Poker Face

“Alright now before I let you all go, know that you have an assignment due in a week, yeah?” The teacher announced as we all stared at the wall clock in anticipation. The class didn’t groan in response, too absorbed in their own thoughts and conversations.

“Are yea sure yea got the times right?” I whispered to Oli, glancing down at my watch anxiously.

“Yes, though tha lot of them gave me strange looks,” He sighed, slightly annoyed with me. Since class began I had been asking him the same questions in as many different ways as possible.

“An’ the lot of them are ‘aving them at ‘ome?”

“All but Lee an’ Kels, ‘e’s takin’ ‘em out ‘proper’ as ‘e called it. Tha’s at 7 though.”

“It doesn’t matter she’s not a big enough target. Neither is Carrie,” I sighed just as the bell finally rang.

We stood with the rest of the class gathering our stuff slowly, “So that jus’ leaves June,” Oli mumbled.

“The gods are in our favour,” I beamed. “Did ‘e say if they were going to ‘er’s?”

“Yes! Would yea stop askin’ me woman?” Oli seethed.

“Only if yea get us to ‘er place stat,” I retorted.

We quickly exited the school out one of the side doors and to his car. Neither June or Curtis drove, they either took the bus or hitched a ride with someone else, but seeing as most had plans they were likely to bus it today.

“Kay, June likes being well prepared, so everything should be already set up and what not,” I muttered, mostly to myself as we neared her house. “Park ‘ere!” I urged, motioning for him to park when we were half a block away.

“’Ow do yea know she didn’t skip las’ class to come ‘ome an’ prep?” Oli asked as we walked up her drive way.

“Cause ‘er mum would figure out why she skipped on Valentine’s Day. Dun deny it it’s king of obvious; teenagers plus Valentine’s equal a parent’s worst nightmare,” I smirked, grabbing the key from under the matt and opening the door.

Upon entering we spotted the rose petals leading the way up the stairs to her room. I took my shoes off and threw them into the cupboard by the door, motioning for Oli to do the same, and then we crept our way to the kitchen. A slow cooker was set up holding a pork tenderloin; Oli screwed his face with disgust at the sight of it.

“Sabotage it!” I urged, “Release the animal activist within,” I teased before looking into the oven where the sides were waiting for a finishing touch.

I pondered my options before pulling the baked potatoes out of the oven, opening the tin foil gingerly. I rushed to the seasoning cabinet and took out the garlic, pouring a heavy sprinkling onto the potatoes; before closing them back up and returning them to the oven.

“‘Ow do yea know this ain’t ‘er mum’s dinner?” Oli questioned softly, as he returned the dish soap to it’s place.

“‘Er mum doesn’t use tha slow cooker, she dun even know ‘ow to work it,” I scoffed, rinsing the wine glasses in vinegar. I then grabbed the Bailey’s she had stored in the fridge and set it out on the counter.

Just then the sound of keys and the door opening made us freeze. I heard June sigh as she kicked her shoes off. Silently I grabbed Oli’s hand and pulled him into the living room. She closed the cupboard door and padded into the kitchen. I heard the oven turn on and water being poured into a pot. The fridge opened and I peeked around the corner to watch her.

She was pulling vegetables out to put into the steamer. I watched as she started it and set a separate timer for them. I ducked back into the living room quickly as she turned around to wash her hands. Once she was done, she walked out the room and then the stairs creaked under her weight.

I signaled Oli to stay put and rushed into the kitchen once more, dicing up a red pepper as safe and quickly as possible and tossed it into the vegetables. Just as I returned to Oli, trying to suppress my giggles, she came downstairs and turned on the record player in the dinning room; an old Sinatra record. The timers went off and she click-clocked her way back into the kitchen. She put together the dinner humming along to the music till the doorbell rang.

We heard her let Curtis in with a warm greeting, complimenting him on his outfit “Just go wait in the living room, dinner is almost ready,” She bid. Oli and I shot each other panicked looks before we quickly dove behind the couch farthest from either entrance. “How’d yea know daisies are ma favourite?” She gushed, earning a mumbled response from him. She probably got one of the girls to plant the idea into his mind, it’s how she works.

Curtis made his way into the living room and sat down on the couch we were behind, jiggling his leg nervously. June could be heard setting up in the dinning room, walking with the click-clock of her heels back and forth between the rooms, continuously humming. I heard the sound of the fridge open, and smiled to myself as I heard the faintest curse fall from her lips.

Curtis heard it too, “Everything fine?” His voice sounded nervous.

“yes everything is perfect!” She called back in a sickly sweet voice. “Where did it go?” I heard her mumble to herself, “I thought I put this in the fridge…” She trailed off after clearly finding her bottle of Bailey’s. “Dinner is ready,” She proclaimed, stepping into the room slightly.

Curtis practically jumped up from the couch following her into the dinning room, where the clinks of utensils hitting fine china could be heard. Using that as our opportunity I lead Oli up the stairs to June’s room.

On the bedside table was a bowl of cherries and a canister of whipped cream, “Go run them under cold water,” I ordered Oli, handing him the bowl. He nodded and made his way to the bathroom. I opened her window and thanked god her room was over the living room before emptying it’s contents on the side of her house. I was cleaning the can off as Oli changed the selected playlist on June’s iPod, and then we raced off to hide behind the door to her mother’s bedroom.

“Maybe we should jus’ skip dinner,” I heard June murmur and chairs scrape as they moved away from the table.

I heard her giggle as they walked up the stairs and enter her room; trying to lighten the mood after the dismal dinner. Moment’s later loud metal music filled the house, followed by June’s panicked screeches. I clamped my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing.

Oli grinned proudly, and winked at me as he pulled me down the stairs and to the door. The music stopped just before we were in the clear. I froze holding my shoes as the silence engulfed us, the door wide open. Soon enough more romantic golden oldies filled the air and we made our escape, laughing all the way to the car.

“Tha’ was bloody fantastic!” I exclaimed once we were seated in the car.

“I can’t believe we pulled it off, tha’ was a close call in the living room,” Oli exhaled in euphoria.

“You were bloody brilliant with tha music, I ‘and’t even thought ‘bout ‘ow we’d get out of there!”

“Is a gift,” He shrugged.

“Now what do we do?” I asked after a moment of silence.

“Will yea let meh take yea out on a date?” Oli asked apprehensively.

“Think yea can keep the cheese factor down?” I teased.

“Aye, I think I can manage tha’,” He grinned before starting the engine.