✅ The Last New Start [NaNoWriMo2021]

65. Exactly As Planned

Tess was nervous and confused when she got off the bus in the morning. She felt like she needed more time to think, to clear away the traces of little headspace and whatever had followed it. But as soon as Spike greeted her, and Mindy stormed off like a toddler in a tantrum, she couldn't worry. He had changed the subject immediately, gushing with relief that Nik was back to his usual bubbly self, and then talking about some random video that everybody was laughing at online. Ten minutes later Tess barely remembered what they'd been talking about, but she knew how it had made her feel. She was safe and comfortable; nobody was challenging her and there was no need to defend her opinions. That was worth more than any amount of insightful comment. Spike always knew exactly what to say to get her to stop worrying.

She wished he could have been with her for the rest of the day, when there was plenty to worry about. Like when Mr Minchin gave them what was practically a day off, and advised the whole class a chance to study in class. They were having an exam on Thursday, he said, and he wanted to be sure that everyone would pass. Tess had never been the best, and she didn't think that Gabby would be able to study with her if they were only given two days to prepare. Especially not when one of those nights was going to be taken up with a trip to the cinema.

Their lunch break was sure to be the least stressful time of the day, but Tess spent the half hour before worrying about things that she never expected to be a real problem. The issue here was that on Friday night, Spike had suggested they invite Evan and Kim to join them to see Shiroyamanomusuko at the Regal, so they could avoid the pressure of it obviously feeling like a date. On Saturday morning, when they had spoken on Clatter, they'd agreed it was probably the best idea, even if they'd both been dancing around not mentioning the reason, in between Tess's awkward failure to explain her disappearance the night before. She'd been more than a little tense, but Spike was gracious enough not to push for an answer. The problem was that she'd also said she would pass the invitation on to Kim. And then when the girls were hanging around Raybridge Collier's Park on Sunday afternoon, the conversations had been so varied that she'd always had something else to say.

Could she tell Spike that she'd forgotten to ask her friend? Would he take her uncharacteristic carelessness, along with her running off without explanation, that she wasn't as interested as she said? Or could she ask her friend to join them on a double date, inviting her boyfriend and changing other plans, when there was only an afternoon left to plan?

It turned out that she could. She started by showing Kim and Liz the trailer on her phone over lunch. It had Chinese subtitles, but she still said it looked dramatic.

"Well, it's on at the Regal in Upper Ashfields now," she said, just bringing it up as if it were a spur of the moment thing. "We're thinking of seeing it tonight, and Spike thought it looks like something Evan would go for, so we were going to suggest..."

"Looks pretty neat," Liz nodded, clearly showing some enthusiasm. And then there was a flicker of glances, unspoken messages across the table, and a cue that Tess didn't quite catch. "You guys should totally check it out. It would be fun."

Kim nodded and said she'd let Evan know. Tess looked at her friends, and was surprised at how simple that had been. Liz had seemed interested, and then uninvited herself without a word. Maybe Tess's intentions were more transparent than she realised; and she hoped that wouldn't create even more pressure for Spike to live up to some imaginary ideal of how he was supposed to feel.

There were still classes in the afternoon, and most of the teachers still thought it was worth trying to teach a normal lesson. The winter break hadn't started yet, they said, and they didn't want to see people getting ready to relax a week early, or hanging tree decorations in their hair in accordance with the capricious whims of fashion. Tess did her best to pay attention; she wanted to do well in school so that she could go to a good university and get a good job. But today, there were too many thoughts on her mind and she found that she just couldn't focus.

The end of the day couldn't come soon enough, and even a brief meeting with Miss MacManus after her last lesson seemed to drag on forever. But then she was free to check on messages from her friends, see where they were supposed to be meeting, and make a quick trip to the bathroom to change out of her school uniform. It was going to be tonight, and she couldn't believe how much she was looking forward to it.

Kim waved as soon as Tess came around the corner, beckoning her over to the bus stop. She said that the bus would probably have a couple of seats free, and that it would be the quickest way to get to Upper Ashfields. Spike turned up a few minutes later, just in time to join the queue before the bus arrived. There was no sign of Evan yet, but that was no surprise; he would probably be meeting them when they got off the bus, happy to have a date in his hometown.

Tess glanced at her reflection in the bus window, glad not to see a pacifier this time. She resolved to give it back to Gabby as soon as she got home, and never to suck on the thing again unless she knew there was someone there to keep an eye on her. She blushed, both from that thought and the faint image of Spike sitting down beside her. Without turning, she reached out and grabbed his hand. Not the same nervous, possibly-accidental brushing of fingers she had found last time, but actually interlocking her fingers with his and squeezing his hand. She couldn't believe how well the day had gone, and she had every hope the evening would be even better.