Every Mistake That I Make
Chapter Four
Dallas’ morning the next day started, as usual, with her youngest sibling jumping onto her bed. Simon. Four years old and as irritating as hell; but Dallas loved him like mad.
“Simon, get off the bed...MUM! SIMON CAME IN MY ROOM AGAIN!”
Her mother’s head popped round the door, a frazzled expression upon her usually smiling face.
“Oh, I wondered where he’d got to. C’mere, Si...” Ellen McKenzie rolled her eyes and pulled Simon of Dallas’ bed.
“Dall, you’d better get up now anyway. You’re late.”
“No I’m not,” Dallas argued, casting an eye over the clock on her bedside table.
“No? Okay. The clock downstairs must be fast, or something.” Ellen shrugged and walked out of the room, leaving Dallas to herself.
Dallas climbed out of bed and got herself showered quickly. She spent a while looking in the mirror deciding on whether she wanted her hair curly (natural state) or straight (unnatural state) and decided she wanted it straight. When she’d finished doing her hair, she put on a black skirt, black and blue striped tights, some black Converse, a white T-shirt and a black jacket with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. When she was dressed she applied some eyeliner and lip-gloss, grabbed her bag and ran downstairs to get some breakfast.
Seated around the kitchen table were Simon and Dallas’ younger sister, Kendra, who was fifteen years old and the quieter, shyer, fairer version of Dallas.
“Morning!” Dallas said brightly, and looked at her watch rather than the faulty kitchen clock. She grabbed some toast, and drank back a little of the coffee her mother had prepared, and announced she had to meet Anya.
“See you tonight, honey!” Ellen called after her daughter as she swept out of the backdoor.
Dallas met Anya, Frank and Bob at the end of Anya’s road. “Where are Gerard and Mikey?” Dallas inquired.
“Apparently, they had a huge argument at home again, so their mum said she was taking them today,” Anya informed her. “That’s what Gerard told Bob, anyway.”
“God. If he wasn’t going out with Rachael, this probably wouldn’t have happened...or be happening,” Dallas complained.
“Hmm. Maybe, maybe not.”
They reached the school about fifteen minutes later, just as the bell went, which meant they couldn’t speak to either Gerard or Mikey until lessons began.
When Dallas finally saw Mikey, he looked very moody and irritated, and when she tried to speak to him he gave one and two word answers. She knew when he wouldn’t talk, so she gave up on trying to get anything out of him.
The morning passed without anything interesting happening (apart from someone fainting in a science lesson, but that was hardly the biggest talking point of the day).
At break time, it had begun to rain, so Anya and Dallas, as they usually did when it rained, retreated to the girl’s toilets to separate cubicles where they’d talk through the walls until the bell rang.
“Do you think that Mikey and Gerard will make up?” Dallas asked curiously, once she was seated on the toilet with the seat down and the cubicle door safely locked.
“Oh, sure they will! Maybe not anytime soon but, they will, as soon as –” Just then, the toilet door opened and a group of girls walked in, so they both fell silent. Dallas drew her feet up and rested them on the back of the door.
“OhmygodRachaelIcannotbelieveyouaregoingoutwithGerardWay!” one of the girls exclaimed. Dallas sat up a little straighter, trying to process what one of the girls had just said – they all spoke too quickly for her. But she knew it involved Rachael, and Gerard.
“Yeah, neither can I!” another girl chipped in. Then a softer, but more authorative voice spoke, belonging to Rachael.
“Oh, you lot...do you seriously think I’m interested in Gerard?”
Dallas bit her lip and listened intently.
“Don’t be stupid.”
“Then why...”
“Have you seen that brother of his?” Rachael interrupted. “I wouldn’t go near Gerard if I didn’t think it’d help me get hold of him.”
“Does he fancy -?”
“Mikey? Oh, sure, he fancies me.”
“But he’s always got those two girls hanging around with him – what are they called...y’know, the two freaky ones. Annie and Dallas, is it? Well, the Annie girl, I think she’s going out with that fat one in our year, Bob, but that Dallas –”
“Easily dealt with...Look, just trust me on this one, ladies – I’m going to get Mikey Way. Trust me.” With that, the group exited the toilets and Dallas opened her toilet cubicle. Anya was already by the sinks, eyebrows raised.
“Did you just hear what I just...?” Anya said softly. “And did one of those just call Bob fat?”
“She’s going to hurt Gerard!” But there was something else pressing into Dallas’ mind. If she’s after Mikey, I haven’t got a chance...
“D’you think Mikey would do that to Gerard, though?” Anya wondered.
