“Ronnie…” That’s Sarah. “Ronnie, look at the state of you. Where have you been?” Okay, she may be my best friend but if she finds out where I’ve been, she will kill me. “I’ve been waiting here all day, you didn’t even call…Ronnie, are you even listening to me?” To be honest, I wasn’t.
“Look, I’m really sorry, I completely lost track of time.” She looks at me as if though any second she expects me to come up with an excellent excuse that will force her to forgive me. But no, I just stand there like an idiot, covered from head to toe in mud. Even my long hair that usually swings about my bum is stuck to the back of my neck in a messy bob. “I, erm… I was on the beach when I, erm…fell.” Another one of her disapproving glares puts me back in place. “I fell off one of the rocks by the Black Forest and well, fell into the mud in the lake.” My face lit up with glee, for the first time in my life I had lied. I had lied and gotten away with it, well at least I thought I had.
“Why were you up by the Black Forest?” Shit. “And why is your bag completely dry and clean?” Okay, I was busted. And this time I had nothing to say. But just when I thought Sarah was going to start a huge argument that would lead her to never talk to me ever again, Mr’s Blackburn came out into the garden where we were stood. She takes one look at me and turns away in disgrace. She’s Sarah’s aunt, a huge snob who inherited everything when Sarah’s parents died, she looks after her now. Mr’s Blackburn had never approved of me. She turned to Sarah who was looking down at her shoes as if she had not noticed her. Strangely enough Mr’s Blackburn walked straight down the garden without saying a word. For a moment I thought she would walk all the way through the gate and down the road, but then she stops and turns back around.
“Ronnie, you are not to go inside the house like that. I think you should leave.” I looked at Sarah but she was still staring at her feet. I looked once again at Mr’s Blackburn who was glaring at my face as if inspecting it. I had no choice, Sarah was obviously still mad at me or else she would have protested, either that or she would have followed me as I made my way down the path towards the gate. Although there was no one else there to see me, I felt a sudden rush of shame and embarrassment. I didn’t turn around to look at Sarah, nor did I look at Mrs Blackburn, I just simply swung my bag over my shoulder and headed home.
Thankfully today is the day of the festival and so the streets were completely empty. It didn’t however make the journey home any less uncomfortable. My legs were chafing against my shorts and my feet were squelching in my pumps and my arms had gone red and itchy from the heat. It was now 6 o’clock and the sun had already fallen leaving a dull and dreary feeling over Christopher Creek where I live.
