Olive Green [GxG]

CHAPTER 9

AS MY NEW group of friends informed me, they were helping the theatre kids, including Henry. However, it didn't seem like much fun to me. To take care of their scripts and other things. And so I went with them to one of their rehearsals, only once though.

  I felt like an intruder while I was in the room, watching the play unofficially. What was the point of coming and watching 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 more in a meeting between the two clubs. They were probably talking about some minor changes and other similar things now. I could only imagine what other rehearsals looked like.

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

  "Yeah, I think I'm gonna pass the rest of these," I stated, chuckling. There was no point in coming again for me. I wasn't part of either of those clubs. I wasn't even that great of a friend of Henry, as I had known these 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. 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, perhaps about some details or mistakes. My eyes fell on a certain dirty blonde girl. She had a main role together with Henry and two other kids, whom I didn't know.

  "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 for so long."

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

  "You know them or something?" she asked, making me glance in the theatre kids' direction. I knew Ava, Henry, and a girl with whom I had biology class with—that was where it ended. The others were 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 right. Even though hobbies did connect people, it wasn't necessary for us to have the same ones. And this was just for the rest of the school year. Unless we would got closer, that is.

  "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 anymore. Maybe it was time to go home. Do homework or something. Or maybe start looking for some Christmas presents. I had merely two, and the holiday was not even three months away.

  Just as I thought about leaving, my phone announced a new 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 still be at school with others. Maybe one of them is 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 of 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.

  "Yeah, 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. However, I wasn't sure my distance friendships would survive.

  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 though there was going to be no one there, I got slightly excited. Just me, my vinyls, maybe a series, and... crap, I almost forgot we got not only one but two things for homework.

*****

When I was done with everything I needed to do, it was already the 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. So I went into the living room to play some music for cooking before I found my way into the kitchen. Just as I started taking out the ingredients I wanted to use, I heard the front door open.

  "Hey, mum," I called whilst 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 eggs into the hot pan. "Want some?"

  "Sure."

  I nodded, more for myself, to which I turned down the stove a little. Now I had to make the toast. I sighed as I tried to remember how to use the old toaster. We didn't make toast often, so it was always a 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'd always be her little child. I rolled my eyes even before the words left her mouth.

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

  I chuckled as I watched the eggs slowly cook before cutting some vegetables. I always did that, even for a smaller dinner. A healthy habit, one 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're thinking that maybe you could spend some time with them next summer and babysit Zoé," she told me 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 the part that sounded like a part-time job. They were my family, so it wouldn't be a paid job, right? That would feel weird. And on top of that, I would be just spending some time with my little sister. As I should.