Forever Is Over by Calvin Wade Page B

be fine. ”
    “ Shall we send her back with Martin then? ”
    Kelly wasn ’ t impressed. She was in the front and turned around and gave us daggers.
    “ Hey you two! Stop talking about me as if I ’ m an overnight b ag! I don ’ t want to go back to Amy ’ s! Can I not just come to the party with you? ”
    Amy and I both replied in tandem, ” NO! ”
    Kelly was blossoming into a crafty bitch.
    “ Well you two will have to come back with me then. ”
    “ Why? ”
    “ Martin ’ s a bit creepy. I don ’ t fancy the idea of a twenty minute car journey in the dark with him. No offence, Martin. ”
    “ Kelly, you can ’ t say that! ”
    Neither Kelly or Martin appeared perturbed by her statement.
    “ I just have! Sorry Martin, I don ’ t really know if you ’ re creepy or not but you do look a bit creepy! Now if I go back to yours in the car, I ’ ll probably find out you ’ re very nice, but what if I don ’ t? No-one will hear my screams on those lonely back roads! ”
    Again Amy and I, in tandem, exclaimed, “ Kelly! ”
    I think we were both shocked she had the gall to come out with something like that but also, deep down, we were aware she had a point!
    Martin was a bit weird! He was probably just quiet but, hand on heart, I wouldn ’ t like him to drive me home to Ormskirk from Halsall either. Like Amy, he was small and red headed, but he wore glasses, had severe acne and had one continuous eyebrow that stretched across his face like a foxes tail.
    Amy whispered to me,
    “ What should we do? ”
    “ How do you think it will look if she comes into the party with us? ”
    “ Very uncool! ” Amy stated
    “ What if we smuggle her in? ” I suggested, but Amy was not pleased.
    “ Smuggle her in! Are you joking? What in? A dustbi n? What are we going to do, get Ted Rogers to come with us and distract everyone with his 3-2-1 hand signs? ”
    “ Don ’ t be daft. She could just follow us in a couple of minutes after we go in. ”
    “ And what would she say? That she was just in the neighbourhood ? What the hell would she be doing in Halsall! Maybe she could say she just popped over to milk the cows and shear the sheep! ”
    Amy ’ s tone was now full of sarcasm, irritation and annoyance.
    “ Amy, I have no idea. I am just trying to think what to do. Getting annoyed with me is not helping a single bit. I wasn ’ t planning for us to bring Kelly ”
    We hadn ’ t even reached the party and already it had been a weird night. Two of the kindest, most laid back people in the world were completely losing their cool. I hadn ’ t seen Amy or Kelly lose control before and here they were, both losing it on the same night.
    Amy sighed,
    “ Jemma, I know it ’ s not your fault. I ’ m just annoyed we didn ’ t think to take Kelly to my Mum ’ s when we found her in Ormskirk rather than bring her all the way out here and then try to decide what to do with her. ”
    Martin, normally a man who, if he said a few words, would have been described as having a talkative day, now decided to join the debate.
    “ Do you want to know what I think? ”
    Amy looked at him as if his bowels had just moved. I was more receptive, we were stuck in a hole and if Martin had a spade that was fine with me.
    “ Why not, Martin? Hit us with it! ”
    “ Ultimately you have no choice. Kelly doesn ’ t want to come back to ours with me, so you ’ ve got to take her in. Everyone there will be fifteen or older but that doesn ’ t mean they will look fifteen or older. How old are you again, Kelly? ”
    “ Thirteen. Fourteen next month. ”
    Martin digested this, paused a moment, possibly because he had never spoken this much in hi s entire life, then continued.
                  “ OK. Kelly ’ s pretty much fourteen. There ’ ll definitely be people there who are twelve months older who look younger. Have you two got any make-up with you? ”
    We checked our handbags. We knew what we had but we were double