‘I love it!’ I cry, pulling my eyes reluctantly away from the T-shirt. ‘It’s amazing!’
Tamal sits back down and laughs.
‘We’ve had about thirty made,’ Amy says, holding her hand out to reach Tamal’s. ‘Do you think that will be enough?’
I put the T-shirt back in the box and smile.
‘Yeah,’ I say happily, ‘I’m sure it will be.’
*
‘Georgia, be careful.’
‘I am being careful.’
‘Mind the clutch!’
The car jolts forward and I snap my head round to glare at Amy.
‘Amy,’ I say tightly, ‘I have been driving for eight years. You don’t need to instruct me. I am a very good driver.’
Amy slumps back into her seat and rolls her eyes.
‘Apart from the time you ran an old lady over.’
I scowl at her and turn the key in the ignition again.
I did not run an old lady over. I just didn’t see her on the zebra crossing – and she had to, ever so slightly, jump out of the way and into a bush.
She was fine. My car was fine. Everyone was bloody fine.
The car springs back to life and we judder forward towards the school gates. For the first time in years, we woke up this morning to a layer of crisp snow coating the streets like royal icing. Everyone was excited and hopping around the garden like merry elves. I joined in for about four minutes until I slipped on a frozen snail and landed in the recycling bin.
Me, Amy and Tamal stayed up last night and plotted the route for the run, while Dad put together the signage. And now, in the tiny Fiat, me and Amy are wheeling around the school to map it all out.
‘Right,’ I say, as I wrench up the hand brake, ‘this is the 1k mark.’
Amy nods and holds up a torch. She shines it out of the car window and I kick the door open with a thud. We had to wait for all the children to leave before we could begin, so it’s now almost pitch black. The icy air rattles through me as I grab the first sign off Amy and ram it into the ground.
‘Can you pass the hammer please?’ I ask, steadying the sign with my bodyweight and holding one arm out towards the car. Amy pushes it towards me, her eyes glued to her phone screen. I grab the hammer roughly.
‘Thank you,’ I say stiffly, whacking the hammer on the sign. The sign breaks through the icy earth and I give it one final kick, before jumping back into the car.
‘Right,’ I say, slamming the door shut, ‘now where?’
Amy doesn’t answer and I glower at her.
‘Amy?’ I say sharply.
‘What?’
‘You’re meant to be telling me where to go!’ I say. ‘Where next?’
Amy doesn’t look up from her phone but flings her arm out in a vague gesture. ‘Over there,’ she says unhelpfully.
I ram the car forward, irritation niggling at me. Why is she being so difficult?
The car slowly grinds across the school field, sliding under the mushy snow. My hands grip the steering wheel and I narrow my eyes in an attempt to see into the darkness.
‘Here?’ I ask.
Amy ignores me, and I bite my tongue.
‘Right!’ I say crossly. ‘Here it is, then. Can I have the sign, please?’
I twist my body round to face Amy, her eyes mindlessly running up and down her Facebook feed. She doesn’t answer.
‘Amy?’ I snap.
‘It’s there!’ she cries. ‘It’s under my foot. You can reach it.’
I glare at her, anger fizzing under my skin.
‘Fine,’ I say tightly, whipping the sign out from underneath her feet and kicking my way out of the car.
Two signs down, only seven more to bloody go.
I stab the second sign into the frozen earth and whack it into place with the hammer, the beam from Amy’s torch light hanging limply in the air. Once the sign is firmly in, I jump back into the car.
‘You know,’ I mutter, jabbing the key back in the ignition, ‘if you didn’t want to come, you could have stayed at home.’
‘Oh yeah,’ Amy says scathingly. ‘Like I always do.’
The car jolts forward again and we roll through the snow. My eyes flick over to Amy.
‘What?’
Amy angles her body away from me and I turn my attention back to the field, now engulfed in a blanket of darkness. My car lights are swallowed by the night sky as the car crackles over the field, leaving an icy snail trail.
I glance down at the map and slow the car down.
‘Okay,’ I say, trying to sound more upbeat, ‘here?’
I pull the hand brake up and look at Amy. Once again, she doesn’t answer me.
‘Here?’ I press on, a wave of anger rising inside me.
