AESTHETE | derry girls

chapter fourteen!

"Exams? What are you on about, Erin?" Orla questioned Erin, turning around to Erin.

"What are you on about, Orla?" Erin quickly got defensive, blinking as she looked at Orla.

"Step, step aerobics,"

"Orla has got really into step aerobics. Her instructor says she's a natural," Sarah explained to the others, "She says Orla has what it takes to go all the way."

"All the way in step aerobics?" Mary asked, confused what her sister meant. Was there such a thing as a career in step aerobics?

"But it's out of control now, Mary. She's stepping morning, noon and night. Apart from anything else, it's dangerous. She nearly came through the ceiling yesterday. Ook she might be gifted, but I want her to have a normal childhood," Sarah confessed,

"I won't give it up. I can't,"

"Listen to yourself, love," Sarah sighed, with a shake of her head.

 Mary raised herself to her feet again, lifting her washing basket. James quickly realised what Mary was going to ask for now, and a blush covered his cheeks at the prospect of taking his shirt of  or seeing a shirtless Aoife.

"Now, whites,"

• • • • • • •

Somehow weeknights were just as busy as weekends in O'Malley's Pub, luckily Aoife had gotten out of working at the pub that night.
Seamus and Eileen had decided that they would survive fine with just Conor, Orin and Orin's friend Lorcan. Granda Joe had volunteered to take Caoimhe and Imogen overnight at the Quinn's, leaving Aoife alone in the normally crammed flat. 

Aoife had spent a while on the phone to Michelle, complaining that she was the only one in the flat tonight. Unknowing to Aoife, Michelle had mentioned this to James who had been working up the nerve to go over to see the girl.

Nervously, James had made his way across Derry and over to the family's pub.  Ever since James had seen Seamus O'Malley burst into Sister Michael's office back on his first day James had been petrified of the man.

The pub was busy enough that James was able to sneak all the way back to the stairs before he was caught by Seamus. 

"Who the fuck are you?" the deep Derry accent of Seamus made James freeze completely.

"Urh James-James Maguire," James stuttered out, slowly turning to look at the man who had appeared behind him.

"And what are you doing in my pub? Especially sneaking up to my flat?"Seamus grumbled, crossing his arms across his chest glaring down at the boy.

"I-I came to show something to Aoife,"  James mumbled, clutching the new CD he'd taken from Michelle, giving him a reason to visit the O'Malley flat.

"Seamus, whats the problem?" an older redheaded woman wondered over to the pair. James recognised the woman as Aoife's mother, Eileen.

"This wee fella is looking for Aoife," Seamus filled his wife in, a knowing smile crossed Eileen's face as she looked at James once more.

"Ahh, the wee English fella Aoife never shuts up about," Eileen smiled at the boy, ushering the boy away from her husband and closer to the narrow staircase up to the flat, "On you go, James."