"Uh, what do you think you're doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm trying to make this awful uniform a bit comfier and a bit less ugly" I rolled my eyes at my brother as I adjusted my uniform by rolling up the sleeves of the blazer, yanking the knot of my tie down and hitching my skirt up to as short as I figured I could get away with, and judging by some other girls, I was safe. My brother and I were currently experiencing the classic new school first day feelings. Will I make friends? Probably. Will the people be mean to poor little me? It's likely, it is high school after all. Will my brother continue to be a complete bender? 100%. Welcome to Rudge Park Comprehensive. Mum and Dad split up a few months ago and thanks to Dad being a snake Mum could no longer afford our private school fees. Will was horrified at the idea but I was willing to adapt, mostly because the people in state schools seem a lot more normal than the posh twats I was used to.
"Megan we are about to go and see the Headteacher and head of 6th, do you really think that having non-regulation uniform is a good first impression?"
"William, William, William, you are making a fatal assumption," I inform him while tugging my shoulder length brown hair from its bun.
"Oh really? And what fatal assumption would that be?" He questions me in his usual 'I know everything" tone.
"The assumption that the teachers at this school actually care," I smirk as I stalk off ahead of him.
While the Head made his speech about the school I made a point of removing my badge and dropping in my bag, no way was I about to actually wear it outside this room. That'd be just asking for trouble.
"Mr Gilbert, you seem an intelligent man," I banged my head on the desk as Will began to speak.
"Shut up you idiot!" I hissed at him, completely ready to die as Gilbert destroyed him.
"Oh, and I would suggest listening to your sister over there in the future," I smirked at the end of Gilbert's dressing down.
I clocked the empty seat at the back of the room as I strolled into form for registration.
"Hi, I'm Meg," I said to the girl next to me as I stuck out my hand.
"Hi Meg, I'm Natasha, but please call me Nat," she replied shaking my outstretched hand.
"What class do you have next? Please tell me it's politics," I begged, it'd be nice to know someone.
"It's your lucky day Meg, pass us your schedule I'll see if we have anything else the same," thank god for girls who stick together.
"And I just love to suck the Headmaster's balls! And then…"
"Oh. My God."
"What?"
"I'm related to that!" I groaned, "Please save me."
"Honey you do not have to ask twice," she laughed.
"I'm not even sure how we turned out so different, I think private school really did a number on him, he's such a twat!"
"So where's this pub tonight then?" I asked as Nat and I were relaxing in the common room.
"It's on the edge of town, tell us your address and I'll meet you at yours for 6 ish, we can walk there together," she smiled.
"And you're sure they'll serve us? I don't have a fake ID,"
"Honey the only fake ID you'll need is a low cut top!" I laughed as we high fived. I surveyed the common room, everyone seemed to have split into friendship groups. I wasn't surprised to see Will with the other new kids, he was too daft to ditch them.
"Hey Nat?" she hummed in response, "Who's the fit boy by the pool table? I think he's looking at me," she looked up and 'ooh'-ed
"That's Mark Donovan, our year and school psycho, also school hottie but you don't need that pointing out, obviously," she wiggled her eyebrows and I giggled. I looked back at him and smirked as he strutted over.
"Alright?" he asked.
"Alright," I replied.
"I'm Mark, and you are?"
"Meg, I'm new,"
"You coming to the Black Horse tonight?"
"I might wander down," I mused, fully well knowing that I'd already be going.
"Good, I'll see you there," this time it was his turn to smirk as he walked away.
By the time last bell had rung I'd swapped numbers with Nat and met up with Will and the three weirdo's he'd attached himself to. As I was fixing my skirt I was vaguely aware of Will's new 'mates' talking.
"And fit girls like her always get served. You too hottie," the one with shaggy hair said winking. I mimed throwing up as a response.
"Uh, you may have lowered your skirt half an inch but there's still the rest of you uniform," snotty pointed out.
"Have you really learned nothing about our parents despite knowing them our entire lives Willy? Our mother is so absent minded that I could get a full sleeve tattoo and it would take her AT LEAST 3 months to notice," I treated him to one of my signature smirks, "The skirt is the only thing she has a chance of realising is different, ergo, it's the only thing I now care about." Will reluctantly nodded in agreement.
"Oh no!" We both yelled as we saw mum parked right in front of the school gates.
"Is that your mum?!" The one with spiky hair, Simon?, exclaimed.
"I told her not to come and pick us up!" I groaned already feeling mortified.
"She's fit!" The tall one added.
"Yeah, I'd fuck her!" The winky one added, as if he could get anyone near enough to him to even kiss.
"Thanks very much!" Will exclaimed at the same time I said "Ugh, gross"
"No, but I would, though. Wouldn't you?" Winky added.
"Hm! Well, as she's my mum, no?" Will continued, it was useless really, they obviously wouldn't let it go.
"But if she wasn't?" This was futile.
"She is, though, so…"
"But what he's saying is, if she wasn't your mum, would you fuck her?" Simon chimed in again. "Are you still doing this?" I interrupted.
"So you would fuck her?" Beanpole turned to Will.
"No!" He replied, clearly outraged.
"I wanna know, if you get down between her legs, spread them…" The rest of the sentence was cut off as I slapped my hand over his mouth.
"Finish that sentence and I will personally castrate you, complete with expert advice from Donovan." I threatened. He gulped in response.
"Right, well, maybe see you tonight?" Will turned to the others.
