Saving our Kingdom

Summer?

"Carmen! Carmen! Get up!" My eyes flutter awake. Of course I look totally unattractive, there's sleep in my eye, drool down my face and I'm pretty sure I start my period today. Great. I slowly push both of my legs out from under the thin cover and jump out of bed. That's my tactic. Then the pain is over quickly.
I want to throw a sarcastic comment about already being awake back to my mother but I can't be bothered, I'm already in trouble. I shouted at her yesterday for talking about lady problems in the newsagents when we were picking up a carton of milk yesterday. "It's normal" she says "no ones listening" she says. Right, apart from every single person in the god damn shop. It's tiny for Christ sake. I should try to be nicer to her but sometimes it's just so difficult. I love her, she gave me life but sometimes parents struggle to understand what its like to be a teenager in the 60's. Her and Dad are always on about how me smoking is stupid and that its going to stunt my growth. I don't know, perhaps they are right.

Walking into the back room I grab a beach towel, since there were no more bathing ones, and slowly step into the shower being careful not to slip up. I jump when the cold hits my back but I let it cover my body and I just stand there. The icy drops land on my eyelashes and soak my hair through, it's so hot outside this is just refreshing. It reminds me of being on the beach and as much as people believe that sea water is warm and lovely, it is not true. In fact sea water is freezing cold, dangerous and dirty. That's why I usually really hate going to the beach.
The birds sing outside the window and I can Mrs. Watson using her new lawn mower next door. Then one question enters my mind and I have to turn the shower off to think about it.
What am I going to do this summer?
It's being such a big topic at school recently I haven't actually thought about it properly. Wow. That's a weird sentence. So what do I do? Maybe finding a boyfriend wouldn't be such a bad idea, I mean, its not like there are no boys available in my school. I mean they're mostly all stuck up and annoying but I'm sure there's at least one decent boy. Maybe not.

"Good morning sunshine! How did you sleep?" Terri always knows how to piss me off.
"Meh"
"Hey I've got a favour to ask. So you know how I really like Rafe, like really really like," I nod "well he invited me to his hangout on briny beach and well I don't want to go on my own..." No chance absolutely not.
"Okay. Why do you want to go so bad?" Damnit.
She gives me an answer as long as an essay reminding me about the cat lady future that's in store for me if I don't get my act together. I don't think I like cats anymore.

Last year Terri ended up in this really bad group of people who did drugs and constantly tried to hint sex and plan robberies of shops and one day she turned up at my door crying because one boy tried to undress her but she had slapped him round the face. He then proceeded to hit her. At least she got out. It was horrible. We both cried that night. Anyway she swore never to do anything as stupid as that again but I mean, it's Terri we're talking about. She's the queen of spontaneousness. Is that a word?

"That's fine Terri, I will go with you but you have to promise not to bring up what happened at the dance, do you understand?" usually me and Terri know how to have a good joke but this time I can tell that she knows I'm serious.

"Perfectly."