while Finn is still . . . otherwise engaged.
‘What’s up?’ says another, deeper voice.
Oh great. Just great. It’s not Mum. It’s Finn.
‘Why are you jumping like that, buddy?’ he is saying to Harris.
‘Cos I need to pee and Skye wouldn’t let me in cos she says she’s locked in!’ Harris whines.
‘Okaaay,’ says Finn. ‘So why don’t you go downstairs? I’ll help Skye.’ I can hear the amusement in his voice.
Yeah, right. I don’t believe for one moment that he wants to help me.
Once Harris has run off, Finn starts laughing so hard I am thinking it is a good job he has already been to the loo, otherwise he might wet himself.
Another top mental image. Well done, Skye, you are surpassing yourself today.
‘I am so glad I am such a great source of hilarity,’ I say with as much sarcasm as I can manage. ‘While you are enjoying yourself, do you think you could please go and get Mum?’
‘Er, not really,’ says Finn through his laughter. ‘She’s in her room trying on outfits for her next class.’
Give me strength. She is a woman obsessed. ‘Okaaay,’ I say slowly. ‘Call through the door to her then.’
‘No, I can’t do that,’ says Finn. ‘It’s weird. She might be in her underwear.’
‘I said CALL through the door,’ I shout. ‘You don’t have to go in.’
At this point Harris can be heard running back up the stairs.
‘I’ve got an idea,’ he says. ‘Let’s get your dad, Finn.’
‘NO!’ I yell.
‘Why is everyone outside the bathroom?’
Ah, thank goodness. It’s Mum.
‘Mum! It’s me, Skye,’ I say.
‘We know that,’ says Finn, sniggering.
‘SHUT UP!’ I say.
‘Skye, dear, that’s not very nice,’ says Mum. ‘Why don’t you come out instead of shouting at us through the door?’
‘I can’t! That’s the whole point,’ I say. ‘The bolt’s got jammed.’ My voice wobbles. I bite my lip.
Do. Not. Cry.
‘One of the screws has fallen on the floor,’ I say. ‘I’m stuck – can you get me out?’
Mum laughs. ‘You silly sausage!’ she says. ‘What were you doing, bolting yourself in there anyway?’
Mum’s laughter pushes a button inside me. The unshed tears are immediately replaced by a shot of pure, hot anger; my ears are ringing with it. How can she laugh at me in front of Finn?
‘What kind of a question is that?’ I shout. ‘I bolted the door because I didn’t want anyone to come in, of course. Just GET ME OUT, can’t you? And don’t call me a “silly sausage”,’ I add, my voice dropping to a sulk.
Finn, Mum and Harris are all laughing now. Then Finn says, ‘I think Harris is right – I should get Dad. He’s got a good toolkit.’
‘NO!’ I say.
They are not listening to me, of course. I hear Mum saying thank you to Finn and then their voices recede as they walk away.
I slide down on to the floor again and my phone beeps once more.
Another text from Aubrey:
BORED BORED BORED. Pleeeeeeease text me. I am soooooo sorry if I have upset you
It is such a relief to see my best friend’s name that I automatically text back without pausing to think.
My life WAY WORSE than yours. Am stuck in loo.
Aubrey replies straight away.
WHAT?
Thank goodness for my BFF.
I am soon engrossed in texting back and forth and telling Aubrey the whole sorry story. She is being really sympathetic and making me laugh with more emoticons and silly selfies. It feels good to be joking around with her again.
I have almost forgotten that I am stuck in the bathroom.
Until I hear voices again. A lot of voices. Oh my LIFE. They have brought Rob. I can hear his deep voice over everyone else’s.
This is it. I am going to have to face everyone laughing at me. May as well prepare myself.
I get up and put my phone on the shelf above the basin. I catch my reflection in the mirror and see I am looking stressed, so I rearrange my facial features into a suitably blank mask. Then I hear Rob saying he’ll soon have me out of there and there is
‘What’s up?’ says another, deeper voice.
