Three's a Crowd

by Margaret Pearce

  “What was their name?” I asked.

  “Plympton-Smith.” Drew’s smile now looked smug. “Have you heard of them?”

  Julie and I looked at each other. I knew immediately what she was thinking. Who hadn’t heard of the Plympton-Smiths around our district? The National Trust had restored the mansion on the hill that had once been the family home, and it was open to the public every second Saturday for tours. The big, two storey home next to Julie’s on its double block was practically a hovel by comparison. Fancy a relative of the Plympton-Smiths going to our ordinary high school! Traditionally, the Plympton-Smiths always patronized the big public school on the outskirts of the city.

  “Where did you go to school before here?” Julie asked.

  Drew shrugged and evaded the question. “We’ve moved around a fair bit. Dad’s always getting transferred. He said it didn’t matter where I did my Year 11 as long as I passed all my subjects.”

  “What subjects are you taking?” I decided to avoid any awkward questions about the reasons for changing schools. He wouldn’t be the first kid to change schools because of unsatisfactory marks.

  “All the maths/science subjects,” he said with a sigh. He picked up the sunscreen and tapped Julie to lie down so he could slather her back which was pinkening up. “It’s the English assignments I have trouble with.” Across Julie’s back his blue eyes met mine and my mouth went dry. I felt like a hooked fish. I just couldn’t break off eye contact. His eyes were so blue they blazed at me. “I really need help with some of them.”

  “I’ve read all the books on that list,” I heard myself say. It was a stroke of luck that English was my favourite subject and I read everything around. “You’re welcome to have a look at my notes if you want to.” I hadn’t done any note-taking, but it was not going to be difficult to do a few pages of notes to keep him interested.

  “And mine,” Julie offered, giving me a furious look. Julie hated reading and always depended on me to talk her through all the books she had to study. She rolled over and sat up, tilting her hat back. “Amanda and I spend our free periods every Friday afternoon going over our stuff.”

  Drew grinned. “I noticed you both in the library last Friday and wondered what was going on.”

  I glowed at that. He had at least noticed us at school. I wondered if he guessed that Julie and Louise had been watching him as well.

  “Am I to take it I’m welcome to join you on Friday afternoons?”

  “No problem,” we chorused.

  This was hardly what I had in mind when I’d planned on getting more friendly with Drew Jamison. Still, helping him with his English reading was at least a start. I sneaked a look at him. Was he really behind in English or was it just an excuse to get to know me better?

  Suddenly he caught my gaze. The dimple appeared again. He stood up and pulled me to my feet. “What about a quick swim to cool us down before I go back on duty?” he suggested.

  I smiled my agreement. Perhaps Drew was as attracted to me as I was to him. Everything seemed to be working out nicely. I saw Julie shed her glasses and hat and get to her feet.

  “You keep an eye on our stuff until I come out,” I suggested. She gave me a resigned nod and sat down.

  Drew and I ran down to the water, plunged in together, and swam out past the sandbank.

  “You’re a pretty strong swimmer for a girl,” he said as we bobbed up and waited for a wave. “I watched you swim out after that silly kid on the rubber mat. Do you train during the week?”

  “Only on Saturday mornings,” I admitted.

  This was almost true if I woke up early enough and there was nothing better to do with myself. However, if Drew trained on Saturdays as well, I promised myself to be more conscientious about my swimming. Just then the wave swelled behind us and we put our heads down and swam like mad. The wave lifted us and we cascaded down its steep slope, tumbling over and over in seething foam right up to the shore.

  The wave sucked out again, rolling us against each other and back into the water. Drew flung an arm around my waist and pulled me against him to stop me from moving. His arm was warm despite the coldness of the water, and the sand hollowed under us as the water receded. I shivered and not with cold. My knees had gone all boneless on me.

  “There’s a disco next Friday at Tootles,” he murmured. His head was close to mine and his mouth tickled my ear. “Interested?”

  I didn’t have time to reply because the next wave rolled up the beach like a solid wall. Coming right at us like a missile in the front of it was a yellow surfboard. I acted almost instinctively, pushing Drew back hard and spinning away so the big board slid between us.

