Scheme Girl

Wrong Side of Never Ever Ever Ever Ever

By Monday morning, I've recovered and crawled out of my bed.  I rush through my shower, my teeth chattering with the cold, and I dry quickly, not wanting a repeat of the last time the weather got cold and I was covered in icy water.

"Mairi?" Dad groans as I rush past him in my towel, my damp turquoise hair clinging to my head.  I sigh and go into my dads room.

"Aye?" I start to shiver so violently that I bite my tongue.  I muffle my ow as I try not to shudder at the taste of blood.

"Mairi, where's your mam?" Dad whines; I roll my eyes.

"Under a bus hopefully." I mutter as I walk into my room.  I get into my school stuff quickly and think of the radiators in school as I brush my teeth for the best part of five minutes.  I go back to my room to dry my hair until it's my usual bright turquoise.  I feel myself drifting off as I do my make-up, but focus on the world around me when my phone vibrates across my battered desk.

"Hello?" I yawn.

"How do hen?" Dallas sounds way too cheery for seven in the morning.

"I didn't know you knew this side of noon." I know I'm bitchy, but I can't help it.  Dad thinking about mam makes me grouchy.

"Ooh, put those claws away kitten." Dallas chuckles and I glower at my cracked reflection.

"What d'you want Dallas?" I can't be bothered with small talk when I've got to get to school.

"Me and Dougie were wondering how you were doing." Dallas tells me as I shuffle around my room, throwing my course work binders into my bag.

"I'm fine Dallas - over my hangover and getting ready for school." I mumble as I zero in on an orange by my stash of empty Monster cans.

"Hope your house still isn't as cold as it was when me and Dougie went over." Dallas laughs; I say nothing, not sure what I can say.  "Mairi?  Seriously?" Dallas sounds horrified and I feel my bitterness welling inside me.  Just because my dad's a wee bit behind with bills and all that crap doesn't mean Dallas or anyone else is better than me.

"It's fine." I snap as I fight my bag shut.

"Oh Mairi." Dallas sighs.  "D'you wanna play rookie with me and Dougie?" He asks softly; the thought feels like a lifeline and I almost cry.

"Yes.  More than anything." I choke as I throw my bag onto my bed.

"OK hen, we'll meet you down the back of the pub by yours." Dallas tells me before hanging up.  I throw my battered phone onto the bed; only to watch it bounces, hit a crack in the wall and make it a full on hole.

"Shit." I mutter as I go into my drawer in search of another poster.  All I find is an ancient sticky note and my roll of tape.  I sigh and tape the not-so-sticky note over the hole.  When I see what's written on it in my angry writing, I laugh until I'm crying.

PAY THE FUCKING ELECTRIC BILL!

I strip and lie on my bed, feeling the cold bite at my skin and think of how my life would be if all the bills were paid on time.  Eventually I roll off the bed and fling open my wardrobe doors.  I end up in purple skinny jeans, my Boys Like Girls shirt, my green and black checked hoody and my black Converse high tops.

I shove my phone in my jeans pocket and pull my hood up as I leave the house.  It doesn't surprise me that my dad doesn't notice me leave - he barely knows his own name.

I walk down the road to the pub and think of my mam.  By the time I get to the pub I'm fuming.  How can she do this to my dad?  I'm so distracted that I don't realise there's someone staring at me.  I don't even notice when I walk into them.