"You're not invited, unless you bring your mum,"
"And your sister!"
"Did you really have to pick us up?" I asked, climbing in the back of the car.
"I just wanted to hear all about your first day," she reasoned.
"Well, I made a friend, Will's definitely gonna get bullied again, surprisingly there are some fit boys and everyone's going to the pub tonight. By the way, can I borrow 20 quid?" Mum just sort of nodded and I zoned out as Will inevitably complained that he wasn't bullied at his last school for the entire ride home.
Finishing off my mascara I'd just taken one final look at myself in the mirror before Will walked in. Heeled brown ankle boots, tight black jeans and an old band shirt with a very low V cut out of it. My hair, halfway between mum's slightly wavy and Will's unruly curls looked uncomfortably lion-mane-ish but after a while I decided it would add to the rock chic vibe I was going for.
"Do I look alright?" Will asked and I looked him up and down. His khakis, sweater vest and button shirt didn't make the most stylish outfit I'd ever seen before but he was doing well for, well, him.
"You look like a purebred nerd, but there'll probably be some purebred nerd girls there so I'd say you're fine," I told him.
"That's probably the nicest thing you've ever said to me. I'm going to Simon's first. You won't be on your own will you? That'd be a bit sad," he told me.
"Your concern warms me," I told him dryly, while looking in the mirror and applying some extra lip gloss, "And for your information, my friend Nat is coming here first and I'm meeting a boy there," I finished fluffing my hair.
"A Boy?! Who?"
"Just a boy, why, you interested?" I winked.
"Whatever," he said with a sigh, "See you there!"
"How do my tits look?" I asked as we approached the pub, "Distracting enough?"
"If they don't serve you, they won't serve any of us and I clearly can see they have definitely served some uglier girls," she told me.
"Easy." We strolled in and made a beeline for the bar, "Two jack and cokes please," I made sure to lean over the bar and watched his eyes flicker from my face downwards and back up.
"That's £4 love," he said handing over the drinks.
We took some time to survey the crowd, everyone was here. Sporty kids, nerdy kids, cool kids, dumb kids, everyone aside from my brother and his friends. Probably gotten lost somewhere knowing him. We spent some time talking to Nat's mates who all seemed nice enough. It turned out I had geography and maths with a girl called named Courtney who promised to save me a seat the next day.
Nat nudged me in the ribs after about an hour and very un-subtly nodded her head in the direction of the pool tables. That was where I saw Donovan playing against someone. The two of us strolled over and took the empty stools near where he was stood. I gave him a coy smile and he jerked his head in that nod of recognition boys do.
"So you gonna help me celebrate after I kick this guy's ass?" He asked me.
"Only if you win," I leaned forward to give him a better view, "I don't go for losers," I told him while I took a sip of my drink.
"I always win," he assured me.
"I'm sure you do. Come on Nat, I believe it's your round?" I asked standing up. We talked to Courtney and another girl, whose name I couldn't remember, for a couple minutes until I felt and arm land on my shoulders and a body next to mine.
"Alright," he said "I'm here to collect my winnings," he had a shit eating grin on his face as I leaned in. At the last second I moved my lips to his ear and whispered,
"If you think I'm that easy, you have me all wrong," I slipped a napkin with my number on into his back pocket at the same time. It was then, with my hand still in his pocket, I heard Will's voice.
"16, 16, at a push 17!..."
"Oh god," I groaned burying my face into Donovan's chest.
"What?" He asked.
"Just my socially challenged twin brother ruining both the night and my only chance of enjoying the rest of school," I continued miserably.
"Twin?" More than one person asked.
"Fraternal. Fra. Ter. Nal. We are no more related than any other brother and sister, just happen to share a birthday," I grumbled as we trudged outside.
Pretty soon after leaving the pub I had to wander over to Will and Simon. Nat had left and I wasn't about to walk home with Donovan, not after I'd told him I was going to make him work for it.
"Mum coming then?" I asked as I approached.
"I think so?" Will replied in a tone that said she definitely wasn't because he hadn't asked her yet.
"I'll call her," I said with a sigh taking a few steps away. As I was hanging up I watched Donovan approach Will and hung back to eavesdrop.
"Please don't hit me," Will begged him.
"I'm not going to hit you here. But I will get you. You won't know when it's coming, but it is coming. At some point in the next year, I will get you. Me and the new bird was having a great time till you ruined it. You're gonna regret that," he threatened.
"The new bird as in my sister?"
Completely ignoring him Donovan looked over his shoulder at mum. "Is that your mum? She is fit, almost as fit as your sister!"
"Thanks," Will said, clearly uncomfortable.
"Lovely to meet you Mrs. McKenzie! I will see you later Meg, yeah? You too Will!" I threw him a little wave as I got in the car.
"He seems nice," Mum told Will, who seemed to be in shock as he was still standing with Simon.
"He's the school psycho who threatened to kill me because I apparently ruined his chances of shagging your daughter, my sister," he told her.
"I'm glad you're making friends," she replied and I had to stop myself from laughing.
"Do mums ever listen?" Will asked Simon as he got in the car.
Just as we got in I felt my phone buzz.
Call me Mark x
Goodnight, Mark x
"Meeeeg?" Will asked as I headed upstairs.
"Yeah?"
"Are you really going to get with Donovan?"
"His name is Mark," was all I said before shutting my bedroom door.
