My Kind of Woman

4. Girls After School

Jackie wasn't let off as easily as she'd thought, and despite me forgiving her, I still gave her a hard time when we got back to school on Monday. I was aware she knew I'd already forgiven her, but she played along anyway for my sake. She carried my bags between periods and bought my lunch for me at break (I paid her back after the school day). I thought that would do for her redemption.

As we were walking through the gate, I paused by the roadside to fix my skirt. And as if she'd broken through a force field that had bound her to be a slave, Jackie dropped my bag against the pavement with a dramatic sigh. It hit the paving with a soft thud; there wasn't much in there, only books and stationary.

"Am I free?" She asked, pulling off her tie and popping the top three buttons of her blouse, exposing the bumps of her collarbones.

"Hmm, I guess you are." I said. "You have redeemed yourself."

"Thank you, Miss Cook." She grinned.

I pulled up my navy socks to the bulge of my knee and grabbed my bag up off the floor. She's late, I thought, but not by much as when I raised, I heard her voice come from behind the gate. Both Jackie and I looked over into the crowd leaving school, watching her short blonde head bob about in the crowd. She bounced up a few times, trying to spy me and when our eyes met, she changed her posture completely. She walked coolly and straight, excusing herself as she pushed through the group in front of her.

She looked at me first, but spoke to Jackie before. "Hi, Jackie." She seemed to fidget as she looked over at me, like she was bursting to say something. "Hello, Norah."

"Alright?" I smiled in greeting, glanced at Jackie and started off down the sidewalk, lake-ward. "Let's go."

Giana wedged herself in between me and Jackie, holding her bag in front of her, her knees hitting it as she walked. Really, I'd wanted to stand by Jackie because talking over Giana's head would seem awkward and rude. But once we reached the corner, a street up from school, that removed us from the squash of students leaving, Jackie piped up for me.

"You know, Gi, Norah put me through absolute hell today."

I laughed. "I did. So damn lazy she is."

"I'm sure it was for a good reason, if Norah did it." Giana said. And as if the same thought crossed through our both minds, Jackie and I exchanged a look of amusement. Giana had a habit of that, inflating my ego for no good reason. She often made me feel like I was a celebrity or someone of higher importance, when really, I was just the same as Jackie.

"False." Jackie said. "I'm innocent!"

"She wishes. She had to serve a punishment for betraying me." I caught Giana's eye and smiled jokingly as she looked up at me.

I heard her ask what she did and Jackie began to talk, but I was distracted by the chime of my phone in my skirt pocket. Giana glanced over at the sound but was too caught up in what Jackie was blabbering about. I muted my phone before I checked the message.

Saint Norah, huh? I think someone likes you... It was from Jackie. I shot her a look of confusion over Giana's head. She winked at me.

I typed back, what the hell are you on about?

"Awful, Jackie, just awful." Giana giggled, and she looked over at me then. "I knew there must have been a good reason behind it. Norah, you okay?"

I looked up from my phone and smiled at Giana, seeing the box screen flash with another message. "Sorry, yeah, evil, ain't she?"

"Truly." Giana shook her head.

Giana likes you, dumbass. I'm not going to spell it out anymore. Are you that oblivious?