"Would you like a bag with that?"
She cracks her gum as she thinks about it. The jumper she just bought is bulky and woollen and has about a million buttons on it. She really needs a bag.
"No thanks." Crack, crack.
She bundles up that giant sweater and walks off. Peta comes over to my register and says;
"That had to be the ugliest jumper I have ever seen." Her red fringe mingles with her eyelashes. "I'm serious, how could someone even think – "
"Shut up Peta," Remo says from across an aisle. She's rifling through a rack of hot pants and picks out a pair. "You don't have to wear it."
"Yeah but still" She tries to scowl but screws it up. Peta is one of those girls who would kill to be American. Like one of those teenagers from movies. She does everything she can to mimic them except the accent.
Ever since I started working here at Non Sacrificial Clothes I've tried not to burst out laughing at Peta's antics. She and Jane are exactly the same but detest each other.
They have no other interests apart from what celebrities are doing and what they are wearing.
It's hilarious to listen to them bitch about each other.
"Lyyyyycccrrraaaa," Jane will whine when Peta is serving people, "You aaarrrreeee coming to Max's paaaaarrrrtttyyy on Saturday right? I'll invite you, some people don't get invitations." Then she'll look over at Peta who will be trying not to explode with interest.
Then as soon as Jane's gone, Peta'll be like,
"You're not actually going to go to Max's party are you?" her fringe quivering. "he's such a sleaze!"
Then when I'm about to start laughing Remo will come over and whisk Peta away.
Remo is so sensible. She has chocolate black skin and is about hundred feet tall and has legs that never end. She's a model. Thank you captain obvious.
There are posters of her in every mall. She is so mature compared to me!
As Peta scoots off to help some little rich kid who's throwing a tantrum about the colour 'mauve' I wander over to Remo and ask;
"Remo, do your parents fight with you're brothers and sisters?"
She bites her lip.
"My older brother was killed in Chicago three years ago."
I stand there. Feeling like an absolute moron. I had no idea.
"I had no idea." I say.
"Don't worry about it." She says walking back to the registers. I follow mutely. "But in answer to your question, no. My family was, is extremely close knit."
I sidle away. And start to run a bunch of G-strings through the scanner.
"Would you like a bag with that?"
The lady's brow creases. She says primly;
"This isn't McDonald's you know."
My English teacher is such a cool guy. I'm serious. All other girls in my class are lusting over him, but I genuinely think he's a great guy.
He takes about nine English classes, but when it comes to our lesson, he seems as if he's been waiting all day to teach us. And I know that just isn't the case.
But today Mr Dornan is talking about our future careers.
"Year Eleven is a very serious year for all you students." His eyes shudder from one person to the next.
I'm not in the mood for this. Let alone thinking about what I want to do once I get out of St. Flannery. My tie flops over the desk and my hair isn't in the mood either. It hangs limply on my shoulders as if it's melting.
Jesus, I wish Agnes and Pan went to this school. And I wish that Enid were in my English class.
Maude looks over at me and signals with her eyebrows that she wants to give me a note. I think I outgrew 'note passing' in grade 7. I look at her like I don't understand what she means.
She gives a loud cough and drops her ruler on the ground. She bends down and flicks a scrunched piece of paper at me.
Mr Dornan sees but just rolls his eyes and keeps talking about how not every occupation uses computers, but it does help to know how to type.
Maude is a leech. She will not leave me alone. She is in love with my father, which is revolting, and thinks the very ground my brother walks on is sacred.
Her hair is really, really thin. Like string. And is the colour of piss. She usually has it in a ponytail, with the elastic wrapped around four times because her hair is so thin.
But today she has it in a hair band, so it is hanging around her shoulders like tendrils.
The note she's written says;
"I want to be a hair dresser! How about you?! You could be a model! And I'll do your hair! That'd be soooooooo cool! We'd be famous! ~ Maude!"
One other thing Maude loves is exclamation marks. !!! She has them all through her assignments.
I don't know what I want to do. I have no direction. Mum says I can always rely on my looks. But, I don't want to. I want to do something I love doing. I just haven't found anything yet.
Suddenly, leaving school seems so close to now.
As class ends I rush out of the room to find Enid. The thing is Maude rushes out after me.
"Lyk! Wait!"
