The other half of Josh

chapter 3- We're going somewhere with more class!

I walk to the school hall, dreading the Assembly. Every Wednesday we have to sit through 20 minutes of lectures about litter, the no phone rule and how to behave. Each time it's the same, nothing ever changes. Boring and annoying, the definition of school itself.

Slowing I sit down on the hard wood floor, trying to avoid the sprinkling of food that restless kids have thrown at lunch. I don't think the cleaners actually do their job here, I mean, all this food; the classrooms are a mess; bins don't get emptied; and don't even get me started on the toilets. I can't even open the door to them, let alone actually use them. 

"April?" I look up and see Harry, my other best friend, he sits down next to me and begins his story of the weekend. We don't usually see each other on Mondays and Tuesdays as Harry has a lot of tutoring and he doesn't like to miss our art lessons which happen to be on Wednesday and Friday. He likes to keep Thursdays free for some untold reason, I don't really ask about it, if it was important he would have told me.

He finishes his weekend story (not much happened apparently) as the head of year, Mr Woods walks dramatically through the main doors. I turn to Harry and sigh, Mr Woods seems to think he owns the school, it's quite funny actually. Last year at our school awards ceremony, when it was time for our year to get awards, he made everyone (including the parents) stand up as his walked through the middle of the crowd, not only that but he made the music teacher play a very grand classical piece to accompany him. Nobody could hold in their laughter, my mum was in fits.

Once he is at the front of the hall he looks down at us, I swear I see his nose wrinkles in revolution at us. He holds his sharp chin in the air and with a curt nod to the teacher working the projector he begins.

"Firstly, I would like to update you on the new phone policy." As soon as the first line is spoken I tune out and indulge in my wonderful fantasies, many of which now contain Josh Clarke.

When the assembly finishes Harry and I swiftly exit the hall and start heading towards our English class.

" I swear Mr Woods was checking Ella Morris out!" Harry exclaims, and I snicker.

"Are you sure that wasn't you?" I ask teasing him, he's had a massive crush on her since year 7, unfortunately both Harry and I are outcasts, we don't mix with people like Ella Morris. That's why I'm so confused about why Josh Clarke would talk to me, its not like I'm even that pretty. 

"Oh come on April! And anyway, I saw you and Josh speaking yesterday, are you sure there isn't anything you want to tell me?" He inquires. 

"Um, no? He was just handing me my bag. That's all. Not much really. Have you done the English homework?" He smirks at my reply, but even so he goes along with my change of subject. Unfortunately I haven't done the homework, meaning detention for me at break. It's not the first detention i would have had, but it still freaks me out a little. I don't know what made me forget about the homework. 

Probably that stupid invitation from Josh.

I get to class and see Mr Spires is standing outside my classroom, he's one of my favourite teachers and we get along pretty well. He's only like 23 years old or something around that age but he's fully qualified to teach maths or science. So him outside an English classroom is pretty weird. He offers me a warm smile and I quickly return the gesture as I entre the classroom, Harry enters quietly behind me.

Mr Spires walks in and hushes the class apparently he will be covering us as our normal teacher, Miss White is ill, this means no detention for me!

The next few hours go by quickly, after English, Harry and I head in different directions, I have geography while he has ICT. Break goes by smoothly and nothing interesting happens. The next two lessons, maths and art drag a little but are mostly normal. Lunch is tedious, the heat kills me and I complain most of the time. 

Finally we have science, which drags a lot, sitting next to Nathan (world's most annoying teen) doesn't help one bit. Nobody can stand him, not even the lowest of the low. I mean he just has to pass you in the corridor and you're instantly irritated. He's almost constantly singing and he always has some "did you know" fact up his sleeve. 

I haven't ever been more relieved when that bell goes off ending the day. 

Vicky's dad picks Vicky and I up and takes us to the Queensmead shopping centre. We had arranged that we would go when I phoned Vicky to tell her about the party invite. She said I had to get a new outfit, no matter what.

When we arrive at Queensmead I instantly make my way over to New Look but Vicky grabs my arm and pulls me back.

"Nope!" she says "We're going somewhere with more class!"

"But New Look is classy," I complain but she ignores me dragging me elsewhere.

"April, you don't know the meaning of class until you have been here." She says and stops outside a vintage looking family run shop on the corner of the street. A tattered old sign swings above the door reading Cloud 9. I gaze at the beautiful vintage clothes that are on display inside, most of the dresses have fitted top halves with a skirt that fans out all around. There are about 5 different coloured blouses scattered on a mint green table, and washed and ripped jeans hang in front of a plain white back drop.

"Well are we going to go inside or what?" Vicky says and drags me inside.

Behind the doors the shop becomes a whole different story, the rails are placed randomly around the shop and the clothes are also randomly placed on them. At the back of the shop are two small changing rooms with bright purple curtains for privacy. I glace around the stuffy room and look at Vicky with a questioning look. she smiles warmly and says Iits not the look that has class, but the content. But for you, we're trying to achieve both."

I smile back and let her get to work on my look for Friday. I sit back and watch as she picks clothes from the rails and holds them up, occasionally she tells me to stand and holds it against my body, after either discarding it and putting it back on the rail or throwing it over the chair next to me. Sometimes she picks a dress out, sometimes just a T-shirt but it's always got style and it always looks beautiful, just probably not on me.

When she has finished picking out items she grabs the pile of clothes she has thrown on the chair and tells me to get in a changing room and try everything on. I sigh but agree knowing that if I refuse she would pick something that I might look horrible in.

It goes on forever, outfit after outfit, and nothing seems to look right! After coming out of the changing room in  bright pink shorts and a dark blue vest top I look at Vicky and sigh.

"This is hopeless." I announce with a grim expression. "I give up."

"Okay but one more and then we can go. You can just wear something of mine." she replies with disappointment. "Oh well."

I re-enter the changing room and pick up a small black dress, I slip it on and look at the mirror in front of me. It comes to about half way down my thigh in a skater like fashion. The top half hugs my figure, the bust is a heart shape and it has two thin straps to hold it up. I stare at it for a while before opening the curtain one last time.

Vicky looks up and gasps, "I think we've finally found the one!" she squeals, as I cringe at her high pitch tone.

"Okay, okay. let's just buy it already!" I say as I go back into the changing room to put my own comfortable T-shirt and jeans back on.

**************

chapter 3 !! whoo

sorry for not updating for a while :-(  been busy

comment/vote/follow :) 

Ellie :P

(p.s. this isn't the exact dress but it's really pretty so you can use this if you want a visual image of it)