Chapter 38
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I don't know how long it will be till I write the Christmas chapter, but if it does correspond with real life then I'm sure I can upload it on Christmas Eve.
As for naming the baby Rachel Darci Barber-Walker, after the authors of this series...
I'll think about it.
"10 DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS!" Mo yelled, sprinting through the halls.
"Is it always like this?" a tired Robbie asked Sam,
"yep," she replied as they walked into the kitchen, "definitely haven't missed this," everyone was bickering and arguing who deserved the last of the coco pops.
"A normal Sunday morning at the Dumping Ground," Johnny told him,
"it's certainly very..." Robbie paused, "social."
"That's what happens when you live in a house with 15 other people," Arietta laughed,
"14," Jemima corrected her.
"Whatever," Ari mouthed, flicking her hair, which hit Sam in the face.
"I'm going to the CHRISTMAS BISCUIT FAIR!" Jody yelled.
Xxx
It was bang on 10 when Robbie's dad showed up, who didn't even greet his son, instead just shoved him into the car.
Ari just watched from the window, wishing she could do something.
Xxx
"We should beat the world record!" Tyler declared,
"that could be tricky," Jemima pointed out,
"I bet no one has ever thought of it, and once we have beaten the record, we sell it to make a ton of money," he said.
"Yeah," Tee agreed, "I doubt it would take long to make the world's longest paper chain."
"The record was last broken in June 2005," Jemima told them, "by a group of 60 Americans, who made a 54.33 mile long paper chain in 24 hours."
"Oh," was all that Tyler could say.
"I think we should just make it for the Festive Spirit," Faith said,
"I'm with Faith," Rick stated.
Xxx
"The tree's arrived already!" Sam exclaimed, running up to the door to help her Grandparents carry it through the door and into the lounge.
"It's a... " Ari paused, "a nice tree."
"Of course it is," Aldo declared, "I picked it." Lynne rolled her eyes,
"refused every tree I suggested," she told Arietta, who laughed.
"Nonno," Sam said, scolding her Grandfather playfully.
"Ari, could you help me fetch the decorations?" Lynne asked,
"I'll get them," Aldo said,
"no, not after last time, plus Arietta is taller than you are, and wouldn't do something stupid like decide to balance on a bin," Lynne reminded him.
The two girls looked at each other confused, "a few years ago he couldn't reach a shelf, so stood on a bin, put his leg through the window and broke his collarbone," she explained.
"Really?" Sam asked, "Nonno?"
"I'll help," Arietta told the older woman, and they headed upstairs, leaving Sam to scold her Grandfather.
Xxx
"Jem, can I have a minute?" Johnny asked, Jemima consulted her watch and then the paper chains in front of her.
"But that will minimize performance by 3.8%," she told him.
"One minute," he pleaded.
"Ok."
The two teens headed out into the hallway,
"I was wondering if you want to come to the shops with me," Johnny said,
"that will take considerably longer than a minute," Jemima pointed, "and you've only got 49 seconds left."
"Not now, later,"
"how much later?"
"after lunch," Johnny said, Jemima consulted her diary,
"I'm free 2 till 3," she told him.
"It's a date,"
"is it?" Jemima asked, "because if it is a date, I will need to schedule pre-date planning and in that case I won't be able to fit you in till Tuesday. But then again that is based on the prediction of how long getting ready will take, and I am yet to cross reference that with what is socially acceptable, to create an average of how long it should take me to get ready for a date. But if that average is more than 47% over my prediction, then I won't be able to fit you in till Thursday."
"Jem," Johnny said,
"25 seconds left," she shouted.
"It's not a date, it's just a... thing," he told her, she stood waiting for an explanation, "I'm being sent to buy replacement decorations."
"And you need me because...?"
"For company," he told her.
"Is company necessary?" She asked, he paused, "of course it is," she replied, tone changing, "it is only natural for humans to feel that company is a necessity. 10 seconds."
Johnny looked confused, "7, 6, 5," Jemima told him, suddenly he pulled the Welsh girl into a kiss.
She pulled away, a few seconds later, "0," she told him, grinning slightly, before walking back into the kitchen and going back to her paper chains.
Xxx
"Ari, you don't have to do this," Sam reminded her best friend, she turned to her grandparents, "you can't just drag her into our Christmas preparations."
