July slipped into place without me realising and I woke up on the fifth with the distinct impression that I'd missed something very important.
I rushed downstairs, almost falling twice in the process, and ran to the calender that resided on the pinboard above the microwave (that my mum never let me use because of an article she'd read that said that microwaves killed, or something to that effect). The calender had been a freebie from the garden centre and there were gardening tips at the bottom of each month. I was looking at a picture of a cheerful garden gnome giving rhyming advice about how to plant begonias (“Never in a row; that's a no!”) when my mum walked in, her arms wrapped around her slim waist and her hair sticking up in a just-woke-up fashion.
“What doing?” she asked sleepily, automatically gravitating towards the coffee bean grinder. “Why aren't you dressed?” I was usually dressed and out of the door before nine o' clock, but it was nine fifteen and I was madly looking at dates.
Having gone through all the days that had passed in July without any bells ringing, I pulled out the thumbtack that held the calender to the wall and flicked to the month before, June. I moved my finger across the days, trying to remember.
“Have you suddenly remembered my birthday?” she joked, taking a sip of her freshly brewed coffee.
Birthday.
My head snapped up and I stared at her in horror.
“Oh my god!”
“What?” she asked anxiously, her brow creasing with worry. “What?! Tell me Lula!”
“Charlie's birthday!” I blurted.
She didn't look surprised at all, or ask who Charlie was. In fact, her eyes seemed to light up, as if it was a familiar name, but I was too preoccupied to think straight.
“When is it?” she asked in concern.
“Was!” I wailed. “It was on June 31st, and I completely forgot!”
She stared at me blankly. “June 31st?” she asked.
“Yes!” I said impatiently, waving the calender in her face, furious with myself. I tried to think back to the actual day June 31st, trying desperately to remember whether he'd been acting odd, but there was nothing.
“Are you sure he said June 31st?” she asked carefully.
“Yes!” I moaned, covering my face with my hands and wondering why she was asking such idiotic questions. “Completely sure!”
“June doesn't have 31days,” she said matter-of-factly.
I stared at her stupidly for a few moments. She used that time to pick up the calender that had fallen from my hand, and flicked to June again. She held it up to let me take a look. “See? 29, 30, and then it's July. Then there's that whole rhyme- 30 days hath September, April June and November, all the rest are 31. Are you absolutely sure he said June 31st?” she finished sceptically.
I couldn't feel anything, and I realised it was because I was numb with shock. I was absolutely sure, because I remembered exactly how his soft lips had looked forming the number thirty one; but I wasn't exactly going to tell my mum that.
I was completely certain, and I wished I wasn't, because now I was standing in the middle of the kitchen driving myself insane wondering why Charlie had lied to me.
I felt a warm hand on my back. “It's okay, sweetheart,” she said softly. Suddenly, ridiculously, I felt a lump forming at the back of my throat. I coughed and tried to swallow, but it wouldn't go away, and instead the swallowing brought tears to my eyes. A hiccup escaped me, and I grabbed hold of the calender, trying to find something to do other than bawl like a baby. But when I looked at the place where 30 ended and no 31began, I felt more tears spring up.
My mum saw my face and pulled me into an immediate hug, rubbing my back in a way that she hadn't done since I was a toddler. “It's okay,” she whispered soothingly. I felt my face crumple involuntarily.
“Why am I so upsettt,” I sobbed onto her shoulder, tears dripping freely down my cheeks. “This is- this- this is-”
“What, love?” she asked gently.
“Embarassing!” I wailed. “So em-embarassing! Why am I even c-crying?!” I sobbed even more at how ridiculous I was being.
I felt her chuckle. “You are an idiot,” she said affectionately, giving me a squeeze. “Anyone would be upset!”
That helped a little bit. I pulled away with tears running down my face and a nose that would no doubt have given Rudolph a run for his money. “J-just... I was so happy!” I said plaintively.
Her brow creased. “I know you were,” she said quietly. Then she took me by the shoulders. “Talk to him,” was all she said.
***
It was ten past ten and I was late for the first time since I'd started at the bookshop. I walked in at almost the exact same time that Charlie came down the stairs, his eyes focused on the battered nokia in his hand. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of him.
The bell rang behind me, and he looked up, his expression hopeful. “Lu!” he said, walking up to me, his mouth lifting into a smile.
“Hey,” I said weakly, staying where I was.
“Where were you?” he asked. “I texted you! Didn't you get them?”
“My phone's out of battery,” I lied. I'd turned it off after his second where are you?
“Oh,” he said. He looked at me curiously, and I was almost certain that he knew I was lying.
Just say it! A tiny voice yelled at me. Just ask him why he lied about his birthday! It's not hard! But I couldn't seem to find the right words.
He frowned slightly. “What's wrong?” he asked in concern. Say it. Ask. Do something.
“Nothing,” I said evasively.
“Are you sure?” He picked up one of my hands, holding it gently in his.
I shook my head, mostly so that he couldn't see my expression. “Yup,” I said.
Author's note:
Hello my pumpkins!
First of all, I'm aware that this chapter is embarassingly short; but I kiinnnddd of have a game plan- I will hopefully update the chapter after this one much quicker than usual (hopefully, I will try and write it before I am forced to work all day tomorrow- I'm back to school and mocks in two days and I am so scarrreeedd!!), because it was either have a super short chapter or a ridiculously long chapter, and I chose the first option. So sit tight, and thank you all for being amazing and sticking by me :)
So do any of you have any suggestions as to why Charlie lied about his birthday? Feel free to post your ideas (if you have any!) in the comments below; I'd love to hear them!
Also, super random, but I'm listening to Awake My Soul by Mumford and Sons and even though I didn't even like them I'm just so sad that they've broken up, it's just like why. :(
Okay haha I shall stop rambling! Love you all <3
xx
YOU ARE READING
A Likely Story
Novela JuvenilLula Bradbury is a little lost. She has not set foot in a book shop since she was ten years old, and when her mother traps her into getting a job at A Likely Story, she knows that she is going to have the worst summer of her life. But what we believ...
