Different
Chapter 46
CHAPTER 46
~Indigo~
I sat on the cold, mud - coloured wall, swinging my legs to and fro in the bitter morning chill. Sighing and pushing a lock of raven hair away from my pale face, I glanced at the drab and non-sympathetic face of my watch.
The minutes ticked by. 15 minutes late. No answer from Gerard’s phone. 20 minutes late. I left a message on the answer phone. 30 minutes late. half an hour! Gerard was half an hour late picking ,me up. I wondered if he’d picked the others up yet…
But surely he wouldn’t just miss me out?
I mean, the same arrangement has been happening practically since I’ve known Gerard. Every morning he comes round and picks everyone up in his car and drives us all to school. Every morning, It seemed, except this morning.
I dialled his number again. I knew there still wouldn’t be any answer but I was not going to admit defeat. Mum had already driven off with Josie. Besides, I thought stubbornly, there was no way I was walking that far…
Ring ring. Ring ring. Ring ring...
“Come on, come onnn….” I pleaded aloud.
……..
“I’m sorry but this person is unavailable to take your call. Please leave a message after the tone…”
“Dammit!” I yelled into the otherwise peaceful neighbourhood.
I was about to put my phone back into my pocket when it sprung into action, making me jump about ten feet into the air with fright.
“Frankie calling” noted the faded digital screen.
I smiled, giggled, and blushed all at the same time if that were half possible.
Okay so it wasn’t Gerard calling to apologise deeply for not picking me up on time, but it was Frankie!
Frankie!
Pull yourself together Indigo you idiot! I told myself sternly, you’re acting like a fourth grader on Christmas day!
Wait! I still hadn’t answered his call!!
I pressed the answer button and held the mobile to my ear.
“Hey, Indigo?” Frankie said.
“Hello” I answered, blushing.
There was a pause.
“Hey…” Frankie said again in a different tone. I couldn’t see him but I was pretty sure he was wearing that great big grin of his.
Trying not to go all tingly at the sound of his voice again, I regained my ice cool status. Yeah.
“Hey…” I copied his tone. Well at least there was one advantage of the phone. He couldn’t see me blushing.
“So. Last night?”
“Last night.” I nodded, forgetting that he couldn’t see me.
“Yeah…”
“Yeah.”
Well. I had absolutely nothing to worry about earlier when I was thinking about whether it would be awkward talking to Frankie. Not.
Wait… was he giggling on the other side of the phone.
“Frankie… Is that you giggling?” I asked, trying not to do the same.
The giggling stopped abruptly.
“No. Yes. Maybe.” gabbled Frankie.
“Any particular reason why?”
“I was thinking about something you said last night” Frankie confided, sounding embarrassed.
“Oh…” I replied, hoping as hard as I couldn’t it wasn’t something incredibly stupid and embarrassing.
“You said I was your idiot…”
“Oh” I remembered, “Well. You are…”
“ And I guess you are my idiot…” I heard him say, “Which makes us…”
I paused, thinking it over.
“Idiots?” I said.
“Nope. Well…yes. But it also makes us each other’s. Which means we’re…together?”
I laughed.
“Well I guess you could say that. Idiot.”
“By the way,” Frankie continued, “Has by any chance Gerard come to pick you up yet?”
“Well…no…you neither then?” I felt slightly reassured that I wasn’t the only one waiting for him to turn up.
“Nope! I swear I’ll kill him…I’m freezing my butt off out here waiting for him!”
I sniggered at this despite the circumstances.
“And what exactly is it that you find so hilarious about me freezing my butt off Miss Indigo?” Came Frankie’s mock indignant tone.
I was about to reply when I heard the loud rev of a car engine the other side of the phone.
A muffled voice said something in the background and I just made out Frank’s name in the sentence.
“Hey Indigo, my Mum’s just turned up…and she’s insisting that she drives me up to school right this moment - Yeah I know shut up - ” He said as I began to laugh again, “ And do you want me to pick you and the others up on the way?”
I considered saying no and just staying home. But then again my Mum would be back in an hour and she’d kill me if she found out. Besides…I wanted to see Frankie again.
“Yeah thanks” I said gratefully.
“Bye then, see you in a minute!”
“Bye!” I replied, smiling to myself.
I was about to click the end call button when Frankie’s voice rang through my ears once more.
“Indigo?”
“Yup?” I answered, wondering what he could want.
He said nothing for a moment. Then,
“Love you” came his voice quietly, obviously not wanting his Mum to hear.
“Love you too..” I replied, blushing furiously.
The phone beeped to signal the end of the call, and I swung my legs down off the wall, jumping and almost losing my balance as I landed on the hard tarmac of the driveway.
