Chapter 15
EVIE
Then
How the Christmas holidays dragged without Evie seeing either Ed or Ginny.
Her parents had kept her under lock and key ever since Ginny’s party.
They’d had a deal: if they allowed her to go to the party, then she had to do loads of revision for her mock exams over the holidays once they returned from Auntie Maureen’s house on the twenty-seventh.
Ginny’s party was amazing. Evie couldn’t believe that they had all got away with staying at Ed’s house.
His uncle was a right laugh, and he certainly knew how to throw a party, and because he was older, all their parents seemed to trust him.
Well, apart from Ed’s mum, who’d always thought that he was an idiot.
She’d have gone mad if she’d known that everyone had stayed at their house overnight.
Ginny had taken loads of photos with her new Polaroid camera at her party.
Because of Evie’s enforced incarceration, they still hadn’t managed to catch up and go through them properly.
Evie remembered taking one of Ginny where she was just going to blow out the candles on her cake. She’d looked amazing.
Evie hadn’t even been able to use the phone to call Ginny. To be fair, their calls did go on a bit. They would chat about what they’d just been up to despite having just seen each other earlier that day. But Evie had formulated a plan to try and meet up with everyone.
Evie’s Mum was in the kitchen, fastidiously ironing bedsheets, so Evie took out the remaining bottle of milk from the fridge and purposely knocked it all over the kitchen table.
Evie’s mum was completely outraged by her daughter’s clumsiness, and as Evie half-heartedly cleared up the mess, she suggested popping to the corner shop to buy some more.
Incredibly, her mother fell for it, mainly because of her coffee addiction.
Evie was out that door before her mother had the chance to change her mind.
Evie ran to the corner shop and straight past it, hoping the fact that she was running had given her extra time away from the house. She planned to call in at the corner shop on the way back. She legged it over to Ginny’s, as she lived the closest, and rang the bell impatiently.
A very sleepy-looking Ginny answered the door. ‘Hello, stranger.’ It was only 9:30 a.m., but clearly Ginny didn’t have to get up at the crack of dawn like Evie had to, as she was still dressed in her nightclothes.
‘Can I come in? I haven’t got long.’ Evie said breathlessly.
‘Sure. Come in. Mum’s gone to visit one of her friends, so she’ll be ages.’ Ginny yawned and stepped aside for her to enter.
They went through to the kitchen, and Ginny poured them both an orange juice.
‘I’ve been wondering what happened to you.’ said Ginny, handing Evie a glass.
‘Well, you know there were conditions for me to go to your party, don’t you?’
Ginny nodded.
‘They’ve kept me indoors since we got back from my aunt’s house so I can revise. I’m going mad. They won’t even let me use the phone. Can you believe that? Mum’s put a lock on it. I mean, I know I agreed to restrictions but… this is not what I thought at all.’
‘Blimey, that’s a bit extreme, isn’t it? Oh, you poor thing.’ said Ginny, giving Evie a hug.
‘So, what have I missed?’ Evie said, eager to catch up on all the latest gossip, knowing that she had limited time away from the house.
‘Not a lot, to be honest. I’d have called round for you but we only got back from my nan’s house late last night. Everyone’s been forced to see family over the Christmas break, although there’s talk about a party on New Year’s Eve.’
‘No, I can’t believe it. Whose party?’ Evie asked impatiently.
‘Mark’s. The band are going to play a few numbers.’
‘It’s so not fair that I’m locked in the house all over the holidays.’ Evie pounded her fist on Ginny’s kitchen table with pure frustration.
‘I know. They are really being overstrict, aren’t they?’ agreed Ginny. ‘Do you want my mum to have a word with your mum to see if you can stay here for the night?’ she added, desperately trying to find a solution to Evie’s latest set of rules.
‘I don’t think it will make any difference, to be honest. They have basically banned me from going out anywhere so I can study.
I only managed to get out the house just now because I purposely spilt the remaining pint of milk and offered to buy a new one.
Which reminds me. I’d better get to the shops, otherwise she’ll be sending out a search party for me.
’ Evie explained, as she glanced at Ginny’s kitchen clock.
‘Why don’t you take a pint from our fridge? We’ve got loads. Mum won’t miss it.’
‘Thanks, Ginny. You’re a star.’
