triumphant. ‘Yeah, go on, Sorrel, go and stuff your face. Charge it to your platinum Amex.’ Carly’s entourage laughed long and loud with their pout-painted mouths wide open showing flawless teeth and greying knots of half-chewed gum.
‘Bunch of slags,’ Millie muttered as the two girls walked away. ‘They’re so not funny. They’re just jealous – no change there.’
‘I know,’ Sorrel said, feeling miserable. ‘But why are they so pathetic? Why do they think I’m loaded? My family just so
isn’t
. They should see our house – it’s falling to bits around us.’ She felt in need of comfort and chose both pasta and chips to go with a token bit of salad and sod Jamie Oliver.
‘Yeah, but to be fair, it is mega-big and kind of historic and grand. Plus you’re one of those girls who looks annoyingly fantastic without making any real effort
and
you drive that black Mini
and
you’re going out with Gaz. Carly wanted Gaz. Still does – you saw her at Tasha’s eighteenth, practically oozing herself over him.’
Sorrel giggled. ‘I think I’ll tell her she can have him, and then, when she has – because he’s not going to say no to her, is he, not when it’s on a plate and she’s in that denim micro-skirt? – I’ll get her on her own and come over all girl-to-girl and tell her he’s left us both with a nasty little infectious problem that needs clearing up.’
‘Excellent! I’ve still got some of those flyers they gave us after that sexual health reminder-lecture last year. You can give her the phone number.’
‘Better yet, I’ll make an appointment for her and offer to drive her there – make sure she goes!’
Millie thought for a moment. ‘Yeah, but then you won’t have Gaz any more. Wouldn’t you miss him? And who’ll you go travelling with? I can’t go – I don’t want a gap year. Med school is long enough as it is without taking time out as well.’
Sorrel sighed. ‘I’m not that sure if he’s really serious about going. He likes the idea but he’s not what you’d call organized. And he’s broke – everything he gets he spends on computer games and stupid pimping-up toys for his car. But anyway,’ and she laughed, ‘I could always tag along with my folks. They’re selling the house and spending the dosh going round the world. And, hey, Carly would love this – they really
are
talking about going first class!’
‘Mad! Mad but brilliant! Are they serious? Where will you all live after the trips are done?’
‘Who knows? Up a tree or something.’ Sorrel arranged her chips in sunflower petal formation round the edge of her plate. ‘They’re always serious – at first. They were serious about the restaurant; then Mum was serious about the gallery in the village – the one she sold to Susie Granger – and serious when she gave up on that and did painting for a couple of years till the house filled up with horrible sticky canvases that we’ve mostly still got because nobody wanted to buy them. Now they’re both serious about their herbs and their vegetables and being self-sufficient if you don’t count having to buy in the meat and the fish. Plus stuff in tins and pasta.’
‘And loo rolls and washing powder and tea-bags and wine and just about everything else?’
‘Yeah – my parents’ idea of self-sufficiency is a bit lacking. Or was. I guess they’re over that phase now. Still, I’m just glad they didn’t decide that keeping a couple of pigs would be a great idea. They’d probably have let them into the house in winter and have them sleeping in front of the fire. You’re right about mad though. It’s highly possible that I’ll come back from travelling and not have anywhere to live. I just hope they leave their new address with Clover.’
‘Chips
and
pasta, Sorrel? Tut tut!’ Carly commented snidely as she swaggered past, leading her team out of the canteen.
‘Chips, chips, straight to your hips,’ two of Carly’s minions chorused as they
‘Bunch of slags,’ Millie muttered as the two girls walked away. ‘They’re so not funny. They’re just jealous – no change there.’
‘I know,’ Sorrel said, feeling miserable. ‘But why are they so pathetic? Why do they think I’m loaded? My family just so
isn’t
. They should see our house – it’s falling to bits around us.’ She felt in need of comfort and chose both pasta and chips to go with a token bit of salad and sod Jamie Oliver.
‘Yeah, but to be fair, it is mega-big and kind of historic and grand. Plus you’re one of those girls who looks annoyingly fantastic without making any real effort
and
you drive that black Mini
and
you’re going out with Gaz. Carly wanted Gaz. Still does – you saw her at Tasha’s eighteenth, practically oozing herself over him.’
Sorrel giggled. ‘I think I’ll tell her she can have him, and then, when she has – because he’s not going to say no to her, is he, not when it’s on a plate and she’s in that denim micro-skirt? – I’ll get her on her own and come over all girl-to-girl and tell her he’s left us both with a nasty little infectious problem that needs clearing up.’
‘Excellent! I’ve still got some of those flyers they gave us after that sexual health reminder-lecture last year. You can give her the phone number.’
‘Better yet, I’ll make an appointment for her and offer to drive her there – make sure she goes!’
Millie thought for a moment. ‘Yeah, but then you won’t have Gaz any more. Wouldn’t you miss him? And who’ll you go travelling with? I can’t go – I don’t want a gap year. Med school is long enough as it is without taking time out as well.’
Sorrel sighed. ‘I’m not that sure if he’s really serious about going. He likes the idea but he’s not what you’d call organized. And he’s broke – everything he gets he spends on computer games and stupid pimping-up toys for his car. But anyway,’ and she laughed, ‘I could always tag along with my folks. They’re selling the house and spending the dosh going round the world. And, hey, Carly would love this – they really
are
talking about going first class!’
‘Mad! Mad but brilliant! Are they serious? Where will you all live after the trips are done?’
‘Who knows? Up a tree or something.’ Sorrel arranged her chips in sunflower petal formation round the edge of her plate. ‘They’re always serious – at first. They were serious about the restaurant; then Mum was serious about the gallery in the village – the one she sold to Susie Granger – and serious when she gave up on that and did painting for a couple of years till the house filled up with horrible sticky canvases that we’ve mostly still got because nobody wanted to buy them. Now they’re both serious about their herbs and their vegetables and being self-sufficient if you don’t count having to buy in the meat and the fish. Plus stuff in tins and pasta.’
‘And loo rolls and washing powder and tea-bags and wine and just about everything else?’
‘Yeah – my parents’ idea of self-sufficiency is a bit lacking. Or was. I guess they’re over that phase now. Still, I’m just glad they didn’t decide that keeping a couple of pigs would be a great idea. They’d probably have let them into the house in winter and have them sleeping in front of the fire. You’re right about mad though. It’s highly possible that I’ll come back from travelling and not have anywhere to live. I just hope they leave their new address with Clover.’
‘Chips
and
pasta, Sorrel? Tut tut!’ Carly commented snidely as she swaggered past, leading her team out of the canteen.
‘Chips, chips, straight to your hips,’ two of Carly’s minions chorused as they
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