The Isolation Room (GXG)

VII

"So, how did you manage to get from Dublin to Kilkenny?", I ask Zoë.

She removes the pen she was using to write on her white Converse and looks up at me, setting her feet on the ground.

"My parents saw how Dublin was progressively getting rougher. Teen drug use was becoming an even bigger problem. Our neighbours were having huge house parties every Saturday which would end in the Gardaì pinning the hosts against the car and taking them into custody. People were being beaten for their nationalities and especially their race. Now, I'm as white as a board, but anyone can tell I'm not Irish just from opening my mouth, or at least that I wasn't a Dub. Girls were getting pregnant at 15 with 19 year old guys. They just wanted to take me out of there before I entered secondary school and possibly gotten into trouble."

"Jesus. Limerick isn't much better though."

"Oh, Limerick is mad. But no where near as awful as Dublin. Most mad people down here are like 18, 20, round that. Go to Dublin, and you'll see a 15 year old in Jordan's from drug dealing money or stealing."

"I remember seeing a documentary about that. They're filthy rich from it before even sitting the Junior Cert. It's sad really. So many of them end up in jail or dead before they'd be finished college."

"Shit like that never happens in the town much. Only in the cities and places close to them. One thing I will say though is thankfully we've never had a school shooting. If some of the lads in this country got their hands on guns, we wouldn't hear the end of it." She chuckles as she adjusts her mask a bit. "You know, my friends in the last school used to be scared of me because my favourite song was Pumped Up Kicks and I liked Call of Duty."

I giggle. "I'd be concerned myself. But, like, we all know you're the type of girl who squeals when a wasp enters the classroom."

"No, I hit it with a book against the window while the whole class looks at me in shock. Literally happened 2 weeks ago. Meanwhile, this is you."

She jumps up from her seat and starts squealing in a high pitched tone as she prance around. "Oh my God! Get it away! I'm so scared! Eeeeeek!"

I roll my eyes as she sits back down with a smug look on her stupid face. "What are you like then, Ms Prim?"

"You got a book I can borrow?"

I reach into my bag and get out my higher level maths book, handing the wretched book that irritates my last nerve 5 days a week.

"Thanks. Now, this is what I do."

She brings up the book and swings it until it hits the window with a bang, making me jump. She looks at the non existent dead wasp on the windowsill, before mumbling, "Figlio di puttana."

Oh.

Oh wow.

I think it's just been confirmed on this fine afternoon that Katie Sarah Mary O'Sullivan is a big massive homo.

Suddenly, I feel a thud against my face and a certain assholes cackle. I see my maths book on the floor and I look up to see Zoë holding her stomach as she bends over in laughter.

"What the fuck is so funny, bitch?"

"You're gay! You're gay, gay, gay with a big rainbow flag sticking out from the top! And I was your sexual awakening! Please!"

I roll my eyes and throw her the finger. "Don't pride yourself on that one. I have yet to have my awakening, even if I am 16."

"Oh my God, I had no idea you were a river! Hello, De-Nile!"

"I am never giving you material to laugh at ever again, and that's if we even talk past today."

All of a sudden, she stops laughing. Her posture straightened and all colour drains from her face. She looks as if I just told her the most important thing in her life has just been taken from her.

"Vedo com'è."

I have no idea what that means, but I don't think its anything good because she heads back onto the windowsill where I first saw here this morning, pulls her knees up and hugs them as she lays her head on them and looks out the window, turning her head away from me.

"Zo?", I ask with concern.

"You should go for a bathroom break. Wouldn't want your bladder to burst from the Monster you had earlier.", she mumbles coldly.

I blink for a few moments, before I scoff and walk out of the room, slamming the door slightly.

When I reach the bathrooms, I lock myself in a stall before leaving against the wall and scoffing to myself. "Why the fuck am I here, I don't even need to piss.", I whisper in disbelief.

I sit down for a moment gathering my thoughts, before an idea pops into my head.

I think I know how to get her put of her pissy mood.

I grab my little red notepad from my coat pocket and write a title at the top, before I begin writing a list with check boxes beside each thing.

A nice little house 🔳
Cute parents 🔳
A dog 🔳
........