Complicated

chapter nineteen

Being grounded seriously sucked. Mum was careful to make our lives Hell by casually keeping both Connor and I busy – and apart. Although our dish washer had been working perfectly well yesterday, by the time we got home from school it was broken and I had to do all the washing by hand, while Connor was outside de-weeding the garden. When he finished, Mum sent him off on my bike to post a letter. Unluckily, the nearest post box was half way across town and Connor wasn’t back until I’d finished the washing up and been told to start dusting the living room. It was an endless list of chores to keep us away from each other.

      I thought about my day at school – it hadn’t a good one. Double geography was rubbish. I was informed, at the beginning of the lesson by a cluster of giggling girls, that Taffy had been asked out by Poppy, and said yes. Despite myself, I’d been jealous. Taffy and Poppy walked in hand in hand and sat next to each other, even though the seat next to Taffy was mine. This meant I had to sit next to Bethany, who spent the lesson muttering on and on about whether she should go out with James again or not. At least it made my job easier – I’d promised to talk to her for James but it looked like I didn’t need to.

      Turns out, she needn’t have bothered fretting, because during break time James asked her out. Yet another happy couple.

      Lessons three and four passed without incident and with homework (which is difficult to do when your mum refuses to give you any time at all for homework or general chilling).

      Then Aaron came and sat next to me for the whole of lunch while Ruby babbled on about how fit Connor was. This made me feel so guilty I nearly puked; I’d kissed Connor. I should have been kissing Aaron, not Connor. Apparently Connor felt the same way, because in the gap between lessons five and six he found me and made me promise to keep quiet about the kiss.

      “Please,” he’s said, “it was nothing really, and think how June and Aaron would feel if they knew the truth. We can just pretend it never happened, right?”

      “Right. It never happened.” I’d sighed and remembered that we were grounded. “But try telling Mum that.”

After I finished dusting the living room, I hurried upstairs and stole a few desperate minutes to do my homework. My phone vibrated; I smiled. Of course the text was from Aaron.

Hey, I wondered if we could go on a date soon?

Love u, Aaron x

I’ve never felt happier in my entire life. My heart jumped excessively and I hoped – desperately – that Mum would let me go on a date even though I was grounded. My tummy twirled with happiness as I replied.

I’m grounded at the moment, but I’ll ask Mum if I can go. Where were you thinking of going? Love u more x

My phone buzzed again literally seconds later. I paused my homework again to read it. Outside, I could hear Connor arguing with Mum. Mum wanted him to mow the lawn again, even though he’d only done it a few days before.

I kno it’s a bit dull, but I really want you to meet my family.

(Daniel still doesn’t believe I have a girlfriend)

Is that ok? Love u x

I grinned, and thought: that would be just brilliant.