I Learned To Trust | The Joanne McKinley Diaries 2

1. Easier Said Than Done

Trust. According to dictionary.com, trust is the reliance on the integrity, strength, ability or surety of a person or thing; confidence. According to Wikipedia, it's nothing. Seriously, type in trust into Wikipedia and you'll see nothing but a bunch of links. According to me, it's the most important thing in any relationship. Whether between boyfriend and girlfriend, best friend to best friend or mother to daughter. If you don't have trust, your relationship will be in shambles. That's what I told my teacher in RS on Friday. Not the dictionary.com or Wikipedia version. My version.

"Well done," she said. "Your homework this week is to write a poem based on trust." And the rest was explained. Planners were out and homework was written. I'd be busy on my birthday then. I sigh and close my planner. The bell rings and we all run out. Last lesson of the day, who in their right mind would stay for longer. Especially if you were taking school bus that gets crowed very quickly.

I sprint for the bus, Mason and Mai hot on my heals. Alisha had an after school piano lesson. Poor child. Damn, I was breaking my 200m PB for this bus. I hope it was proud. I get there first (surprising actually, since Mrs Nape always let us out late) and get in the bus and head upstairs to the back. Mason gets in next to me and Mai in front of me.

"What you doing tomorrow?" Mai asked.

"Swimming, food, paint balling, sleepover," I answer.

"Wow, someone's going all out for their fourteenth," Mason says.

"Yeah, yeah." I smile at Mason and he smirks at me. Why did this boy always smirk? Then he pulls me to him and kisses me. I kiss back. It was a natural thing to do by now. Almost a year. Then Mason pulls away, mid kiss and I knew what he was going to say. Bastard.

"You get the rest on your birthday," he smirks.

"Everyone's sleeping over so fuck you," I say. "And I'll be fourteen once it gets to midnight and you'll have to kiss me again."

Mason laughs and Mai chuckles.

"Karma's a bitch," we all say.

***

We all get to my house and see my mum in overalls. Heavy duty painting in the living room I guess.

"Painting?" I ask. She nods.

"Dinner's in two hours so go knock yourselves out," she says. Just before we head upstairs, there's a knock at the door. I hop down from the fourth step I'm on to open the door. Alisha. I smile and lead her upstairs either the rest of us.

"Hi Joanne's mum," she shouts as I pull her upstairs. I hear my mum laugh as I close my room door.

"So, what are you doing for your fourteenth?" Alisha asks.

"Swimming, food, paint balling, sleepover." She nods and we sit on my bean bags as we watch The Hunger Games. Mason wraps his arms around me and I rest my head on his chest. Mai leans on her belly and cups her face in her hands and Alisha sits normally. These were my friends. People I had spent almost every moment of the last year with.

During the movie, I start thinking about the whole trust thing. Back in February, Mason and Mai and Alisha all came up with this Abel help support thing. They were going to help me learn to trust her. But we all know that one thing.

Easier said than done.