Status: Finished!
New Old Friendship
One
It was Cassie’s fourth day of official exam leave and she was already bored. Her maths revision lay in front of her threateningly, refusing comprehension. Staring out of the window into the bright May sunshine was far more interesting than standard deviation but still not enough to capture her attention completely. Flipping open her phone, Cassie began to scroll aimlessly through her contacts, wondering who would be available to talk to her now. Her exam leave was so much earlier than that of her other friends and their unavailability was starting to drive her crazy.
She reached the name of an old friend and stopped suddenly. Amy Parry. How long had it been since she’d talked to her old best friend? Cassie counted the years since she moved schools to the more academic, glamorous school in the larger town. Like so often happened to school friends, the two had lost contact, as Amy stayed in the school in the village. On a whim, Cassie decided to send her a text, even though she knew Amy would still be in school.
‘Hey Amy, how have you been? It’s been ages, we should go for a walk sometime. How about today after school? Cass x’
Cassie was not one to beat about the bush. The message sent, she sighed and turned back to the horror that was maths. Puzzling her mousey head over the buttons on her complex calculator, she heard her phone beep. She looked up in astonishment at the speed at which Amy had replied. The text made her smile. Amy was in maths but also bored. But at 3 o’clock she finished school and so could come over to catch up. Spurring herself on with this thought, Cassie attacked the maths problems with vigour.
Half an hour later, a pattering sound stirred Cassie out of her maths-trance. Glancing out of her bedroom window, her face crumpled as she saw that the beautiful May day had dissolved into a downpour. Realising that Amy would have to walk through this, she sent a brief text. At the rapid reply, she grabbed an umbrella, slung a coat on and marched out of the door into the shower.
Cassie’s pace was quick as she walked determinedly through the turns of the small village. She nodded and smiled at Mr Reid, also clutching an umbrella, as she walked past the butcher’s shop. His old face was always indiscernible as he walked through the village, ferrying change and papers back and forth from the small shop to his house. Knowing that he had recently lost his wife, all Cassie could do was hope that her smile gave him a little comfort.
As she made her way through the village that she knew so well, Cassie was surprised to find that she was getting progressively more nervous. Ducking under the leafy spring branches that were beginning to hang over the pavement, she realised that although she and Amy used to be great friends, she had no way of knowing if they would still get on now that they were both five years older. Her pace slowed as her intestines began leisurely tying themselves into knots of nervous tension, her feet dragging themselves across the gravely pavement.
Finally, Cassie reached the gate of the large comprehensive school that Amy attended. She looked at the collection of grey buildings thoughtfully. This blot on the greenery of her village was the school she would have attended if she hadn’t won a scholarship that took her to the large town next door. She could see a few people walking across the playground and squinted, wishing she had thought to put her glasses on, wondering if she knew any of them.
“Hi,” said one of them to her as he walked past, a tall boy with jet-black hair and the makings of a wispy beard.
“Hey,” Cassie mumbled back, caught slightly off-guard by the greeting. She stared at his back as he walked away, wondering who he was. A name floated into her consciousness from many years ago. ‘James?’ she wondered to herself. This thought put a smile on her face. She had never imagined that the annoying boy of thirteen would grow up to have a beard.
Cassie returned to stare through the rain, watching the people cross the playground. Several boys walked past her, looking her up and down and muttering to each other. Feeling uncomfortable, she wished that Amy would reach her soon. The group of boys broke into guffaws, pointing at her and she blushed, staring harder into the distance. A figure waving caught her eye and, unable to hide her relief, she saw that it was Amy.
Cassie stared as the girl she used to know walked towards her, slowly coming into focus. Her dark, curly hair was much longer than she remembered but her face was completely recognisable as that of her old friend; her wide grin exactly as Cassie remembered. She waved back as Amy got closer, reciprocating her smile.
“Greetings, old bean,” Amy smiled as she slipped under the blue umbrella to join her friend. “Simply spiffing weather, isn’t it?”
