꧁𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐍𝐄꧂
"Ach, Mammy I don't know why you're having a go at me! It was Mrs Quinn's fault, Not mine" Letting Erin's Ma clean her uniform had turned out to be a massive mistake.
Teagan's usual pristine — with the exception of a few food stains — white school blouse had been turned into a awful pink mess.
And of course, she was getting the blame.
"Don't be blaming this on Mary, she did you a favour!" her Mammy warned her.
The older O'Ryan was furiously scrubbing at the pile up of dishes in the sink. Usually it was Teagan's job before school but she was running late in typical Teagan fashion.
"Honestly," her Mammy huffed, shaking her head. Teagan knew she was in for a lecture now. "I wonder who raised you with manners like that!"
"My batshit crazy mum apparently" she whispered under her breath as she stole a bite out of her fathers long forgotten plate of uneaten toast, she technically didn't have time to be pissing about with stupid, unimportant, things like breakfast.
Despite her protests of it being the most important meal of the day, Her mum never let her arse around in the morning.
faffing about in the kitchen only slowed the already slow teenager down.
"Less of the cheek or I'll get the wooden spoon!" the older woman scolded.
The threat of the wooden spoon made Teagan quicken her pace, haphazardly throwing the toast in the bin, she took her once white,
— now magenta — school shirt off the side and buttoned it up over her tanktop. She never could be bothered to tuck her shirt into her skirt in the morning, she usually waited until a teacher pointed it out.
"That shirt needs tucking in!" Her Mammy tutted without even catching a glimpse at her. Teagan rolled her eyes.
Her mammy had eyes like a fecking hawk and impeccable hearing when it suited her.
She supposedly couldn't hear when Teagan would yell her name from downstairs, but so easily heard her mutters and sarcastic comments said under her breath.
"Esther will hear about this," the irritated girl whispered under her breath, careful to not let her mam hear.
But, of course, she did.
"That Esther can shove her welfare check right up her —" her mother's rant was cut short.
"Who can shove what up their what?"
A small, yet annoying voice asked from the doorway of the kitchen.
Both of the O'Ryan girls looked over to the new voice.
Aylish's eyes, — that their parents Called doe eyes, Teagan likened them to a demons — innocently blinked as she stood completely still in the doorway, waiting patiently for a answer to her question.
She was a curious child, always needing to know why or what about something.
Their parents thought it was adorable how inquisitive she was, Teagan thought she was an annoying wee shit. She loved her nevertheless. Hated her, but loved her more than anything.
Teagan tore her gaze away from Aylish and looked at the look of utter look of mortification on her mammys face.
She was interested to see how her mum would talk herself out of this one.
The Older O'Ryan woman blinked and opened her mouth and closed it a few times as she tried to think of how to get out of the situation.
Their parents refused to swear in front of Aylish, Teagan was already too far gone, she picked up their colourful vocabulary at an early age. They had many complaints from all of her primary school teachers. Aylish was their second chance at proving that Teagan didn't swear because of them.
Finally, the older woman cleared her throat and jumped into action, "Come on Aylish, we don't won't to be late" she sang cheerfully as she lead Aylish out the door by her tiny shoulders.
Teagan sniggered into her fist, but immediately stopped once her mother turned and sent her a harsh glare that she knew meant to shut up if she knew what was good for her.
Abruptly, she followed after them
"How about a pint?" Teagan heard the unmissable voice of Michelle Mallon ask as she jumped down the stairs.
Teagan heard her dad release a heavy sigh as she walked out into the main bar area.
She knew Michelle would of been bugging her dad for ages. Before her Da went insane, Teagan swiftly made her way over to Michelle and pulled her away by the sleeve of her blazer.
"You're not eighteen, Michelle" Mrs O'Ryan sighed, she swatted Teagan away from the bar, eagerly pushing the two teenagers towards the door, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.
Michelle Mallon really wasn't the ideal best friend, but whatever made Teagan happy.
Of course, her Mammy would prefer it if she was closer to someone kind, or well mannered who would settle Teagan's erratic behaviour down.
They thought she'd found that with Jenny Joyce, but that friendship fell through unexpectedly and unexplainably and Michelle came barging in and hadn't left since. Even shy and timid Clare would be a better fit. Her mammy knew that Teagan and Michelle were too alike, when the two were together it was like the stars had aligned to make chaos.
