‘Whom you wrongly accused?’
‘Yeah, that girl, well the thing is, she was guilty of something …’ He raised his eyebrows again. ‘She’s been bullying my sister …’
He looked at me carefully, and just nodded. ‘Before or after?’
I looked confused. He said, ‘Before or after you wrongly accused her?’
‘Before and after, but it’s in confidence because my sister didn’t want me to tell you. She’s embarrassed about it, and she’s afraid telling will make it worse.’
He nodded grimly.
I said, ‘well, umm, thanks…’ and started to go, but he said, ‘Denise?’ so I stopped and looked at him.
‘You’re sure this is the truth?’
I looked amazed and outraged, so he explained, ‘You’re not just trying to get back at Jayne because she’s the reason you were in trouble?’
My face cleared, ‘God, no, that’s all over,’ I said airily.
It was too. It was nothing compared to our new crisis. He just nodded. He’d done a lot of nodding and eyebrow raising. This must be his ‘hearing confidences’ face.
So then I left to join Anna and Heeun setting up the stall.
Heeun said, ‘Do you think he believed you? You didn’t give any proof.’ She looked worried. I looked worried too. Because I had a motive for making it up, that was the problem.
But Anna said, ‘Nah, he’ll do what he did to us… he’ll check it out with someone else in their class, pretending that he knows already, and then he’ll approach Jayne with a full case against her.’
That was cleverly worked out! And that’s what he’d do, for sure. Those are just his sly tactics. (I must remember in the future if he tries them on me again!) So I relaxed. My job was over. I could enjoy the stalls and all. Not like poor Justine. She had to wait all day practically. And Heeun had to wait a few hours …
We’d been collecting clothes for days so we had a good selection. We started hanging stuff on hangars. We had two plastic mannequins Anna had managed to borrow off Dunnes Stores! She has loads of nerve, Anna, but also (she explained), if it’s for charity, people always want to help you. Heeun started dressing the mannequins. We suspected she’d be the best stylist and sure enough, no sooner did she start matching stuff than it was bought. I was pretty jealous of this talent. She could take some old blue top and drape a scarf round it and it would suddenly look amazing. So our stall was going pretty well. There was a big crowd round it, and our cash till was going ping! ping! ping! and Anna was looking delighted. I think she loves the jangle of money even more than the sound of Jim Morrison’s voice (allegedly her favourite sound).
Just as Heeun was re-dressing the mannequin, cause we’d just sold the dress off her, Declan came in with this girl in his class, Siobhan Reilly. I felt my face fall into impatient, haughty lines. I couldn’t help it. That’s just the expression my face assumes for Declan.
‘Hey, guys,’ he said, ‘how you getting on?’
‘Sold loads already,’ said Anna cheerfully.
‘That’s Renata’s, right?’ said Siobhan Reilly, looking at the top Heeun was draping on the mannequin.
‘Yes, how did you know?’ said Heeun.
‘I think I remember it on her last year …’ said Siobhan, ‘but anyway, it kind of screams Renata, and given the connection …’ She smiled at Anna.
‘Try it on,’ said Declan.
Siobhan gave a loud laugh, very hearty, that went with her broad shoulders. ‘It wouldn’t even go over me.’
‘Hmm, it’s a bit … flowery,’ said Declan, frowning at it accusingly, ‘but this …’ He took a khaki jacket off one of the hangers.
‘Maybe,’ said Siobhan. He helped her on with it, and patted it down on her shoulders. It was short on her but that didn’t matter, it was aviator style.
‘Nice,’ said Heeun, moving in to zip it up.
‘Hmm,’ said Siobhan, admiring herself in the mirror, ‘what do you think?’ she turned to Declan.
‘Yeah, looks great!’ he said, reaching out to smooth her hair back behind her ears and turn her face to profile.
‘If you don’t buy it, I will,’ said Anna, and she probably meant it. The jacket was just her style. But Siobhan bought it and walked off with Declan. He took her arm, hardly bothering to wave good bye to us. We looked after them.
‘Whoa!’ I said.
‘Looks like he got lucky,’ said Anna.
‘She seems nice, I think,’ said Heeun, ‘and quite pretty in a tomboy-ish way.’
‘Too good for him!’ I said.
