That One November Night

Chapter 3: Fifty pence chewing gum

The new route home was definably faster. My journey used to take twenty five minutes but this new way (Even if I had to deal with a bunch of OakHighum snobs) cut how long I had to traipse my arse around to nineteen minutes. Whoa. Often I would see the same people and that was completely normal, when you get into a routine things become common. But I recall the very first day I walked that way home without Greg, the polite girl from the Friday before walked past me and was surprised to notice that I said hello first.

For weeks on end the encounter of seeing her would happen. Very rarely we would say more than just hello and hi. One time I complimented her on the lipstick (she wore it most days) and she tried to hide a smile before saying" Ah thank you so much!" before moving on.

Like a recurring compulsion, I looked forward to the fact that she'd be there on my way home.

Something which was personal to me and miraculously made me able to get through the day. Secretly, her presence became some special drug which solaced me, weed without the side effects and bad connotations.

It was a Thursday and I had that creepy skeleton woman as a cover teacher for last lesson. Perfect, not. Greg wasn't at school because he supposedly had food poisoning which he assumed was from the school cafeteria: it wouldn't surprise me to be honest, they practically served up raw chicken! Having no back up man didn't stop me from wanting to dose off in the lesson though. It was a different classroom so the layout allowed for each student to be seen like each area on a stage.

I don't even need to explain that I imprudently thought I could sleep without being seen. Skelly caught me of course, it led to a full on rant about how I lost my third strike because even though it wasn't her lesson I was still off task after having been warned millions of times before. Bla, bla, bla! A minute into the conversation and I couldn't even look at the woman in the face from the annoyance teeming within my head. When the bell rang I knew that I wasn't going home on time.

"Okay class," if anyone was listening besides myself it would have been a miracle. "Everyone can go home on time unless their name is Connor Mylne".

Like a vulture, she swept over and lent on the side of my desk; the woman was a hawk holding its gaze on the classroom door waiting for us to be left alone. I was expecting to be given a short lecture about how I have no manners and will fail my GCSE'S for sleeping in lessons. To my surprise, the stick had no intention of doing this. Turning her face from mine, "Look Connor," she broke the silence sighing suspiciously, "I can't stay behind school today to babysit you; I have plans. I could do it tomorrow but no offence I don't want to waste my Friday on you either, so you have two choices". I nodded guiltily, for once actually feeling bad for my actions. "The first is I can arrange some other teacher for tomorrow or you stop this behaviour and don't tell anyone that I let you off." I looked up and met her stare confused at why she offered to forget about the detention. The question covered in sharp ice, "I can change my mind?"

"No miss, thanks a tonne!" I stood from my chair looking franticly over at the clock.

Scanning my face, skelly then softened her tone, "Are you meant to be somewhere?"

I didn't quite get what she meant. Then I realised that it had to be because I had physically shown that I was conscious of the time. Heading toward the door I turned back at her and replied, "I don't want to miss her".

"You don't want to miss who?" Skelly questioned.

I breathed out trying to hide the grin, "On my way home I see this girl..."

By this point, Skelly was sat in the teacher's chair leaning back, "Anyone special Connor? For a minute I thought you and Greg were more than friends. Not that it's a bad thing. But I thought you were g-"

I had only just put my hand on the door handle, "Oh god no!" she let out an amused laugh in response to my reaction. "Greg is foul and just not my type. Boys aren't my type miss." I took a brief pause as my thoughts rolled back around – a catch twenty two. "The girl. She doesn't go to this school. She's from OakHighum. I see her when I walk home. I don't even know her name. I want to though. I want to know more about her. I want her to know more about me too. Something more than just saying hi."

In the pause of her shocked expression, I stepped out of the room realising that I'd just said all of that out loud. I was surprised at the lack of embarrassment I had, I just felt jubilant. Before the door shut again I heard her say, "seize the opportunity, I'm sure she's dying to know about you as much as you want to know about her. Good luck Mylne."

***

By the time I approached the back gates, I was five minutes later than I would usually be at this point. There was a smile broadening across my face and I don't even know why. Practically sprinting down a few roads I eventually had to slow and walk normally - I am no athlete to say the least. I got to the street where I normally saw her and sure enough (as I had expected) she had already passed the point where we often crossed paths. I didn't want to take my eyes away. In the past two or three months she had always walked straight up the road to go home but today she was going to the shop. Unusually intriguing.

I didn't quite understand why I even wanted to go follow her, something about this girl changed how I thought about things – especially given what I just word-vomited to Skelly subconsciously. With the little amount of people who would actually willingly speak to me it would have been nice to gain another true friend. Not knowing her name was severely irritating, from what I knew of the dime I was expecting her to gladly exchange names so that we could at least use them each time we passed one another and maybe even bare a few minutes to allow me to converse with her.

Next thing I knew I was in the shop skimming for the rouge lipped angel. Spotted.

As I came in, mystery girl was scanning over the sweet isle - looking down at the change in her hand while rummaging through her pockets. From the door this isle was four or five meters straight ahead. Once inside, I turned to the left pretending to look at the drinks which I had no intention of actually looking at. From where I was stood, the isles formed a backwards L shape, away from the sweets isle which meant that I could peek from the side and see her without having to intrude.

I hadn't even been in there a minute when she had turned to face me ad was walking my way. I shit bricks. Jumping away I made sure not to be seen. She turned (not even a metre next to me!) and headed over to the man behind the counter. I stared down at my feet, heart beating louder. I could build a god damn fortress with the amount of bricks that came out. Plucking up the courage, I looked toward her placing the items onto the table.

The guy had finished scanning her items, "That's £2.50 please"

"£2.50?" she gasped briefly before looking at her hand. "Sorry mate. I only got £2 out so now I will have to look in my bag for another 50p. Give me a minute." The playful tone was soft, her voice was a violin.

"Yeah no worries."

"I only got £2 out because that's what the offer says! But yeah I probably red it wrong. Oh Christ, where is my purse now?"

I lifted myself up and stepped towards the counter, the guy was starting to look annoyed. I thought I could help her out but I would have to make an entrance. Not even one step toward her and I felt my heart booming more than Nicki Minaj's 'Superbass'.

Without her seeing me, I took out a pound coin from my trouser pocket before placing it on the counter. I had to be smooth if I didn't want to look like a dimwit, "50p for this beauty and I'll have a packet of whatever chewing gum is 50p." I kept my eyes on her as she lifted her head to meet my eyes. The man thanked me and handed me both receipts and a packet of green chewing gum.

"You know something?" I lightly questioned her. She collected her items from the counter and smiled so sweetly it was impossible not to smile back. Ignoring what I said she began, "thanks for that. I'll pay you back when we get out the shop, if you want?"

We simultaneously put the items in our blazer pockets.

I took a step towards her and repeated myself, "You know something?" she shook her head maintaining the goddess smile. "I don't even know your name".

Without scepticism, "it's Guinevere Colby".