‘I don’t know,’ Amy says, ‘I don’t care.’
I glower at her, my ears ringing with frustration.
‘What’s the matter with you?’ I cry. ‘Why are you being so difficult?’
Amy lets out a dry laugh as she refreshes her phone.
‘Oh yeah,’ she says coldly, ‘I’m always difficult. Sorry for being so difficult. You won’t have to deal with me much longer.’
I stare back at her, dumbfounded.
‘What?’
‘It’s almost over!’ Amy cries, finally raising her eyes to meet mine. ‘What am I going to do with myself? I can’t work. I can’t do anything!’
The last words fall out of her mouth, and she stares back down at her phone defensively.
I feel a thick ball of emotion swelling in the back of my throat.
‘Come on,’ I say weakly. ‘We haven’t got many left to do.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Running schedule:
04/08 1k (August is not the time to start running. Sweat patches are uncontrollable.)
10/09 2k (Actually isn’t that far at all. Who knew?)
05/10 3k (Am doing v. well. Kudos to me. I am superior to all. Bow to me, Usain.)
19/10 4k (Finishes right by Burger King! Coincidence?!?!)
13/11 5k (Christ)
16/11 6k (Life flashed before eyes. Can’t go on much longer. Go on without me, Mo.)
23/11 7k (How does anyone do this for pleasure?)
25/11 8k (Urghhhhhhhhh. Whyyyyy do I have to run, whyyyyyyy???)
28/11 9k (Cause of death)
I take a deep breath in an attempt to dispel the anxiety snaking up my body as I look at my reflection in the mirror. I glance down at my new sports watch, strapped to my arm: 11.01.
It’s today. The run has finally come. I shuffle my legs to try and kick-start my blood flow, which seems to have stopped somewhere around my heart. I’m wearing black sports leggings, two sports bras and – my favourite part of the outfit – the charity T-shirt.
I’ve been awake since five, which – obviously – is unheard of, for me. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t believe something I created was really going to happen.
Well, something me and Jack created.
‘Hey.’
I look round as I see Amy enter the PE Office, which I have turned into my dressing room. She is also wearing her matching T-shirt, and her chestnut hair is spun down to her waist.
‘Hey,’ I say back. ‘You okay?’
‘Yeah,’ Amy says quietly, as she moves closer to me.
I turn from the mirror and drop into a swivel chair, fighting the urge to spin round in it like a child. I’m glad I never had one of these at Lemons, I’d never have got anything done.
‘So this is your office,’ I say. ‘Was this your desk?’
‘Of course,’ Amy says. ‘Look.’
She points behind me and I swing the chair around and follow her gaze.
‘Oh!’ I cry, as I notice photos of Amy and Tamal together, and then a photo of me. ‘You have a photo of me on your desk!’ I say, touched. ‘I had no idea.’
Amy smiles. ‘Well, you know.’
‘Is it because I’m so inspiring?’ I say, flashing her a grin.
A small laugh fall
s out of Amy, which dies almost instantly. I look back at her. The usual spark in her eyes isn’t there.
‘Are you okay?’ I ask, swivelling round to face her.
Amy tilts her head to the side. ‘Yeah,’ she says in a small voice. Her eyes drop, and she looks down at her lap.
I frown at her and reach out to take her hand. ‘No you’re not,’ I say. ‘What is it?’ I squeeze her palm. ‘Tell me.’
‘Nothing.’
‘Amy!’ I say sternly. ‘Tell me, what’s wrong?’
Amy’s body shakes as she exhales deeply and I feel a splash of wet on my hand as a tear falls from her eyes. She shakes her head quickly and dabs at her eyes with her other hand.
‘I’m really proud of you,’ she says. ‘I’m so proud of you, Georgie.’
I look back at her, feeling my heart contract at her expression.
‘Well,’ I say lightly, ‘you’re not crying because you’re proud, are you?’
A rush of tears drown Amy’s smile and she shakes her head, then looks back down at our entwined hands.
‘What is it?’ I say again. ‘Come on, Amy, tell me.’
‘It’s just,’ she says, ‘I just wish I could run too.’ The tears are gathering around her swollen eyes. ‘It’s just hard for me, not to be a part of it.’
I look back at her, my eyes blurring.
