Ruby Tuesday

Chapter ten

TEN

    Dad didn’t really have much to say to me for the rest of the night, sort of just sat there in his armchair moving his lips as he sorted it all out inside of his head. I made us a cup of tea before retreating to my room to unpack and unwind. What must’ve been the second strangest weekend had just passed me by and I had so much I needed to tell Angie that I felt that I was actually going to burst with the juicy information! It put me off sleeping for a long while, I lay in bed tossing and turning from one side to the other, my mind too electric to doze.

    The next morning was almost a struggle because I had to somehow slide back into the same old routine of my life which had changed so drastically that I wasn’t sure if I was capable of it anymore. I was dating a rock star! How was that even a thing? I didn’t tell dad about mum’s bribery quite yet, deciding to hold it off until that evening. He called goodbye to me as he left through the door and I followed not long after, fumbling with a cigarette as I battled my way through a tremendously gusty morning.

    The sun was out but the ferocious wind made it feel like it was late November rather than June. I flicked my fag away from me as I chimed through the door into the funeral parlour where Mr Clarkson was humming ‘Singing in the rain’ to himself. He made some ill tasted joke before tapping his way into his office.

    Concentrating on my work proved to be particularly difficult that morning because my mind kept wandering back to the kisses I’d shared with Jack, how his plush cloudlike lips had pushed and longed for mine and it was mind blowing really. It felt as though I’d stumbled headlong into a dream and hadn’t gotten around to waking up quite yet.

    Not even a skulking, scowling Toby could put the smile off of my face although I did have to bite back informing him of my better offer that he’d been so adamant I’d never receive. On my break I was stood as usual leaning against the wall daydreaming at the post office as I had a cigarette to myself when bouncing and grinning around the corner charged my best friend. “Where’ve you been all weekend?” She exclaimed when she came in talking distance. “I’ve been calling but your dad was just like ‘no’ the whole time.” She had –for some reason- put a Spanish accent on when imitating my father.

    “Well, I need to tell you all about that.” I whispered excitedly to her. I had butterflies because telling her about Jack and me was on par with awfulness with me having to tell dad I was moving in with mum. “But not here because they think I was ill on Friday.”

    “Oh!” She tapped the end of my nose. “You naughty little girl! Alright, I’ll come collect you after you’ve finished work.” And she did, I took to biting my nails for the afternoon to try and deal with the nerves but it didn’t really help. Time rolled forward and it came to the moment of honesty. Angie had a purple scarf tied into her hair and was wearing jangly bangles all the way up her arms, she looped her arm through mine and as we walked home she demanded all the gory details.

    So I told her. I explained everything making sure that I didn’t leave anything out because I owed it to her to make sure that she knew every last thing. When I was done Angie had gone quiet and eventually came to a stop. Untangling my arm from hers I took a step in front of her so I could try and catch her expression. “Are you ok? Angie.”

    Her face remained blank until her lips twitched as she tried to formulate the right words. “You’re leaving me for the entire summer?”

    “Well-I-”

    “I thought we were going to move to Manchester together.”

    “We still can!” I raised my eyebrows earnestly. “We still can. It’s just for the summer Ange, I’ll be back by the end of it and then we can go wherever you want.”