Sometimes

Chapter three

“Why are you wearing that t-shirt anyway?” Cassie asked from her place on my bed. 

I looked over at her and clicked my tongue.

She pouted.  “I was only saying.”

    “I happen to like this t-shirt,” I said, grabbing a fistful of my newly acquired ‘Haunted Vegas’ tee in my hand.  “Why, isn’t it on trend?”

Cassie sat up and threw her nail file at me.  It landed on the bean bag I was lounging on and I gave her a smug smile. 

I loved my bean bag.  True, it was a little bit worn and it was going saggy in some places.  And it still smelled like it did when I brought it from a garage sale two years ago; moth balls and cigarette smoke.  But I loved the colour.  Violet.  The exact same colour of the bracelet Sonny wore everywhere.  Note to self; Must buy something violet to wear.

    “Oi!”

I looked up from where I’d been staring at the fabric of the bean bag, to see Cassie pouting again.  I raised my eyebrows at her.

    “Throw me my nail file.  I need to finish my pinkie,” she said.

    “No.”  I picked her nail file up and twirled it in my fingers.  “You shouldn’t have thrown it at me.”

    “You were being mean!”

    “I wasn’t,” I said.

Cassie’s blue eyes darkened and I got the feeling I get whenever I know she’s going to go off on one.  I tossed her the nail file.  Her expression lightened instantly.

    “So who is Aiden Jackson anyway?”

I couldn’t help telling Cassie about the new seating plan in English.  I wasn’t planning on telling her that I used to sit next to Lara though; I didn’t want my room trashed by one of her hissy fits. 

    “Besides a pervert,” she added.

I laughed.  “I don’t think he was checking out my chest.  I believe the whole t-shirt thing.”

    “You’re too trusting,” Cassie said.  “I mean, he’s a teenage guy.” 

    “I know. But not all teenage guys are the same…”

    “…is he the one with the bucktooth?”  Cassie interrupted. 

I shook my head.  “No, that’s Maurice Jackson.”

    “Aiden’s brother?”

    “No.  They just have the same last name.”

Cassie nodded, a blank expression on her face.  “Oh.”

I was about to lose the battle to keep a straight face when there was a knock on my bedroom door.  Two seconds later, Leanne appeared over the threshold.  Her eyes fell on me first, before they found Cassie, sprawled on my bed.

    “How was the gig?” I asked.  She’d got in late last night and she’d gone to work by the time I’d gotten ready for college this morning.

She beamed.  “It was awesome thanks.  Roz reckons there was someone from LZ magazine there, but I didn’t see anyone who looked like a journalist.”

I couldn’t help grinning back at her.  “That’s amazing!”

    “I know, right?  Sonny says it’s the best I’ve sang in ages.”

My breathing faltered at the sound of Sonny’s name.  “What did Roz and Warren think?”

    “They had a ball.”  She rested a hand on her hip.  “Actually, I don’t think they had a single argument.”