"WHAT THE HELL?!"

Chapter 1 Naira

"How much work do I still have to do! I've been here for ages!" 

"Just finish off the English and I'll let you take a break sweetie." Mum shouts from downstairs.

humph! It isn't fair! Life isn't fair! Why can't I just hang out with Charlotte and Gemma? It's the weekend for god's sake! 

I look at the extra work mum gave me. Why does life have to be so hard for me? 

My phone buzzes on the desk. It's Gem telling me to hurry up because Charlotte is annoying her.

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I don't understand why we hang out at the park every Sunday. It's just... weird. It's not like there's anything to do there, just swings and slides for kids. Well I guess there is a section that is more sophisticated, there're benches, a fountain, flowers and stuff that children pay no interest in. 

"...are you going Naira? Naira!" 

"Uh. Am I going where? Sorry I was uh... enjoying the view of the dying flowers?" What the heck did Charlotte say? 

"Are you thinking of going to the New Years Disco?" she repeats slowly like I'm a baby learning to speak.

 I roll my eyes at her. "There's still a whole two months till Christmas! How are you already thinking about it?! And no, I'm not going to the disco, I hate them, they make my eyes swell and my ears bleed." 

She lifts her head up. "Callum asked me if I was going. It got me thinking. Blame him." That was strange. Charlotte is a person who always blames people for her actions, but she never ever blames people she likes. 

"Did you break up. Oh! I'm so sorry. Come here." I stretch out my arms to embrace her.

"No."

That's a shame. Deep down I really want them to break up because Charlotte is always talking about him which is slightly annoying because Callum is the most discourteous and arrogant person I have ever acquainted.

"Did you have a row?" I question.

"No." 

She looks angry. Charlotte barely ever looks angry. This must be serious. 

"Callum told everyone they were going out." Gemma says as calm as ever, typical Gem.

Charlotte's flushes a bit, but still, she looks furious. I am confused. 

"What's so bad about that? I thought everyone knew anyway?" 

"That's because Callum told them! He, the stupid boy, has now made be as unpopular as ever! He has completely ruined, I say ruined, my life!" She screams.

Everyone stares at us, and by everyone, I mean all the old people who have all the time in the world. It's weird.

Gemma is really annoyed. 

"Stop doing this all the time! I don't want to scrub any more graffiti. Cleaning out lockers was bad enough." 

Charlotte causes a lot of trouble because of her voice and sarcasm. There was this time in the changing room where she saw a fly and thought it was a wasp. She screamed, ran to the teacher and told her that It was the size of a table tennis ball. Although the teacher was quite impressed of the use of sport, she made us, yes us  - Sophie, Charlotte and I, mop the horrid changing room floor. For some reason when one of us does something, the teacher thinks that all of us are involved, so for Sophie, after being the teachers' pet throughout the whole of year 7 and 8, she is now the teachers enemy due to the amount of times Charlotte has pranked the teachers. For me it's fine because the teachers were never really fond of me. With me being the winner of a lot of things and all (I'm not trying to show off by the way). There was this time when I found a question worded incorrectly in the English test paper. I told the teacher and she gave me five behavior points for putting up my hand during the test and therefore disrupting the class. I went to the headteacher and she called a meeting with the English teacher. The teacher said that the question was worded incorrectly in a way but was also correct in another. Obviously, I won the argument cause I'm in the debating society. The teacher hated me from that day on because she got demoted to a normal English teacher - she was originally the head of English. I don't get why she is so mad at me, she's the one who made the mistake and it has got nothing to do with me, I didn't write the test paper for her...

"...I really think you should do it soon otherwise you would be making things worse. What do you think Naira." 

"Um, yeah?" 

I think I might have said the wrong thing. Charlotte looks hurt, and by hurt I mean on the verge of screaming, again. 

"But then he's so cute and...and people would think I'm a slut. How could you guys say that!" 

So I wasn't the only one who had said the wrong thing, so had Gem. 

"If you really did like him and you still do, then don't break-up with him, it's simple." I reason.

Charlotte just stares at me in utter shock with that 'What is wrong with you?' face, like I had said something really dumb, which I totally had not!

"It's not as simple as you think Naira. If I dump him then I would hurt his feelings, but if I don't then... I'm going to dump him. I don't need him in my life anyway!" She picks up her bag. "I'm going to meet him at Starbucks. See you tomorrow guys. Ta-Ta." And off she goes.

Gemma stands up as well. 

"It's getting late, we should either go home or eat out. Depends on if your mum let's you, my parents sure would." 

My mum barely ever lets me eat out. Even if she does, she'd choose where I eat and what I eat, and last time, she even appeared at the restaurant when we were half-way through our meal and said that it was time for me to go home! My mum is overprotective, very overprotective. "I'll ask her but the answer would probably be no."

I take my phone out of my little brown handbag and dial my mum's number. She answers on the first ring.

"Hi sweetie! Are you coming home yet?" She coos.

"Oh, Gemma and I were just discussing that and in fact, can I possibly eat out tonight?"

I could hear her sigh over the phone.

"You do realize I bought all the ingredients to cook your favourite lemon and herb chicken right?"

"Oh, but mum, it's been a long time since I've had a meal with my friends. I can eat that tomorrow."

She sighs again.

"Where are you going and who are you going with? Make sure it doesn't exceed 6 people."

I could hear her disappointment over the phone. Although I care a lot about my mum's feelings, it isn't often I get to eat out with friends.

The phone was on speaker so Gemma heard her. 

"You and I, probably Mason, we could ask Josh if he wants to go as well." 

I repeat the names to mum. 

"We could go to the new restaurant that's opening tonight on the high street." I gasp. 

"OMG, I completely forgot about that! We said that we would go together tonight with Charlotte right?! I can't believe we forgot!" 

"You do realize I'm still on the phone right, sweetie?" mum whispers softly.

"We're going to the new restaurant in town." I paused. "I'll send you the address."

"Do you have to go with Mason and Josh?" mum isn't very fond of them, she does't like me mixing with boys.

"No, but it'll be quite boring if it's just Gem and I."

There is silence.

"But of course, if you don't like it we won't ask them." I say, just to tease her, she doesn't like admitting that she dislikes something.

"It's fine honey. I'll pick you up in the shopping mall car park at 8pm. I'll send you the floor level when I park. Remember to stick to Gemmaline at all times. Have fun! Oh, and please remember to order vegetable to eat as well, make sure you're full! Bye honey!"

"Bye, mum. Love you!" I end the call.