Olive Green [GxG]

CHAPTER 9

As my new group of friends said, they were helping those theatre kids including Henry. However, it didn't seem like much of a fun to me. To take care of their scripts and other things. And so I went with them to one of those rehearsals only once.

  I felt like an intruder being in the room and watching the play unofficially. What was the point to come and watch it again later as an official play?

  I watched as Leah, her twin, and Henry were talking to some other theatre kids while holding the scripts Amani's literature group printed out after the play was discussed for the first time the play was more discussed. They were probably talking about some minor changes and other similar things. I could only imagine what other rehearsals looked like.

  "You're bored, right?" I heard a voice next to me to which I turned my face to Jade who was staring at me with a tilted head. I nodded.

  "Yeah, I think I'll pass every other one," I stated, chuckling. There was no point in me coming over again. I wasn't part of either of these clubs. I wasn't even that great of a friend of Henry as I had known those kids for such a short time.

  Jade nodded, her red hair falling a little into her face, to which she eyed Amani, who was sitting in a chair next to us, reading a book. Again. Or maybe she was just studying like every other time. Either way she wasn't paying attention to us.

  I shifted my gaze back to our schoolmates who were in smaller groups together by the place that was supposed to turn into a stage for every play. They were talking, probably about some details or mistakes. My eyes fell on a certain dirty blond girl. She had a main role together with Henry and two other kids I didn't know, from what I heard.

  "You good?" Jade asked, making me turn my attention back to her.

  "Yeah, why?" I asked, folding my arms as I shifted in my place. We were standing by one of the walls here for at least twenty minutes already.

  "Dunno," she sighed, glancing in the group's direction. "You were starin' at them."

  I chuckled at her reminder. It wasn't a crime to look at a group of people, but she sounded like it was one.

  "You know them or something?" she asked, to which I glanced at the theatre kids' direction. I knew about Ava and that was where it ended. The names of others were pretty much unknown to me.

  "No."

  "I just thought...," she started. "... you don't really talk to anyone but us."

  Raising my eyebrows in question, I turned to look back at her: "Is that wrong?"

  "No," she laughed. "It's just that you don't really have anything in common with us."

  My eyes fell on Amani and her book. I wasn't a great classic reader, nor interested in acting. But the truth was that I wasn't here for long so her words didn't feel much right. Even though hobbies did connect people, it wasn't necessary for us to have the same. And this was just for the year unless we would get closer.

  "Who's your favourite musician?"

  Jade raised her brows, confused at my sudden question: "Eh... Lana and Taylor."

  Nodding, not very surprised, I smiled: "Taylor is okay, I guess."

  "What 'bout you?"

  "Arctic monkeys."

  "Yeah, they're good, too," Jade smiled at me.

  Again, I nodded, not knowing what to do any more. Maybe it was time to go home. Do some homework or something. Or maybe start looking for some Christmas presents. I had merely two and Christmas was not even three months away.

  Just as I was thinking about leaving, my phone rang, announcing a new incoming message. I took it out, clicking on the group chat with my long-time friends. Evelyn was asking about exchanging Christmas presents when they'll be sleeping over here in London. For a second, I wondered why she didn't ask in our private chat as she was supposed to be still at school with others. Maybe one of them was ill.

  Chuckling, I texted her back, agreeing. All I had to do now was to find presents for them all. However, I couldn't think about anything but some things of everyday need. If a person wanted something, it was better to give them money so they could buy what they wanted themselves, right? That would be much easier but I didn't want to ruin it for my friends.

  "Your friends?" I heard Jade ask, to which I looked up at her. She was eyeing me with a smile. I nodded:

  "Yeah, back from Luton."

  "That's nice."

  Once again, I nodded, agreeing. But sometimes I wondered how long this would last. I knew that people had friends far away from them or even their loved ones. I didn't trust us in this way, though.

  I sighed: "I'll be on my way then."

  Jade nodded in understanding and after saying my goodbyes to the group, I went home. Even when there was going to be no one, I got slightly excited. Just me, my vinyls, maybe a series, and... crap, I almost forgot we got not only one but two homework.

When I was done with everything I needed, it was already evening. I sighed when I felt rumbling in my stomach. Mum wasn't home yet, but of course I had to eat. I could even do something for us both as the best daughter I was.

  I went into the living room to play some music while cooking, to which I found my way into the kitchen part. Just as I started taking out the ingredients I wanted to use, I heard the front door open.

  "Hey, mum," I called while taking out a pan.

  "Evening, sweetie," she greeted me back, to which I could hear her putting her bag on the kitchen island. "What are you makin'?"

  "Uh, toasts with fried eggs," I answered, breaking the egg into the hot pan. "Want some?"

  "Sure."

  I nodded, more like for myself, to which I turned down the stove a little. Now I had to make these toasts. I sighed as I tried to remember how to use that old toaster. We didn't make toasts very much so it was always a little bit of a challenge to remember.

  "I have a date tomorrow, will you be alright here alone?" mum asked, after a while of silence.

  "Yeah. I'm not a kid, Mum."

  She laughed and I could be sure about what she was going to say next. That I'll always be her little child. Her kiddo. I rolled my eyes even before her words left her mouth.

  "You'll always be my little daughter, sweetheart."

  I chuckled as I watched the eggs getting slowly done. Cutting some vegetables to it wouldn't be bad either. I always did that even for a smaller dinner. A healthy habit, I could say.

  "Did you talk with your dad?" mum suddenly asked. "I mean, have you seen your sister yet?"

  "Yeah, he called me when they were in the hospital," I nodded, putting the fried eggs on our plates just as the toaster announced it was done.

  "Well, we thought that maybe you could spend some time with them next summer and babysit Zoé," she said as I put her plate in front of her. Her words made me furrow my eyebrows:

  "The summer just ended and y'all are plannin' the next one?"

  Mum just shrugged at my words, taking her cutlery and getting some cut vegetables from a third plate. When it seemed like she wasn't going to elaborate, I sat down too.

  "It's always good to have a plan, you know."

  As a sign of understanding, I nodded: "I'll think about it."

  Spending some time in Paris and babysitting my baby sister? Yeah, sightseeing sounded good but I wasn't really sure about that part that sounded like a part-time job. They were my family so it wouldn't be really a paid job, right? That would feel weird. And top of that, I would just spend some time with my baby sister. As I should.