Wonderwall
‘I don’t want to go. Please don’t make me go,’ I beg the universe.
‘It will be fine,’ Josh mumbles at the guitar strings. He, out of everyone, should know how distressing this is for me, to have my mum and stepmum in the same room with all the history.
‘You could be a bit more supportive, Josh,’ I murmur back.
He stops playing. ‘Sorry. What do you want me to say?’
‘I don’t know. Just. Just. Just. I don’t know.’
‘Well, at least Mum will make sure they don’t fight.’ He strums a chord. I twist to face him.
‘Your mum?’
‘My mum. Short, blonde hair, named Linda, wears a coat all year round.’
‘I’m aware,’ I say tightly. ‘You made it sound like she was coming today.’
Josh nods.
‘Lace invited her. I told you, didn’t I?’
‘No, you did not.’
‘I didn’t? Oh. Oops. Well, she’s on her way to East London now.’
‘For fuck’s sake,’ I shout. Linda Butters? Really? What is Lace thinking?
‘Hey,’ Josh snaps. ‘Mum is looking forward to seeing you.’ He’s scowling at me.
‘I didn’t mean it like that,’ I growled, even though that’s exactly what I meant it like. ‘Sorry.’
I find two socks that match, white with pink spots.
Hooray. I plonk myself next to Josh on the bed.
‘I just don’t want a big crowd today,’ I say to cover my back.
What I really don’t want is fusspot Linda Butters crying on the sidelines of the fight between Mum and Jean-Ivy.
I put one sock on, and my big toe pokes out of a hole.
‘EURGH! Why is this happening to me?’ I shout.
‘Because you don’t throw away old socks,’ Josh jokes. He doesn’t see my daggers because he’s too occupied pretending to be able to tune the strings.
‘I may learn guitar again,’ he says.
‘Oh, please don’t.’