hurt you?" Joe whispered so no one else other than Dianne could hear. She nodded. "I'll fucking kill them!" He shouted.
"Shush." Dianne said as everyone on the table looked up. "I'm okay."
"Your clearly not. What did they do?" He asked quietly, everyone else had gone back to their own conversations.
"They were saying things and then Kay tripped me up and Becca kicked me. But I'm fine, can we forget about it. I've did enough crying yesterday to last me a whole week." Dianne laughed.
"I'm not gonna forget about it, but I'll leave it. Is your leg okay though? It's not bleeding or anything?" Joe double checked.
"No it's fine. Thank you." Dianne said, she gave Joe a quick hug before letting him finish his lunch.
"You not eating?" Joe asked as she noticed Dianne hadn't even gotten her lunch out of her bag, she shook her head. "Please eat something. I'll worry otherwise." Joe said, he knew what girls could be like with food, obviously boys could be too but now was about Dianne. He knew sometimes girls didn't want to eat because they would want to be really skinny, and he wasn't going to let Dianne fall into the trap, even if that wasn't what was happening.
"Okay, I'll have my fruit, I'm just not that hungry, that's all promise."

It was now Friday and everyone was at Toffs after school. They had all gone round for a takeaway.
"Anyone wanna do anything tomorrow?" Toff asked as everyone had finished eating and was sat on the sofas watching tv.
"I can't, me and Joe are going out." Dianne said from where she was sat, on Joes lap.
"Oh yeah I forgot about that." Joe said.
"You two going on a date? It's about time!" Byron laughed, everyone agreeing.
"No me, Di, Zoe, my mum and then dis mum and dad are all going to this Italian in town for a meal." Joe told everyone.
"That sounds nice. Your parents are meeting eachother, that's a big step in your relationship." Oli laughed.
"They've met before, Mamma I mean mum and Joes mum organised it when they saw eachother in Tesco." Dianne said, accidentally calling her mum the Italian version, she would usually call her mum mamma at home because of the Italian in her.
"Mamma?" Everyone laughed, apart from Joe, he had already been through it with her when she had called her mum that the other day.
"Sorry I forgot. It's Italian." Dianne said quietly, suddenly feeling a bit self conscious around her friends.
"It's fine Di, your Italian, you should speak it if you want. We don't laugh at your Australian accent so they shouldn't laugh at your Italian-isums" Joe said, have jokey but also quite stern towards the others, he didn't see any problem with Dianne saying some words in Italian, especially if she was just talking about her mum, who was Italian.
"I didn't mean anything by it Di. Sorry." Everyone apologised.
"It's fine don't worry."
"Di my mums here. She's picking us both up and your staying at mine apparently." Joe said as he looked at the message on his phone.
"What why?" Dianne said quickly.
"Apparently your parents are stuck in the hospital." Joe said, everyone gasping and asking if they were okay.
"They're doctors." Dianne laughed.