"Yes, we can," Aldo declared, "she is practically family."
"I don't mind," Ari told her best friend.
"That's sorted then," Lynne said, "Ari could you help me decorate the tree?"
"No she can't," Aldo stated, "she's going to help me in the kitchen."
"You've got Sam," Lynne reminded him, "so I'll have Arietta."
"But Sam does nothing but question my 50 years of experience," Aldo told his wife, "Arietta knows I am right."
"Arietta, tell Aldo that he's wrong," Lynne practically begged.
Sam just sat on the side, watching the argument, eating ginger bread.
"How about you two work in the kitchen, and Sam and I will sort out the Christmas tree," Ari suggested,
"I'm with Ari," Sam declared immediately.
"Of course you are," Lynne said, and Aldo just laughed.
Xxx
"How was it?" Faith asked,
"it was AMAZING!" Jody yelled, "people kept giving me free biscuits, but Mike wouldn't buy anything."
"Well you did buy a lot of biscuits when we went to shopping centre," Tee pointed out.
"But these biscuits were really really really nice," Jody explained.
"Is Arietta here?" Mike asked them, as he walked past.
"She's at Sam's," Faith replied,
"ok, then I guess lunch is ready, so you better go through," Mike told them.
Xxx
"Ari, stop taking selfies," Sam commanded,
"but I look great," Ari complained, twisting round to change the light.
"But the Christmas tree is meant to be wearing the tinsel, not you."
"What illness did the Christmas tree get?" Arietta asked,
"tinsellitis," Sam replied,
"tonsillitis," Ari said at the same time.
"Ari, the joke is tinsellitis, not tonsillitis," Sam explained,
"oh..." Arietta started laughing, "that makes sense now."
Sam shook her head in despair.
Xxx
"Johnny wait over there," Jemima commanded, staring at her watch.
"What are we waiting for?" he questioned,
"for 2'o'clock," the Welsh girl explained, "and you have to stay over there, because if you're within 2 metres of me, then that is violating the idea of spend just an hour together. So you have to wait there, till the hour starts."
"Jem..."
"What are you waiting for?" Jemima asked, "we've only got an hour."
"But you said we had to wait,"
"Johnny, it is now 2," Jemima shook her head, ashamed that she had to point out the obvious.
Xxx
Kitty paused, her whitened knuckles an inch from the door.
What seemed like a lifetime ago, Erin and her had shared a room, but after Erin came back, Kitty was moved into her own room.
Finally she knocked on the door, "Erin," she said, voice small, poking her head round the door.
"Kitty!" Erin exclaimed,
"I was wondering if you would like to..." Kitty looked up, then quickly away, "hang out?"
Erin looked surprised, "I didn't know you still liked me..." she trailed off,
"of course I like you," Kitty replied, suddenly feeling more confident, "you're my best friend."
Xxx
"What colour scheme?" Jemima asked,
"it's tinsel!" Johnny exclaimed, "can't we just get a variety of colours."
"No," she told him firmly,
"but the paper chains are multicoloured," he pointed out.
"Ok we'll have red and gold for the tree," Jem said, taking charge, "and we can have a variety of colours for the rest of the house."
Xxx
"What is Nonno doing?" Sam asked her Grandmother, looking out into the garden where her Grandfather was sat, blissfully unaware of the cold, with a fishing rod, surrounded by plants.
"Um... just a... tradition," she replied.
Xxx
"So we're asking if Ari wants to help with the tree," Tyler said, Tee nodded.
The two year eights had donned coats, gloves, scarves and hats, for their long journey next door, to Sam's house.
They were walking by the wall, which was shared with Sam's house when suddenly something flew over the wall and the two teens looked up, to see the green leaves, with white berries bobbing above their head.
"Is that mistl...?" before Tyler could finish speaking, Tee was kissing him.
Xxx
"What is he doing?" the two girls questioned, while Lynne laughed, and Aldo stood facing the wall and after a minute, he reeled in the rod from the other side of the wall and headed inside.
Looking very pleased with himself.
He opened the door, and walked in carrying the rod, immediately raised it and hung the leaves over his wife's head.
"Oh... mistletoe," Ari exclaimed,
"mistletoe on a fishing rod," Sam stated, "very... inventive."