  “Wow!” Brat shrieked exultantly. “Did you see me surf in?”

  “You shouldn’t be using the board among swimmers,” I snarled.

  I looked around for Drew but he was gone. He had overbalanced when I pushed him, and had presented sufficient purchase for the receding wave to spin him back into the water, but he wasn’t wading out again. When I stood up to look for him he was swimming fast and strongly out to where Louise, distinctive in the pink banded wetsuit, waited past the breakers.

  I just couldn’t believe what he was doing. The two heads were together now, clinging to the board. He was going to surf in with Louise. Geordie had already caught a wave and sailed to shore with the effortless grace that didn’t seem to belong to such a heavily built guy. I walked back up the beach to Julie, giving Brat such a glare that he backed away and tugged the yellow surfboard up the beach in the opposite direction. I felt like taking Brat out and drowning him like the pest he was.

  Geordie ran past me with his board, sprinkling cold water impartially on all the prone bodies. “That Louise is something, aye,” he yelled at me.

  He left his board by Julie and I quickened my pace to help her strip off his wetsuit, and then he ran towards the clubhouse. I dried myself and reached for the sunscreen. I was so miserable I almost couldn’t talk. The spunkiest guy on the beach had asked me for a date and I had muffed it! Did he really think that my shove meant no? Surely he realized that if I hadn’t shoved him away so hard the board would have hurtled into him?

  “All the boys are back on duty,” Julie remarked. “Drew looks like he’s coming in with Louise. They work out well together, don’t they?” I remained silent. Julie turned and examined my glum expression. She looked puzzled. “Did Drew carry on like Murray the Murk down by the water’s edge?” she demanded. ”What was going on?”

  “I shoved him out of the way of Jeebie’s board,” I explained. “It was heading straight for him.”

  “Didn’t actually see any board from here,” Julie said with a shrug. My heart sank. Suppose everyone else assumed that I had just pushed him away? “It just looked as if you suddenly got mad with something he said.” She looked at me more intently. “Just what was he saying anyway?”

  He was asking for a date, I raged to myself and if Brat hadn’t come to the beach with me today I would have had my date with the nicest guy in the district.

  “Nothing,” I said. “Do you realize how lucky you are to have only older brothers?”

  Chapter Six

  By Monday morning I had cheered up. So I hadn’t sighted Drew again for the rest of the afternoon. It didn’t mean that he was steering clear of us or me in particular.

  Louise had come back after a while to return the wetsuit, and then returned to her occupation of stalking Drew. Julie and I had watched her move in with our usual envy. It was no disgrace to lose a guy to Louise – she was the acknowledged expert, and made every move look so natural. She used every opportunity for body contact, stumbling against him on the sand and clinging helplessly to him in the surf.

  I could see the other guys grinning at this helpless female act Louise put on. Our Louise was the champion swimmer of the club, and Geordie was the only one she couldn’t beat. With Drew on duty Louise stayed close enough to the patrol station to keep an admiring eye on him, but not close enough to
cause unfavourable comments. As I said, she was the absolute expert.

  “Do you reckon he goes for the feminine type?” July asked thoughtfully.

  “Maybe just the Louise type,” I mused as I watched her shake her curls off her face and dimple up at Drew as though he had said something witty.

  It was something to consider when I got up on Monday morning. Maybe it was about time I revealed my feminine side too. I tried wearing my hair out of its plait, but it cascaded everywhere. I brushed it back and tied it with a ribbon. Louise was not the only one who had curls. I cinched my belt tighter, admiring the way my skirt swirled out when I walked and made my entrance into the kitchen.

  “Here comes golliwog,” Brat called out. I swung a backhander and he ducked. “Golliwog, golliwog,” he chanted.

  Mum blinked at me and carefully put down her brimming coffee cup. I could see that she was impressed by the new me. Monday mornings I usually scrambled into my raggiest jeans and elderly school jumper; there was no one worth impressing at our school at the beginning of the week.

  “Isn’t it a school day today?”

  “Yeah.”

