Canvas

Chapter 6

I don't get very far from the food court before I am grabbed from behind by multiple sets of hands. One pair yanks at my hands, another at my waist, while the last two cover my mouth and pull my head. I try to scream but the hand over my mouth clamps down tightly.

I cough and sputter a few times before the hand over my mouth finally lifts.

"P...p...please don't hurt me."

"Hurt you? Only if you don't tell us EVERY detail!"

"What the... Citra, Michaela, Wendy? Aren't we on conference call?"

"Sorry Dhalia, that's my bad. As soon as I watched you leave for your interview, I called Citra and Michaela."

"WHAT? Wendy, why would you do that?"

"Because Citra would kill me if she found out that I knew about your interview AND the boy!"

Citra looks up to the sky and puts one of her perfectly manicured nails to her lips.

"She's got me there. I would have scratched her eyes out. But it was my idea to come down here and grab you! I take full credit for that part."

"Why would you do that? You scared the everything out of me!"

"Oh come off it Dhalia! Do you remember in grade three when you called my house and told my mother that I kissed a boy in the schoolyard?"

"Uhh...I vaguely remember something like that...why?"

"Payback."

"Citra! We were nine years old! I don't think that the girl code allows for a grudge to continue for that long."

"I'd prefer to go to a jury of our peers. Wendy, what do you think and by that I mean say what I want you to!"

"I...I...I'm with Citra on this one..."

"WENDY!"

"I'm sorry, Dhalia but she is tall and scary. I've heard stories of things going into that cleavage, never to return."

"Thank you for that, Wendy. Michaela, what about you? Where do you stand on this?"

"I'm not scared of your boobs at all!"

"Not what I meant and you know it!"

"Sorry Dhalia but Citra has a point. You were one year away from double digits, so it's like you were a tween. In that case you have to use the 'Teen Rule Book', which doesn't have any limits. I hate agreeing with her, but..."

I cross my arms and furrow my brow.

"Go stretch, do the splits or something else useful!"

"Okay sure Dhalia, but I don't know how that will help anything."

Right on cue Michaela drops down to the shiny floor. She quickly looks down and says, "Oh this is so cool. I could do my makeup like this!"

Four boys carrying boxes through the mall loading bay suddenly trip over one another, sending boxes of hairbands, teddy bears and costume jewellery skittering across the floor.

Michaela picks up one of the bears and strings a bracelet on her wrist. She then sends each of them a wink.

"Thanks boys!"

The boys quickly gather up the spilled stock and retreat all flushed back to where they came.

I slap my forehead and shake it back and forth.

"I swear I am ready to strangle you all. "Is there any version of this story where I get to go home and take a shower? Do you have any idea how badly I sweat when I'm nervous? Never mind the fact that I am TOTALLY exhausted after that ordeal."