Rue and Wren were kicking a football in front of our place. Rue was wearing her new Man United kit.
‘You’re shit, Wren,’ Rue yelled at her.
Wren’s face scrunched and she toe-poked the ball back in Rue’s direction.
‘Shut up!’
I messed up Rue’s hair when I walked past her and kicked the ball from under her feet. ‘You’re shit too.’
‘I am not,’ said Rue.
‘Pizza, everyone!’ Dad called, way too cheerily, from the doorway. Mum had set the plastic table with knives and forks and glasses. There were boxes of pizza piled in the middle.
‘I thought we could play a game,’ Dad said when we sat down.
‘No thanks,’ I said, stuffing my mouth with pizza.
‘What game?’ Wren asked, a goofy, hopeful smile on her face.
‘Why don’t we all say something we’re grateful for,’ Dad suggested.
I pretended to retch.
‘Margot,’ said Mum.
‘OK, I’ll start,’ said Dad. ‘I’m grateful for being in southwest France with my lovely family.’
‘Oh God, Dad. This isn’t agame.’ I cringed.
‘I mean it,’ he said.
‘What about you, Wren?’ Dad asked, looking at her. She glanced up from under the peak of her hat.
‘I’m grateful for Rue and Margot, because I never get to see Margot at home, and here she might talk to me more.’ And she meant it. Wren never said anything she didn’t mean. And yeah, I felt shit. But it wasn’t my fault Mum and Dad had left such a big age gap. Sorry, but I didn’t want to spend my weekends hanging out with kids.
‘She will, love,’ said Mum, and Wren smiled so hard it must have hurt her face. Mum looked at me pointedly.
‘Course I will. If you want to talk about how cool I am.’ I stuck my tongue out at her and hoped she couldn’t feel the fakeness of it all.
‘My turn!’ shouted Rue, then she almost knocked over her bottle of Orangina. ‘I’m grateful for Orangina, because we only drink it on holiday, and it feels special.’
‘That’s nice, Rue.’ Mum smiled at her.
‘I’m grateful for this lovely weather,’ said Mum. Coward.
‘And you, Gogo?’ Dad asked.
‘I’m seriouslybeggingyou to stop calling me that,’ I said, frustrated. ‘What am I grateful for? I’m grateful for the fact that my parents have taken me away to a stupid campsite forfourweeks. The kind of place that’s impossible to enjoy unless you’re Rue’s age. Oh wait … I think I got the game wrong.’
I stood up and picked up a bit of pizza before walking away, back across the campsite, with Wren calling after me. I headed towards the Brasserie, because I didn’t know where else to go.
What were they thinking? I never should have agreed to this. I kicked the stupid little bits of bark that lined the paths and got some stuck under my flip-flop.
It wasn’t always like this. This weird disconnect with my family. Everything used to make more sense.
I kicked the ground again and kept walking away from the mobile home. Away from them.
I needed a distraction.