‘No probs.’ she said, opening the fridge.
‘Listen, why don’t we send letters as a way of contacting each other whilst you’re grounded.
Once I’ve found out a bit more about the New Year’s Eve party, I will leave a note in some clingfilm under that big flowerpot where you keep your spare key outside your porch.
If you want to contact me, you do the same.
I’ll pop along to check for messages when your mum’s car isn’t on the drive. ’
‘Sounds like a plan.’ Evie agreed. ‘I’d better run. Love you, Ginny.’
‘Right back atcha.’ she replied, thrusting the pint of milk into Evie’s hand.
Evie ran as fast as she could to get back home, stopping at the end of her street to catch her breath. Once Evie reached her house, she spotted the curtain twitching. Her Mum was obviously looking out for her.
‘You took your time.’ she scolded as she opened the front door.
‘I bumped into Ginny at the shop.’
‘Well, get inside and make me a coffee. I trust you remembered the milk?’ She snapped.
‘Of course.’ Evie replied, holding the pint of milk aloft triumphantly as she stepped past her, into the house.
She made her mum a coffee and a cup of tea for herself and spent the remainder of the day pretending to revise while listening to a compilation tape that Ed had made her.
One side featured songs from bands like The Smiths, Depeche Mode, Aztec Camera and New Order.
On the B-side, Ed had recorded some of his own music with The Propellers, including the song he played at Ginny’s party.
Listening to that tape helped to maintain Evie’s sanity with her enforced incarceration.
It wasn’t so bad when Evie’s dad was at home.
He could always be persuaded to see both sides of an argument or discussion.
But that could also be a problem. It depended on who was the most persuasive.
Evie or her Mum? Evie decided to try and get her dad on side once she knew a bit more about the New Year’s Eve party.
Evie thought that Ginny’s secret letter idea was genius, but she was worried that they would get rumbled by her mum.
She seemed to have a sixth sense whenever Evie was planning anything.
She’d been incarcerated in her bedroom for what seemed like an eternity, although it was only 12:30 p.m., so she decided to venture downstairs for some lunch.
Her mum was busy meticulously ironing her dad’s work shirts in the kitchen, almost trance-like.
She couldn’t work her mum out. She was a pillar of the community: she helped at church every Sunday, she always baked for the Holy Communion breakfasts, and she regularly did charity box collections for the local children’s charity door to door.
Evie used to help her when she was younger, carefully peeling off the smiley stickers to give to the people who’d kindly donated, but she was a cold fish towards her own family.
Evie couldn’t even remember the last time her mother had held her close or kissed her when she was upset.
She often wondered why her dad stayed with her mum all those years, as she was as cold to him as she was to her.
It was only Phillip, Evie’s older brother, who had long since flown the nest, that made her mum happy and had a way of making her smile.
That’s why Evie liked staying at other people’s houses, as it was nice to see how other families lived.
Ginny’s parents, although a bit fuddy-duddy, always held hands whenever they went out, and you could see how Ginny was completely adored by them both - a kind of brightness shone from their eyes. Even Ed’s parents were very tactile.
‘Don’t make a mess in the kitchen. I’ve only just finished cleaning it after you spilt the milk earlier.’ snapped Evie’s Mum, as she momentarily looked up from her beloved ironing.
‘I won’t.’ Evie snapped back, as she reached up for the Breville toastie maker from one of the high cupboards.
‘I asked you not to make a mess, Evie. Don’t use the Breville, dear. It takes ages to clean, and I don’t suppose you’ll be the one cleaning it, will you?’ she grumbled.
Evie gritted her teeth against what felt like the start of an argument. ‘I will clean it out, Mum. Please, I just really fancy a toastie. I’m starving.’
‘No, it’s not happening today. Use the normal toaster.’
‘What is the point in having a Breville if we can’t use it?’ Evie shouted, slamming the door of the cupboard with as much force as she could manage. The door bounced off its usual closed resting place due to the slam and settled slightly ajar.
‘Don’t use that tone with me, young lady. I have given you an option. If you don’t like it, you can do without and go to your room.’ Her mum crossed her arms and moved to stand right in front of her daughter.
‘Stick your Breville, I’m going out.’ Evie pushed past her mum and flounced out of the kitchen.
‘You are not allowed out. We agreed. You have to…’