laughing.
Then I feel a warm sensation down the front of my jeans. Alex has only gone and peed all over me. That’s all I need. I walk back into the house, holding him out in front of me, his legs waggling around like a rag doll’s.
“I’ll have to change,” I tell Seth. “Sorry.”
He shrugs. “No problem. Give him to me and I’ll put a nappy on his butt. Where are they?”
“Are you sure?” I stare at him.
“Sure. I have loads of nieces and nephews that age. I’m always helping out. What is he, one?”
“One and a half.” I blow a raspberry on Alex’s neck. He loves it. Right on cue, he gives a hiccupy giggle. “This is Alex. Alex, meet Seth.”
“Hi, Alex.” Seth takes one of Alex’s little hands and shakes it.
So cute. I beam at Seth. In fact I’m having a hard time not smiling like a circus clown. It’s so lovely to see him. He wasn’t in school on Tuesday afternoon for some reason, so he missed art class. And I missed him. I haven’t been talking to him at break. I usually eat lunch sitting on the steps by the science labs with Sophie and Mills. To be honest I have no idea where Seth has lunch, I’ve never really thought about it.
When I come back downstairs Seth and Alex have disappeared. For a split second I panic. Maybe Seth’s done a runner with the baby. You hear about things like that on the news. Maybe his mum can’t have any more children and…
Then I hear Alex screaming. It’s coming from the garden. I watch from the kitchen window as Seth speeds around the grass with Alex in his arms. Alex is grinning and giggling. He’s flapping his chubby arms up and down like a baby bird learning to fly. He looks so content. I feel a lurch of happiness in the pit of my stomach and I stand, spying on them, until I’m spotted.
“Hey, Amy!” Seth shouts. “We’re being a shark. Come on in, the water’s lovely.”
When Mum comes home we’re in the living room messing with my Bebo site. Seth’s showing me some really cool YouTube clips and we’ve already added one to my flashboard: this wild animal fight at a waterhole in Africa called “Battle at Kruger”. A baby buffalo is grabbed by lions and crocodiles and then gets saved by his herd.
“Hi,” Mum says, looking at Seth curiously and then back at me.
“This is Seth,” I tell her. “A friend from school.”
“Hello, Mrs Green,” he says, jumping to his feet ultra-politely. He looks like he’s about to stick out his hand to shake hers.
Mum smiles at him in a friendly sort of way. “I’m not actually Mrs Green any more.”
Seth’s face falls. “Oh, sorry.”
“Not a problem. Just call me Sylvie. And it’s nice to meet you, Seth.” Mum bends down and picks up Alex, who is playing with his Fisher Price garage, which really means rolling all the cars under the sofa and trying to crawl under to fetch them. He always gets stuck because his nappy gives him a huge sumo wrestler’s bum. “Thanks for keeping an eye on this little monster. Was he good?”
“He was fine,” I say. “Apart from weeing all over my jeans.”
She laughs. “Anyway you’re off the hook now. Evie’s asleep in her pram, try not to wake her up.”
“OK. Mum, can I take the laptop upstairs?”
“Of course. But keep the door open.” She grins. “I know all about you teenagers and your hopping hormones. I watch
The OC
.”
“Mum!” I say, mortified. “
The OC
finished years ago.”
“Oh, I must be watching repeats. They show it on one of the satellite channels at six in the morning when I’m up with Evie. Hey, there’s a Seth in that too, isn’t there? Any relation?”
I groan. “Mum. That’s feeble.”
Please
be quiet and stop embarrassing me, I plead telepathically.
“I’m only kidding,” she says. She’s in a very good mood for some reason, which is great. I hope it lasts until tomorrow: shopping with Clover day. If she stays so cheery I might just get new boots
and
new jeans.
Actually she could have been even
Then I feel a warm sensation down the front of my jeans. Alex has only gone and peed all over me. That’s all I need. I walk back into the house, holding him out in front of me, his legs waggling around like a rag doll’s.
“I’ll have to change,” I tell Seth. “Sorry.”
He shrugs. “No problem. Give him to me and I’ll put a nappy on his butt. Where are they?”
“Are you sure?” I stare at him.
“Sure. I have loads of nieces and nephews that age. I’m always helping out. What is he, one?”
“One and a half.” I blow a raspberry on Alex’s neck. He loves it. Right on cue, he gives a hiccupy giggle. “This is Alex. Alex, meet Seth.”
“Hi, Alex.” Seth takes one of Alex’s little hands and shakes it.
So cute. I beam at Seth. In fact I’m having a hard time not smiling like a circus clown. It’s so lovely to see him. He wasn’t in school on Tuesday afternoon for some reason, so he missed art class. And I missed him. I haven’t been talking to him at break. I usually eat lunch sitting on the steps by the science labs with Sophie and Mills. To be honest I have no idea where Seth has lunch, I’ve never really thought about it.
When I come back downstairs Seth and Alex have disappeared. For a split second I panic. Maybe Seth’s done a runner with the baby. You hear about things like that on the news. Maybe his mum can’t have any more children and…
Then I hear Alex screaming. It’s coming from the garden. I watch from the kitchen window as Seth speeds around the grass with Alex in his arms. Alex is grinning and giggling. He’s flapping his chubby arms up and down like a baby bird learning to fly. He looks so content. I feel a lurch of happiness in the pit of my stomach and I stand, spying on them, until I’m spotted.
“Hey, Amy!” Seth shouts. “We’re being a shark. Come on in, the water’s lovely.”
When Mum comes home we’re in the living room messing with my Bebo site. Seth’s showing me some really cool YouTube clips and we’ve already added one to my flashboard: this wild animal fight at a waterhole in Africa called “Battle at Kruger”. A baby buffalo is grabbed by lions and crocodiles and then gets saved by his herd.
“Hi,” Mum says, looking at Seth curiously and then back at me.
“This is Seth,” I tell her. “A friend from school.”
“Hello, Mrs Green,” he says, jumping to his feet ultra-politely. He looks like he’s about to stick out his hand to shake hers.
Mum smiles at him in a friendly sort of way. “I’m not actually Mrs Green any more.”
Seth’s face falls. “Oh, sorry.”
“Not a problem. Just call me Sylvie. And it’s nice to meet you, Seth.” Mum bends down and picks up Alex, who is playing with his Fisher Price garage, which really means rolling all the cars under the sofa and trying to crawl under to fetch them. He always gets stuck because his nappy gives him a huge sumo wrestler’s bum. “Thanks for keeping an eye on this little monster. Was he good?”
“He was fine,” I say. “Apart from weeing all over my jeans.”
She laughs. “Anyway you’re off the hook now. Evie’s asleep in her pram, try not to wake her up.”
“OK. Mum, can I take the laptop upstairs?”
“Of course. But keep the door open.” She grins. “I know all about you teenagers and your hopping hormones. I watch
The OC
.”
“Mum!” I say, mortified. “
The OC
finished years ago.”
“Oh, I must be watching repeats. They show it on one of the satellite channels at six in the morning when I’m up with Evie. Hey, there’s a Seth in that too, isn’t there? Any relation?”
I groan. “Mum. That’s feeble.”
Please
be quiet and stop embarrassing me, I plead telepathically.
“I’m only kidding,” she says. She’s in a very good mood for some reason, which is great. I hope it lasts until tomorrow: shopping with Clover day. If she stays so cheery I might just get new boots
and
new jeans.
Actually she could have been even
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