I Do...

Chapter 19

“Where’ve you been?” Jake said looking at his watch.

“Um there might have been a little hiccup with the whole getting everyone on the bus.”  I said looking at Aria with a broad grin.

By now she had lost all sense of guiltiness and was now actually laughing about the situation.

“Yeah you could say that couldn’t you ARIA!” Liam said walking up from behind her pushing her hair over her face and he walked past.

“Right well I went to drop the dog off with your mum and then I found out that she’s actually going on the hen do.” Jake said looking at me.

I put my hands up. “Don’t look at me! I thought it was odd when you said that you were leaving Pash with your mum but I didn’t question it. So where’s she now?” I said turning from Liam to Jake.

“With your Nan!”

“What? Which one?” I asked.

“Joan? Jen?” Jake said looking at me trying desperately to remember my Nan’s name. My evil side was tempted to leave him guessing but I feared we’d be here forever if I did so.

“Jane. Right was she okay with it?” I filled him in.

“Yeah well I think so. Don’t ask me. Ask your dad he sorted it out because your mum was there when I went round to Denise’s”

So it wasn’t just us that was having trouble this afternoon.

“Hey Tonto! Where’ve you been?” Nic said calling me by her nickname for me. “I thought I was the one who was supposed to be late not you!” I hugged her when she reached me.

Nic was notorious for being late. In the twenty three years I had known her I had never known her to be on time. It just goes to show just how late we were because she had managed to turn up before me.

“Where the hell have you been Becky?” My mum said marching over to us.

“Trouble with numbers that all.”

“Oh. Well the dog’s at your nan’s. God help it; it will be fussed to death!”

“Oh don’t worry. Pash will love that.” Liam said.

“It’s a good job to be honest. How you doing anyway Liam?”

“Yeah fine thanks Kath!”

“Oh good.” Mum looked back at me. “So where am I putting these?” she said lifting her bags a little off the floor.

“Oh take them over to Otto over there!” I said pointing the direction. MY mum looked at me and little weird before doing as I said.

“Otto?” Aria said looking at me weirdly too.

“Yeah you know...the bus driver on the Simpsons...No?” I said seeing that she clearly didn’t have a clue what I was on about.

Jake laughed. “That’s class! Well anyways I shall leave you to Otto I’m gonna check that everyone’s on the bus. Anyone I should know about Aria...anybody that we’re likely to leave behind?” Jake said smiling evilly.

Aria sighed as sigh as if to say ‘are you serious?’ “No...”

“Well let’s know if you remember anyone.” He said jogging over to the bus.

“Come on you. I want to get to Blackpool so I can start partying.” I said steering her with both hands on her shoulders over to the bus.

~*~

“Right everyone...Just a little game to get everyone started... Everyone has to say there name and think of and animal that begins with the first letter of their name. And then say ‘And I like’ whatever the animal is.” My mother beamed. This was so up her street. You could tell that she worked with children. “So I’m Kathlean and I like...Kangaroos. Next!” She said pushing my shoulder.