So, here is my new story! Another Contestshipping one! I hope you enjoy! So, it starts in the bathroom with Drew. There is ink in his hair. That's how it all starts. With ink.
I would like to thank my cousin for the idea of this story. She is in year 12, and she does extension English and told me about it. She also explained to me the concept of Tandem stories too! So thanks so much Natasha! Lo loves you!
Monday
There's even ink in Drew's hair! He could clearly see the dark blue stains of ink running through his lush green hair because of the mirror.
The leaky pen was in the bin, and so is the wrecked cover of Drew's maths book, and in the classroom above the bathroom, Extension English was starting. Gary was explaining to Professor Birch that Drew's pen leaked in his bag and Drew was in the toilets, ink still everywhere. How could one little pen hold so much?
Drew finally turned up to the classroom with his hair wet and some stain from the ink still on his hands. Professor Birch smiled and nodded. Looks at the hair. Says nothing. He was sitting on the edge of his desk, clicking the cap on and off a whiteboard marker.
He looks, as always, like Hugh Grant with a belly. A faded shirt not quite properly tucked in, a limp lick of hair waiting to be brushed from his forehead, his face set with his usual look of worn-out wry amusement.
The room's different.
"We have changed the seating arrangements today, Drew," Birch said. "We're working on something new." Drew headed for the nearest set of empty desks and Birch says, "No, no, we're all sitting next to people today. Pairs. It's all about pairs."
And the only unmade pair in the room was May Maple and the vacant seat next to her. She looked at Drew. Drew looked at her. They were like gunslingers in the Western, just for a second, staring each other down some dusty empty street. Frankly, they would both take a bullet rather than go with this.
Professor Birch was still talking. "No one is allowed to sit next to anyone they usually sit next to. It's all part of the task. So, it looks like you're with May."
May, who had last spoke to Drew 15 months ago, making it clear they were never to be friends again. May, who was glaring at Drew as if he deliberately basted himself with so he could turn up late and wreck her day. Or, as it turns out, her next two weeks. Their next two weeks.
Professor Birch writes 'TANDEM STORY' on the board while Drew walked over and sat next to May. May treated him like a disease that just oozed her way. She slid her books across to the far side of her desk, rolls her eyes and sighs. What was she? Six?
May sniffed. She blew her nose noisily into the crinkly tissue she had got balled up in her hand. That just kept getting better for Drew. As if sitting next to May Maple wasn't enough, now Drew got to share the cloud of micro-organisms May was honking around them. She blew her nose again, and then settled back into a snuffle.
"This is an exercise," Birch says. "An exercise to bring to the surface the issues that comes up as part of the writing process – narrative, characterisation, tone or voice, observation, questions about opening up possibilities and shutting them down, making choices. And you have to do all that without discussing it. Your only contact about your story should be by email, and the emails cannot include any planning. There will also be a companion essay, which should be partly theory but more of an evaluation of what you have been through. You'll submit both the story and the companion essay, but only the essay will be assessed. I want you to feel free to take risks with the story. Surprise each other. Really make something of it."
May made a few notes, but then started drawing, and the drawing became Professor Birch's face in a metal helmet with a crown on it. Drew almost laughed but he stopped it on the way out. May cupped her hand around the drawing, the covered it with her packet of tissues and sat back, sniffing and blinking and playing with her brown hair, feigning complete attention to the front of the room.
Professor Birch's speech continues. May Maple and Drew Haydens were partners. That was what it all added up to. Tandem-story partners with an essay ahead of them and, way worse than that, a story to share. Starting tonight or tomorrow, writing the story a paragraph in turn, one paragraph a day until two weeks from Wednesday.
At the end of the class, after another fierce blow of her nose, May gave Drew a hard look and said, "I'm starting. I'm writing the first bit…"
"Sure," Drew told her, like someone who couldn't care less – who couldn't care less that those were the first words between them in 15 months. "Amaze me."
After School
"That's not a bad line," Gary said later when they were talking about it. "'Amaze me.' Sometimes mere surprise is not enough. Where does she get off telling you she's going first?"
"She's being May Maple. It's her job to be annoying. I don't know who gave it to her, but that's how she is. And now we're story buddies for the next two weeks or so. Excellent." Drew replied with obvious sarcasm.
Gary should have been Drew's partner. On any normal, non-ink-stained day when Birch hadn't been inspired to mess up the room, that's where Drew would have been sitting.
"Jeez, how's it going to be?" Gary said and laughed. "A story with May Maple. You of all people. Maybe this'll sort out the ugly ending with Leaf!"
"And maybe it won't." Drew told him.
The two boys were playing handball. As they're slapping the ball across the concrete, Gary started to laugh again.
"And maybe it won't," Gary mimics in a whiny voice, and just his lip out into a big sad pout.
Drew grabbed the ball and chucked it at Gary and it ricochet off his shoulder and into the bushes.
It was all in Drew's head as he was walking to his home about what happened 15 months ago.
