it's just a crush

chapter 3 - october 2010

"Mmhmm. Yes, Nan, I'm listening."

Meg rolled her eyes as she held the phone to her ear, listening to her nan on the other end. She loved her nan, and certainly owed a lot to her – she had stepped in big time when their dad, her son, walked out on them years ago, practically raising them while their mum worked multiple jobs to put food on the table – but she really didn't care about what happened at bingo. She knew more about which of the other seniors were cheating and who was flirting with who than she ever needed to know.

"No, ma'am, I didn't roll my eyes... Yes, ma'am."

She picked up the remote control from the couch cushion next to her and turned on the TV, muting the volume so the older woman couldn't hear as she flipped through the channels. Nan began asking questions about school, which Meg was happy enough to answer. Yes, she was making friends, yes, she was doing well in her subjects and keeping up with her homework, no, there weren't any boys that had caught her eye.

That last one was a lie. And she may or may not have hesitated before answering, the image of Bobby McKenzie suddenly springing to mind, then caught her breath afterwards, hoping her nan didn't catch on. The pause on the line made her fairly certain she'd been caught out, but she was able to breathe a sigh of relief when Nan swiftly changed subjects and asked after her brother instead.

"He's not home yet... I'm not sure... oh, wait—"

The sound of a key turning in the lock of the front door reached her ears, and she turned to see the door swing open. She couldn't see him yet, but she could hear him talking to someone, and her brows furrowed.

He had company?

"Dude, have you seen 'I, Robot'?" he was saying, and Meg couldn't make out the other person's response as her nan started talking again, asking if Gary had returned home.

"Yeah, Nan, he's here, hold on—Gary!"

Gary stopped speaking midsentence and appeared from behind the door with an annoyed expression on his face.

"What the fuck, Megs? I've got a friend over!"

Meg smirked and spoke into the receiver. "He just swore, Nan."

His eyes widened and his face turned red as he realized what had just happened. Nan was very strict about swearing, which was somewhat ironic – she herself swore like a sailor, but would take the strap to either of them if they mimicked her language.

"Yeah, I'll put him on, hold on."

Meg held out the phone and Gary started making hand gestures and mouthing words, trying to get her to tell Nan that he couldn't come on the line, but she simply shrugged, playing dumb. She always enjoyed watching him get chewed out – which happened often.

He groaned and turned to his friend, who was still hidden behind the open door.

"Sorry, mate, I've gotta take this call. C'mon in, though. Have a seat."

Gary closed the door and Meg froze as she finally saw who his companion was.

It was Bobby McKenzie. Here, in her house. In the flesh. A mere ten, fifteen feet away.

Be natural. Normal. Whatever. Shit, what do I do?

Gary glared at her as he swiped the phone from her hand, but she barely registered it other than her hand feeling strangely empty at the loss of contact. He stepped away and started speaking, but she couldn't hear what he was saying. All she could think about was the fact that Bobby McKenzie was suddenly standing in her front entryway.

"Do I have something on my face?"

"What?"

Holy shit, he's speaking to me?