“Get up Drew!”

I prised my eyes open when I heard Dads voice, ugh Monday morning, school!

“Coming” I drawled to put him off.

I dragged myself up, did my ablutions and descended to the kitchen for a hurried breakfast.

“Get a move on Drew, do you want a lift?”

“Please”

“Come on then, I’m running late this morning too”

I wasn’t awake enough to come back with a witty rejoinder, I guess Saturdays journey has caught up!

Summer term – two things happen at our school every year in summer term, athletics and girls summer uniform! Well the former is really the result of the end of the football and rugby seasons; the latter is just tradition, and a tradition a lot of the girls detest! I think I told you about my first trip out with the girls dressed as Gaby? Yeah? In that case you’ll remember that the week before they dressed me in Mad’s summer uniform, pink and barely knee length! Well they do get a choice; they can have pale yellow instead!

As a boy we don’t get any choice but at least the girls dresses are shorter than their uniform skirts! So when I met the girls they were wearing their summer frocks, Maddy in her pink, Ally and Bernie preferred, if that’s the word, yellow!

“Hi Drew” Maddy greeted me

“Hi Guys”

“Is everyone coming round tonight” Rhod asked as he joined us

“I’m set” I replied

“Us too, why?” Bernie added

“Mum just want to know how many to expect, I said I’d ring her at lunchtime”

The first bell went off telling us we had five minutes before we have to go in.

“See you two at lunch?” Maddy asked as they prepared to leave us

“Usual place?” I queried

“Ok see you then” Maddy answered as they headed toward their form room.

I was caught unaware as I was hailed as Rhod and I headed in.

“Drew, wait up!”

I turned to see who had called, it was Anna, her hair if anything even pinker than before the holiday. Rhod walked on while I waited for her to catch up.

“Hi Anna, you have a good holiday?”

“Fine thanks”

“What’s up, I need to get to my form”

“Er, well you, well Gaby didn’t make the sleepover the other week so I was wondering if you, erm she would come next week, please?”

I was a bit gobsmacked, I thought I’d escaped by not showing last time and here was Anna practically begging me, or rather Gaby to join her next sleepover. I hedged

“I’ll have to let you know later”

The disappointment was evident in her face.

“Well it’s on Wednesday, I checked with Jules, she said you usually stay in doing homework then”

“Ok, I’ll let you know if I, er Gaby can make it”

The second bell sounded

“Look I’ve got to go, see you later”

“Ok, bye Drew”

She hurried off towards her class leaving me bewildered. Just when I thought Gaby was gone, everyone wants her around, well perhaps not everyone but you know what I mean. Well I’ve made my decision – no more Gaby, they can all it like or lump it!

I did my best to forget about Anna’s sleepover as I tackled double maths and geography before lunchtime. I headed to our usual lunch spot under the trees where the girls were already waiting.

“Did Anna catch you this morning?” Ally asked

“Yeah” I must have sounded a bit petulant or something because Mad then asked

“Well what did she want then?”

“Nothing really”

“Not likely!” Bernie retorted

“Ok, she wants Gaby to go to her next sleepover, there I’ve told you. And I’ll tell you now and Anna when I see her, I’m not doing it!”

“Doing what Drew?” Rhod queried as he joined us on the grass.

I hesitated thinking of a reply, just long enough for Ally to get in first.

“Anna invited Gaby to a sleepover”

“You’re kidding right? Drew?”

“No she’s not kidding, I was just telling this lot I’m not doing it.”

“Spoilsport!” Maddy mumbled

“Wimp” added Bernie

“You are really going to pass up going to a girls sleepover? Boy, I never thought I’d see the day” Rhod lamented

“Yeah well it’s not you that’s expected to dress up like a girl is it?” I countered

“You make a cute girl” he replied

“Not you too! First this lot, now you. I am not doing it!” I was getting a bit peed off now

“Leave him alone” Maddy directed as she cuddled up to me. I could get to like this side of Maddy. She even hung on when some kids started whistling and cat calling as they passed us. I calmed down and set about my sandwiches, cheese and Marmite®, Maddy swapped one of mine for her chicken salad – we often ended up with more of a buffet as we all shared our lunches.

After eating we sat around chatting until the registration bell heralded our afternoon classes. The afternoon was pretty uneventful and I shared the classes with Clive and Paul. Holiday stories were exchanged, mine being the abridged version, i.e. no Gaby! Eventually school finished and I joined the rest of the gang to walk to Rhod’s house.

As his mum’s salon was open until five thirty, we had nearly two hours before she got home so Rhod’s PS2 was pressed into action, Ally got to choose the game this week, F1 Championship was the unsurprising choice.