Suddenly the two girls heard the two Grandparents laughing,
"we're not a couple," Sam told them, looking up at the mistletoe.
"Oh..." Ari said, "shut up," before kissing the blonde.
Xxx
It took Tee and Tyler 5 minutes to complete their long journey.
And they discovered that they couldn't kiss and walk.
They knocked on the door, Sam opened it look a bit flushed.
"You ok?" Tyler asked,
"there was mistletoe," Ari stated laughing, appearing behind Sam.
"We discovered some random mistletoe," Tyler told them.
"Nonno," Sam said, and in the kitchen her Grandfather laughed.
"When Johnny and Jemima get back we were going to do the Christmas tree," Tee said, "we were wondering if you wanted us to wait for you."
"Well, we've still got to finish the tree here but give us half an hour..." Ari said,
"ok," Tyler said, and the two teens headed back straight away.
"They were holding hands," Sam commented,
"oh look," Ari said, looking at her left hand, and Sam's right, "so are we."
Xxx
"What are you thinking?" Jemima questioned, Johnny looked up,
"I was thinking about," he blushed and looked away.
"Typical male," Jem commented,
"Not that," Johnny corrected her, "I was thinking about romantic things, and trying to think of something you would like." He paused, "I mean you're not the average girl, not the girl who wants to be taken on picnics, or to a coffee shop. For all I know you probably hate gender roles with a passion."
"I'm not Arietta, but I do find the whole the male superiority act complete bull..." she stopped, upon seeing the Mother with young children glaring at her. "I don't want to have a brave man to write me a love song, or make me a picnic. I don't want flowers, I would rather have a book. I'm a 21st century girl, I don't want to be stuck in a backwards Patriarchal relationship. I believe in equality, and I don't want to be a prize, I want to be an equal. I don't want to paid less than my male counterparts, or be considered less important simply because of my gender. I don't want to be demeaned by the past."
Xxx
"Do you wish that you and Johnny didn't break up?" Erin asked Kitty, the younger girl played with the corner of the quilt on Erin's bed.
"I thought he would come back to me," Kitty said, "when I dumped him, I never thought it would be permanent but almost immediately he moved onto Jemima."
She looked away from her best friend, "understandably," she almost snorted, "I almost drove him to suicide."
"Kitty you saved him..."
"I saved him from falling off the cliff, but I was the one who pushed him."
The silence between the two girls was uncomfortable, "what do you think of the name Mia Hope?" Erin asked Kitty,
"don't use it," Kitty responded immediately, "it just upsets people."
"But I like it..."
"don't be childish about this Erin, people probably have their reasons for being against it. It's hardly an uncommon name, it could the name of their mother, or their sister, or their child."
Kitty froze,
"Ari," Kitty said, turning back, "did you ever have any children?"
Arietta fell silent, "thought so," Kitty said quietly.
"No one in the Dumping Ground has any kids," Erin snorted,
"you never know," Kitty said quietly, "some people might surprise you."
"You'll be telling me next that Arietta has a daughter called Mia Hope, who is dead, yeah right." Erin snorted, "you know what Ari is like, when she arrived all she did was over dramatise. Walking in like she owned the place, and like her past was any worse than ours. Like it was worse than yours..."
"It could be," Kitty told her,
"yeah right, you'll be telling me next that Robbie Jacoby has changed, and what is going on right now isn't him being a nice guy, it's just so he can sleep with the lesbian. God, why are all guys obsessed with sleeping with lesbians? There are plenty of gorgeous straight girls..."
Kitty simply tuned out, she didn't want to hear any more.
Xxx
"Angel or star?" Sam asked, the two girls looked down at the gold star and the angel dressed in white.
The two teens stood in silence, taking a brief moment to remember those they had lost.
"Ari," Sam said,
"I can't reach," Arietta replied, Sam passed her the angel and then lifted Ari up, so her best friend could place the angel on the top of the tree.
"Thanks," Ari whispered, hugging her best friend.
Xxx
"Right Tyler, Tee, Johnny, Rick start putting up the Christmas tree. Erin go and get scissors from the kitchen, to open the packets and remove the labels. Jody, Harry, Mo sort the tinsel into red, gold and other colours. Faith and Frank, can you untangle to fairy lights?" Jemima commanded, "Bailey..."