Michelle, never one to backdown, replied,
"the fake ID in my pocket says different,"
Teagan panicked. Why the fuck would Michelle bring up their fake IDs in front of her parents?. Did she want her to get murdered and grounded for life?
Hers wasn't even usable. As a joke when Michelle went to got them off dodgy Daren — who sold them behind the bakery in town — Teagan told her to put the 30th of February as her date of birth, stupidly thinking she would be able to see the obvious.
But, of course, Michelle didn't bat a bloody eye and neither did dodgy Daren, all he did was take her thirty quid.
"Right!" Teagan exclaimed as she hastily broke free from her mums grasp, "We'd better get going don't want to be late do we, Michelle?" She forcibly smiled, glaring daggers at her best friend, she grabbed Michelle's wrist and pulled her away from her parents, sending a smile back. Nothing suspicious about it.
She dropped her voice to a whisper as they neared the door, "where's your shadow?" she asked.
Michelle looked at her and raised a eyebrow, "shadow?," she asked before it suddenly dawned on her who Teagan meant,
"Ballache refused to come in, something about your da threatening him. Ach, honestly he's such a fanny"
Teagan rolled her eyes at Michelle's words, she was used to Michelle taking the piss out of him by now. She simply linked their arms together as she pulled open the front door.
The cold air viciously nipped at Teagan's face as she stepped outside.
Michelle was suddenly walking away from her and before she could ask why, she got her answer when James came into view and engulfed her in a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around her.
She instantly let out a surprised giggle as she pulled him even closer.
It was insanely embarrassing how much James made her blush, she'd take the piss out of herself if she wasn't so mortified by how lovesick she must seem.
James's lips met hers in their usual morning greeting. The heat that warmed her cheeks shielded her from the cold, leaning her head on James's shoulder also helped, but the secret romantic in her wanted to believe it was all because of how James made her feel.
"You two need to stop! It's becoming a genuine fear of mine to be in the same room as you"
The raven haired girl yelled over her shoulder.
Teagan rolled her eyes but chased after her, dragging James along by the sleeve of his blazer.
"Now I know why you wanted to walk with us this morning," Michelle groaned, snarling with disgust, "just wanted to snog him for longer!" She accused.
Teagan did not accept that!
She had genuine reasons why she asked Michelle to walk with her!
She and Erin had walked to school together ever since last term, it was just easier since the two lived closer together, she also guessed it was because Erin would strangle Orla if she wasn't there to distract Orla.
Erin phoned her up late last night practically screaming down the phone to tell her the school newspaper had elected her as the new writer, editor, and whatever else she squealed about.
Teagan was too busy checking for hearing loss to listen.
The situation was the perfect opportunity to spend more time with Michelle.....and also James, but she wouldn't dare tell Michelle.
"Hey, I just wanted to spend time with my two favourite people," she started, trying her best to make Michelle happy, "it's a shame Hugh Grant was busy but you'll have to do James"
James rolled his eyes, knowing full well it was a joke...... at least he hoped it was.
"It's an honour to be your second favourite" he playfully replied, even curtsying before Michelle called him a dickhead and told him to stop.
Teagan grinned at James, before quickly turning to her right to whisper to Michelle, "Is now a bad time to tell him Orla was busy?"
"Tell me again why they just ... miraculously decided to hand everything over to you" Teagan questioned, raising a skeptical eyebrow as she drew a rough draft of a cover for Erin's new issue.
Despite treating them like they didn't exist all morning, Erin had roped the group into helping her with the school paper.
Honestly, who gave a actual shit about the school paper, no one ever read it, even the teachers didn't care, the art department used it to cover the table in lessons.
Like a mad woman, Erin ran up to Teagan and the others, out of breath, hair all out of place and panting. She begged them all to help with the paper, literally begged. Michelle wanted to see how far she was willing to go.
"I told them I couldn't take over, it's only my second month, but honestly they just insisted. They said I have a true talent" Erin gushed, a shit eating grin on her smug face as she wrote down article ideas on the chalk board in front of them.
"The virgin birth is more believable than that, Erin" Teagan bitterly snarked, tucking her head on the table next to James's arm.
Erin had been such a smug bitch to them all morning, ignoring them in the hallway because she believed she was suddenly above everyone, simply because she now wrote the school paper.
The fecking school paper! Who even reads that shit?