“I don’t know, but I think he needs to know what Rachael’s up to.” Dallas hurried out of the girl’s toilets.
She needed to find Mikey and tell him.
“Simon, get off the bed...MUM! SIMON CAME IN MY ROOM AGAIN!”
Her mother’s head popped round the door, a frazzled expression upon her usually smiling face.
“Oh, I wondered where he’d got to. C’mere, Si...” Ellen McKenzie rolled her eyes and pulled Simon of Dallas’ bed.
“Dall, you’d better get up now anyway. You’re late.”
“No I’m not,” Dallas argued, casting an eye over the clock on her bedside table.
“No? Okay. The clock downstairs must be fast, or something.” Ellen shrugged and walked out of the room, leaving Dallas to herself.
Dallas climbed out of bed and got herself showered quickly. She spent a while looking in the mirror deciding on whether she wanted her hair curly (natural state) or straight (unnatural state) and decided she wanted it straight. When she’d finished doing her hair, she put on a black skirt, black and blue striped tights, some black Converse, a white T-shirt and a black jacket with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. When she was dressed she applied some eyeliner and lip-gloss, grabbed her bag and ran downstairs to get some breakfast.
Seated around the kitchen table were Simon and Dallas’ younger sister, Kendra, who was fifteen years old and the quieter, shyer, fairer version of Dallas.
“Morning!” Dallas said brightly, and looked at her watch rather than the faulty kitchen clock. She grabbed some toast, and drank back a little of the coffee her mother had prepared, and announced she had to meet Anya.
“See you tonight, honey!” Ellen called after her daughter as she swept out of the backdoor.
Dallas met Anya, Frank and Bob at the end of Anya’s road. “Where are Gerard and Mikey?” Dallas inquired.
“Apparently, they had a huge argument at home again, so their mum said she was taking them today,” Anya informed her. “That’s what Gerard told Bob, anyway.”
“God. If he wasn’t going out with Rachael, this probably wouldn’t have happened...or be happening,” Dallas complained.
“Hmm. Maybe, maybe not.”
They reached the school about fifteen minutes later, just as the bell went, which meant they couldn’t speak to either Gerard or Mikey until lessons began.
When Dallas finally saw Mikey, he looked very moody and irritated, and when she tried to speak to him he gave one and two word answers. She knew when he wouldn’t talk, so she gave up on trying to get anything out of him.
The morning passed without anything interesting happening (apart from someone fainting in a science lesson, but that was hardly the biggest talking point of the day).
At break time, it had begun to rain, so Anya and Dallas, as they usually did when it rained, retreated to the girl’s toilets to separate cubicles where they’d talk through the walls until the bell rang.
“Do you think that Mikey and Gerard will make up?” Dallas asked curiously, once she was seated on the toilet with the seat down and the cubicle door safely locked.
“Oh, sure they will! Maybe not anytime soon but, they will, as soon as –” Just then, the toilet door opened and a group of girls walked in, so they both fell silent. Dallas drew her feet up and rested them on the back of the door.
“OhmygodRachaelIcannotbelieveyouaregoingoutwithGerardWay!” one of the girls exclaimed. Dallas sat up a little straighter, trying to process what one of the girls had just said – they all spoke too quickly for her. But she knew it involved Rachael, and Gerard.
“Yeah, neither can I!” another girl chipped in. Then a softer, but more authorative voice spoke, belonging to Rachael.
“Oh, you lot...do you seriously think I’m interested in Gerard?”
Dallas bit her lip and listened intently.
“Don’t be stupid.”
“Then why...”
“Have you seen that brother of his?” Rachael interrupted. “I wouldn’t go near Gerard if I didn’t think it’d help me get hold of him.”
“Does he fancy -?”
“Mikey? Oh, sure, he fancies me.”
“But he’s always got those two girls hanging around with him – what are they called...y’know, the two freaky ones. Annie and Dallas, is it? Well, the Annie girl, I think she’s going out with that fat one in our year, Bob, but that Dallas –”
“Easily dealt with...Look, just trust me on this one, ladies – I’m going to get Mikey Way. Trust me.” With that, the group exited the toilets and Dallas opened her toilet cubicle. Anya was already by the sinks, eyebrows raised.
“Did you just hear what I just...?” Anya said softly. “And did one of those just call Bob fat?”
“She’s going to hurt Gerard!” But there was something else pressing into Dallas’ mind. If she’s after Mikey, I haven’t got a chance...
“D’you think Mikey would do that to Gerard, though?” Anya wondered.
“I don’t know, but I think he needs to know what Rachael’s up to.” Dallas hurried out of the girl’s toilets.
She needed to find Mikey and tell him.