‘Amy,’ I say gently, ‘this whole thing is because of you. Everyone in the community wanted to help you. You inspired this event. You inspired me. This list changed me. You may not be able to run the 10k, but you can’t say that you aren’t a part of it. You are it.’
‘Georgia?’
I look up from Amy to see Tamal standing in the door frame. He clocks Amy and rushes over.
‘Hey,’ he says, hooking his arm around her shoulder, ‘what’s going on?’
Amy wipes her eyes with the back of her hand quickly and shakes her head.
‘Nothing,’ she says quickly. ‘I’m just being silly. Emotional.’
Tamal looks at her questioningly, and then back at me.
‘Err . . .’ he starts, ‘Georgie?’
‘Yeah?’
‘Have you looked outside recently?’
My eyes snap up to meet his.
Oh God, what’s happened? Tornado? Hurricane? Alien invasion?
No. Don’t be silly, Georgia. We never get hurricanes in England.
I get to my feet quickly, push my way out of the office door and head towards the nearest window. My mouth falls open as my eyes scan the school playground, which is overflowing with people. Runners of all different ages, shapes and sizes are limbering up, jogging on the spot and stretching across the playground. There are pockets of families scattered about, chatting excitedly and taking photos. My eyes alight on some younger children, who I recognise as Amy’s school running club, all bouncing up and down excitedly. I smile as I spot Larry and Nigel, setting up their radio booth, and Mum, perched in the mini marquee we bought, barely visible in her giant scarf, which is coiled up to her nose like a festive woollen snake.
There are so many people. How are there so many people?
I push through the doors and scurry over to Mum, my body pounding with adrenaline as the cold air takes my breath away. Tamal and Amy follow.
‘Mum!’ I say as I reach her. ‘Mum?’
Mum twists round to face me. Her cheeks are pinched and her nose is glowing in the cold.
‘Darling!’ she cries, leaping to her feet. ‘Darling, look! Have you seen? We’ve run out of T-shirts! Tamal,’ she leans over, ‘do we have any more?’
Tamal shakes his head, laughing.
‘What are all these people doing here?’ I manage, as Dad appears and drapes his heavy arm around my shoulders.
‘I’ve just been talking to that group over there!’ he chortles. ‘They’re a running club from Sutton. And we’ve got some chaps over there who heard about it on the radio.’
‘Have you seen my yoga class, Ian?’ Mum asks quickly. ‘Have you said hello?’
‘They’re all here for the run!’ Tamal says, clapping me on the shoulder. ‘Georgia, have you checked the money?’
‘The money?’ I echo mindlessly.
‘How much money we’ve raised?’ Tamal says. ‘Georgie, we’ve raised a fortune!’
Mum squeals as a smorgasbord of runners stream up to the desk, all dressed in Lycra and grinning.
‘Hello!’ one of them says. ‘Can we sign up, please? We’ve all donated to the page. We couldn’t quite get one hundred each, but we’ve done it between us.’
I spin round to face the woman speaking. She looks about forty and has a wide smile, which is mirrored in the faces of the women running with her.
‘That’s amazing!’ I gush. ‘One hundred pounds is amazing!’
The woman blinks back at me, bemused, and turns to Mum, who hands out stickers with numbers on them.
‘So, you’re number eighty-one,’ she says, adopting a professional voice, ‘through to eighty . . . err,’ she counts with her pen, ‘nine. Okay?’
‘Eighty-nine?’ I spin round to face Dad. ‘There are eighty-nine people here? There can’t be eighty-nine people here!’
Dad surveys the sea of people and laughs. ‘Oh no,’ he says, ‘there are eighty-nine runners here. There are far more people here, love.’
I step back from Dad, feeling as if all the air in my body has escaped through my ears.
‘Now,’ Dad says quickly, steering me back round, ‘I’ve put a stage up over there, can you see? We used some bits from the school hall. It should be okay for Laura to do her warm-up.’
‘Is she here?’ Mum says, sticking her head up like a meerkat.
‘She’s just setting up, love,’ says Dad.
I stare around and spot a small stage in the corner of the school playground, where Laura is setting up a music machine. She is dressed head to toe in fluorescent pink sports gear, and she has a large fur hat wrapped round her head.
