bringing lucy home

Chapter 20: Wonze and Wobbs

"I think...we should go on a trip," Leah suggested.

"It has been awhile since our last one," Keira agreed.

"Lucy and Keira have been engaged for like, a week, and yous already want a honeymoon trip?" Jordan laughed.

"Well where would we even go," yawned Lucy, putting her hands behind her head.

"Anywhere," Keira cried.

Lucy sat up excitedly. "We have to go to France!"

Leah groaned. "But it's the same weather as here! Cold, springy chillness." She cringed. "Let's go somewhere warm, somewhere...island-y."

"That's what we did last time," Jordan shrugged.

"No! Come on, please! I want to take you all to France!" Lucy begged.

"I think it would be really fun," Keira added.

"Well, you'd say that," Leah sighed, and Keira rolled her eyes.

"Cmon, Leah," Jordan said. "Why not? It's somewhere that's not...here."

Leah leaned back, defeated. "Fine. How long?" she sighed.

"A week, two weeks?" Lucy suggested. "We can stay in Paris, I know all the best places. Awh my God, I've so many places I want to take you lot."

"Paris sounds nice," Keira commented supportively, looking lovingly at Lucy.

'You've always wanted to go to Paris, Leah," Jordan said, nudging her best friend.

"Yeah, for like football or somet," Leah said. "Not holiday."

Jordan ignored her and rubbed her hands together. "'I'm getting excited now! Can we take the chunnel or somet?"

"Trains make Keira sick," Lucy said dismissively. "that's a no."

"Who even wants to go on the chunnel," Leah interjected.

"Someone's grumpy," Jordan said, poking Leah in the ribs.

"Ow!" Leah burst out laughing.

"Look at us, back at it again, taking holidays and causing chaos," Keira laughed.

"Our specialty," pointed out Leah.

Steph walked into the living room with cups of her homemade elderberry wine. "Drink up, you twits."

Jordan and Lucy eagerly took a cup, but Leah looked after it in suspicion, not moving from her slouch on the sofa.

"Since when has Steph-made liquor been encouragable?" Leah asked, one eyebrow raised. "You'll remember your ghastly cocktails..."

Steph waved her hand dismissively. "I made them drunk anyways. This is my Gran's recipe, it's taken me over a week to make so I won't have it gone without all of yous trying some."

Jordan, Lucy, and Keira egged Leah on to take a cup. Leah leaned forward and reluctantly took one, looking around at the other girls. "Isn't Keira underage?"

"We're the same age for gods sake!" Keira shouted. "And I'm 23!"

"Now stop the excuses, you mong," Lucy said pointedly. "Bottoms up!"

Immediately a spray of elderberry wine came out of all their mouths, soaking everyone's faces. They all burst out in half-laughs, half-sobs.

"It's bloody disgusting!" Jordan cried.

"Tastes like an old sock!" Leah added.

"How would you know what that's like," Keira gasped, wincing at the taste left in her mouth from Steph's elderberry wine.

Leah laughed bitterly. "You know, like the smell but like...imagine the taste? You know?"

Lucy shook her hand. "You don't have to explain. I understand." She shuddered. "Good God, Steph."

Steph withheld a gag. "I'm sorry, girls. Don't know where it went wrong."

"Told yous!" shouted Leah.

"Imagine all the good wine we'll have in France," Jordan pointed out.

"France?" Steph repeated.

"Yeah, we're going to Paris," Lucy nodded.

"Really! When?"

The girls looked at each other. "About a week, I think. After the players dinner."

Steph raised her eyebrows. "You four, in France?" They nodded.

"What?" Leah laughed at Steph's facial expression.

"Nothin," Steph remarked, unconvincingly. "I'm just worried that you'll cause disasters...in France...unsupervised..."

"Oh, I can assure you Steph," Keira said. "We will."