Sometimes

Chapter nine

    “I guess you do know how to have fun then.”  Aiden sounded pleased.  “Although you do know that going out to a club once, doesn’t make you a party animal.”

    “Well, duh,” I replied.  “I’d still rather read a book than be holed up in a room with too loud music and a bunch of sweaty people.”

    “Knew it.”  Aiden smirked.  “I bet you can’t keep up this new, fun Harriet.”

I tapped my pen on my lip.  “Oh yeah?”  

    “You’ll be back to being a nerd within a day.”

Before I could stop myself, my fingers were pinching his arm.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise and sat back up straight.  “What was that for?”

A little shocked at my actions, I shrugged.  “For calling me a nerd.”

    “Okay, maybe I was a little harsh.” 

I smiled when I spotted him rubbing the spot where I’d pinched him.

    “Alright then.  If you want to prove me wrong, come to the cinema with me tonight.”  He scratched his jaw.  “I mean, the whole band’s going to see the new action film.  They won’t mind you coming.  Leanne’s always saying how you two get on like a house on fire.  And Sonny will be there.”   He said the last part with a wink.

I rolled my eyes.  “You won’t be happy until I visit the cinema, will you?”

He laughed.  “I’m just trying to help you with the whole Sonny situation.  The fact that the cinema is the setting is just a coincidence.”

    Mr. Lloyd chose that moment to start the lesson and I had to wait fifteen minutes until I could continue my conversation with Aiden.

    “Well?” he asked, once I’d finished writing the aims of the lesson into my notebook.

I bit my lip and looked out of the window, as if it would help me make a decision.  “Alright then.  As long as you don’t think anyone will mind.”

   “Course they won’t.  You’re cool.”

I turned back to face him and smiled.

    “The only thing is, the film starts at nine so you might not be home until midnight.” He pulled a face at me and laughed. “Is that too late?”

I smirked and purposely knocked his pen to the floor.  “It’s alright, I stay up later on Fridays.  There’s no college on the weekends so I don’t have to worry about getting all of my work done.”

This earned me another laugh from Aiden.  “That’s alright then.  We can’t have you falling asleep halfway through the film because you’re not used to staying up.”

    “I got in at one this morning, remember?”

    “And I didn’t get back from Roz and Warren’s until two.  You don’t see me complaining,” he said.

I picked my pen back up and set to work on today’s assignment.  “Is that why you look like you haven’t slept in a week?”

    “Uh, excuse me?”

I looked up to see him trying to look annoyed.  “Yes?”

    “Have you looked in a mirror today?” he asked.  “You don’t exactly look as fresh as a daisy.”

    “As fresh as a daisy?”

    “Yeah.”  He scribbled something messily on his paper and I guessed it was supposed to be the first bullet point that Mr. Lloyd had written on the board for us to copy down.  “It’s something my mum always says.”  He tutted.  “Old people.”