Anna started to laugh. ‘But she’s already making him look better, right? You’re regretting it, right …’
I pushed her. ‘He never fancied me anyway,’ I said, ‘I always said he didn’t and this proves it!’
‘No, it doesn’t. Just proves he got fed up of you doing the snotty face.’ Then she did an imitation of my face looking at Declan – exaggerated, I hope, cause she looked like someone wrinkling her nose up against a bad smell.
I don’t know did Declan fancy me ever. Possibly he is as pragmatic as Anna and was actually meeting hundreds of girls to help them with their blogs. I am glad I don’t have to make that face at him any more, but I am sorry that the number of my admirers has gone down.
At half-eleven we closed the stall to go and watch the athletics championships. The whole school did. Anna had suggested a betting stall with odds on who’d win, but this wasn’t allowed. It’s okay to bet on the wheel of fortune, but not on one’s fellow students apparently. Martha Connolly (from our class) was up for sprint and long jump, so we cheered like crazy but it went to Alison (in Third Year). When the races were over and everyone was moving back out to the stall, it was Heeun’s big moment. Me and Anna watched (surreptitiously) as she went up to Justine and started chatting to her. They were deep in conversation (about the races presumably) and Heeun steered them (surreptitiously) towards Jayne O’Keeffe and her gang, and as they passed Heeun managed to simultaneously put out her foot and shove against Jayne so that she tripped right over and came down – hard! – on her knees. She looked up snarling. Her jeans were ripped at the knee and it was obvious they were her best jeans cause everyone wears their best clothes in on the last day. Heeun was the picture of concern. We could see her, all fluttering hands and eyebrows – you’d have been insane to say she did it on purpose. But when she walked off with Justine, Jayne was gazing after them.
‘Brilliant!’ I hugged Heeun enthusiastically when she joined us back at the stall.
‘Yes,’ said Heeun modestly, ‘it went good, and I think … the right level of injury. Her legs were scraped, but not broken.’
She sounded very scrupulous, as if she’d worked out exactly the amount of pressure that needed to be applied to the shove for scraped, but not broken. It was important to apply exactly the right pressure, because this was Jayne O’Keeffe’s final punishment. I mean we weren’t going to be tripping and shoving her every day, obviously. That would make us bullies.
‘How did she take it?’ said Anna, ‘we couldn’t hear.’
‘Well,’ said Heeun, ‘I think she suspects, but can’t prove. I said oh sorry sincerely, but then I said “It’s awful to hurt people”, emphasising hurt and then I took Justine’s arm, so you know I think she knew … but anyway there’s nothing she can do.’
No, nothing. That’s why Heeun had to do it. If me or Anna had tripped up Jayne it would have looked deliberate. Too much history between us.
Anna said, ‘The good thing is you look so sweet and non-violent, you can get away with loads.’ She sounded pretty jealous, as if she wanted to rework her own bolshy and aggressive image. People never think Anna’s innocent.
The good clothes had all gone so the afternoon was gonna be hard work. You would have to be a genius salesperson to shift the tat we were left with – half the stuff was way old, like jeans with the bum rubbed right down (who gave those?) The other half was way out – an extraordinary purple and orange t
ent (well, dress). Heeun and Anna seemed to be relishing the challenge so I left them to it. Justine came on over, so they had her help.
Anyway, I thought it was my charitable duty to spend some money so I went to the wheel of fortune and staked on nine, my lucky number, and lost €3. Then I bought a hot-dog and smothered it with mustard and mayo and went over to check out the kissing stall. There was quite a commotion round it. I got there to see J.P. totally songing Celine and everyone whooping. It was quite something.
But then suddenly Mrs Moloney was at the front of the crowd and ‘A quick peck is what I think we agreed,’ she said quietly, not shouting, but everyone immediately stopped whooping and J.P. and Celine separated. ‘Time up, I think Celine,’ said Mrs Moloney and Celine looked kind of embarrassed and ran off. So the stall was empty. Joanne Dunne came over then, looking cross, and Mrs Moloney went over to have words with her.
‘Oh God,’ we heard Joanne say, ‘bloody over-sexed second years! Sorry Mrs Moloney!’ I looked at Elaine and giggled – we weren’t over-sexed. Then Mrs Moloney went off and Joanne looked harassed because Celine was supposed to do the full hour and now she’d no one to replace her.