I slip my blazer on and kind of sidestep the stream of humans and head off towards the gate. I hear a puffing behind me and am about to explode at Maude when I realise it's not Maude but Rick.
Rick is hot. A user. A cheater. An absolute asshole. But hot.
"Lycra? Clements?" he puffs at me. He's obviously just come from track training because he's still in his singlet.
"Yes, hello." I say. I don't know what to say. He is the guy that pays out Enid for being gay and as soon as Agnes turns up at the gate, starts asking them for threesome.
"You're Liam's little sister?"
"Yes."
"He's not coming home tonight. Like to your home I mean."
He looks at me like he's offering me something.
"Ok." I turn to go before I either ask him out or start screaming at him for being a jerk to my friends.
"Wait,' he reaches out and grabs my wrist. I raise my eyebrow at him. Something I've been practising for the last two years.
"N-nothing" He jogs off.
"Omigod! Lyk! That was Rick!" Maude gushes. God, is she still here? I swing my bag onto my arm and move off towards the front gate to catch my bus.
"Well? What did he want?" she hurries after me.
"He wanted your number," I reply as seriously as I can. "But don't worry!" I add quickly as her eyes grow as wide as window panes.
"I told him you wouldn't be interested in a jerk like him."
"Y-you did w-what?!?"
"Sexy babe!" hollers Enid from the stop.
"See ya Maude,"
I disappear. I know, I know. That was so mean. But she's so interested in my life. It's like, I'm a celeb and she's trying to get as much goss as she can. I'm also trying to be as bitchy to her as I can so she'll dislike me. It's not working.
"Honey!" Enid throws and arm round my waist, her hat bumping into mine. "I've gotta catch the train to the city. Mum wants this dress for some business thingo tonight. I'll see ya later then princess!"
She whirwinds away. Gathering people who are catching the train with her as she does. She's a people magnet. Literally.
I get on the bus alone, and Liam's mates all whistle and nudge him as I do. I hate it when he takes my bus. He actually doesn't do anything, but his friends are testosterone crazy.
I make my way up the aisle. Rusty, a creep, runs his hand up my leg. I kick his ankle.
"Bitch."
"Liam" I look directly at him. They all fall silent. God, they are so stupid!
"Rick? Is it Rick?" I pretend to not know his name, to show how much I don't care about that guy.
"Rick, yeah,"
"You're not home tonight?"
"Hmm,"
"But then why are you here?"
"We wanna go to a party without Rick. Don't we boys?"
They erupt.
I find a seat.
As I sit, I pull out my phone. Two new messages and one missed call.
"Babe! [Agnes] Wen r u hme? Ps @ my house 6-9pm. Call u l8er. J"
"Lycra [Remo] Can u plz tke my shift 4-6pm wed? I got piano conc. Thanx!"
The missed call is from my mother. I call her straight away. She never calls me unless it's important.
"Roslyn Clements"
"Mum, you called me?"
"Ah yes honey. We are going to a function tonight. You and I that is."
"Serious? Do I have to?"
"Yes you do have to. Wear linen please. Ciao. I'm about to have my pilates class."
click
There goes my night. I hate these things. People asking all these questions about what I want to do with my life. Argh. I text Enid saying I'm going to a business thing and she replies saying she is as well. Thank God.
Her parents own this massive financial company, so they are more loaded than my parents are. But the thing is, her parents pay no attention to her what so ever. They have no idea about Agnes and only know me because my parents invest or something.
When I get home I find an invitation for the thing tonight on the bench. It's four thirty now and this starts at six.
I go to my room and stand in front of my full length mirror. Under My uniform my breasts look smaller than their usual C cup. I strip in my bra and panties.
Now they look better. Fuller. My stomach is flat but has no muscle like Liam's. Just a flat tanned tummy. Boring. I wish I had breasts like Enid. Round a proud. They always stand out and she can wear anything because of her mother's trainer.
I have a shower, but don't wet my hair.
I slip on a vanilla dress. It's a plain dress but makes me look older and fuller than I actually am, it also stops at the knee so my legs are shown.
Mum calls and says she's sent a car.
I have a glass of water and slip on some heels.
"Geez Lycra," I say sarcastically to myself in the hall mirror, "You're ready for a night on the town." I feel like punching myself. And the mirror.
AUTHORS NOTE: Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please review! Anything! Just tell me something about my story!