An Unfathomable Life

ten

I knocked on Luke's door, hoping he was home because I hadn't told him I was coming over. The longer the wait was for the door to open, the more I regretted the decision to just turn up at his home.

Finally, the door opened to reveal Bonnie, and her brother hidden behind her. Unlike the last time I saw her, she seemed to be a little tidier, two ribbons tying up her hair on either side, this time more secure. One, however, was a braid, and the other a ponytail.

She gave me a huge smile, a tooth missing. "I remember you!" She squeaked. "You're Isaac and Michael's friend!"

I nodded, "yeah, uh, I am."

I wasn't great with children, I liked them and was fine with being around them - I just, I couldn't really interact with them.

"What's your name?"

"Mandy."

"I'm Bonnie," she answered, "and that's Jack."

Jack poked his head around Bonnie, holding her arm with one hand, and extending his other towards me. "Hello."

Bonnie slapped his hand away, "JACK! Get your filthy hands away from the poor girl!" She screeched, and he shrunk back behind her.
"I'm so sorry about him, he's so reckless sometimes," Bonnie said, airily, in a comic sense.

"BON-BON! You're embarrassing me!" Jack mumbled and turned away from her, crossing his arms.

"Jack!" Bonnie tutted, turning as well to hug him from behind.

He shook her off and ran upstairs. "Luke! Your friend is here!"

Bonnie ran up after him, her ribbon falling loose as she bounded up the stairs two at a time.

I hung around the doorway for another few minutes, until Luke came down the stairs, a strange look directed at me. "Mandy? What're you doing here?"

"You're coming to my house," I said, confidently.

"Your house? Why?"

"Come on, are you ready?" I asked, ignoring his questions.

"Uh, yeah, I guess." He scratched the back of his neck bashfully. "Where are the others?"

"It's just us today," I answered. "D'you have a bike?"

"I can use Will's, if it isn't too small?"

"Okay, go get it then. I'm waiting outside."

"Um, alright, one second," he said, smiling somewhat as he turned to walk down the hallway, "mum! I'm going out!" He called.

"Okay, have fun!" I heard a woman speaking to him, coming from upstairs, then resuming a muffled conversation with the twins.

-

"Mandy, are you sure we're going the right way?" Luke asked me as he cycled behind on the pavement.

"Yeah, why?"