‘I need a volunteer!’ she shouted.
Everyone just giggled and nobody was coming forward, but I’d an idea, so I raced back to our stall and said, ‘Heeun! They need you at the kissing stall!’
Heeun said, ‘What! No way Denise!’
I said, ‘It’s for charity! Go on! It’s an emergency! Celine’s been banned!’
‘For what?’
‘For songing J.P.!’ – Anna and Heeun began to laugh – ‘So you go, but just a peck, no getting carried away, now!’
‘You go,’ said Heeun, ‘or Anna. I’m not.’
I said, ‘You’re flavour of the month, you know you are, after your party.’
‘Yeah, go on Heeun,’ said Anna. We were all laughing, Justine too, and Heeun let herself be pulled away which I didn’t think she would, but obviously the insane mood of the day was getting to her and she was still buzzed up from shoving Jayne.
We went up to Joanne, who said, ‘Oh God, no! Not another over-sexed second year!’ so Heeun looked highly offended.
‘I am only here for charity!’
I said, ‘Don’t generalise! Celine is Celine, we’re not all clones you know.’
So Heeun took her place and pretty soon Pierce came along sheepishly. I stayed to see what kind of kiss Heeun would give and sure enough it was the smallest butterfly flutter so Joanne looked relieved and I went back to take Heeun’s place at the fashion stall.
Anna went off to get food and me and Justine tried to flog the clothes. But they were too hideous so after a bit we gave up and started competitions on who could make the mannequin look most foul. Justine got a long leopard-skin scarf and wrapped it around her head and I got a shaggy fake-fur coat, which looked like a dirty white carpet, and then Justine forced shiny gold leggings up her legs, and then we added a green leather bum-bag.
‘Hey, actually she doesn’t look too bad!’ I said, ‘in a kind of disco queen way…’
‘Hmm,’ said Justine, and added some sun-glasses, which totally worked, and then she began to laugh a bit manically, and took the red marker we were using to write prices and began scrawling on the fake-fur coat!
‘Justine!’ I howled. It was pretty anarchic. I remembered when we were small Justine was the one to carry things furthest in our games. She’s actually quite nuts! I’d forgotten this when she went all quiet. She scrawled Now I’ve got arms right across the front and back of the coat. This was a pretty loopy, but inspired, thing to write. We stepped back.
‘She looks amazing,’ I said devoutly.
‘She just needs gold boots,’ said a voice behind us. We turned round. It was Derek.
‘You like her?’ I said.
‘Yeah. Put her in the kissing stall,’ said Derek, ‘unless you’d like to go in yourself …’ and he gave me a cheeky smile. I blushed slightly, then laughed. I was surprised at Derek. This was a bold and daring thing to say, practically worthy of J.P.! ‘Go on, it’s for charity,’ said Derek, and he winked at Justine and said, ‘See you tonight, yeah?’ and walked off, leaving me staring after until I pulled myself together to yell, ‘I’m gonna be dressed like her!’
I have to admit I was glad Derek hadn’t gone off with someone else like some other so-called admirers I could mention!
Then Justine started badgering me, ‘Who’s he? He’s cool. Are you really gonna dress like that? You should! I think we’ve invented a brilliant new look.’
Then Anna and Heeun were back. They looked at the mannequin and folded their arms, and shook their heads disapprovingly, but couldn’t keep from laughing.
‘It’s very fashion,’ said Heeun earnestly, ‘but it will only work on the cat-walk, I think. It is unwearable!’
‘No, Denise is gonna wear it tonight to meet that boy with dark eyes,’ said Justine.
‘Oh, oh!’ said Anna and Heeun, looking at me.
‘How d’you get on?’ I asked Heeun, quickly, to change the subject. ‘Are you the most kissed?’
‘I don’t know,’ she said modestly, ‘but I did quite well. Lots of the boys from our class and some from the other years as well!’
‘J.P?’ I said curiously, ‘David Leydon? Derek?’
‘Not J.P. or Derek,’ she said, giving me a sly look ‘but David Leydon, yes.’
I absorbed this surprising piece of information. It was not at all the kind of thing I could imagine David Leydon doing. Maybe he fancied Heeun!
‘Who replaced you?’ I said.
