Never Really Over

Chapter 1

January 2013

Jenny and Georgia are sitting on Jenny's bed eating leftover Christmas chocolate and discussing if Jenny is ever going to get her life together. It's been six months since she graduated, and she hasn't even had an interview yet. She's back living in her childhood bedroom with one bathroom between four of them, having to explain her every move to her parents and bickering with her little brother like they are still at school. The only good thing about her current situation, is that, once again, she gets to see her best friend every day; Georgia only lives next door.

"Do you ever knock?!" Jenny shoots at John as he bursts into the room. "We could have been naked."

He shrugs, completely non-plussed at the thought of this. "Firstly, we shared a bath until you went to high school, so I'm not sure why you're suddenly feeling shy." Jenny rolls her eyes, that's a gross exaggeration. "Secondly," he smiles cheekily at Georgia. "Why would you be getting naked with my girlfriend?!"

"Did you want something?" Jenny loves her brother; most of the time, she thinks he's more of a friend than a brother. At other times, like right now, she thinks he's a pain in the ass.

He doesn't answer; he's a little breathless from how quickly he climbed the stairs. His eyes are sparkling with excitement and he's wearing a beaming smile. Usually when he is this excited it's something to do with football, which Jenny isn't that interested in, but she'll humour him, because she loves him.

"Spit it out then!?" Jenny urges.

"Everton want me!"

There's a shriek of delight from Jenny as she leaps from the bed and she and John jump around the tiny space between Jenny's desk and her bed with their matching gangly limbs wrapped around each other. Her leg bashes against the office chair; it's probably going to bruise, but she doesn't care because she is so happy for her brother.

"Tell me everything!" Jenny enthuses as she pulls away and holds John at arms' length. Neither she nor John notice that Georgia is frozen to her spot on the bed. She tries to force a smile, but all her energy is taken up by trying not to cry. He is leaving. She loves him, and he is moving to Liverpool.

"Gigi?" John looks at her expectantly, Jenny's question is temporarily ignored. His eyes are wide with expectation; his own euphoria has him temporarily blinded to Georgia's muted reaction to his news. He is so happy; he looks like his cheeks might crack from smiling. She doesn't want to spoil his moment. So, she plasters on a smile that she hopes comes somewhere close to matching his.

"Congratulations!" She still hasn't moved.

"I have to go tell mum!" John gushes. "But I wanted you to be the first to know! It's happening Gigi, our dream!"

She gives what she hopes is an encouraging nod, and then he's gone. The girls hear the thundering of his footsteps as he hurtles down the stairs, a thud as he jumps down the last three, like he always does, and then screams of delight from the kitchen.

"Georgi?" Jenny says, as she sits back down on the bed next to Georgia and squeezes her friend's hand reassuringly. "If you're going to be a drama teacher, you're going to have to be a better actress than that."

John leaves within an hour of the bid being accepted. His dad drives him to Liverpool to discuss personal terms. Georgia knows it's only a formality; John would play in the Premier League for free. Once he's gone, she tells Jenny she has studying to do, and shuts herself in her bedroom to cry.

*

Georgia heads straight to Jenny's from uni. It had been a waste of time even going in, she hadn't taken down any notes at all. In one lecture, she'd zoned out so much she only discovered it was over when someone almost tripped over her as she was blocking the exit to the aisle. All she can think about is John, and how much she doesn't want him to leave.