‘Hello, can I help?’
I jump at the sound of Amy’s voice and realise she’s slipped in next to Mum, behind the desk. I feel a pang of worry, when Tamal grabs my arm.
‘Georgie,’ he says quietly, ‘listen, before the run starts. I need to talk to you.’
*
‘Okay! Are we ready?’
I feel a balloon of excitement inflate inside me as I look around at the runners, all spread out across the playground, as Laura’s high-pitched voice booms over the speakers.
‘Let’s get you all warm!’ she calls. ‘We’re raising a lot of money today for the amazing MS Society, so please do keep donating! For those of you who aren’t running, we have hot chocolate for sale, a raffle, and lots and lots of charity buckets.’
My face reddens as I hear Mum ‘whoop’ loudly from the corner, and a clatter of laughter spreads like dominoes through the audience.
‘Come on!’ Laura calls. ‘Let’s go!’ She leans over and hits a button on the machine, and the music pumps out and fills the playground. I jump up and down on the spot to keep myself warm.
I don’t know why I decided that December was the best month for a 10k. It’s bloody freezing.
‘Georgia?’
I see Sally stride towards me on her long, stick-like legs. My eyes widen at the sight of her. I know she always said that she was going to come, but I never thought she actually would.
‘Sally!’ I cry, and before I can stop myself I fling my arms around her. I feel Sally’s rigid arms hang behind my back as I squeeze her.
Might as well make the most of it. This is probably the first and last time I will ever hug Sally.
‘And let’s do some star jumps!’ Laura calls, as Sally moves next to me and we leap in unison.
‘You came!’ I cry. ‘I can’t believe you actually came.’
Sally frowns at me. ‘I told you I was coming,’ she says, her face still red under the shock of my hug, ‘my whole running club is here.’
She gestures over her shoulder and I s
pot a large crowd of people all jumping on the spot. I smile, warmth spreading across my chest.
She actually did it. She brought all of these people.
‘How are you?’ I gush, as we move on to a different exercise.
‘Fine,’ Sally says immediately.
I smile with fondness at the familiarity of her fast response.
‘Good,’ I grin.
‘It’s not the same without you,’ she says quickly, as if saying the words out loud causes her great discomfort. ‘Everyone says so.’
I falter.
‘Really?’ I manage.
‘They are all here,’ she adds, pointing. ‘Natalie invited everyone from work to come and support you.’
I look over and gasp as I spot Natalie, waving manically. I do a double-take as I spot the horsey face of the guy stood next to her, his arm draped over her shoulder.
Is that Lewis? Lewis from the speed dating?
Oh well. Each to their own, I guess.
I wave my arms back at her as I take in the sea of people behind her. Everyone from my office is here.
Well, almost everyone.
‘Bianca and her family have left now,’ Sally says tightly, ‘for the honeymoon.’
I pull my eyes away from her. Bianca and Jonathan were going to the Maldives, with their entire family. Jack told me.
He’s really gone, then.
‘Okay!’ Laura commands. ‘Stretch it out!’
I lean on one leg, my ears pounding. I can’t believe there are so many people here.
‘Hey,’ I say to Sally as my eyes focus on her body, ‘you’re wearing one of the T-shirts!’
Sally looks down at herself and then at me.
‘Yes,’ she says stiffly. ‘You designed it.’
I blink back at her, failing to stifle my laughter.
‘Yeah!’ I say, swapping legs. ‘Do you like it?’ I can’t help but add.
Sally swaps legs, her stretch considerably deeper than mine.
‘Of course,’ she says matter-of-factly, ‘your designs are very good.’
I pull myself back up to standing and stare at her. Sally has never said I was good at anything.
‘Okay!’ says Laura. ‘I think you’re all ready now. Let’s get running!’
She clicks a button and a loud claxon trumpets through the playground, and everyone jogs in unison towards the starting line. I see Mum waving excitedly and Larry chatting quickly into the microphone as the sea of joggers troop forward. Finally, my eyes stray towards Amy and she gives me a thumbs-up. I feel a swell of determination fire through my chest, diminishing any anxiety left inside me. I push myself forward to the front of the line and feel the icy air rattle in my lungs.
The List That Changed My Life Page 24
