‘I believe you are.’
‘What, a double D?’
‘No, meant to be together.’
At that, Dolores squealed and hugged me. ‘That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.’
‘Is it?’ That was a bit of a surprise, to be honest. I’m always nice.
She grabbed my hand. ‘Sometimes I get the impression people think I’m thick. All they see is what’s on the outside. Just knowing that you believe in me, Cat – that someone believes in my talents … well, that’s just fantastic.’
‘You’re my friend, Double D. Of course I believe in you.’
I meant it, too. If anyone could get hold of Jazzy D (below the collar), then it was Dolores. Mainly because of the talents on the outside, of course, but I didn’t tell her that.
I did, though, tell her about my sudden concern about being a geek freak whose ideal night out was medieval chanting and inspecting test tubes. ‘Do I look like one of those Amish people on that programme?’
Dolores looked me up and down and then laughed. ‘Don’t be daft.’
Phew. ‘Really?’
‘No. You’re not that bad.’
Ah. Maybe not phew.
‘In fact, if you just dressed properly you’d look almost normal.’
Almost?
‘I’ll come round on Friday night and help you go through your wardrobe again, if you like.’
What was it with Friday night? Everything was happening on Friday night!
‘Oh, thanks, but I’ve got choir … ch … Quidditch on Friday.’ I put this in quickly because Freddie was back, and I didn’t want him knowing how dull I really am. He stared from me to Dolores and back again, then shook his head.
‘Sounds like you’re free on Friday night then, Dolores,’ he said, trying not to dribble at the sight of the home-made litmus paper badge she was pinning to her chest (yes, saying DD, as if that fact needed advertising). ‘Do you want to go to the movies?’
I think my lungs actually collapsed. As Dolores tossed her blonde and pink hair back over her shoulder, I sat down very suddenly on the tall stool, thinking in a very tiny thought voice of course of course of course he wants Dolores and why wouldn’t he but he’s nerdy and clever because he got A* on his last assignment though he just thinks I’m a freak and I hate myself hate myself …
‘What film are you seeing?’ said Dolores, still not realising, evidently, that he wouldn’t be seeing any film because he’d be gazing at her the whole time.
Then I knew he was clever – really, really clever – because at that point he reeled her in. ‘That band’s got a new film out. Double Version.’
‘The Double Vision film! Omigod Omigod!’ Dolores jumped up and down on the spot. ‘ It’s not out until next week, though.’
Freddie shrugged. ‘I work at the Multiplex, so I get to go to the previews.’
‘I’m in!’ said Dolores, beaming with joy. ‘Cat hates them, don’t you, Cat? So you wouldn’t have wanted to go anyway, would you?’
Hmm, where was that scalpel when I needed it, with which to stab myself? Sit in a darkened room with Freddie by my side, clearly not interested in the band at all in a way that so meant that WE were the ones who were supposed to be together? ‘No, I’d have hated it. Hated it. Couldn’t imagine anything worse!’
‘You’d have had to miss Quidditch, too,’ pointed out Freddie, with a bit of a nasty smirk which suggested he knew all too well what I’d been about to say. Very bright. Very, very bright.
I should detest you, my brain whined, but instead I Chemical Reaction You. Or for short, in the t-shirt version, I CRY. And I sat with my head in my hands for the rest of the lesson, not even interested to hear that my plant was the most acidic of all, because of course, I already knew …
Choir was disastrous. Couldn’t concentrate. Picked up the bass recorder instead of the tenor recorder and couldn’t understand why it sounded so terrible. Didn’t enjoy any of the singing in Latin as I don’t actually speak Latin. We could
‘What, a double D?’
‘No, meant to be together.’
At that, Dolores squealed and hugged me. ‘That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.’
‘Is it?’ That was a bit of a surprise, to be honest. I’m always nice.
She grabbed my hand. ‘Sometimes I get the impression people think I’m thick. All they see is what’s on the outside. Just knowing that you believe in me, Cat – that someone believes in my talents … well, that’s just fantastic.’
‘You’re my friend, Double D. Of course I believe in you.’
I meant it, too. If anyone could get hold of Jazzy D (below the collar), then it was Dolores. Mainly because of the talents on the outside, of course, but I didn’t tell her that.
I did, though, tell her about my sudden concern about being a geek freak whose ideal night out was medieval chanting and inspecting test tubes. ‘Do I look like one of those Amish people on that programme?’
Dolores looked me up and down and then laughed. ‘Don’t be daft.’
Phew. ‘Really?’
‘No. You’re not that bad.’
Ah. Maybe not phew.
‘In fact, if you just dressed properly you’d look almost normal.’
Almost?
‘I’ll come round on Friday night and help you go through your wardrobe again, if you like.’
What was it with Friday night? Everything was happening on Friday night!
‘Oh, thanks, but I’ve got choir … ch … Quidditch on Friday.’ I put this in quickly because Freddie was back, and I didn’t want him knowing how dull I really am. He stared from me to Dolores and back again, then shook his head.
‘Sounds like you’re free on Friday night then, Dolores,’ he said, trying not to dribble at the sight of the home-made litmus paper badge she was pinning to her chest (yes, saying DD, as if that fact needed advertising). ‘Do you want to go to the movies?’
I think my lungs actually collapsed. As Dolores tossed her blonde and pink hair back over her shoulder, I sat down very suddenly on the tall stool, thinking in a very tiny thought voice of course of course of course he wants Dolores and why wouldn’t he but he’s nerdy and clever because he got A* on his last assignment though he just thinks I’m a freak and I hate myself hate myself …
‘What film are you seeing?’ said Dolores, still not realising, evidently, that he wouldn’t be seeing any film because he’d be gazing at her the whole time.
Then I knew he was clever – really, really clever – because at that point he reeled her in. ‘That band’s got a new film out. Double Version.’
‘The Double Vision film! Omigod Omigod!’ Dolores jumped up and down on the spot. ‘ It’s not out until next week, though.’
Freddie shrugged. ‘I work at the Multiplex, so I get to go to the previews.’
‘I’m in!’ said Dolores, beaming with joy. ‘Cat hates them, don’t you, Cat? So you wouldn’t have wanted to go anyway, would you?’
Hmm, where was that scalpel when I needed it, with which to stab myself? Sit in a darkened room with Freddie by my side, clearly not interested in the band at all in a way that so meant that WE were the ones who were supposed to be together? ‘No, I’d have hated it. Hated it. Couldn’t imagine anything worse!’
‘You’d have had to miss Quidditch, too,’ pointed out Freddie, with a bit of a nasty smirk which suggested he knew all too well what I’d been about to say. Very bright. Very, very bright.
I should detest you, my brain whined, but instead I Chemical Reaction You. Or for short, in the t-shirt version, I CRY. And I sat with my head in my hands for the rest of the lesson, not even interested to hear that my plant was the most acidic of all, because of course, I already knew …
Choir was disastrous. Couldn’t concentrate. Picked up the bass recorder instead of the tenor recorder and couldn’t understand why it sounded so terrible. Didn’t enjoy any of the singing in Latin as I don’t actually speak Latin. We could
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