~Indigo~
I sat on the cold, mud - coloured wall, swinging my legs to and fro in the bitter morning chill. Sighing and pushing a lock of raven hair away from my pale face, I glanced at the drab and non-sympathetic face of my watch.
The minutes ticked by. 15 minutes late. No answer from Gerard’s phone. 20 minutes late. I left a message on the answer phone. 30 minutes late. half an hour! Gerard was half an hour late picking ,me up. I wondered if he’d picked the others up yet…
But surely he wouldn’t just miss me out?
I mean, the same arrangement has been happening practically since I’ve known Gerard. Every morning he comes round and picks everyone up in his car and drives us all to school. Every morning, It seemed, except this morning.
I dialled his number again. I knew there still wouldn’t be any answer but I was not going to admit defeat. Mum had already driven off with Josie. Besides, I thought stubbornly, there was no way I was walking that far…
Ring ring. Ring ring. Ring ring...
“Come on, come onnn….” I pleaded aloud.
……..
“I’m sorry but this person is unavailable to take your call. Please leave a message after the tone…”
“Dammit!” I yelled into the otherwise peaceful neighbourhood.
I was about to put my phone back into my pocket when it sprung into action, making me jump about ten feet into the air with fright.
“Frankie calling” noted the faded digital screen.
I smiled, giggled, and blushed all at the same time if that were half possible.
Okay so it wasn’t Gerard calling to apologise deeply for not picking me up on time, but it was Frankie!
Frankie!
Pull yourself together Indigo you idiot! I told myself sternly, you’re acting like a fourth grader on Christmas day!
Wait! I still hadn’t answered his call!!
I pressed the answer button and held the mobile to my ear.
“Hey, Indigo?” Frankie said.
“Hello” I answered, blushing.
There was a pause.
“Hey…” Frankie said again in a different tone. I couldn’t see him but I was pretty sure he was wearing that great big grin of his.
Trying not to go all tingly at the sound of his voice again, I regained my ice cool status. Yeah.
“Hey…” I copied his tone. Well at least there was one advantage of the phone. He couldn’t see me blushing.
“So. Last night?”
“Last night.” I nodded, forgetting that he couldn’t see me.
“Yeah…”
“Yeah.”
Well. I had absolutely nothing to worry about earlier when I was thinking about whether it would be awkward talking to Frankie. Not.
Wait… was he giggling on the other side of the phone.
“Frankie… Is that you giggling?” I asked, trying not to do the same.
The giggling stopped abruptly.
“No. Yes. Maybe.” gabbled Frankie.
“Any particular reason why?”
“I was thinking about something you said last night” Frankie confided, sounding embarrassed.
“Oh…” I replied, hoping as hard as I couldn’t it wasn’t something incredibly stupid and embarrassing.
“You said I was your idiot…”
“Oh” I remembered, “Well. You are…”
“ And I guess you are my idiot…” I heard him say, “Which makes us…”
I paused, thinking it over.
“Idiots?” I said.
“Nope. Well…yes. But it also makes us each other’s. Which means we’re…together?”
I laughed.
“Well I guess you could say that. Idiot.”
“By the way,” Frankie continued, “Has by any chance Gerard come to pick you up yet?”
“Well…no…you neither then?” I felt slightly reassured that I wasn’t the only one waiting for him to turn up.
“Nope! I swear I’ll kill him…I’m freezing my butt off out here waiting for him!”
I sniggered at this despite the circumstances.
“And what exactly is it that you find so hilarious about me freezing my butt off Miss Indigo?” Came Frankie’s mock indignant tone.
I was about to reply when I heard the loud rev of a car engine the other side of the phone.
A muffled voice said something in the background and I just made out Frank’s name in the sentence.
“Hey Indigo, my Mum’s just turned up…and she’s insisting that she drives me up to school right this moment - Yeah I know shut up - ” He said as I began to laugh again, “ And do you want me to pick you and the others up on the way?”
I considered saying no and just staying home. But then again my Mum would be back in an hour and she’d kill me if she found out. Besides…I wanted to see Frankie again.
“Yeah thanks” I said gratefully.
“Bye then, see you in a minute!”
“Bye!” I replied, smiling to myself.
I was about to click the end call button when Frankie’s voice rang through my ears once more.
“Indigo?”
“Yup?” I answered, wondering what he could want.
He said nothing for a moment. Then,
“Love you” came his voice quietly, obviously not wanting his Mum to hear.
“Love you too..” I replied, blushing furiously.
The phone beeped to signal the end of the call, and I swung my legs down off the wall, jumping and almost losing my balance as I landed on the hard tarmac of the driveway.