Flashback
"Leaf is going out with someone else now," May said, "and that's all you need to know. You've blown it, buddy. You don't need me to tell you how, but you've blown it."
And May walked back across the science block, to Leaf who was sitting under a Frangipani Tree, holding her lunch but not eating it, looking Drew's way. It was anger, mostly, that Drew could see on her face.
End of Flashback
Leaf does something else while May, Drew and Gary do Extension English. Who knows what? Not Drew.
Just as Drew arrives at home, he spots an exhausted Soledad outside his house. She was training her Slowbro. Soledad is Drew's 'babysitter' when Gardiena, Drew's mum, is at work.
"Hello, Drew," Soledad said, catching her breath and returning Slowbro. "Why don't I make you some tea?"
Soledad looked tired. Time for Drew to be a good citizen.
"Why don't I make you some?" Drew said to her as he reached for his keys. "My mum's bought something new, some kind she hasn't tried before. It might be Central Kanto."
"Well, it would be, wouldn't it?" Soledad said with a lift of an eyebrow. "If it's at all possible."
The air in the apartment was still and thick with the heat of the day, so Drew got the AC pumping. Drew's mum, Gardiena, had left her Ancient Kanto phrasebook in the kitchen. All this is due to Cilan, the new man in all their lives, and Gardiena's fiancée.
Drew's mum sweeps in around six, a cyclone of papers and keys and things she picked up at the shops. Fresh bread, a punnet of coriander seedlings that may not live long and part of today's work copy of The Courier Mail.
"So, you're OK then," Gardiena said, like a tick falling into a box. She was looking around the room for signs that showed that Drew was not OK. There was none.
"I'm OK," Drew told her, "but The Simpsons is starting, so your enquiries are limited to the ad breaks, alright?"
"Charming. Charming Boy. Remember how hard I worked to get you that Widescreen TV?" Gardiena asked while piling her things onto the breakfast bar. "Or maybe we shouldn't go there."
"No. There's a tiny heart in Retravision that's probably still broken."
"Yes, well…" Gardiena said, and left it at that. "Anyways, plenty to do, right?"
Gardiena put a casserole in the oven to reheat for Drew and tossed a salad for herself, eating it standing at the breakfast bar watching The Simpsons. Gardiena asked about school. Drew didn't tell her much.
"No really, I'm interested." Gardiena said, mildly affronted. "I want some content."
"It's school. It's not big on content. My pen leaked." Drew said.
"Happens to the best of us," Gardiena said, in a thanks-for-nothing kind of way, even though they both knew there was no time for conversation now. "That was seriously the biggest thing in your day?"
Biggest thing in Drew's day? Two weeks partnered in story, and probably disease, with May Maple – maybe that would be number one.
"I went to school; I did the regular school things. Six classes, three sausage rolls. I came home. Solid but unremarkable progress, ink on my hands." Drew told her.
Drew didn't mention May Maple. If he mentioned May Maple, there will need to be context offered. Context would include Leaf. Leaf is a topic they would not be discussing.
The ad break ended.
"Well, good for you! Good for you and your regular day!" Gardiena said, happy since she thought she had drained Drew of all his news.
She left her bowl and headed of for Salsa Dancing, Ancient Kanto style. And Drew blamed Cilan for all of it.
Frankly, if Cilan was anymore of a slug he'd leave a trail, mostly between the TV and the fridge.
But they try, Drew and Soledad, they try. Drew fetched him beers and asked Cilan every possible question about his work. Soledad brought over pictures of her tour from Kanto, but Cilan just smiled and nodded at the photos, as if a little embarrassed to see his world brought out into the open. Drew had wondered if there was something bad in his past, bad in the civil war there, so Drew tried to be sensitive. And make allowances for the revolting mango smell.
Drew sighed. Everyone was entitled to relationships that don't work out. Drew's dad had gotten married again, so Drew had two step-sisters. Erika was nearly 16, and Casey was nearly 8.
Drew quickly checked his emails. He was glad there was none from May Maple.
Drew had just gotten into bed when Gardiena and Cilan had arrived home. One of them – maybe both of them – started going 'shoosh shoosh'.
Drew was sure that someone was in the lounge room, pointing at his room door in a meaningful 'don't scare the child with our grubby porn! 'way. Drew wanted to yell out and tell them they were not in pantomime. Drew heard the DVD start to play, and the volume quickly dropped. Drew shoved a pillow over his head, knowing it was for the best anyways.
There was a storm in the night, and it woke Drew. It was about 3am. While Drew was lying there, Drew noticed light under his door. Drew got out of bed and opened it, silently, and there was Cilan at the breakfast bar whit Gardiena's Ancient Kanto phrasebook. He seemed to be taking notes.
Yep! Suspicious Ending! What was Cilan doing?
Sorry if this was a bit confusing! And, Leaf and Drew do not make contact in any part of this story! I hope! I will never let it happen!
I hope you enjoyed! And I accept all reviews! Thanks!
