Growing Up Chase
By Rebel Yell
Part Eight (age 15)
"Hi, Robbie."
" I'm sorry, Liz, but I can't talk to you."
" Robbie, we're in school. We can't avoid each other."
" I know. But you'll get in trouble. And we both know you'll end up telling your parents about it if we stay friends, because you have a big mouth and can't help it."
" I know. I'm sorry…about Saturday morning. I didn't expect them to be so angry."
" They found a boy sleeping over nights in their daughter's room. I think it's fairly normal they got angry."
" But you aren't a boy!"
" Thanks for that, love. Last I checked, I've got the right parts."
" You know what I mean! You've been doing it years."
" Actually, not officially since you…well, since…you know."
" No, I don't. You've been round our place since we were in nursery together, you and Danny both. Danny's not been for ages, though."
" Exactly. Not since you…oh, bollocks. Not since we buried that skirt, and you borrowed my extra trousers for the rest of school."
" That was the most embarrassing day of my life!" Lizzie groaned, remembering getting her first period at school. She and Robbie had worn the same size clothing at the time, since she was hitting her growth spurt, and he hadn't. "And I'm sure you've stayed over since then."
" Not in your room - at least not with your parents permission. Look, shouldn't you be not talking to me? How much trouble are you in?"
" I'm grounded for a month. And Mum's had Dad take the bedroom door off the hinges. I've got laundry duty for two weeks. Could be worse. Well, maybe not much but…I think they believed me about not, you know, sleeping together, like that. What about your parents? Dad said he was going to call your dad."
" He didn't call to talk to me, so…he probably doesn't care. I could run off to…Africa or something and he'd not even notice. I could probably actually get a girl pregnant and he'd not care. He said if I got in any more trouble he'd take Mum to court and force me to move in with him - but he won't. He doesn't really want me."
" So…you're not in any trouble?" She was sort of angry, considering she was in loads and the whole mess was pretty much Robbie's fault anyway.
" Not with my dad. Your mum called my mum though. She…mostly shouted."
" Mostly? Are you all right?"
" I'm fine."
" Robbie, maybe…maybe you should move in with your dad. I know he works a lot, but your mum isn't well."
" I can't leave her too, Liz. It's bad enough Dad only comes 'round every few months. If I left too, she'd do something."
" Robbie? Can I ask you a question?"
" Of course."
" Why did you start coming round in the middle of the night? Danny says you've been to his place too. Almost always on Friday or Saturday."
" Mum's parties. If I'm there, Mum makes me attend. She says I'm old enough."
" You're fifteen. But, she's been having parties for years. Robbie, you promised you'd never lie to me."
" Swear you won't tell anyone - not even the priests in confession?"
" I can't swear that. You know I tell everything in confession."
" But it's not your sin, Lizzie."
" Well, it is when I have to lie to my parents about it."
" It's not lying. It's just…not telling them. It's not like they'll ask about me."
" I swear I won't tell anyone that hasn't been bound by the sanctity of the confessional, okay? I won't even tell Danny."
" Mum has those parties, you know? Everyone's drinking and, I don't, but everyone else drinks loads and there was this friend of my mum's…another model or former model or something. She says she likes me. And last night…"
" Oh, for God's sake, Robbie, spit it out."
" She kissed me. And not like your mum's friends are supposed to do, yeah?"
" Did you tell your mum? Or anyone?"
" NO! And you can't either, you swore! It was…weird. Oh, God, I can't talk to you about this."
" Why not?"
" Because you're a girl." Robbie sighed dramatically. "It's like you telling me all about your…period and stuff."
" Exactly. I tell you all about that sort of thing. We're best friends, Robbie."
" Am I handsome? I mean, do girls like me?"
" Of course they do! You know that. Jody McCormick certainly likes you. You're just a bit…quiet for most. And you do really weird stuff really suddenly sometimes. But what's that got to do with your mum's friend?"
" This friend, she talk about how handsome I am all the time. And she kissed me. Mum doesn't know about that, but she does know that her friend thinks I'm handsome. And…she gets upset about it. Says I'm turning into a man on her, like it's something bad. And Jody isn't like most girls."
" She's a total slag, and a perv, you mean."
" She's only three years older than me. And I like her too. It's…nice. Felt good, you know?"
" No, I don't. I'm waiting until I'm married."
" Oh, right, that's cool. But this friend of my mum's, it was just creepy and weird."
" Robbie, you have to tell someone! This friend is probably some sort of pedophile. You are only fifteen."
"NO! I haven't even confessed to the…you know, my sins. What if the priest tells anyway? And this friend's a lot younger than my mum. Like maybe twenty-five. It was just a kiss."
" Robbie, I can't…I can't keep my promise. I'm sorry but-"
" If you tell anyone about this I'll never speak to you again."
" Robbie. This is really bad. It's not your fault at all, but it's bad."
" If you tell anyone, Lizzie, the state'll take me away to some state home, and Mum might go to jail or something. We'd never see each other again. I'll just avoid her, like I've been doing."
" I'm going to have to go to confession after this. Robbie, I'll keep my promise on two conditions. First, that if it ever happens again, if you can't run away from it, you have to tell someone. Someone not me, someone who can help, like Father Baros or the principal or something. Second, only if you swear that you'll go to Danny's right away when your mum has a party. Or if Danny's not home, you come to my house."
" Your parents would kill me! And you!"
" It's better than…just swear, or I'll go right over to Principal Hendricks' office right now-"
" I swear! All right? I swear." Robbie sighed, and toed the dirt into weird little squiggles. "It wasn't that big of a deal. I've been kissed before. As long as Mum doesn't find out and get upset about me growing up, again. Are you sure you won't be in trouble for talking to me?"
" I don't think Mum or Dad really expect to keep us from seeing each other in school - it's impossible, isn't it? We have almost all the same classes. But they're pretty serious about not spending time together outside of school. At least for awhile."
" This is weird."
" Yeah, like a divorce."
" Who gets custody of Danny then?"
" Why is anyone getting custody of me? Just because I'm younger than you two - it's only a few weeks!" Danny appeared, dropping next to them and practically diving into his lunch.
" It's fifteen days between you and me, but Lizzie was born before you were even conceived. So she's a lifetime older than you."
" That made no sense, Robbie." Lizzie laughed, and it was easy to forget, during lunch at least, that anything at all might have changed between them.
