Long Tall Sally

You Like Me Too Much

As I walked towards the bus stop at the bottom of Forthlin Road, Julia stood, looking stunning as always. She didn't think she was beautiful but I and everyone else around her always told her so. The whole reason boys at school never spoke to her was because they knew she was too good. She liked a challenge. They knew it would be difficult to impress Julia Matthews.

Sometimes, I couldn't figure out why Julia was my friend. Apart from our music taste and our passion for English literature, we weren't alike at all; especially looks. Julia's hair was brunette too, just a shade or two lighter than my dark hair. Her fringe was never out of place and her hair sat naturally below her shoulders in loose curls and waves. She didn't have to do anything to make it look stunning; mine always had to go up in a scruffy ponytail or be straightened. Every single day, her makeup was perfect like she had spent hours on it. She was very small which made her even more different to me. She wore a subtle heel everyday to attempt to add to her height and she always just reached my shoulders. It seemed like both of us had stopped growing. She must have just reached a boy's stomach on her biggest heel. She wore a black suede jacket, knee high boots. a tight knee length grey skirt and a teal v-neck jumper. She ran her fingers through her hair as she stared into the cloudy distance. Julia was a deep thinker and it was difficult to tell how she felt or what she was thinking; she told me she wrote everything in her diary. She could be thinking about running away or how much she loved life. Although she talked a lot, no one knew. Not even her parents or her big sister. I almost didn't want to disturb her somewhat beautiful daydream.

"Hello, Julia." I was only about two feet away from her when I spoke and she still didn't notice I was there.

"Sally!" Julia said smiling, in her deep Irish accent, somewhat shocked to be awoken from her dreaming. Julia's family moved from a tiny village a few miles south of Belfast to Liverpool in the summer just before we started high school; which was why she didn't know anyone. Her father was finally offered a job here. The only reason I didn't know anyone on that eventful day was because I shut myself off. I didn't speak to anyone except Julia. She wrapped me in a tight hug.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, my arms on her biceps.

"I'm good but I'm nervous!"

"Tell me about it!" I laughed sympathizing with Julia.

"Maybe now we'll find some handsome boys good enough for us!" Julia laughed. I did too but it was only true for her. She was too good for the kind of boys we went to school with whereas it was just a simple case of nobody fancying me.

"Well I saw a very handsome guy this morning!" I couldn't wait to tell Julia all about my bump with a teddyboy.

"Oh, tell!" Julia smiled, shaking me.

Just as I was about to open my mouth, the bus pulled around the corner from Hurstlyn Road. I sighed and Julia obviously heard me.

"Reveal all when we get on the bus okay!" She turned around to me just before the bus doors opened.

I smiled and nodded as Julia turned back and got on the bus. After we paid our fare, we stepped on the bus which reeked of cigarette smoke. The seats were dead grotty. Julia smoked, I was one of the few people we knew who didn't. I tried it once and after it my hands stunk and I felt like I'd lost oxygen. Teddyboys sat at the back of the bus, talking, singing and laughing. I looked around for mine but he was nowhere to be seen. One of the teddyboys, who looked just a bit older than mine, wolf whistled at Julia. I nudged her with my elbow and she blushed, laughing and waving them off. Julia hated being hit on. Personally, I didn't see what was wrong with people finding you attractive. Probably because I'd never experienced it whereas Julia went through it pretty much every single day. None of the teddyboys were as charming as mine though. Honestly, teddyboys aren't the sort of guy girls like Julia and I should be fascinated by. Maybe it was something about their cheek yet charm which caught our eye. Its always been said that every teenage girls fancies bad boys.