When We Were Young - George Daniel

CHAPTER ELEVEN (the sewing machine)

February, 2007

Sweet sixteen, isn't that what they call it? I don't know what's so sweet about it really, if anything isn't that when we're at our most troublesome?

Valentine's Day and as usual my birthday. 

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR EVIEEEEE, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!" 

Gemma was bouncing on my bed, it wasn't even seven am yet and I was so not into this. 

"Oh my God you freak, get off my bed!" I laughed, kicking my legs under the covers to get her off of it. 

Loud laughter and now she jumped on me.

"Come on get up Evie! You're sixteen today! You're practically a woman!!" 

I groaned loudly as my best friend pulled my arm up and dragged me out of my shitty single bed. Gemma and I were still roomies in the same room we met in three years ago and we were as close as ever.

"Just come here grumpy, I have a gift for you." She pulled me over to the day bed near the window and instructed me to sit. I did as she said, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and yawning while I waited.

"Okay," she was standing in front of a box on the ground. "So, you've spoken about it a lot and I got my mum on the job of finding this for you," she explained. "I hate seeing you bummed out whenever you think of home or when you've missed something of importance." She stepped aside revealing a wrapped rectangle box with a purple bow.

"Gemma," I got up off the day bed and walked over to her. "What is this?" I took her hand, my other one covering my mouth in shock of the kind gesture my newest friend had done.

"Just open it silly!"

I kneeled down and took off the bow, then tore at the spotted pink and green wrapping paper. 

"Oh my God Gemma!" 

It was a sewing machine. 

"Are you SERIOUS!?" I jumped up and wrapped my legs around her waist squealing. "You are unbelievable!" I laughed. "Oh my God!!" She put me back down and I hugged her tight.

"Thank you Gem, thank you so much this means the world to me!" Tears were falling down my cheeks, I couldn't believe she would do this for me. This must have cost a fortune!

"Of course I would.  You're my best friend and I love you, you deserve it so much."

I hugged her again. "Thank you, thank you."

***

School didn't care that I turned sixteen today so as usual, we had to drag our sorry asses from class to class. Along with my sewing machine Gemma had gotten me a card with a '16' badge on it that she demanded I wore all day. I got happy birthday's from people in the halls from dawn to dusk.

By 3pm I was exhausted. After Gemma's wake up call this morning, an hour before I usually got up, my eyes were barely staying open. 

At lunch time mum, dad and Matilda had called wishing me a happy birthday. Matilda had just turned three and was basically a real human being now. I missed her so much and couldn't wait until the day I finally held her in my arms again. Mum said Lauren was calling me after school. She, Matty and Ross were graduating this year. I couldn't believe it. Hann had graduated last year and I wondered what he was doing with himself now.

I hadn't been back to Macclesfield since I left. My family came up every holidays so the last time I saw Matilda was over Christmas. Since I've been in Bedford mum, dad, Lauren and Matilda come up and we'd spend Christmas day together in my dorm room. Mum always cooked up the Christmas ham and other goodies before, just heating them up in the school kitchen's oven before we ate it. 

Matty and I exchanged letters for a few months after his initial one but eventually it died down. I sent the last letter and he never replied. I cried myself to sleep for weeks after that. They had forgotten me, moved on. They'd found some other girl to fill my spot in the group and I had to become okay with that. I couldn't blame them and I couldn't expect them to wait around for me to return. I wondered how the band was going. If Matty was still singing or they had changed around again. If George had gotten better at drumming like Matty said he was. I wondered what they all looked like, sounded like. How they dressed and what music they were into lately. I wondered if they'd changed the band name again which I was betting they had coz they got bored way too easily.

I entered my room and collapsed on my bed with a big sigh. 

"Why you sighing girl, it's your birthday?" Gem asked as she waltzed in after me.

"I'm just tired, no thanks to you!" I threw my pillow at her laughing.

"Well I'm sorry that I'm more excited for your birthday than you are. Can't help I'm a good friend!" She teased.

My name was called over the school speakers asking me to come to the office. I knew it was Lauren calling to wish me happy birthday.

"I'll be back," I swung my feet off the bed and saluted my best friend.

"Au revoir," she called back with a salute.

The school office was a fair walk from mine and Gemma's room and I hated it. These stupid school shoes were forever giving me blisters and bandaids were failing hard at their job which made my journey always damningly difficult.

I brushed my hair to one side as I walked along the halls. It had gotten so long in the three years I'd been at Bedford that it was nearly at my hips. I had been thinking of cutting it for a little while now but Gemma always talked me out of it. I'd made an effort with my appearance this morning, you know being my birthday and all and also Gem had woken me up so damn early, so I was feeling cute. I'd worn some mascara and eyeliner and my favourite cherry red gloss that Lauren had gotten me for the Christmas just gone.

I didn't know why I even bothered though coz all Gem and I were going to do was take selfies on her new camera.

"Hey, I got called here," I told the receptionist when I got to the office.

"Miss Matthews?"

I nodded.

"You have a phone call." I thanked her and went into the little room off to the side that we took our phone calls in. 

"Hello?"

"Evie Happy Birthday!" Screamed my sister. I had to pull it away from my ear, she was deafening.

"Thanks," I laughed.

"Have you had a good day?" She sounded so upbeat, maybe her and Ross had finally sorted through all their issues.

"I did. Gem got me a sewing machine," I bit at my clear nails (no nail polish allowed at Bedford, God forbid). "And a card with a sixteen badge that I had to wear all day."

"That's amazing! She's such a sweet girl."

"Yeah, she's great!"

"So, hey I got you a present right but it can't be delivered to the office."

"Oh, alright. Where do I go then?"

"It's going to be delivered to your room. It should be getting there now." She was puffing a little, I hated when she called me on her afternoon walks.

"Oh cool. I'll get it when I go back. So what's been going on?" I leaned back in my chair picking a thread out of my tights.

"Evie I'm so sorry I have to go alright!? But I'll call you next week, hope you've had the best birthday love youuu!" 

What the fuck I hadn't spoken to her in a few weeks why was she cutting our conversation short? I tried to hide my disappointment.

"Um, okay. I'll talk to you then. Love you too."

I hung up the phone and sighed. I hated my birthdays here but I'd honestly hated my birthday since that night anyway.

I got up, fixed my skirt and headed back down the hall to my room.

I was reapplying my cherry lip gloss in my compact mirror when I walked into the room so I didn't see them right away but the second I heard a cough and looked up I swear I had died and gone to heaven.

In front of me stood Lauren, Matty and George.