Just a Piece of the Action

Chapter 5

"A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked."
-Bernard Meltzer-

The first stage of the story, getting to know each other, is now completed... We'll move on to Phase Two now, a constantly growing friendship!

End of the announcement!

Start of story!

It was Sunday, the very last day of Easter holidays 1972 and I was packing my stuff for the first day in my new school. The last week had been flying past as there had been so much to do! My room was close to ready now, the ceiling plastered with posters of my favourite stars, the walls mostly empty as they were so beautiful anyways. The rest of the house looked quite nice too, the sunny corridor for example had been beautified with family pictures and Mommy had already started to plant some flowers in the garden.
Cheryl had been helping with my stuff and we were growing closer with every day. Right now she was in her own room but actually she had spent more time at ours than at hers.

I sighed and closed my bag. I was nervous, really really nervous. I didn't want to be the new girl, the one everybody stared at, the different one. And suddenly I missed my old life in Jersey, my class, my friends, everything. I mean, I was perfectly happy here in Bethnal Green too, I had met Cheryl and we were so good friends already, but still, I was a stranger.
Just when I wanted to open my bag again to check the content for the third time, something bumped at my window. I jumped up and ripped it open, Cheryl waved from her room, grinning she pointed at the basket hanging below my sill. Quickly I took the sheet of paper laying in it and unfolded it.
'Nervous?'
I looked up, Cheryl gave me a questioning look. I nodded admittedly and gave her a wry smile. She answered my nod seriously but somehow it seemed as if she could hardly hold back a laughter.
A little huffy I scribbled 'What's so funny about it? U know sth I don't?' on the backside of the paper and gave the basket a great rush so it slid back to Cheryl. She read my message and giggled.
Some seconds later she sent a paper back. 'Yes, indeed! Mom's just told me u'd be in my class! + Go 2 school 2gether 2moro?'
A loud "Yes!" escaped me as I re-read the piece of information again. I'd be in Cheryl's class, that meant I would not be a stranger to everybody and maybe I could sit next to her and all in all the whole thing with being the new one didn't seem so frightening at all anymore! 'Gr8!', I shot back and 'Fancy coming over?'
Five minutes later the both of us sat on my bed and, surprise, giggled.

Seriously, that messaging system was the best!

Agree!

Just one fault... Do you remember that one time when it was so windy that my paper was blown away?

Oh yes, wasn't it the one when we discussed whether to dye our hair black or not?

Hmm... I'll never forget that speech Mom has performed...

Neither will I... But after all it's been lucky they caught us, I mean, imagine our golden hair...

Would have been a change though!

But a rather bad one...

Yayah...

Plus we both painted it black with watercolours then which was much more fun!

And much less permanent...

Ah yes, we looked like pandas after our following water balloon fight!

Admittedly a pretty stupid idea...

Yeah...

Anyways, let's tell about your first school day!