Monday
"That's not the outfit I picked out" Fiona said and span me around then hurried me back up the stairs. "I didn't see no outfit" I told her. "Here" she said as she grabbed some clothes of the dresser. "Oh" I mumbled and looked at the top while Fi changed the shorts I was wearing. "It has butterflies on it" I whined. "I know but everything that doesn't have them or flowers or something else cutesy you've already ruined so … butterflies it is" she said and pulled off the top I was already wearing. "That's better, at least there's no stains and the shorts are a nicer length" she said as she stood back and looked. I just glared at her. "Go put on your shoes, violin is on the table in the dining room" she said and headed into the bathroom. We were 5mins early for the bus, Fiona fiddled with my hand while we waited. The bus was full so I sat on her lap.
"Remember what I told you last night, yeah? These kids might not be quite what you're used to. Please be gentle and polite, no swearing, no gross stories, no flipping them off, no hitting or anything like that. Keep everything appropriate please" she said. I put my feet up on the back of the seat in front of us. "I know" I sighed. "Yeah I don't think you do, but you're smart enough to pick it all up quickly I suppose" she said and tucked my hair behind my ear, "I might just put it up in a ponytail, sit forward" she said and patted my leg then took the hair tie off her wrist. I let her continue with her nervous fiddling.
I looked around the room. Everyone was older than me, all were clean and dressed nicely. I watched what they were getting out of their bags and what they put in their pockets, it looked like there was a few good targets. "Ok guys, everyone pull up a seat and create a circle" the teacher said. They all did as they were told, there was no yelling, or shoving or stealing someones seat. I copied them and put a chair in the circle just as calmly and waited for the teacher to speak again.
Fiona was waiting for me when lessons finished, a few of the parents were goring at her. She was wearing some cut off shorts and a little tank top which always got a few looks. A couple of the teenage boys gave her a quick look up and down as well. She hurried over to me and we headed for the door. "Lucy? Fiona?" One of the teachers yelled out. We both stopped and sighed. "What did you do?" She whispered. "I have no idea" I said as I turned around, Fi followed me. Neither of us said anything. "Umm so it seems Lucy is a bit more advance than we were expecting, she's really dedicated herself to practicing and studying the last few weeks and her improvement is just stunning really…" Fi and I shared a glance. "We have probably placed her in the wrong group, unfortunately the advanced camp has already happened but we would like you to still attend the two weeks with us. We will try to make it as challenging as possible though it will require more one on one time then we had planned. Would that be ok with both of you?" "Will she still be coming at the same time?" Fi asked. "Yes, same hours and everything" "sounds good then" Fi said and we both turned to leave. The whispers stopped as we walked out, the kids as well as the parents were looking at me.
Everyone on the bus was sweating, the aircon was barely taking the edge of the heat. "How was it?" Fi asked as she fanned herself. "Ok, the other kids weren't as good as I thought they would be though" I mumbled, I was pretty disappointed about that I was hoping there would be someone I could learn pieces with but they were all struggling through 4 seasons still. "Yeah, I think that's always going to be a problem" Fi said and put her hand on my shoulder, it didn't take long for sweat to start dripping down. She removed her hand and we both screwed up our faces. I licked it, "salty." "Gross" Fi said and playfully pushed my head away, a lady near us made a disapproving noise. I wiped my hand across Fiona sweaty chest then licked it while glancing at the women. Fi just looked at me and shook her head then laughed. I grinned at her.
"Pool!" I yelled and took of my clothes as I ran towards it. Fi didn't tell me off, she just picked up my clothes and headed into the house. She came back out after a while with her swimwear on and the bottom of a bikini for me to wear plus two popsicles. "Where is everyone else?" I asked. "Coming" she said as she climbed into the pool. Ian chased Carl down the stairs while Carl screamed. He climbed up the platform, onto the chair then jumped of. I scrambled over to the edge to get out of his way. Ian did the same and made an even bigger splash. We laughed and splashed each other.
—
Tuesday
I swung Fis hand around as we walked to the bus stop. She spun me around a couple of times then I jumped on and off the bus stop bench while we waited. "You have coffee this morning?" she asked. I enthusiastically shook my head. "That's the problem, I get all bouncy if I don't have coffee" I said. "You have that around the wrong way" she said as I danced in front of her. "Nah ah, I know what happens Fiona. Oh bus, bus, bus, bus!" I said and jumped up and down.
I sat on my knees and looks at Fi, she was looking out the window. I was busy making a little tune with my tongue and mouth but stopped. "You should get another earring, here" I told her and grabbed the side of her ear lobe. "You think?" she asked. "Yeah, and here too … and here. Maybe get a tattoo" I suggested. "A tattoo?" she asked. "Yeah, Lip has one" "lips is stupid, if I get one then it needs to mean something" she said. "Like what? Where would you get it?" I asked. "I don't know that's why I haven't got one" "really? I want one. We could get matching ones. Not hearts, that's lame. I was thinking like a clef on my wrists, bass on the left and treble of the right. That would be cool right?" I asked "I have no idea what you're saying" Fi said but smiled at me, she looked kind of proud.
