Second Lanark

Celebrations - Part 22

Almost two weeks later I laid in bed after my alarm went off, staring at my ceiling. There was a false solar system that glowed in the dark. Tricia and I had mapped it out one night when we were bored. Given that it was morning, it wasn't glowing, but it was a nice distraction as my brain went into overdrive.

I was no closer to discovering who might have leaked information to the newspaper on the swim team, and Lark and Jill seemed to be locked in a competition to see who could appear sweetest to the other, but the weird, almost primal tension was still there. At any moment, I expected them to rip into each other. 

Jill was spending most of her time with Tom or down at that end of the hall with Rachel and her roommate Karen, which left the three of us with Rob often hanging out in our room. Not that I was complaining. He'd bought us a kettle and some proper English tea. I now knew how to make a really good cuppa.

"Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Liz. Happy Birthday to you," Tricia sang from the other side of the room in a soft whisper voice. "Are you awake?" she whisper-shouted across the room from her bed.

"Yeah, I am," I said, throwing back the covers. "Not a bad way to start the day – a little Happy Birthday tune." I grinned at her and stretched.

"Shall I put the kettle on?" Tricia asked in her mock British accent. It was like an epidemic in our room – if Rob wasn't around we practiced sounding like him whenever possible. We found it highly amusing, but we'd quickly discovered that he just found it highly annoying. It was a bit of a letdown when he finally told me.

"Ta," I said, climbing out of bed and heading for the shower. "Are you going to class today?" I asked, gathering my stuff.

"No, and neither are you," Tricia said, filling the kettle in the bathroom before stepping out. "You're finally legal – no more fake ID. Everyone on the floor knows it's your birthday. You're the baby of the floor. Drinking commences at noon today at Roosters."

"So, I can still go to my 8 a.m. class? It's my last one before the exam." I thought about how starting to drink at noon would mean I'd miss swim practice. I was already one practice behind this week because of all the time I'd been spending with Rob.

Tricia rolled her eyes and flipped the switch on the kettle before crossing her arms. "Fine, but you cut out at the break. You're so lame. Of all the days – it's like the one day where you can legitimately skip, and you still won't do it."

"I'm missing my afternoon class and, I guess, swim practice. I think turning up really drunk is a bad idea. Ugh. It means I have to make all the early morning practices next week to get my attendance back in the green. It's exam week!" I start to shut the door to the bathroom and then I remember what else is happening today. "What time is Jill and Lark's mediated discussion?"

"One o'clock. If they can stand each other, I invited both of them to Roosters. Kind of a no-brainer that Rob would have already mentioned it to Tom though," Tricia says, shutting off the kettle and pouring two cups of tea.

I showered, keeping an eye on the time. I grabbed the tea Tricia made me and kindly put in a to-go cup. I slung my backpack over my shoulder, threw open our residence door and was promptly showered in glitter. I looked down at my clothing, covered in an assortment of glittery bits. After a brief surge of frustration – I really needed this review class – I laughed and looked around. But, there was no sign of Rob. 

To the right of the door were three wrapped presents. Tricia had gone into the bathroom after me and hadn't experienced my glitter bomb. I picked up the packages, admiring their weight and went back into our room. I dropped my backpack and sat on the edge of my bed.