her name was thalia // hemmings

Chapter Five - Boyfriends & Girlfriends

[THALIA’S POV]

My parents obviously didn’t want me to have any form of a social life. They’ve banned the TV and only let me use the computer where they can see what tab’s I’m on. They don’t let me use the Wii and have taken my Kindle away from me. My only salvation is my phone, which my parents have taken away from me because they’re super concerned about what might happen to me if they can’t contact me 24/7. It’s ridiculous, because I don’t even catch a public bus, I catch a school one. It takes me five minutes to get from my house to my bus stop and then from there I go straight to school. People say that that’s going to change any day now, because each year the income of new girls and Year Sevens increase more and more. People are saying that sooner or later, we’re going to be catching public buses.

These sorts of things are said in hushed whispers as if – God forbid, you could actually catch something from the middle class. Yep, I go to St Matilda’s. The all-notorious, private, catholic – extremely catholic, all-girl’s school. But, really, I shouldn’t be there. I’m not the sort of girl you’d normally find at St Matilda’s. I’m a scholarship kid. I make sure my grades are good, study like crazy and try to stay out of the sort of trouble that’ll get me in a million-dollar sort of debt. I’m the funny girl in the class, the one everyone seems to find hilarious. I figured out pretty early that if you get people to laugh, they’re less likely to make fun of you for not paying the full fee.

But, unfortunately, there are downsides for being the funny one in the class. For one, despite my grades no one takes me seriously. I’m just, y’know, there for a laugh but at the end of the day,  I’m not really what others deem ‘friendship material.’ I don’t know, maybe there’s something about me that girls just don’t like. I remember at my old public school, I was a huge hit with the boys because I wasn’t afraid to get my knees dirty and I seemed to know how to make them smile. I kind of wished that instead of going to St Matilda’s I’d gone to Kellerman’s Public School, which was where all my friends from primary school had gone. Still, I suppose that they’d barley recognise me now.

Gone was the small, tiny girl who’d been covered in dirt and scratches. She’d had an awful fringe, which was short and long as if she’d cut it herself… (She had). She’d been bossy and irritating and stubborn. And in her place, was a girl, no longer covered with dirt and scratches.. but clean, smooth skin with a blemish or two. This new girl had grown out her hair, it looked much better longer than it had short. She no longer played soccer with the boys and instead spent most of her lunchtime’s in the library. Yep, the shrew had been tamed. Except it wasn’t Petruchio, but rather the splendid effect of secondary education.

And as usual, someone interrupted my thoughts. Well rather, something interrupted my thoughts. My phone buzzed. It must be Luke, again. God, the two of us where talking non-stop since I’d accidentally texted him two weeks ago. I was one week into my grounding and somehow he’d managed to make me feel like there was no grounding. He was so real.. so down to earth. It was refreshing from the constant talk of Gucci and Chanel at St Matilda’s. He just seemed to be normal, which was really nice.

Luke: I want a pet pig.

Luke: a pink one.

I grinned, grabbing my phone and decided to text him back.

Thalia: When is a pig never pink?

Thalia: And if you ARE going to get a pig you better name it Humphrey.

He replied quickly, within seconds.

Luke: Why Humphrey?

Luke: No, but like there’s a certain shade of pink that I want.. magenta!

Thalia: IT’S A BEAUTIFUL NAME, OKAY?

Thalia: Luke is this your way of coming out of the closet?

Luke: .. Someone has childhood issues.

Luke: I’M NOT GAY.

Luke: I’m like, 100% into girls. Trust me, I’ve had millions of girlfriends.

Luke: gazillions, even.

4 was the most texts that he’d ever sent me. So either, he was incredibly used to being in the closet. Or he was straight. I was guessing straight.

Thalia: Oh, so you’re THAT guy, huh?

I mean, a part of me was hoping that he wouldn’t be a player. That he was just genuinely a nice, boy-next-door type. The sort of person who would continue texting a girl and form an actual, genuinely happy relationship with her. Oh shit, I didn’t mean like a couple relationship. No, No, I just needed a normal friendship with a normal guy. That was all.

Luke: No, no. I promise to you. I’m really not.

Luke: Actually, truth be told, I was rather a ravishing eight year old.

Luke: But my skills seem to have worn off.

Luke: But.. what about you? Any boyfriends?

There it was. Four texts again. Either he really enjoyed talking to me, or he didn’t have anything else better to do. Being as selfish as I was, I hoped it was the former.

Thalia:  I can practically see the girls swooning at your hopscotch skills.

Thalia: And as a matter of a fact, no, I don’t.

Thalia: do you?

He replied quickly, as if he’d been practically waiting for my response.

Luke: Have a boyfriend? No. I don’t.

Thalia: No, silly.

Thalia: A girlfriend. Do you have a girlfriend?

The reply was short, but sweet.

Luke: As a matter of a fact, Thalia.. no. I don’t.

And that night, I feel asleep with a smile on my lips.

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Soooooooooooo… thoughts? I hope you guys like the development of Thalia’s character I’ve done in this chapter. You get to see more of her character. AND DON’T WORRY – You’ll get to meet the rest of her family soon, not just Ryan and Nate. Anyways, so what do you think she should do about the concert? Ten votes and comments and I’ll update the next chapter! Oh, and make sure you check out my new story it’s called ‘Waking up as George Shelley.’ It’s a Union J fanfic, (I thought I’d branch out and try to write ANOTHER horrible fan-fiction) Plus people don’t completely seem to hate it so that’s a good sign.  Buuuut I don’t think I’ll be writing any 1D fanfics.. I’m going to leave the hard stuff to Cuz. (If you don’t know who I’m talking about then that means that you HAVE NOT come from my incredibly successful cousin’s wall or page or whatever she’s using to blackmail people into reading my stories and YOU get extra brownie points.)  xoxo G