  Mum was silenced. I mean what could she say? She couldn’t nag about me slouching out the door in rags this morning – I had even ironed my skirt and my new shirt. I was halfway through my breakfast when she dropped her bombshell.

  “Remember to come straight home tonight and get dinner for yourself and Brett. I’ve got to work late.”

  “I don’t believe this,” I burst out. “I’ve arranged to go around to Julie’s place tonight.” We had organized this on the way home last night. Now that Drew lived right next door to Julie, it seemed the logical place to do our homework. “You know we’ve got this test coming up.”

  “No problem,” Mum assured me. “Just make sure that Brett is with you. Mrs. Gosford won’t mind—”

  “I can take my togs,” Brat interrupted. “Geordie doesn’t mind if I swim in the pool.”

  “Well, I do,” I burst out. “Julie and I can‘t study with that brat around.”

  Brat would really cramp our style. I felt myself go clammy under my freshly ironed shirt. The one comfort I had all through the misery of the previous afternoon was that Drew wasn’t aware that Brat was related to me.

  “I should think that the amount of studying you and Julie do won’t be affected by Brett,” Mum pointed out. “Just make sure that he’s in bed before dark and this time check he washes his neck properly.”

  “Check he washes his neck properly,” I mimicked. “Whose kid is he supposed to be anyway? Why am I always stuck with him?”

  Mum raised an eyebrow. I could tell by the amused look on her face that I wasn’t getting through. It didn’t matter to her that my social life was being ruined by that little brat. My mother was the absolute pits.

  I slammed out the back door as hard as possible. Three seconds later it opened and Brat skipped out. “Golliwog, golliwog,” he chanted, following at a safe distance behind me. His voice altered. “Hi, Jeebie.”

  “Wait for me, golliwog,” called the hateful voice.

  I looked back. Jeebie had vaulted the gate of the small single fronted place next to ours, bounced a ball to Brat and winked at me. He still wore the faded cut-off jeans, the worn thongs and raggy T-shirt.

  Horrors! Had he become a new neighbour? I was in the middle of wondering if old Mrs Belano had moved before it dawned on me. John Belano must be staying with her. I sneaked another look at him. The height, skinniness and beaky nose were familiar, very familiar. Mrs Belano had passed on her genes. Jeebie grinned and caught up with me, leaving Brat behind with the ball.

  “Is Mrs Belano your grandmother?” I asked.

  “Who else,” he laughed. “Grandmothers only come in two issues and she’s my favourite.”

  “Are you staying with her?” I realized with a sinking heart that he was carrying an old, very torn airline bag and heading towards our high school. Surely he wasn’t going to be attending high school if he was just visiting.

  “Of course,” Jeebie said. He swung his bag in a wild arc, and I skipped out of the way.

  “Why?” I demanded.

  “Because, my beautiful golliwog, I have fallen madly in love with you. Your charms bring out the wolf in me.”

  To my horror, he dropped to his haunches and howled, exactly like a wolf! Several of the neighbours turned and stared at him. I felt my face go red. I can’t stand an exhibitionist. I walked on ahead, eyes front, pretending I didn’t know him.

  “Right on,” cheered Brat. “Can you teach me to do that please, Jeebie?”

  “Or perhaps you bring out the devoted spaniel in me,” Jeebie continued.

  I sneaked a look around. Jeebie was bouncing along like a frog, hands curled over in imitation of paws, and he had his tongue out, panting. I broke into a run.

  Jeebie sprang to his feet and loped after me. “What are you doing after school tonight?” he asked. “I need someone kind to help me with my math assignment.” My silence seemed to spur him on. “My English assignment? My swimming? What about teaching me how to knit? You look like you should be into feminine activities.”

  So much for getting dressed up on a Monday morning. I might have known that with my luck I would attract the district kook. What made it worse was that my little brother was skipping along beside us, both ears flapping as he listened to him.

  “You just get lost, John Belano,” I snapped over my shoulder as I kept running. “Or you will regret it.”

  We had reached the school gate and I skidded inside. All the crowd were lounging around. Louise, beside Drew, was the usual centre of attention. She wore a dress that was so mini she must have borrowed it from her little sister. She made Julie, who this morning wore her best jeans and off-the-shoulder T-shirt, and me look tizzy and overdressed. Trust Louise to get away with the shortest skirt in school.