Laughing at Amy’s posh accent, Cassie punched her gently on the arm. “Shut up, I don’t talk like that!”
The pair began the walk home. After the initial laughter, a shy kind of silence unfolded between them, as each girl wondered how best to express what had happened to her in the last five years. It was still raining and although the umbrella forced them to walk close together, the pair avoided contact with each other. At the duck pond Amy stopped.
“There are only four types of bird,” Amy began, mischief sparkling in her eyes. “Eagles, penguins, parrots and pigeons,” she listed.
Cassie looked at her. “What about ducks?” she asked in confusion, gesturing at the ducks paddling about on the pond.
“Oh, they’re pigeons,” Amy grinned. “All of these ducks are really just pigeons.”
“What, even these baby moorhens?” Cassie exclaimed, pointing to a trio of moorhens. Two tiny birds were following their mother, tiny balls of fluff floating on the pond.
“Yep.”
“What about blackbirds?” Cassie wondered.
“Pigeons,” Amy grinned, glad that Cassie was joining in the game.
“Woodpeckers?”
“Pigeons!” Amy’s grin dominated her face, lighting up her eyes.
Cassie laughed. “Are there any birds that aren’t pigeons?”
“Yeah, parrots, penguins and eagles, silly!” came the reply.
Cassie slipped her arm into her friend’s and together they continued walking through the quiet village. The awkwardness of earlier had completely evaporated, as the pair realised that neither of them had changed very much at all. Winding their way through the village, their conversation roved from the classification of birds to a convoluted discussion of the differences between their relative schools.
Upon reaching Cassie’s tiny house, the pair giggled and teased their way through another hour of conversation and by the time Amy had to leave, it was as if the pair had never been separated.
“Don’t leave,” Cassie pouted, as her friend pulled on her coat. “Actually, take the umbrella, you’re gonna need it!” she said, looking out of the window at the damp foliage.
“I have no intention of leaving it for so long again!” Amy smiled, pulling Cassie into a tight hug. “And besides,” she added, holding up Cassie’s umbrella. “I’ve got to return this, haven’t I? Lovely to see you old chap!” Amy smirked, her posh accent returning. “Ta-ta now!”
Cassie rolled her eyes at her and then shut the door, grinning like a loon. What a great start to a new old friendship.
She reached the name of an old friend and stopped suddenly. Amy Parry. How long had it been since she’d talked to her old best friend? Cassie counted the years since she moved schools to the more academic, glamorous school in the larger town. Like so often happened to school friends, the two had lost contact, as Amy stayed in the school in the village. On a whim, Cassie decided to send her a text, even though she knew Amy would still be in school.
‘Hey Amy, how have you been? It’s been ages, we should go for a walk sometime. How about today after school? Cass x’
Cassie was not one to beat about the bush. The message sent, she sighed and turned back to the horror that was maths. Puzzling her mousey head over the buttons on her complex calculator, she heard her phone beep. She looked up in astonishment at the speed at which Amy had replied. The text made her smile. Amy was in maths but also bored. But at 3 o’clock she finished school and so could come over to catch up. Spurring herself on with this thought, Cassie attacked the maths problems with vigour.
Half an hour later, a pattering sound stirred Cassie out of her maths-trance. Glancing out of her bedroom window, her face crumpled as she saw that the beautiful May day had dissolved into a downpour. Realising that Amy would have to walk through this, she sent a brief text. At the rapid reply, she grabbed an umbrella, slung a coat on and marched out of the door into the shower.
Cassie’s pace was quick as she walked determinedly through the turns of the small village. She nodded and smiled at Mr Reid, also clutching an umbrella, as she walked past the butcher’s shop. His old face was always indiscernible as he walked through the village, ferrying change and papers back and forth from the small shop to his house. Knowing that he had recently lost his wife, all Cassie could do was hope that her smile gave him a little comfort.
