Gaby Book 17 - Seasons

That’s that sorted, at least the girls will shut up about it now, huh, putty in my hands. I finished getting ready for bed and was soon snuggled under the duvet, then it hit me, what I’d just done. So okay technically Max asked me but only after I told him to, what the heck was I thinking.

Sugar, Max’ll think I like him, I’ll never hear the end of it from the girls and I suppose I’ll have to get a dress for it too – check that, I’m sure I can wear something from my closet. Hmm, I suppose I could just tell Max I’ve changed my mind, I’m sure he wouldn’t be bothered. Oh bum!

Friday, another week almost over, at least the weekend shouldn’t be as stressful; we’ve got a race on Sunday but no crepe work.

“Come on day dream, school,” Mum suggested taking the empty mug from my hand.
“Do I have to?”
“Yes you do young lady, there’s nothing wrong with you.”
“I’ve got a headache.”
“And I’ve got a bone in my leg, scoot.”
Well it was worth a try.

“You got a race this week Gabs?” Nena enquired as we rolled down the cycle track towards Ahrweiler.
“Sunday.”
“Super Bond rides again!” Pia announced
“I was lucky last week.”
“Says she,” Con added.
“I won by like two centimetres,” I pointed out, “that’s luck in my book.”
“So where is this race then?” Steff enquired.

Where indeed, Dad did say but I wasn’t really listening.

“I think its Trier direction somewhere.”
“So did Ralf ask you Bridg?” Con changed the subject.
“Uh huh.”
“He took his time,” Pia noted.
“He is a boy,” Bridg pointed out, “talking of which, has Max asked yet Gab?”
Sugar, no getting out of it now.
“Last night,” I told them.
“You sly moo, you never said you’d seen him,” Con accused.
“I didn’t, he rang,” well it’s only a little technical fib.
“So we just need to fix up you Con,” Steff stated.
“I can get a date on my own.”
“And look how that turned out last time,” Pia mentioned.
Yeah, that hadn’t ended well; I guess Heini can’t help having two left feet.
“What about Freddy?” Nena suggested.
“You are kidding,” Con spluttered.

I had an idea, someone who’d be acceptable to my BF and hasn’t, I’m sure, got a date for prom.

“Leave it to me.”

Well that got me a few looks, I’m not exactly a boy/man chaser am I?

found my quarry in the expected location, a corner of the yard kicking a ball round with some of his mates.
“Mart.”
He finished his move before acknowledging my presence, “Gab, what’s up?”
“I um need your help, well not me exactly, look, are you going to the prom?”

He left the melee to some cat calling and joined me by the bike store gates.

“Wasn’t gonna bother.”
“So you’ve not got a date then?”
“You need a date?”
“No not me, Max is taking me.”
“Not Bridg, tell me it’s not Bridg.”
“What’s wrong with Bridg?”
“Let’s just say we don’t exactly see eye to eye over Bernie.”

That I didn’t know, hmm thinking about it she was a bit cool towards Bern when she was here.

“No it’s not Bridg, Con.”
“Con?”
I shrugged, “no one’s asked her and I’m sure Bern wouldn’t be upset or anything.”
He didn’t answer straight away, instead turning to watch his mates kicking the ball about. “Okay, but you owe me.”
Join the queue.
“Great, can you ask her yourself?”
“I guess so, anything else?”
“Nah, you’re a good mate Mart.”
“I know,” he agreed.
On impulse I pulled him down to my level and planted one on his cheek, “thanks Marty Preiser.”
I made good my escape to the sounds of Mart getting ribbed by his mates.

“Where’d you go?” Con enquired as I slipped back into my seat.
“Finding you a date,” I smirked.
“It better not be Johannes Schmidt.”
“Ew!” the rest of us chorused.

Look, every school has them, the misfits, kids excluded by their peers because they smell or they’re fat or wear glasses or whatever. Johannes Schmidt is currently Silverberg’s unclean, there’s no getting away from it, he stinks, warm day and there’s an exclusion zone.

