Four
‘Tell us what you said again,’ Mandy asks, grinning across the grass at me while we eat lunch on the school field the next day.
‘No, you heard me the first time,’ I reply firmly. ‘It’s bad enough I actually said that, let alone having to keep repeating it!’
‘I know, but I still can’t actually believe you asked Rob Matthews if he was mermaid enough to be a misfit.’
‘ Misfit
enough to be a mermaid
,’ Eddie corrects her, finishing off his bag of Wotsits.
‘I know what it was.’ Mandy’s grin widens. ‘I was just seeing if it sounded any better the other way around. And you know what . . . it didn’t!’
‘Oh, God!’ I bury my face in my hands. ‘I’m such an idiot.’
‘I’m sure you’re worrying over nothing, Frankie,’ Claire says gently, putting her hand on my shoulder. ‘He probably thought nothing of it.’
‘Yeah.’ Suzy nods. ‘I mean, what did he say after you said that?’
‘Not a lot.’ I say, lifting my head from my hands. ‘He sort of nodded and said something about he’d try, and then he left and carried on to his house.’
‘See,’ Claire says, trying to be helpful. ‘He said he’d try; that’s good, isn’t it?’
‘ Try
to stay away from the Looney Tune more like . . . What
?’ Mandy asks when we all glare at her. ‘I’m just being realistic.’
‘I’ve blown it, haven’t I?’ I say, sighing deeply. ‘Why I should have expected anything more of myself, I don’t know. But it all happened so fast – first it was the scenery and the nice waves thing, and then the flower shop and the rock music – and suddenly he was there walking me home! I wasn’t ready. I didn’t have time to prepare for that sort of pressure.’
‘Wait just a minute!’ Eddie sits down next to me. ‘What are you talking about? Are you saying there’s more to this than him stumbling upon us on the beach rehearsing, then offering to play for the group?’
‘Yeah, what do you mean “the nice waves thing” and “the flower shop” and what was the other stuff?’ Mandy asks.
‘Rock music, I think,’ Suzy answers.
I glance at Claire. She was the only one I confided in about the other stuff, because I knew she would keep quiet about it.
‘You might as well tell us everything,’ Claire says diplomatically so as not to drop me in it with the others. ‘You’ve started now.’
I nod and tell them everything that’s happened so far with Rob, from never speaking to him one minute, to everything else. Which, now I’m saying it, really doesn’t sound all that much.
‘So?’ I ask them when I’ve finished. ‘What do you think?’
‘It certainly sounds like he’s been trying to be places you might be, doesn’t it?’ Suzy looks at the others. ‘I mean, he may have genuinely wanted to buy flowers for his mum’s birthday, but he could have got some at the Co-op up on the hill, couldn’t he, and they’d have been much cheaper than from a florist?’
‘I think so too.’ Claire nods enthusiastically. ‘And what are the chances he’d be on the beach at the same time as us last night?’
‘Although,’ Suzy says, ‘that is a bit creepy if he’s been watching you, Frankie, and following you around . . . What do you think, Eddie?’
‘Sadly, I think this means he’s straight,’ Eddie says, sighing. ‘I had hoped not. But the others are right, Frankie. It’s a bit too much to just be a coincidence.’
‘Mandy?’ I ask when she doesn’t join in. ‘You’re awfully quiet. You always have an opinion on everything.’
‘Are you sure you want to know?’ Mandy looks serious.
‘Yes, just tell me. I can take it . . . ’
Mandy grins. ‘Oh, he fancies you all right.’
‘What?’
‘He fancies you – clearly. The signs are all there.’
‘B-but why would he do that?’ I look down at my loose T-shirt, and my baggy, pale-blue denim jeans held up with a wide leather belt. ‘There are so many other girls in the school that wear skirts and make-up and do their nails and stuff . . . Like you, Mandy. You try really hard to look good all the time. Why would he like me? I’m just a tomboy.’
Mandy shrugs. ‘I dunno . . . It’s a mystery to me . . . No, you daft thing, I’m kidding. You
, Frankie, are gorgeous! We can all see it. But you for some reason can’t.’
‘Maybe that’s the attraction,’ Eddie says. ‘He likes her because
she doesn’t know how pretty she is.’
‘Yes, that’s probably right,’ Suzy says. ‘You’re giving off the right pheromones, Frankie.’
‘The what-a-mones?’ Eddie asks.
‘Pheromones are substances that are secreted by a person, then picked up by a second individual of the same species,’ Suzy replies. ‘It’s a well-known fact in the animal kingdom, it’s how they attract a mate. But how it works within humans is not quite so well documented.’
This is nothing unusual – we are all pretty used to Suzy dropping scientific facts and figures into conversation with us.
‘Well,’ Mandy says. ‘Whatever you’re doing, either consciously or unconsciously—’
‘ Sub
consciously,’ Suzy says.
