I was nearly completely out breath, feeling like I was drowning in sweat under the weight of my school bag, although I had taken off my jumper and I was wearing knee-high socks the weight of the bag was unbearable. I don't handle the heat very well in contrast with my best friend, Noife, who was like some sort of lizard.
Noife ran ahead of me dancing in the green in front of her house, I was going over to her house because both my parents were working late and I had forgotten my house key. Okay, I'll be perfectly honest, I really just wanted to hang-out with her because we only have art class together.
After what felt like forever we finally reached her house, a large house at the end of the street, apparently the house entire estate (which is huge) that has a lion knocker. She opened the door and her three dogs, a Pug called Dolly, a Yorkshire terrier called Dusty and a Jack Russell called Johnny. They all jumped up and down barking gleefully like they were dancing. She threw her keys in on the table beside the door and put her hands on her hips crossly.
“Declan!" Noife yelled up the stairs, "Did you feed the dogs?”
“I’m in here and yes I did!” Declan, her older brother, shouted from the front room.
Noife led me into the front room where Declan was spread out on the couch still in his uniform watching The Big Bang Theory his tabby cat, Ed, sitting on his chest. Declan is very tall, very, very tall, so tall that his head was just above one end of the couch and his feeling falling over the other.
“Hey Stevie,” he said nonchalantly.
“Hi Declan,” I replied.
Noife sighed looking between Declan and myself, “me and Stevie are going to get something to eat and drink and then go up to my room so don’t bug us.”
“Whatever…” Declan sighed.
Noife walked into the kitchen and opened up the large American style fridge, the inside of the door filled with flavoured-fizzy water bottles, “do you want some Fizzy McFeelnice?” Noife asked taking out a bottle.
“Sparkling water is my favourite type of water,” I smiled.
“Same here,” she replied placed it down on the counter and took out two tall glasses from a high press, “the art project we have this term is really hard,” Noife complained as she unscrewed the tap making a whizzing sound as it did. She poured the bubbling water in to each, handing me one.
“Who even reads poetry!” she moaned throwing her hands in the air. For our summer art project we had been told to make some sort of art piece based off a poem. I picked “Funeral Blues” by W.H. Auden, so my piece involved a lot of sad men and white doves.
“I do,” I replied sipping from my glass.
“Yeah well your mum owns a bookstore,” Noife sighed, “what anything to eat?”
“What’s there?” I asked politely.
Noife pulled open up the freezer, “Oreo ice-cream.”
“Yes!” I said, louder and more enthusiasm than I meant to.
Noife pulled out two spoons. “Do you want to go to my room?” she offered.
I nodded, “why not.”
“Kay-kay,” she walked out of the kitchen, “will you bring up my glass?”
I nodded, talking my glass and hers with either hand. We walked up through the narrow corridor and up the stairs and into her room. Her room was very large, an unmade double bed, a couple of hurls, sliotars and a rugby ball on the floor beside her built-in wardrobe, on the other side of the room they was a bookshelf filled with sport’s biographies, comic books and some fantasy. Her walls were painted blue and covered with posters of rugby, hurling players and super heroes.
“You can throw your bag over there,” Noife said pointing to the corner of the room, were she threw her Leinster rugby backpack. I walked over and put down my bag beside hers. I turned around she had taken out a rugby shirt and tracksuit bottoms, “I’ll get changed in the bathroom, you can get changed here.”
Noife walked of the room her clothes bundled under her arm. I zipped open up my school bag and took out my black skirt and my owl jumper. I took of my uniform quickly. I put on my jumper first and then my skirt.
Noife was talking her time so I decided to start reading more of A Clash of Kings. I had finished my chapter and looked over to her window sill. There was a dead plant. I felt very sad, because I loved plants. I made sure no was coming and a crawled over to the top of the bed beside the window sill.
I took a deep breath and concentrated hard. I moved my hands over it and spun my wrists in a circle. I moved them down, I made a small rain cloud above it. I moved it down, causing it to rain slightly.
“Stevie?!” I heard someone yell in confusion.
I turned around slowly and fearfully, the cloud evaporating behind me. It was Declan. I began to laugh nervously.
