The Girl In The Suit

Tasha

When I reach the school gate, I see that Gabrielle isn't there. She must still be sick. She never misses a day until she absolutely has to. Come to think of it, in all the time I've known her, she has only missed around 3 days.

An exhausted looking Gemma and Anne approaching the school distracts me from my thoughts. I bring my bag higher up on my shoulders and I jog up to them.

"Hey, guys, are you alright?", I say as we begin walking into school.

"I'm fine.", Gemma replies. She then rubs her eye.

I raise my eyebrows at them. "Are you sure it was a good idea coming in today?"

"I'm in the Junior Cert. I can't afford to miss more than 5 days.", Anne says. She almost trips over a stone.

"Anne, how much sleep did you get last night?"

"Round 2 or 3 hours."

"What?" I widen my eyes, and Gemma copies my expression.

"Guys, I'm fine. Once I'm in school, I'll have something to focus on and I'll be grand."

The bell rings and Gemma and I look at each other. We sigh and head for the door, when I suddenly feel hands behind me shoving me to the ground.

When I look beside me, I see that the girls have also been pushed down.

"Jesus, are ye OK?" Its Hayley's voice.

"Yeah.", we say in unison.

Hayley helps me up and Amelia and Caoimhe help up Gemma and Anne.

"Christ, are you OK, Tash?", Amelia asks.

"Yeah. By the way, remember Gemma and Anne from the disco?"

"Oh, yeah!" Caoimhe smiles. "Blue suit girl!"

Anne smiles. "Yup, that's me."

"Where's Kate?", I ask.

Hayley points her head behind us and I see her saying goodbye to her boyfriend, Simon Lynch. By saying goodbye, I really mean shifting. Yup.

"Yo, Katie!", Amelia calls. "We have to present that history thing in 5 minutes so get your ass over here!"

The rest of us hold back giggles. Only Amelia would do something like that.

Kate gives Simon Lynch one last peck before jogging over to us.

"Why do you always have to attack each others mouths?", I ask.

"What would you know, Tash, you're gay."

"And I have a girlfriend that I love very much but communication is more important that shifting in our happy queer relationship." I give her a sarcastic Tasha smile.

Kate rolls her eyes while the rest of us laugh and walk into school, already 5 minutes late.

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"And that is the story of the Titanic."

Orlaigh, the girl beside me, and I hold back laughter and bite our tongues when Amelia and Kate finish their detailed report on the Titanic tragedy. Meaning, they just recapped James Cameron's Titanic.

All it takes is the class clown, Laura, to hum My Heart Will Go On to have all 25 of us burst into hysterics.

"Girls, that-that was excellent,", Ms O Keefe starts, holding back laughter, "but what we were looking for was the history of the Titanic, not a movie recap."