"who made you the boss?" he snapped,
"well it makes sense because I'm the most organised,"
"you're a control freak," Bailey replied.
"Yes...?" Jemima paused, waiting for him to continue.
When she realised he had finished she turned to Kitty, "Kitty, can you put on some festive music?"
Xxx
By the time Sam and Arietta arrived the Christmas tree was up, Frank and Tyler were winding the lights round and round, and Tee was laughing at Tyler who was getting increasingly tangled up.
Rick and Erin was sat at the table, Rick was writing a Christmas card to his parents while Erin was looking through the Argos catalogue.
Kitty was organising the decorations, and Jody had gotten bored, so simply watched the scene before her, as she sat on the pool table. Eating biscuits.
Jemima was standing on the pool table, shouting orders, "Samantha and Arietta, 28 minutes, 37.6 seconds late."
"Sorry," Ari replied, "what do you want us to do?"
"You have allocated the task of putting decorations round the house," the Welsh girl told them.
"Ok, so shall we..."
"You're meant to be working!" Jemima shouted,
"what about Jody?" Arietta asked,
"it's her timed break," Jem declared, she checked up stopwatch, "she has 3 minutes, 16 seconds left. Now WORK!"
Xxx
"This Christmas is gonna be a hell of a lot better than last year," Sam declared,
"you can say that again," Ari told her, hanging up the paper chains.
"I can't even remember last Christmas," the blonde said,
"neither can I, everyday was the same."
Sam paused, "at least this Christmas will better,"
"I may not have the hope of Mia," Ari commented, "but I'm safe this year, which certainly makes up for something."
The two girls carried on working in the hall in silence, "my arms ache,"
"you have no stamina," Sam replied,
"how do you know that?" Ari asked, almost challenging Sam.
The two girls stood nose to nose for a moment, before Arietta started laughing.
"Screw Jemima," she said,
"there are other people I would rather fuck," Sam told her honestly, as Arietta grabbed her hand and pulled her down onto the piano stool.
"What are we doing?" Sam questioned,
"we're improvising," Ari told her, starting to play Christmas songs.
Xxx
"I sense procrastination," Jemima said, her head snapping up. The work force turned to their director.
She jumped off the pool table, and strode out of the room.
Everyone paused for a moment, before following the seemingly crazy girl.
Xxx
They found the procrastination within 20 seconds, but before Jemima could punish the strikers, other members of her work force started singing with two girls.
Next thing Rick had pulled out his guitar, Erin had fetched hers, Ari on the other hand was showing off, clearly in her element.
Everyone was singing, and "dancing", if you could call their unstructured, non-rhythmic bopping that.
Erin sung a song to Rick, and Jemima noted the eye-rolling marathon taking place between Sam and Arietta.
"Do you remember when Carmen thought she could sing?" Johnny asked the group,
"oh yeah, and she begged and begged and begged for a karaoke machine," Rick said.
"We've still got it somewhere," Tee told them.
"LET'S DO KARAOKE!" Ari yelled, getting very over excited.
Xxx
"Arietta Rosenberg, wait your turn," Jemima commanded, the older girl who was fidgeting and getting more and more desperate to sing.
"Oops, we've put it on shuffle," Jody and Mo said, Bailey groaned.
"It is Johnny's turn," Jemima said, checking her rota.
"I give my go to Arietta," he replied immediately.
Ari jumped up immediately, before Jem could complain and hit the play button, hoping she would get a decent song.
Closer by Tegan and Sara.
"Who?" Kitty asked, and Sam just grinned, knowing it was the perfect song for Ari.
Immediately the girl was into it, and while not an stunning singer, she could hold a tune and she was pretty good.
She was leaping round crazily and had dragged Sam into the song, by the pre-chorus.
They head banged, they jumped, they acted like complete mentalists. Forgetting that they were singing in front of all the others.
So much so, that by the time the bridge had finished, they had completely forgotten about singing and had gotten a bit a distracted.
By kissing.
I would recommend checking out the music video of Closer by Tegan and Sara, every time I hear the song/watch the video I immediately think of those two.
Sorry I have taken so long to update, I have a feeling that regular updates are now a thing of the past, thanks to the joys of GCSEs.
Please review xxx