‘What?’ Mandy asks.
‘It’s sub
consciously. You said un
consciously.’
‘OK, sub
consciously. Whatever you’re doing, Frankie, it seems to be working.’
‘You don’t think I’ve messed everything up then with what I said?’ I ask anxiously.
‘Dunno.’ Mandy glances over my shoulder. ‘But we’re about to find out . . . ’
I turn around to see what she’s looking at, and to my horror see Rob walking across the grass towards us.
‘Act casual!’ Mandy instructs.
‘What do you mean, casual?’ I ask as the others all pretend to be talking about something or hurriedly eating their lunch again.
‘Hey, Rob,’ Eddie calls as Rob approaches. ‘How’s things?’
‘Good. Yourself?’
‘Yeah, great. Just chilling and having lunch, you know?’
Rob nods, but looks a little confused.
‘So, I just wanted to let you know I’ve spoken to Miss Kelly and she says it’s never been done before, but she can see no reason why I can’t compete with two different acts on Saturday. So if you’ll still have me, I’d really like to play guitar for you all.’
‘That’s amazing news!’ Eddie claps his hands in excitement. ‘We can have matching outfits! Can we have matching outfits, Suzy?’
‘I’ll see what I can do,’ Suzy says calmly. ‘The mermaid tails are taking me longer than I thought they would.’
Rob looks worried. ‘I don’t want to put you out or anything. I’m sure I can find something of my own to wear.’
‘Nonsense!’ Eddie says. ‘You are now officially a Misfit Mermaid, Rob! Welcome to the gang. Ooh, it’s going to be completely amazing on Saturday night – I can feel it!’
‘You told them, then?’ Rob asks, looking across at me for the first time. ‘About the name for the group?’
‘And the rest,’ I hear Mandy mutter behind me.
‘Yes,’ I reply quickly, hoping Rob didn’t hear her. ‘And we all think it’s a great idea – don’t we?’
Suzy nods. ‘Yep – fab idea.’
‘I love it!’ Claire says enthusiastically.
‘The Misfit Mermaids it is, then.’ Rob grins. ‘And, yes, Frankie, I am.’
‘Sorry?’ I ask, not getting his reference.
‘You asked me last night was I enough of a misfit to be one of the mermaids? Or something like that?’ He smiles. ‘And I’m pleased to tell you that, yes, I definitely am.’
Rob sits with us for the remainder of our lunch break, then, as the bell sounds across the field to tell us it’s time to head back to our various classrooms, we gather up our things and begin to make our way back to the school building.
‘Are you rehearsing later?’ Robs asks as we both find ourselves hanging at the back of the group; the others have allowed us to drop back a little, and I can only imagine the nudges and whispers up ahead as we all meander across the grass in two distinct little packs.
‘No, not tonight. Eddie is letting us have a night off for once.’
‘Ah, right . . . ’ Rob hesitates. ‘It’s just I was wondering if you’d like to hang out with me for a bit?’
‘Yes . . . that would be fun.’ I try to reply as casually as I can. But my insides are doing somersaults again. ‘Oh, no, wait,’ I say as I remember something. ‘I have to go somewhere after school.’
‘Oh . . . oh, no bother, then.’ Rob doesn’t look at me.
‘I could make later though,’ I say hurriedly, blowing my cool. ‘Say after dinner, about seven?’
Rob smiles. ‘Great! Where shall we meet?’
‘Er . . . what about at the end of the harbour?’ I have no idea why I suggest literally the first thing that pops into my head.
‘You mean right at the end, near the little lighthouse?’
‘Er, yeah.’
Rob shrugs. ‘Sure, why not?’
We’re back at the school building now, and I see Claire waiting for me by the door because we have double French together.
‘See you later, Frankie,’ Rob says as he peels away and turns towards the sports block.
‘Yeah, I’m looking forward to it already,’ I say, far too keenly, the words barely leaving my lips before I regret them.
I turn away from Rob as he heads across the playground and I grimace at Claire.
‘Why did I say that?’ I’m whining.
‘That you were looking forward to seeing him?’ Claire asks. ‘I’m guessing that’s what the two of you were discussing – a date?’
‘No, not a date. We’re just going to hang out tonight, that’s all.’
‘So what’s wrong with saying you’re looking forward to it, then?’
‘I’m trying to be cool about it, that’s why. Instead of saying the first thing that pops into my head every time I’m near him.’
‘Frankie,’ Claire says, pausing as we walk down the school corridor together. ‘Has it ever occurred to you that maybe what Rob likes about you is the fact you’re not cool, and you always say what you think?’
I think about this for a moment and I’m about to reply, telling her she doesn’t get it, when Claire continues.
‘It’s one of the things I
like about you. I don’t want a friend who’s trying to be cool all the time, I want one that’s honest and fun to be with. Perhaps Rob feels exactly the same?’