Lice "outbreak at school" Debbie yelled as we walked inside. "Damn and let me guess you all have them" Fi said, she was sitting on the floor playing with Liam. "Don't know, the nurse quit" Carl said. "It was so funny, she was yelling and crying and ran out of the school" I added as I chucked my bag on the ground and kicked of my shoes. I climbed over the back of the couch and started searching for the remote. Carl did the same. We slapped each other as we searched. The tv turned on "I've got it and you're watching kid friendly cartoons" Fi said as she changed the channel. We both sighed loudly. "Carl and Lucy definitely have lice, they were both scratching on the way home. Schools going to check everyone in the morning and send everyone with them home until they get treated" Debbie said. "What? They ain't going to treat them?" Fi asked as she handed Carl Liam. She and Debbie walked into the kitchen.
There was a bang on the door. "Not it" Carl yelled and shoved his foot in my face. I slapped it away and got up to answer the door. Lee, Cindi and Cue stood on the porch. I stepped back and let them inside. "Don't have any spare shampoo do you?" Cindi asked. I shrugged and sat back down on the couch. "Lucy" Lee sighed. "Fiona!" I yelled out. "Why bother, no school if you got them" Carl said. "Yeah and then no lunch" Cindi mumbled as she and the boys sat down on the couch too. "What?" Fiona yelled as she came down the stairs. "You wouldn't have any spare lice shampoo, would you?" Lee asked really nicely. Fiona sighed. "I don't have enough to treat these guys" she said. "We are figuring out a way to get more" Lip said as he came down the stairs too. "Money?" I suggested. "Got none" Fiona said. I looked at Lip, I could tell he knew what I meant. "Was thinking going straight for the product" he said. "Already tried, Mr Javis is on today and he watches us like a hawk. There's no taking it" Cue said. "What about the other one?" Fi asked. We all shook our heads. "Don't want to go to juvie" Lip said. "They made the cops come when Davey got caught stealing condoms, didn't let it go either. Ended up doing community service and he is only 12" Lee added. "We will have to go further out, I'll google" Lip said and headed back upstairs. "I'll help" Lee yelled out and followed, cue got up as well. "Are you sure you all got them?" Fi asked Cindi. "Yeah" she mumbled. "Want a drink?" I asked her. She nodded and we went into the kitchen.
I waved goodbye to my friends and headed to the kitchen table where everyone else was already eating dinner. "I'm the class president, I can't have lice Fiona" Debbie whined. "Well you do" Fi said. "I need to get rid of them tonight" Debbie said. "Debs I've got work, I won't have time to changed all your sheets and vacuum the mattress. There's no point wasting the little bit of shampoo we do have" fi said. Everyone else was just eating their dinner with the odd scratch of their heads. Fi had checked all of us and we all had them, she did as well. "I'll do all that. I just need you to comb my hair" Debbie said. "I can't, I've got to go in like 10min. Maybe Lucy can do it or Lip?" Fi said as she ate her dinner even faster. "I won't you to do it" Debbie whined. "I'm sorry, Lip you got a plan to get more shampoo yeah?" Fi asked. "Yep. Go to work, I'll sort everything here" he said and gave Liam another spoonful of mash potato.
"Lucy" Debbie said very nicely as she sat down in front of me and handed me a comb. "Lip?" I suggested. "You. Please" she said. I sighed but grabbed the brush. "You need a candle incase you get any live ones" Ian told us, "oh I want to do that. Burn them alive" Carl said and ran off.
Debbie climbed into bed, "why didn't you want Lip to brush your hair?" I asked Debbie once she had settled down. She was silent for a while. "I saw him and a girl naked together" she eventually said. "Having sex?" I asked. "How do you even know what that is?" she asked. "Everyone talks about it all the time, and I caught people doing it too" I told her. "You listen to all that stuff? It's so gross and weird. I don't really get it" she said. "Sex? You don't know what it is? Penis goes into vagina, how can you not know that. You're nearly 11" "I know what's involved, I just don't know why they all do it all the time" "oh, it's a grown up thing. You'll get it when you grow up" I told her. "I can't wait to be grown up and stop being a kid, be able to have fun and do what you want" "I do that now" "because you're naughty and dad doesn't give a shit" "then why not do it now too?" "I can't, I've got to be responsible. Help Fiona and stuff" "I don't think you do, not all the time" Debbie didn't reply. "I'm right ain't I?" I teased her. "Shut up Lucy" she said but I could tell she was joking.