Erin whipped around and scowled at all of them sniggering at her. Couldn't they see how important this was to her?
"Laugh all you want Teagan! I'll be the laughing when my Names in the Derry gazette, Erin Quinn will be known!" She yelled enthusiastically, startling Orla out of her weird dance, but she soon got back into it.
"Yeah, local girl sectioned with delusion personality disorder" Teagan muttered as she rolled her eyes and got back to her work.
Erin had asked — more like demanded — her to design a cover for the magazine seeing as she was the artistic one in the group. Michelle was doing fuck knows, she was just smoking a fag and ignoring Erin.
James was supposed to be typing it up as Erin shouted her ideas at him, but he struggled with figuring the computer out.
How far behind was the technology in England? Seriously, Teagan knew they were savages, but not that savage.
"Okay. Right. Okay," James quietly uttered as he stared at the computer, "How do I do a new line again?" He asked for the twentieth time.
Michelle took her fag out her mouth and groaned, "I can't tell him again, I just can't!" She complained. Poor James was clueless.
Luckily for James, Teagan actually gave a shit about him. She lent over on the desk they shared and pressed the return key for him.
"It's return James" she smiled.
He nodded appreciatively and focused on pressing it again.
Claire seemed to be shit with technology too, she yelled at the photocopier, kicking it in frustration when it just refused to work for her.
"Come on!" She exploded in rage at the inanimate object.
"Seriously?" Erin asked in disbelief, gripping the chalk in her hand, she glared at Claire.
"Will you be quiet? I'm trying to get my creative juices flowing over here!"
"Okay. You're gonna have to never say that again!" Michelle groaned in disgust as she walked over to look at the black board.
Teagan couldn't help but nod.
"We need to make a call on our late story" Erin told them, panic evident in her tone.
They all stood up and crowded around the blackboard looking at Erin's grand ideas. Honestly, they all looked a bit shit to Teagan.
"Let's just run through some of our favourite ideas" she sighed.
Favourite ideas? Teagan didn't like any of them. They all seemed so nonsensical. What the fuck was shoes of the world?
Erin started listing off her ideas, "So, firstly, animals."
James blinked in confusion, "Animals. Can someone elaborate?" He asked sceptically.
"Yeah." Erin nodded, like she was trying to convince herself too. "So, this concept would focus on animals, alongside pictures of .....famous people who look like animals" she finished.
"Michelle Pfeiffer looks like a cat" Orla said.
Erin grinned, "exactly" at least someone was taking her ideas seriously.
Teagan suddenly parked up, excitedly shouting, "Hugh Grant!, well .... he doesn't really look like an animal, but we should write about him anyway" she gushed.
Someone had to bring up how good looking Hugh Grant was every five minutes and Teagan gladly accepted that role with honour.
James looked down at her, she was tucked under his shoulder.
"Why?" He grimaced, unconvinced that Hugh Grants looks or 'acting ability' as Teagan insisted was all she cared about.
"He's Hugh Grant, James!" She loudly stated as if it was the most obvious answer in the word.
Erin rolled her eyes and scoffed, "you and the English" she said, disgusted.
Michelle agreed and threw her head back in annoyance, "Ach, I'd even prefer it if you dated David Donnelly, even that prick is better than some English fella!"
Erin winced, the David Donnelly affair was still a touchy and raw subject for Erin.
He completely ignored her whenever she'd shout his name in the street, he'd gone so far as to never go Dennis's shop in the mornings because he knew Erin would be lurking, waiting for him.
"David is still a fresh wound" Erin whispered as she dramatically frowned and stared down at the floor.
"Ach, I'm working on it Erin" Teagan promised. She had made it her personal mission to get David Donnelly to acknowledge Erin, or to just look at her for the poor girls sake.
Apparently he just wasn't over the embarrassing moment at Jenny's party last month.
James deliberately coughed to clear the tension and get them back on track.
Definitely to get back to work, it had nothing to do with the burning rage he felt for David Donnelly.
"Shoes of the world.......?" He read off the board, questioning what was going on in Erin's head.
Teagan raised a eyebrow, "and that involves?"
Erin jumped into action and explained the idea, "So, this piece would concentrate on different shoes around the world, sitting along side pictures of ... you know, different shoes from around the world"
Yep. That confirmed it. Erin had officially lost it. James hesitated - "okay......"