‘Nobody,’ she said, ‘I was time up …’
That reminded me! I checked my phone, ‘Nearly time!’ I said. We half swivelled our eyes to Justine. ‘I’m fine,’ she said. But she’d definitely turned paler.
We began packing up the clothes. They weren’t gonna sell in the ten minutes we’d left. Well, they weren’t gonna sell in a year.
‘Poor charity shops!’ said Anna.
I saved the jacket – as a memento of Justine’s craziness/creativity, not because I was going to wear it tonight. I was joking about that!
We ran off to assembly. We needed to get there early ’cause we needed to be in the front row. People were already there so we had to shove a bit to get to the front. There was Tommy and his band setting up. He winked at us. I felt gruesome. I looked at Justine and Heeun and Anna. They all looked gruesome.
Tommy’s show was really the highlight of the day. It was €5 in. Practically the whole school was crowded into the assembly hall because everyone wanted to hear Jamón Jamón; that’s the name of Tommy’s band (it’s pronounced ‘Hamown Hamown’ and it means ‘ham ham’ in Spanish). They’re really good. Well we think so. They’re smart too. They play some of their own stuff (so-so) and some Really Famous Stuff (brilliant, obviously). They kind of lull you into listening to their so-so stuff by rewarding you with Old Favourites. Like they kicked off with ‘Common People’, which everybody loves. How could you not love it? I practically forgot my fear I loved it so much. The hall went mad! And they were off, playing one of their own for every two famous ones. And some of their own were actually okay. They had a new one which had a pretty catchy tune and a chorus which by the end we were all singing along to.
And then Tommy announced, ‘And now, for my Johnny Cash numbers, I need a June Carter’ and he looked over the hall, up and down and round, till his eyes fell on Justine as if by chance and he pulled her up onto the stage!
She looked tiny and cute up there, in her jeans and stripey top.
I closed my eyes in sheer horror. My heart was going thud-thud-thud. It seemed to me that the whole hall had fallen silent with amazement.
And then: ‘Now I’ve got arms,’ sang Tommy, in his kind of throbbing, deep voice.
‘And you’ve got arms,’ came back an incredibly sweet, girlish voice.
I opened my eyes. That was Justine! She was holding a mike, looking just a t
iny bit nervous, but no nerves in her voice.
‘Let’s get together and use those arms … Time’s a wasting!’ They both sang, perfectly in tune, gazing full at each other. They looked like they were in love! Justine didn’t even look nervous any more. It was just incredible! I looked at Anna. Her mouth was popped open. She widened her eyes at me. We’d never imagined this!
They were singing Johnny Cash, which I recognised because Tommy is always listening to him. Probably a lot of people didn’t know this particular song, it’s not too famous, but it didn’t matter, their voices sounded so good together.
As soon as they’d finished, Tommy and Justine launched without pausing into another Johnny Cash song, and it was a really funny one. It allowed them to show the difference between their voices.
‘Daddy sang bass,’ sang Tommy, pushing his voice real low.
‘Mama sang tenor,’ sang Justine, real high.
‘Me and little brother would join right in there, in the sky, Lord, in the sky,’ they both sang. Their voices really were brilliant together.
At the end there was an avalanche of applause. Tommy took Justine’s hand and ‘Justine Nelson!’ he said into his mike (more clapping) and she smiled and waved like a real star and then he lowered her back down to the hall beside us, and he and his band started one of their own (so-so) songs. Unbelievable!
The rest of the concert passed in a delirium. I could not believe Justine had done that well. Of course she and Tommy had been practising for the past ten days, but even so …! I never thought their voices would sound so matched and I never ever believed she could look that confident and sassy.
And I knew that that was the end of the bullying – we didn’t even need O’Toole’s intervention (though I was glad Jayne O’Keeffe was gonna get it from him). I knew it was the end of the bullying because even I was looking at Justine with completely new eyes. Like I’ve admitted here, I did think Justine was a bit annoying, but now I knew that every time I saw her I’d remember her up on that stage. Respect.
It was a pity Mum and Dad hadn’t seen her.
Tommy’s last number was a total anthem, so the hall went crazy. Then as we began to file out people started coming up to Justine, people from older classes, teachers even and ‘you were amazing!’ they were saying. Off-stage she’d gone back to being shy, so she just blushed and nodded but looked thrilled.
The Bad Karma Diaries Page 16
