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“While she’s claiming loan-parent allowance off the government. While her junkie baby-daddy sits it out in a prison cell for finally pushing the law too far,” Danielle tossed back dryly.
“Oh, you mean the samejunkieyou’ve been chasing after since first year?” Casey shot back. “Give it a rest, Danielle. You reek of jealously, girl.”
“Yeah, Iwasjealous,” she offered. “It hurt me when I saw them together that day.” She spoke directly to me now. “But instead of being mad at you, I should have been thanking you.”
“For?”
“For swapping futures with me. You’re with my ex and I’m with yours.” Smiling, she flashed a shiny gold bracelet on her wrist. “And unlike you, I’ll be sure to appreciate the upgrade.”
“Oh yeah? Well make sure you appreciate the feeling of being treated like a glorified mannequin while you’re at it.” Twisting in my chair, I leaned over her desk and said, “All of those expensive dinners and flashy gifts might seem tempting now, Danielle, but the shine will quickly fade. When it does, you’ll be left with the knowledge that all you are to him is a pretty face and nice pair of breasts.” I hardened my stare when I added, “Because that’s all you’ll ever be to him. Paul willnevercare about what’s inside your head or put your feelings before his. He’ll come first in every way and everything, and if that’s enough for you, then I’m happy for you, I sincerely am, but it was never enough for me.”
The bell sounded then, and I didn’t wait around to hear Danielle’s smart response.
Instead, I quickly packed up my books and hurried out of the classroom, with only one destination in mind, the front of the line at the tuck shop for my daily fix of a packet of Rolos, and a Roy of the Rover bar.
Yeah, I was in no mood to be beaten by the hordes of lads in our school and get left with only a damn Wham bar to choose from instead.
Besides, I needed the sugar rush to steady the tremor in my hands.
Danielle was wrong about Joey.
Yeah, she was sowrong.
* * *
“I hopeyou’re not letting that pinhead, with only boobs for a brain, get inside of your head,” Casey warned, a little while later, when we were sitting in the canteen. “Danielle is full of crap, Aoif. She was only venting because she’s still salty over Joey dropping her ass like a bag of coal for you.”
“They were never in a relationship to begin with,” I argued. “They slept together a few times. That’s it.”
“My case in point,” my best friend agreed. “It’s drives Danielle crazy that you can hold his attention effortlessly, when she spent the last five years trying and failing to do just that.”
“He lost his virginity to her, you know.”
“Pssh.” She waved a hand around. “That doesn’t mean anything. Losing their virginity doesn’t mean the same thing to a fella as it does to a girl.”
“That’s a fairly sexist statement, Case,” I chuckled. “How would you know that?”
“Because, my dear, sweet, summer child,” she crooned, pausing to pat my hand. “By the time boys grow hair on their balls, they’re desperate to give it away to the first girl willing to take it.”
“You’re terrible,” I laughed.
“Terribly accurate,” she pointed out. “It’s the truth, Aoif. I’m dead right. It’s a matter of getting it out of the way for boys, not holding onto it for dear life like us girls.”
“You haven’t been a virgin since third year,” I reminded her.
“Okay…” she drawled, rolling her eyes. “Holding onto it for dear life likeyouthen.” She waved a hand around aimlessly. “Just like Paul was stupid enough to hand his over to that girl from Tommen, Joey just so happened to be equally stupid when he inserted his virginal pecker in our classmate.”
“Girls,” Mack interrupted with a friendly smile, as he slid into the seat beside Casey. “How are ye getting on?”
“Speak of the devil,” I snickered, offering Casey a knowing wink, you know, just in case she had forgotten who she gave her virginity away to. “Hiya, Mack.”
“Yeah, hi, Mack,” Casey bit out, giving me her infamousbring-it-up-and-you’re-deadlook. “What’s new?"
“No one nearly as lovely as your good self, Case,” he replied, nudging my friend’s shoulder with his big one. “I was out having a smoke with Podge and the lads, but yer man from Elk’s Terrace is sniffing around, so I got the hell out of dodge.”
“Elk’s Terrace?” My ears pricked up. “Who?”
“That Holland creep,” Mack replied, and my heart sank into my ass.