“You really going to pass up going to a girls sleepover Drew?” Rhod asked as we watched Ally racing Bernie.

“Yep” I replied

Overhearing our conversation Maddy chimed in

“I told her I’d help her out last time Anna asked”

“You mean she asked you before?” Rhod was incredulous

“Before the holiday and I am not going!” I replied vehemently

“Well I would if she asked me” Rhod surprised me with his statement

“What dress up as Pippa again?” I asked

“Sure. I mean its only clothes and how many times does the average boy get the chance to go to an all girl party?”

Well I had to concede his point.

“I won, I won! Who’s next to get whupped?” Ally enthused

“I’ll have a go” Rhod offered and he replaced a bored Bernie in front of the screen.

“What do you think Mad?” I asked

“I agree with Rhod especially as Anna’s parties are supposed to be a bit wild”

“Sheesh! Even my girlfriend” I hoped I could get away with that, “want’s me to dress up as a girl”

“Well you are kinda cute as Gaby” she replied

I got away with it I think.

“I am not cute!”

“Oh yes you are!” Ally and Bernie echoed, I glanced over at Rhod who just shrugged his shoulders non-commitally.

“Look I’m not doing it so drop it eh?”

“Ok Drew” Mad answered, why didn’t I believe her?

Sylv, Rhod’s mum poked her head around the door when she got in.

“Hi kids”

“Hi Mum”

“Hi Sylv”

“What are you up to tonight?”

“Just playing on the console mum” Rhod offered

“Well dinner is in ten minutes so you can all get the table ready and wash your hands”

We might be on first name terms but Sylv’s word was law.

“So kids, what’s new?” Sylv asked as we tucked into our food.

“Not much really” Ally offered

“Drew, I mean Gaby got an invite to Anna’s party next week” Rhod told his mum

“Rhod!” I exclaimed

Realising that he had made a faux pas Rhod coloured up

“Sorry Drew”

“Well Drew are you going?” Sylv asked with a glint in her eye

“No way!” I exclaimed

“We’ve been trying to get Gaby to go though” Maddy emphasised the name

“And is ‘Gaby’ likely to go?” Sylv wouldn’t let go now

All eyes turned to me.

“Aaaah”

“It’s all right Drew, I know it was you the other week, I’m not blind and my son here confirmed my suspicions”

“Sorry Drew, it just sort of slipped out,” Rhod admitted

At this rate half the town would know!

“Well Drew, will Gaby be attending Anna’s little soirée?” Sylv pursued, “after all you’re not likely to get another invite like that in a hurry”

“He’s already wriggled out of one” Bernie advised her

“Iii” I shrugged in defeat, everyone, but everyone including Rhod, whom I gave a withering look, seemed to think that Gaby should attend the sleepover. With my mind made up for me I finally got my voice back.

“I guess I have to go to get you lot off my back”

“Way to go Gabs” Ally cheered

“Ooh playtime” Maddy added, I gave her a ‘look’

“In that case you’ll need my services before you go” Sylv advised

“Huh?” I queried. I was being a bit inarticulate this evening

“Well you want to look good don’t you?”

“‘Course she does” Bernie gushed

“That’s settled, after school you come round to the salon and I’ll fix you up”

“Er thanks, I think”

“Now who wants some ‘Phish Food’?”

Well at least the subject was dropped in favour of ice cream!

“Hey Drew” Jules greeted me when I got home

“Oh hi sis”

“Did she ask then?”

“Who ask what” I hedged

“She did didn’t she?” Jules had seen past my delaying tactics

“Yes Anna asked Gaby to go to her sleepover next week”

“And?”

“And I said I’d let her know”

“Don’t keep me in suspenders, are you gonna go then?”

“Well everyone else including Sylv thinks I should”

“Sylv knows about?” Jules queried

“Yep”

“So?”

“So I guess Gaby’s going to the ball”.

“Brill! I thought you would, you’re too curious not to”.

“That’s not all”.

“There’s more bro?”

“Yeah, Sylv wants to give me a make over before hand too”.

Well the look on Jules face was priceless.

“And just for the record, I’m doing this to get everyone off my back and not because I like dressing up as a girl right?”

“Okay, okay, I won’t tell them about last week then” she smirked.

“I already did”

Juliette just kept smirking.

“Oh give over, I’m going to bed. Goodnight”.

“Night sis”.

Now Jules was at it.

My dreams were destined to be weird tonight! I vowed that I was gonna be Gaby free when I got back from holiday and here I am, back two days and I’ve got a salon appointment and I’m accepting an invitation to an all girl sleepover! Will I ever break this cycle? Next week is definitely the end of Gaby! There I’ve made up my mind and I’m sticking to it. I dropped into a fitful sleep.

Maddy Bell 18.09.03