  Jeebie cringed back, arms theatrically protecting his head. “Ill-treated by my beloved,” he sang out. “Meet me after school or I’ll throw myself off the diving board at the shallow end.”

  Everyone laughed at that and I heard Drew’s hearty chuckle above everyone else’s. Fortunately, at that moment, the school siren blared out. Brat ran off to his section of the primary school yard, still with Jeebie’s ball.

  Jeebie raised a casual hand to everyone, blew me a lingering kiss and strolled over to the office block. I pretended not to notice. I was very aware of Drew’s amused eyes going from Jeebie to me. I gave him a cheerful smile and hoped he was admiring the new feminine me. I didn’t feel cheerful underneath though. Not only was Jeebie a first class kook, but he was dangerous too. His stupid act had probably convinced Drew and the rest of the crowd that we had something going between us.

  “I see you’ve made a hit with Jeebie,” Julie whispered as we lined up for assembly.

  I shushed her. The headmaster was starting his Monday morning drone, and I couldn’t trust myself to answer anyway. Hit was the operative word I raged to myself. Before I could concentrate on Drew I had to discourage that guy hard and stop him pestering me. He made Murray the Murk look like an amateur when it came to embarrassing people.

  Chapter Seven

  “I’ll be glad to get home for a swim to cool off,” Julie said with a sigh.

  I nodded agreement. Monday was the worst day of the week to go to school. You’d think some reformer would start a crusade for a three day weekend, especially when the weather was hot. Today had been hot, but not nicely like it had been yesterday. It was a cloudy, humid sort of day that made concentration impossible, and somehow stretched time like chewing gum so classes seemed to go on and on interminably.

  We were hanging around after school waiting for Brat who, of course, had been kept in again. I watched enviously as the others left the school for more pleasant and cooler places. The school yard was deserted, and one by one the teachers were backing their cars out and leaving.

  Still Julie and I waited. My shirt and skirt were wilted,
and my heels were sore where my new shoes had rubbed. More of my hair had worked out of the ponytail and clung around my hot face. I didn’t need Jeebie’s whispered, “Hi golliwog” during library period to remind me of how dreadful I looked.

  Jeebie was playing basketball with some of the younger kids over in the primary school yard, and I was careful not to look in his direction. I had a run-in with him at the library when he sat beside me and had had to walk away at lunch time to escape his attentions. When we came out after school he was waiting for me. I had yelled loud enough to be heard all over the school that I didn’t need him to carry my books home or anywhere else for me and to please get lost and stay lost.

  “I got kept in ‘cause the teacher said I cheeked her,” Brat complained as he catapulted down the steps towards us.

  “Good for her,” Julie murmured.

  “Look! There’s Jeebie.” Brat raised his voice and I pounced on him as he tried to escape. “Hi, Jeebie.” His high pitched yell resounded around the empty yard. “Did you get your ball back? Can I play too?”

  “Don’t you want to have a swim in Geordie’s pool?” I hissed.

  “I wanna stay and play with Jeebie,” Brat objected.

  “You’ll miss out on afternoon tea,” Julie tempted. “Nothing left to eat after Geordie gets home.”

  This argument worked. Brat looked skinny and a bit delicate, but eating was one of his hobbies. He relaxed and waved goodbye to Jeebie, who stopped playing long enough to wave back. I released Brat and he ran on ahead.

  “We should really hurry,” Julie warned, knowing Brat almost as well as I did. “I bet he knocks off all the soft drinks.”

  By the time we reached Julie’s place, however, Brat was splashing around the pool, a soggy doughnut in one hand and an opened tin of soft drink in the other.

  “You should see the goodies in the fridge,” he yelled at us.

  Mrs. Gosford waved at us as we came in and I waved back, feeling better already. Mrs. Gosford was my very favourite person. She was stretched out beside the pool drinking tea, a large plate of doughnuts beside her. I always wished my mother had a nature like Mrs. Gosford, who never got upset or nagged about anything.