As she made her way through the village that she knew so well, Cassie was surprised to find that she was getting progressively more nervous. Ducking under the leafy spring branches that were beginning to hang over the pavement, she realised that although she and Amy used to be great friends, she had no way of knowing if they would still get on now that they were both five years older. Her pace slowed as her intestines began leisurely tying themselves into knots of nervous tension, her feet dragging themselves across the gravely pavement.
Finally, Cassie reached the gate of the large comprehensive school that Amy attended. She looked at the collection of grey buildings thoughtfully. This blot on the greenery of her village was the school she would have attended if she hadn’t won a scholarship that took her to the large town next door. She could see a few people walking across the playground and squinted, wishing she had thought to put her glasses on, wondering if she knew any of them.
“Hi,” said one of them to her as he walked past, a tall boy with jet-black hair and the makings of a wispy beard.
“Hey,” Cassie mumbled back, caught slightly off-guard by the greeting. She stared at his back as he walked away, wondering who he was. A name floated into her consciousness from many years ago. ‘James?’ she wondered to herself. This thought put a smile on her face. She had never imagined that the annoying boy of thirteen would grow up to have a beard.
Cassie returned to stare through the rain, watching the people cross the playground. Several boys walked past her, looking her up and down and muttering to each other. Feeling uncomfortable, she wished that Amy would reach her soon. The group of boys broke into guffaws, pointing at her and she blushed, staring harder into the distance. A figure waving caught her eye and, unable to hide her relief, she saw that it was Amy.
Cassie stared as the girl she used to know walked towards her, slowly coming into focus. Her dark, curly hair was much longer than she remembered but her face was completely recognisable as that of her old friend; her wide grin exactly as Cassie remembered. She waved back as Amy got closer, reciprocating her smile.
“Greetings, old bean,” Amy smiled as she slipped under the blue umbrella to join her friend. “Simply spiffing weather, isn’t it?”
Laughing at Amy’s posh accent, Cassie punched her gently on the arm. “Shut up, I don’t talk like that!”
The pair began the walk home. After the initial laughter, a shy kind of silence unfolded between them, as each girl wondered how best to express what had happened to her in the last five years. It was still raining and although the umbrella forced them to walk close together, the pair avoided contact with each other. At the duck pond Amy stopped.
“There are only four types of bird,” Amy began, mischief sparkling in her eyes. “Eagles, penguins, parrots and pigeons,” she listed.
Cassie looked at her. “What about ducks?” she asked in confusion, gesturing at the ducks paddling about on the pond.
“Oh, they’re pigeons,” Amy grinned. “All of these ducks are really just pigeons.”
“What, even these baby moorhens?” Cassie exclaimed, pointing to a trio of moorhens. Two tiny birds were following their mother, tiny balls of fluff floating on the pond.
“Yep.”
“What about blackbirds?” Cassie wondered.
“Pigeons,” Amy grinned, glad that Cassie was joining in the game.
“Woodpeckers?”
“Pigeons!” Amy’s grin dominated her face, lighting up her eyes.
Cassie laughed. “Are there any birds that aren’t pigeons?”
“Yeah, parrots, penguins and eagles, silly!” came the reply.
Cassie slipped her arm into her friend’s and together they continued walking through the quiet village. The awkwardness of earlier had completely evaporated, as the pair realised that neither of them had changed very much at all. Winding their way through the village, their conversation roved from the classification of birds to a convoluted discussion of the differences between their relative schools.
Upon reaching Cassie’s tiny house, the pair giggled and teased their way through another hour of conversation and by the time Amy had to leave, it was as if the pair had never been separated.
“Don’t leave,” Cassie pouted, as her friend pulled on her coat. “Actually, take the umbrella, you’re gonna need it!” she said, looking out of the window at the damp foliage.
“I have no intention of leaving it for so long again!” Amy smiled, pulling Cassie into a tight hug. “And besides,” she added, holding up Cassie’s umbrella. “I’ve got to return this, haven’t I? Lovely to see you old chap!” Amy smirked, her posh accent returning. “Ta-ta now!”
Cassie rolled her eyes at her and then shut the door, grinning like a loon. What a great start to a new old friendship.