I Prefer The Drummer

Chapter Five

On Monday morning, Shannon called round ten minutes earlier than usual. She turned up at 8 most days, and then we walked to school together, seeing as she only lived a couple of streets away. But that Monday, she banged loudly on the door. I even head her from upstairs, where I was getting ready in my room. Mum answered the door and I could hear Shannon's clippy-cloppy school shoes on the shiny kitchen floor, and then they muffled when she was bounding up the stairs two at a time.    

 I wasn't caught unready when she burst into the room, as always with Shannon, I'd heard her before I'd seen her. "Elise!" she cried, jumping on my bed and making me jump and poke myself in the eye with the mascara wand. "Omg, Adam has texted me this morning!" Shannon was grinning from ear to ear, she looked like a child on Christmas morning. "Wow, what did he say?" I asked, interested but cursing her as I nursed my sore eye. "Well, I was just eating my Cheerios and snooping on Facebook when my phone bleeped and I had a text! It was Adam and it said: "Hey, was wonderin if u want to meet me n da ladz tonite? We cud meet at cinema? Sum gud films on tonite. Adam x" " Shannon recited excitedly. I pretended to squeal and giggled: "What did you say?" Shannon rolled her eyes and said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, and it probably was. "Yes, of course! I asked him what time and that, and he said at seven, and we're going to see Monsters of New York! This'll give me the perfect chance to snuggle up to him pretending to be scared!" I smiled and  nodded. Inside, I felt like someone had trodden on me and left me to suffer. Adam hadn't mentioned me. Or texted me. Was I even invited? What would Adam say if I turned up and he didn't expect me to? Would I play the goosberry or would Lee and Carter be there? All these question played on my mind all day. But there was one that affected me the most: Did Adam care about me at all/

  Emily sat next to us at lunch, placing her tray carefully down next to Shannon's. It was filled with chips, a burger, a cookie and a milshake. Shannon eyed it up and then started spearing her salad with her fork pointedly. "Do you not care about your health at all, Emily?" Shannon asked, playing with a lettuce leaf. Emily stopped eating suddenly, and stopped chomping my sandwich. "What do you mean?" Emily asked, baffled. Shannon sighed and looked at Emily's plate. Emily put down her knife and fork self-consicously. "I mean, don't you want to be healthy and fit? All that junkfood isn't good for you." Shannon said. I could see that Emily was upset. Emily wasn't fat at all, she was a little plump but that was it. Shannon, on the other hand, had no fat on her whatsoever. I hated her making Emily feel bad, when in fact, there was nothing wrong with her at all. "I was just really hungry. Most days I just have a sandwich and some chocolate, like Elise." Answered Emily, and she was telling the truth. Shannon sniffed and turned her back on Emily, facing me. "So, you ready for the cinema tonight?" She asked, knowing full well that Emily was listening. "Who're you going with?" Emily asked. Shannon narrowed her eyes. "What's it to you?" She sneered, and turned back to me. "What should I wear?" She then asked me, like nothing else had been said, like there was no interruption from Emily. "I don't know, but it'll be dark so no one will see other than when we meet and come back out." I replied. "What do you think, Emily?" I added, feeling sorry for Emily and trying to include her in the conversation. "Well, I think-" Emily started, but Shannon cut across her and started babbling about this new top she got and how it was plain. She said she had some fabric pens and we could write 'BassDrop' on it. "BassDrop?" Asked Emily. "Who are they?" I was about to answer when Shannon cut across again, and started talking about how many calories a hotdog had and whether she should cheat on her diet or stick with it, and what would Adam think of her if she did. After a while, Emily caught on to what Shannon was trying to do, so she gave up and walked away from us. Shannon clapped quietly and whistled when Emily finally walked out the door to the yard. "Phew," she said, "I was beginning to think she would never leave!" I nodded and laughed, playing along.

  When we were outside after though, chatting to some other friends about our fabulous weekend, I spotted Emily huddled against a wall and scribbling in a leather-bound notebook. I said I was going to the toilet, which was near where Emily was huddled, and made my way up to her. "Hello." I greeted, once I had made it to her. She looked up, underneath wet lashes and I could see that her bright green eyes were swimming with tears, fresh by the looks of them. "What do you want?" She asked quietly. "What's Shannon sent you for? If you're here to torment some more, feel free to leave." She then added, her voice rising an octave. "I wanted to see if you were alright," I explained truthfully, preching down next to her and wiping the stony floor beneath me. "Well, I'm not. I've had enough of it. All I've done is be nice to you and Shannon, and what does she do? Ignore me and take my hospitality and offer of friendship for granted! Well, I'm telling you now, I'm not having any of it. She can forget about me covering for your next big adventure." Emily shouted. I nodded, making out I understood, because I did. I felt the same, but I wasn't brave enough to stand up to Shannon. "I know you feel the same." Emily muttered. I turned away, not meeting her knowing eyes because I didn't want to admit if yet. Maybe one day I would, and maybe one day pigs would fly. "I don't understand." Mumbled Emily to herself. "Understand what?" I asked. Emily didn't answer, and we sat in silence for a moment.  "I don't understand why you put up with that, with Shannon." Emily answered me too late. "I've been acting super-nice to her. And she hates me. Whereas, you just agree with her on anything and she pratically loves you! It's so aggravating! How can you put with Shannon being mean to anyone who's not you or doesn't look like they've just stepped off the catwalk." Emily grumbled. That made me think. It made me remember. "She wasn't always like that, you know. In primary school, she was fine. But once we came to high school, she changed. I stayed friends with her though, because we had already been friends, well almost like sisters, since we were three and I couldn't just let her go like that. I didn't, and still don't, like it when she's mean, but it's just something I have to put up with. She's like an annoying little brother, she's annoying, and she gets what she wants, something you have to put up with, but you love her anyway because you have to." I said, spilling it all out. Emily was wide-eyed and gawping. She wasn't used to quiet little Elise telling all and sundry. "That's-that's very truthful." She acknowledged. "I know." I replied. She smiled then, and I smiled back. We sat together for a while, but then I went back to Shannon.