Page 50 of Releasing 10
“But it keeps coming back, Caoimhe.”
“Yeah, Liz, Iknow.”
“Is she going to die?”
Caoimhe sighed heavily again. “Nope, enough of the heavy for one day.” Releasing me from her bear hug, Caoimhe straightened up and blew out a shaky breath. “Today is a good day, busy Lizzie bee.” Plastering on a wide smile, she walked over to her boom box and grabbed a cassette from her impressive stack of music. “It’s Halloween. You’re going to your first birthday party, where there will be countless hours of fun and dancing. Meanwhile, I’m spending the day with my boyfriend, therefore…” Pausing, she switched up tapes and fiddled with the buttons on the deck until the sound of “Twist and Shout” from Chaka Demus & Pliers blasted from the speakers. “I feel a little pre-dance celebration is in order.”
“Oh my God.” Unable to stop myself, I snickered into my hand when Caoimhe chicken danced toward me. “You are so strange.”
“Oh,I’mstrange?” Laughing, she grabbed my hand and danced me across the room. “Talk about the pot calling the kettle black, Baby Sister.”
Unable to resist the temptation of dancing with Caoimhe, I pushed my scary feelings deep down inside and replaced them with a bright smile. One just like hers.
The sound of our doorbell ringing a moment later caused my sister to scream. “Oh my God. It’s him!” Squealing with excitement, she dropped my hands and dove for her vanitytable. “He’s early!” Swiping up her favorite brown lipstick, she carefully drew on her lips before patting them together. Turning back to look at me, she fluffed out her hair. “Well?” she asked, pouting her lips and striking a pose. “How do I look?”
Caoimhe was wearing a loose, strappy, plaid-green dress that stopped way above her knees, her favorite Dr. Martens, and arms full of bangles. Her hair was half-up, half-down, with parts of it crimped.
“You look like a grown-up,” I replied, feeling jealous because my hair was straight and boring.
The doorbell rang again, and my sister burst into action. “Oh my God, I better go and let him inside,” she said, rushing toward me with her pinky finger extended. “Okay, you promise to not tell on me?”
I hooked my finger around hers. “I promise.”
“Dad would kill me if they knew I brought Mark over when they’re not home, so you can’t say anything.” She chewed on her lip. “Seriously, you can’t tell, Liz.”
“I won’t.”
“Because you know how pissed they got when I brought Dar over when they were out.” She snickered. “Dad was so pissed when they got home, and he found us in my room.”
“I miss Darren,” I replied, thinking about Shannon’s big brother. The one who looked just like her. “He was nice.”
“Yeah, I miss Dar, too,” she agreed. “We’ve drifted since starting secondary school, but he’ll always be one of my best friends.”
“How come you drifted?”
“He goes to BCS now,” she explained. “And he can’t stand…well, let’s just say he’s not the biggest fan of the friends I’ve made at Tommen.”
“How come he was never your boyfriend?” I shrugged. “You knew him first.”
“I used to want him to be.” She clasped her hands together and sighed. “But it didn’t happen that way.” She smiled brightly then. “But Markismy boyfriend, and he’s superfine, and super-sexy, and I’ll be super-dead if Dad finds out he was here when I’m babysitting you, so you can’t tell.” She gave me a worried look. “I mean it, Liz. Youhaveto keep your mouth shut.”
“I know, I know.” I rolled my eyes and grumbled, “I can keep a secret, Caoimhe.”
I always did.
JELLY SNAKES AND THE PERFECT G
Hugh
OCTOBER 31, 1994
“HUGH!” ROBBIEMAC, WHO WAS DRESSED AS THEREDPOWERRANGER, BARKED FROMhis perch at my kitchen table. He pointed to the two girls dressed in princess costumes sitting on either side of him and mouthed the wordsdo something.
My birthday party was in full swing, and my house was packed to the rafters with friends. Unfortunately for Robbie, Pierce’s creepy twin sisters had taken a shining to him. I wasn’t sure what he thought I could do about it. One thing I wasn’t going to do was swap places with him. I’d already spent enough of my time with Claire hanging off my arm. I had no plans on volunteering myself for two more.
Pretending like I couldn’t hear Robbie, I pushed past a group of lads battering a piñata and headed outside. I rolled my eyes when I passed Danny Callaghan from my class, who was dressed as the Blue Power Ranger, pointing and laughing at Robbie. “Look, lads, Robbie has agirlfriend.”
What an asshole.
