It was quite a miserable day; the countdown for school was 2 weeks now. Leila was still insisting for Derby to undergo a makeover. Derby had to practically drag herself along the floor to even get out of the door; her bed just seemed like the place to be today. She could smell toast from downstairs, her belly growled like an angry dog demanding food. Her breakfast was already on the table, 2 pieces of jam on toast. “Good morning girls” their dad called from the lounge room “I’m going to work soon and Bobby will be coming home today so don’t make too much noise, they’ll all be pretty tired.” Leila’s sleepy eyes widened “Does that mean those boys will be home?” she ran into the lounge to get an answer from her dad. “Yes, Leila but don’t you go near the younger one, that’s Derb’s!” he yelled it loud enough for her to hear it in the kitchen- and the whole neighbourhood surrounding. After breakfast Derby made her way up to her bedroom; for the first time she decided to open her curtains. She could see straight into their neighbour’s bedroom, it looked like one of the boys’ room. It was blue with an Irish flag and of course all the other stuff that a bedroom has- but he had a guitar! Derby ran downstairs to her father “Dad, does someone play the guitar next door?” He looked at her like she was joking “Are you serious Derby? I told you the other night that the younger one plays! Jeez!” Leila’s head appeared from around the corner “Why Derby? Hmmm?” Derby rolled her eyes and made her way upstairs, but Leila followed “Hmmm?” she kept suggesting. But Derby slammed the door in her face and got dressed and practiced her guitar for 2 hours “I hate people” she mumbled to herself.
After lunch Derby started kicking a football in the backyard; she heard the sound of a car pull into a driveway. She ran sneakily ran into the garage and peeked through the louvers, but it wasn’t their driveway. She quickly zipped upstairs and saw Leila, on the veranda hiding behind the pot plants looking into the neighbour’s yard she mouthed to Derby “They’re here!” Derby rolled her eyes and went back into her eyes and closed her curtains and played her guitar. Leila was so excited to meet the boys and put her make up on. Soon their dad arrived home, that’s when Derby came out of her room “Hey dad” she mumbled as she poured herself some water. He threw his workbag into the laundry, kicked off his shoes and put them outside and checked the TV program. “Derby County’s playing tonight!” he cheered “Quick get in the car, we’re going to get some groceries”
When they arrived home, it was nearly 6 pm, Derby County were playing soon. Their dad turned on the TV, put some TV snacks in bowls in the lounge and stood their looking satisfied with himself “Why all the food?” Derby asked. Her dad rubbed his hands together and replied “Bobby’s comin over with the boys, we watch the football altogether and it’s my turn to host it, we’re all big Derby supporters!” he looked so excited. But Derby laughed when he said big Derby supporters and started making her way upstairs “Derbs, you have to meet them, it’s only polite and plus, I’ve been telling them for 6 months that you girls were coming. Derby rolled her eyes behind his back and mumbled sarcastically “I bet they’re just so excited to meet us!”
She waited in the kitchen, sitting at the table. She was trying to write a new song, it was called Antisocial; she liked it, it really resembled her. She laughed quietly as she wrote it, but not too loud that her dad or Leila would ask what was so funny. It was tricky getting the notes down without her guitar; she decided that when they are all watching the game, she would sneak upstairs and practice really quietly. Soon there was a knock at the door; she suddenly got butterflies for some reason. Her dad answered it; but Leila was sitting on a chair in the lounge, almost posing with a cake full of makeup on, straightened hair and her sparkly short skirt on with her favourite top. Derby shook her head trying not to laugh. First walked in a tall, skinny man; then a tallish boy with brown hair and finally a shortish boy with blonde hair. They all didn’t even look into the kitchen, so Derby passed on the first greeting. ‘Phew’ she thought but still remained in the kitchen; she could hear Leila chatting up one of them, her Dad and Bobby laughing and talking really loudly, but no third voice. Soon she heard someone say “Where’s Derby?” She was used to being not acknowledged until there was an awkward silence; she was like a rhetorical topic that people brought up when no one was anything to talk about. Derby walked slowly into the lounge room, not making any eye contact with anyone and sat in the corner chair. She felt all eyes on her; she looked up Bobby had his hand outstretched and her dad’s eyes were widened, prodding her to accept the hand shake. “Hi, Derby I’m Bobby”, she accepted his handshake it was firm and dry. Derby slouched back into her chair; there was another awkward silence. She really wanted the football to start, but Bobby broke the silence “Yes, well I hope you have settled in alrigh’ this is Greg,” her pointed to the boy that Leila was chatting up “And this is Niall” he said pointing the blonde boy. Derby’s eyes widened as she looked at him; he had bright blue eyes, and his hair wasn’t just blonde it had some brown in it too; it was perfect. He smiled and Derby almost melted, but she looked away at the books in the shelf. Soon Bobby’s voice broke the ongoing silence again “So you play guitar” he asked Derby. ‘Ok, Derby thought, ‘I’d better give some kind of ‘social response.’ “Yeah, I really enjoy it” she said; that was the best she could do at the moment. He nodded and opened his mouth to continue but Niall got there before him “Are you good at it?” she was so surprised that he asked her a question and intrigued by his voice. Her dad, his dad and Greg all had the same strong Irish accent, but his was different- it was really hot. Derby could have drooled, she replied “I practice a lot, so I hope so” she didn’t even have to force a smile, it naturally just came for the first time in ages.He smiled in return and Derby’s eyes widened really obviously; her glasses were falling half way down her face, she pushed them up. She must have looked like such a goof; her foggy glasses, no makeup, Derby County training jersey, sport shorts and her hair all over the place. Soon conversations between Bobby and her dad continued and between Leila and Greg; but Niall and Derby sat awkwardly on the other side of the room to each other.
When the football started everyone apart from Leila and Derby were cheering. Leila was texting on her phone and Derby was thinking of ways to sneak upstairs. Soon, she grew sick of thinking of ways and just stood up and left. She closed her door slowly so it wouldn’t make any noise, took out her guitar and song book and started practicing quietly. After about an hour she heard a knock at her door…