Oh great. Just great. It’s not Mum. It’s Finn.
‘Why are you jumping like that, buddy?’ he is saying to Harris.
‘Cos I need to pee and Skye wouldn’t let me in cos she says she’s locked in!’ Harris whines.
‘Okaaay,’ says Finn. ‘So why don’t you go downstairs? I’ll help Skye.’ I can hear the amusement in his voice.
Yeah, right. I don’t believe for one moment that he wants to help me.
Once Harris has run off, Finn starts laughing so hard I am thinking it is a good job he has already been to the loo, otherwise he might wet himself.
Another top mental image. Well done, Skye, you are surpassing yourself today.
‘I am so glad I am such a great source of hilarity,’ I say with as much sarcasm as I can manage. ‘While you are enjoying yourself, do you think you could please go and get Mum?’
‘Er, not really,’ says Finn through his laughter. ‘She’s in her room trying on outfits for her next class.’
Give me strength. She is a woman obsessed. ‘Okaaay,’ I say slowly. ‘Call through the door to her then.’
‘No, I can’t do that,’ says Finn. ‘It’s weird. She might be in her underwear.’
‘I said CALL through the door,’ I shout. ‘You don’t have to go in.’
At this point Harris can be heard running back up the stairs.
‘I’ve got an idea,’ he says. ‘Let’s get your dad, Finn.’
‘NO!’ I yell.
‘Why is everyone outside the bathroom?’
Ah, thank goodness. It’s Mum.
‘Mum! It’s me, Skye,’ I say.
‘We know that,’ says Finn, sniggering.
‘SHUT UP!’ I say.
‘Skye, dear, that’s not very nice,’ says Mum. ‘Why don’t you come out instead of shouting at us through the door?’
‘I can’t! That’s the whole point,’ I say. ‘The bolt’s got jammed.’ My voice wobbles. I bite my lip.
Do. Not. Cry.
‘One of the screws has fallen on the floor,’ I say. ‘I’m stuck – can you get me out?’
Mum laughs. ‘You silly sausage!’ she says. ‘What were you doing, bolting yourself in there anyway?’
Mum’s laughter pushes a button inside me. The unshed tears are immediately replaced by a shot of pure, hot anger; my ears are ringing with it. How can she laugh at me in front of Finn?
‘What kind of a question is that?’ I shout. ‘I bolted the door because I didn’t want anyone to come in, of course. Just GET ME OUT, can’t you? And don’t call me a “silly sausage”,’ I add, my voice dropping to a sulk.
Finn, Mum and Harris are all laughing now. Then Finn says, ‘I think Harris is right – I should get Dad. He’s got a good toolkit.’
‘NO!’ I say.
They are not listening to me, of course. I hear Mum saying thank you to Finn and then their voices recede as they walk away.
I slide down on to the floor again and my phone beeps once more.
Another text from Aubrey:
BORED BORED BORED. Pleeeeeeease text me. I am soooooo sorry if I have upset you
It is such a relief to see my best friend’s name that I automatically text back without pausing to think.
My life WAY WORSE than yours. Am stuck in loo.
Aubrey replies straight away.
WHAT?
Thank goodness for my BFF.
I am soon engrossed in texting back and forth and telling Aubrey the whole sorry story. She is being really sympathetic and making me laugh with more emoticons and silly selfies. It feels good to be joking around with her again.
I have almost forgotten that I am stuck in the bathroom.
Until I hear voices again. A lot of voices. Oh my LIFE. They have brought Rob. I can hear his deep voice over everyone else’s.
This is it. I am going to have to face everyone laughing at me. May as well prepare myself.
I get up and put my phone on the shelf above the basin. I catch my reflection in the mirror and see I am looking stressed, so I rearrange my facial features into a suitably blank mask. Then I hear Rob saying he’ll soon have me out of there and there is
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