"So, like, how in Russia they wear boots because —." She explained
"It's Baltic" Teagan and Michelle answered at the same time. They shared a amused grin.
"— and in India they were sandals because — ."
" — it's boiling" they answered again.
Erin reluctantly nodded, done with her proposal.
Judging by the look on all their faces, they all thought it was a terrible idea.
They all blinked in confusion or shock. One of the two.
"So, that's it, is it?" James muttered.
Erin looked utterly defeated, "thoughts" she asked but she already knew.
"Not liking any of them to be honest Erin" Teagan said, leaning her head on James's shoulder.
Erin slowly turned round to look at the board, her eyes widened in shock and she suddenly realised — "oh, my god, they're shit!" She sadly exclaimed. "They're absolutely shit!"
"How can we print this utter shit?" She panicked.
James lent forward and patted Erin on the shoulder, "okay, don't panic" he told her.
She whipped round and raised her voice, "don't panic? Don't panic James?" She glared at him.
" 'Shoes of the world' what does that even mean?" She yelled.
Michelle nodded, she agreed with Erin for once. "Aye, were fucked" she muttered.
Suddenly, Erin looked at them with a wild look on her face, "no! It's okay. It's gonna be okay!"
— "we - we - we just need to change our approach slightly!" She proclaimed, running over to a table in the corner.
Teagan quizzically looked at her, had Erin finally gone insane? She knew it was only a matter of time, but she always thought it'd be hilarious....this was just sad watching her slowly descended into madness.
She watched as Erin hastily removed the lid off the short story competition box and threw it on the floor, and manically rampaged through the box of submissions.
"The writing competition?" Claire asked, Teagan noticed her voice was higher than usual, but didn't think anything of it.
Teagan lept back in surprise as Erin spun around, a wide grin on her face as she clutched a random persons story in her hand. "Exactly. There's bound to be something in here we can steal and just pass off as our own!"
Wow, perhaps Erin did have what it takes to be a real journalist. She had the morals of one. James seemed to agree with Teagan — "journalistic integrity at its finest" he smiled sarcastically.
Michelle pushed Teagan to the side and rummaged through the story's, she picked one out and read it, " 'searching for myself' what a load of balls" she gagged, the title being too sappy for her.
Teagan rolled her eyes, searching through the short story's really wasn't a good idea.
Erin gasped and everyone turned to look at her, what had she found that was so surprising?
".......A.....gay!" She cheered, clutching the paper tightly in her hands, crinkling the paper.
Teagan's heart suddenly began to race ..... no .... surely not ... god no ....
She suddenly got her answer when Erin excitedly yelled, "Suffocation: the secret life of a gay teenager"
Erin flipped the paper over — "it's anonymous"
Orla quickly pointed at James, proclaiming he was the secret gay. Never mind the fact that he had his arm around his all most girlfriend.
"Maybe it's because whoever it is, wants to remain anonymous, Erin!" Teagan passionately exclaimed, "You have no right to go rummaging through people's secrets!"
"Shut up borebag," Michelle chastised, rolling her eyes, "what did they expect when they submitted it?" She asked.
"This was written by a girl." Erin told them with a grin on her face.
"A real - life lesbian walks amongst us" she whispered.
Orla shook her head, "I don't really believe in lesbians" she confessed, confused as always.
Erin ignored her cousin and grinned, holding the story to her chest excitedly.
"This is perfect we'll just print this!"
"Come on, Erin you can't do that." Claire protested, shaking her head.
Erin glared at Claire in disbelief "and why not?" She asked.
"We'll get in trouble, real trouble, big trouble!"
Erin shook her head, "you're not afraid of a little controversy, are you?"
"Yes. Actually, yes, I am!" Claire harshly replied back. "Something like this could go on my permanent record, Erin!"
"And what's more important, Claire? Your permanent record or..." Erin gave Claire puppy dog eyes as she raised the short story up, "telling this poor girls story?"
It didn't work, because Claire looked Erin dead in the eye and spat, "my permanent record!" And with that, she stomped out the room.
"Fine! Leave, but this issue of the habit will go down in history!" Erin yelled, holding the story in her raised fist in the air.
"You seriously need to calm down" Michelle sighed, rolling her eyes.
Teagan let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Christ, that was a ... lucky escape ...
3435 words
Published - 18/9/20
It's currently twenty five past two in the morning and I have college at nine......
help.
I haven't checked it edited this so the might be mistakes.