Harriet Roswell and the School of Witchcraft

Chapter 21

The leggings were the easiest and quickest thing to get, as was the hair spray. It was the sweetshop that took up their time. They found the shop by following a dozen tiny alleys far too small for cars, and possibly bikes. The windows were grey and painted over, the sign was hand written, the only other place near by was a cars sales place. How they got the cars to that particular car park, let alone inside the sales building was an absolute mystery, to Romero.

"Um." Diana said before they entered.

"Come on guys, don't judge a book by a cover, don't you know?" Romero said, hanging on the rusty door handle.

"Books have graphic designers so that you can judge a book by the cover" Harriet said, she wasn't a fan of stereotypes she just really hated this particular saying. When had it ever made sense?

"Can't be worse than my dorm" Becky sighed.

"Thats the spirit" Romero said with an enthusiastic hand gesture and he opened up the door.

Inside was small, full of dust and cobwebs. An old lady sat behind the counter with a dozen jars of sweets above her head. She blinked uncertain if this was another dream. The book, could be judged by the cover.

"Hmmm" Diana said hand on chin as she looked at a jar labeled 'gobstoppers' that had only cobwebs and spiders inside. Harriet found the health rating of the shop, on the floor, beneath her toes. It said 0. Harriet gently nudged Diana's elbow and pointed at the sign. Diana pulled a face and grimaced in a way that showed she was disappointed, but not surprised.

"I'll take two pounds of haribo please" Romero said boldly. The old lady, took two minutes to turn around and grab the plastic tub of haribo, and she spent another minuted unscrewing the lid. She spent and extra minute trying to scoop out the melted haribo and another shaking it upside down over the scales.

"Whole thing, is 2 pounds" said the old lady trying to hand the tub to Romero.

"What! What a bargain" Romero said excitedly handing across the money.

"Thats me done, do you guys want anything?" Romero asked.

"No" Alex said urgently.

"I'm good" mumbled the rest and they quickly made their way out. The walk back was disappointing.

Romero took the lid off the tub, and his other hand struggle to pull a single haribo free, it had stopped being many haribo long ago. They stopped and waited outside a 93p shop, as Diana went in for something.

"Buddy" Alex said, "whats wrong with you?"

Romero sighed "it' still haribo. Do you want one?"

"No" Alex said, and Romero gestured the tub to Harriet.

"I would rather eat the tub of spiders I saw" Harriet said.

"Spider aren't unhygienic."

"Then something that ladies doing to the sweets is unhygienic." Harriet said. Romero frowned, and he thought slowly, for a good moment.

"I mean, as long as you're the only one eating, it ain't none of my business what happened to them. Only a pussy would buy themselves some sweets and then not eat them." Becky said.

"I should eat the sweets?" Romero confirmed.

"Yeah, you should" Becky said.

"Becky's got a lot of little brothers" Olivia said. Becky sighed.

"And they're all trash, and they all eat garbage." Becky said with her hands in her pockets

"Do you tell them to eat garbage?" Romero asked.

"Sometimes" Becky nodded "they've got to learn to set themselves standards you know, so they don't get bullied at school."

"Is that working for them?" Alex asked.

"I think their just weird kids now." Becky shrugged.

"It's so mean" Olivia said "any time I see anyone under 5 foot 4, I just want to pick them up and squeeze the life out of them."

"You know" Alex said pushing Romero out his way, and leaning his arm against their chest "I'm 5 foot 4."

"Hmmm" Olivia said patting her pink glossed lips "well, I suppose you certainly have the cute factor."

"I thought you were gay." Romero said loudly.

"What! I just meant in a friendly way" Alex said aghast "and I'm not gay, I'm bi, if your interested" he winked.

"Hmm" Olivia said in way, mildly amused. Diana left the 93p store, with a small storage bowl with a lid in one hand, and a multipack of haribo in the other.

"Please do not eat that." Diana said firmly and pressed the packet of haribo into his chest.

Romero gasped "thank you Diana! You are a goddess, for your sake alone, I will not eat it." he nodded accepting the packet.

"Oh." Diana said. That was a bit much.

"Aw" Becky sighed disappointed as Romero stored the tub beneath his arm and cracked the multi-pack open "then what are you going to do with it?" Romero thought for a moment, as he handed out the miniature packets to everyone, including Diana.

"I'm sure I'll find something."