“What do you think I am, nope, got you a hunk,” I grinned.
“Who is it then,” Con demanded.
“Yeah, who’ve you conned Gabs?” Pia prompted.
“Very funny P,” Con stated, “come on Gabs who is it?”
“You’ll find out soon enough, you can thank me later.”

“So come on then Gabs, who is it?” Pia asked as we waited for her dad to take us up to the Tanzklub for Garde.
“Not telling.”
“Meanie.”
“Con’ll tell you soon enough.”
“So did you have to ask Max?”
“No!”
“You did!” P crowed.
“I might’ve prompted him a bit.”
“I knew it; they can be so dim sometimes.”
“I suppose Matti just came and asked you.”
“I might have hinted a bit,” she admitted.
“You ready girls?”
“Yes Dad,” P allowed.
“Come on then, not got all night.”

“I thought the race was near Trier?” I queried as I watched Dad checking over our bikes in the bike cave.
“Don’t know where you got that from.”

Well I’d got the direction right, well sort of, the race is at some place called Tholey an hour past Trier on the autobahn.

“So Roni’s coming later?”
“Yup,” he agreed, clicking through the sprockets one way then back again. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”
“I swapped to mornings remember? I guess I should go and change.”
“Before you do, I had a chat with your sister the other day.”
“Uh huh.”
“She suggested you might want a Mofa?”
I shrugged, “it’d be handy sometimes I guess.”
“I’ve talked with your mother, she’s not exactly keen.”
“She never is,” I sighed.
“That’s not fair Gaby and you know it, anyway we’ve come to a compromise.”
“Don’t tell me, one of those electric bike things.”
“Let me finish kiddo, you can have a Mofa but,”
There’s always a but.
“But you have to pass your test first.”
“No one else has to,” I complained.
“Well that’s the deal, take it or leave it, pass the test we’ll sort you out a scooter, no pass no scooter.”
I guess it’s not an outright no.
“’kay,” I allowed.

“You’re kidding?” Ron exclaimed.
“Straight up.”
“You’re incorrigible Gaby Bond.”
“What she says,” Mand agreed.

I’d been recounting the whole prom date thing, Con had rung earlier, Mart had done the deed, in person no less – why she called me I’ve no idea, I mean I set it up.

“Do you have a prom Manda?” Ron asked.
“Nah, there’s not that many kids and a lot aren’t around for long.”
“I ‘spose someone like Jules is quite rare,” I suggested.
“Yeah,” Mand confirmed, “I think there’s like two lads and one girl in my form that’ve been there more than a year, everyone else is there short term.”
“That must be well strange.” Ron observed.
“So what’re you gonna wear Gabs?”
“No idea, there’ll be something in the wardrobe.”
“You’ve got to get a prom dress,” Mand stated.
“Why? There’s nothing wrong with what I have.”
“She’s right,” Ron agreed, “it’s part of the prom experience getting a new dress.”
“In case you guys haven’t noticed, dresses aren’t my thing.”
“Says she with a wardrobe full of designer stuff.”
“It’s not full and it’s not like I asked for any of it.”
“Technicality,” Mand smirked.
I rolled my eyes, I’m not gonna win this am I?

Moonbeams slanted across the room escaping the barrier of the rooflights blind. Having woken with an urgent desire I now couldn’t get back to sleep, it’s an early start today for the drive south, I really could do with the shut eye. But sleep wasn’t coming, my mind a swirl with thoughts not of the race but of the prom.

Except it wasn’t the prom but some fancy do, my friends all appearing as toffs in elegant frocks with, dare I say it, handsome escorts. I was of course on Max’s arm but the shocking thing was that I was dressed in something from last season and worst of all it was the same dress the hostess was wearing. What a faux pas, why didn’t I get a new dress?

I rattled through the hangers in my closet, nope, not red, too revealing, I wore that? And all the while in the background Gerta repeating, ‘I’ve got your dress Gaby, come for a fitting.’ I must’ve dropped off at some point as I was awoken by the incessant ringing of my alarm, five thirty, urgh.

Maddy Bell 04.10.16