Wolf Iron

Chapter 11 / Bad Gyals in Motion

'Oh!" 

The sound of cheering broke out from Chioma's phone from her Reeve app as she and her best friend walked the long way home. Because of course, there was a lot to talk about. 

"Mandem was crazy! Brudda got bopped proper. That gyal, whoever she was, is beast."

"Wait, play it again, Chia."

Chia waited for the ad to disappear and slid her painted fingernail across the screen and let it replay.  

The connection buffered terribly. 

"On God, bruv. The connection out here is so shoddy, I hate it. Oh wait, there it is! See that, blad?" Chia paused the video. "Look at Barlow's face. Oh my God, he is so shook at that moment." 

They girls both threw their heads back and howled with laughter. 

"Do you think Rodney's had it away with her? The two of them? They were in the loo before lunch." 

Nia shook her head in an all-knowing manner. "No, are you mental? If anything she would have had it away with him!" She laughed. "And besides, if even he's shagged, what does that say about our lot?"

"Yeah. Too true."

Chia looked down at her shoes and kept walking.

"Buuuuuut-" A bright white smile leapt across Chia's face-"that could all change tonight, bruv. I might just pull me a tidy one with Roger." 

Nia flipped her long hair with matching painted nails. "Oh my God, you are so lucky. Practically everyone in 7th Form has had it off except for us." She grabbed Chia's hands and wrung them pitifully. "Don't leave me behind, bruv. Please." She mocked crying face and then smiled.

"Nah, blad!" Chia grabbed her friend's hand and interlocked their fingers. "Imagine me and yours truly, with Luke and Roger by our sides. True women of the world." She swung Nia's hand back and forth. "Ledge."

Nia managed to smile back, even though she was deadly envious that her best friend might just pull before she does. It was something that the two of them had talked about for years now. 

First it was celebrity brothers that they had fancied, promising each other that they would become sister-in-laws and all live in the same house together. Then that transformed to buying every magazine out there that purported to have the answer for what men really wanted. A big rounded bum, pouty lips and long painted nails that clacked were sure to pull your guy.

And then that transformed to buying magazines they weren't supposed to, hiding them under their knickers and giggling over them at school. When Reeve came along, they made a fake profile and catfished every professor they could, noting that only profile pictures of stock models garnered responses. During that time, a competition of sorts had developed between the two. A contest to see who could flirt harder, snog more boys, and make them want the girls more. Nia Cole grimaced through her smile, and looking at Chia, she knew that Chia was undoubtedly in the lead. 

They turned the corner on Kent and there happened in front of them, a beautiful meadow they had both run across many times as children. It stretched out West and in the spring, vibrant wildflowers of every colour sprang up and greeted the many passersby. They all lead to Valry Thicket, a beautiful stretch of forest that started at the easternmost end of Almskirk, and had been there for longer than England had been a country. 

"What's this?"

The girls stopped and were shocked to see a chainlink fence blocking them from their usual path down the meadow and to their apartment flats. 

"No trespassing allowed?" Chia read the sign and clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "Property of Driftcoms? They must be on some big man ting. What are they building here, that we can't cross like regular?" 

"Don't be daft, Chia. It's been all over Reeve on the ads if you had been paying attention." Nia felt a bit agitated at her friend's impending sexual liberation. 

"What?" Chia felt a bit hurt. "Why you all vexed then, bruv?" 

"It's nothing." 

Nia looked away and sought to change the subject to literally anything else.

"Oh my God, bruv. Look. It's that lurk, Hattie McPherson. She's so weird, always walking by herself." 

Chia saw the girl walking slow and taking up practically the whole sidewalk. 

"Too true. I heard she literally never washes up. Her knickers have to be absolutely minging, fam." She laughed and felt good that she and Nia weren't fighting. "She's in 8th form and she hasn't even snogged anyone yet. It's tragic." 

"Well of course she hasn't, fam. Look at what she's wearing." 

The girls both laughed and then they laughed louder when Hattie turned around and saw them laugh. They laughed but they both secretly worried that they would turn up like Hattie McPherson. Or worse, like Headmistress Barr. 

"Aye, bruv listen." Chia curled her fingers through the chainlink fence. Do you wanna come to my ends and help me pick out what to wear when I meet Roger?"

"What? How are you going to get to your flat with this fence in the way?" 

"I'm gonna go beast and jump it. Don't be bait, Nia."

Nia played with her ponytail and scratched her ear. 

"Nah, blad. I'm gonna go home. I'm tired." 

"Oh. Okay." 

Chia found it odd that she didn't know as they often shared everything. 

"...Do you need a stopper?"

"Nah. I'll see you later, Chia. Bye." 

Chioma watched Nia walk away with her hands very taut on her bag and then looked back up the chainlink fence. Damn, I wasn't really going to climb it. 

She waited a tad for Nia to go further and then she walked the rest of the way home herself. She had to prepare.