I searched for another stick then started filing it down on the concrete. I had done two sides and had a decent point at the end when I heard someone say my name. One of the cello players was standing in front of me, she had been rolling her eyes and making little comments at some of mean girls so I smiled up at her. "Yeah?" I asked. She sat next to me, "my names Alex." She said. "Lucy" I mumbled and continued to sharpen my stick then held it up for her to look at. "Could almost stab someone with it" I said as I touched the tip. "Got anyone in mind?" she asked. "Nah, but always good to be prepared" I said and grinned at her. She laughed. Ava and her little group approached us. "The weirdos always find each other hey?" she said with a smirk, her friends giggled. I glared at them and went back to sharpening my stick. "You upset you didn't get a solo part?" she teased. "Nope, I told them I didn't want to. I can do solo stuff but I've never played with a group before" I said. She scoffed. "You done? I'm kind of busy" I said. "Playing in the dirt with sticks? Little poor girl from the south side, people just feel sorry for you but it won't last" she said. "Her talent will though" Alex said. Ava looked her up and down and scoffed. I smiled at Alex then flipped Ava off. Her mouth dropped open and she and the rest of her friends just stared at my finger. "Oh, who we flipping off?" Ian asked from behind me. He and Lips hands appeared above me, both had their middle fingers raised. Ava turned red then hurried off. "Bitch?" Lip asked, "Bitch" I agreed. I glanced at Alex, she looked shocked. "Let's go douche bag" Ian said and nudged me in the back with his foot. Lip grabbed my violin and bag. "See you tomorrow, yeah?" I asked Alex. "Yeah, ummm, bye" she mumbled.
—
Wednesday
"You got to go in and sign something" I told Vinny, "what? That's crazy" he said as he looked over the seat at me. "I know but those the rules" I said with a shrug. He did a burn out, cut a couple of cars off while he did a u turn and sped into a parking spot, hitting the breaks hard so Hanna and I were thrown forward. We got out off the car and he flicked the butt of his cone into a bush then walked across the road. He flipped off the cars that were forced to stop for him, Hanna and I ran after him. "Will your new friend be here?" Hanna asked, "maybe though class started already" I said. Kelly sat at the reception desk, she looked a bit scared when Vinny approached. "Hi Kelly!" I yelled out so she would release he was with me. "It's so fancy" Hanna said as she looked around the foyer. "Where do I sign?" Vinny demanded. He grabbed the board "Golden child, what's your name again?" he asked. "Lucy" I told him. "Ah yeah, I love Lucy!" he said with a chuckle, as he signed. He chucked the board down then walked out. "Bye Hanna, thanks for dropping me off" I said and hugged her. Vinny stuck his head through the door "yo! Hurry up" he said. Hanna rolled her eyes but hurried over to the door. I headed towards the classroom.
V was getting even more looks than Fiona did, her shorts were tighter and shorter and of course her boobs looked more impressive in the tight tank top she was wearing. "Jesus" one of the boys behind me mumbled. I went over to V, "hi" I told her. "Hi Luce, let's go hey?" she said and quickly glanced around the room then left. "Would think they hadn't seen a black women before" she mumbled once we were outside. "Props haven't seen anyone as hot as you" I said. "Damn girl, you giving me feels" she said and slung a hand over my shoulder. We turned left instead of right, "where we going?" I asked. "Cousins, she's been dumped and wants some cheering up. Won't take long" she said. "Aircon?" I asked. She nodded.
It was a small apartment but it was cool and there was cable. I made myself comfortable in front of the tv while V and her cousin chatted in the kitchen area. The chatting soon turned to drinking and smoking, then some other chicks showed up, I noticed one set up some lines of coke on the kitchen bench. I continued to watch the tv.
I was all alone, V, her cousin and the other chicks had all gone out. I looked round the empty apartment and smiled, it had been ages since I had a place to myself. I put some music on and went exploring. I took a sip of the fancy drinks they had been drinking, I rather liked the baileys. Poked around in the bathroom and put on some lipstick, my finger came away from the bench with som white powder on it. I figured it was coke and stared at it wondering if I should try it but decided against it, I would stick to the softer stuff for now. I washed my hands. I tried on some of her clothes which were all far to big for me, I managed to fit both my legs into one leg hole of her shorts and jumped around in those for a bit. I jumped over the bed, did some flips, ran over the couch and climbed on the bench, skipped, crawled, jumped, rolled and ran everywhere I could. I plonked down on the couch out of breath and just listened to the music, no voices in the background, or the sound of footsteps, or slamming of doors, just music.
—
Thursday
V sipped on some water as we walked towards my music school. She had barely said anything all morning. "Want my busking money?" I offered her. "When did you do that?" she asked. "This morning while you were sleeping, I made heaps" "on the violin?" I nodded. "You know you're not meant to do that" she smirked. "Could almost buy my own if I do it a couple more times" I told her. "Hand it over" she said and stuck out a hand. I had put it in an envelope in my bag so got that off my back then gave her the money. "Wow" she mumbled then shoved it in her bag and got out a smoke. "You got someone picking you up later yeah?" She asked. I nodded.
Joe was wearing his 'lesbian and proud' t shirt, "nice top" I told him as I walked over to him. He seemed startled for a second then grinned at me. "Did I tell you how I got it?" he asked. "Yeh, you fought Bloody Mary for it, good story" I told him and headed for the door. A couple were coming in and gave Joe a wide berth. I glared at them, Joe mumbled something but I don't think it was to them. "Ok bud, I got you something special this time" I said as I searched through my bag. A pulled out a paper bag, a bottle of gin and $20 was in it. "Oh, do you want some?" Joe asked, his eyes lit up as he peaked into the bag. "Nope, all yours. Go find somewhere cool to drink it. I'll see you next week, yeah?" I said. "Yeah kid" he mumbled and walked off.
—
Friday
I was shaken awake, a frantic Fiona stood over me. "It's 9:30, your class starts in 30min" she said as she picked me up. The car was moving before I even realised I was in one. "What?" I mumbled. She was trying to shove something over my head. I decided I didn't care and closed my eyes again. "Jesus Christ Lucy, wake up! You better not be hungover, I will kill you if you are" she said as she tapped me on the face. "I'm not" I protested but only half understood what she meant. "We've got to put your shoes on. God you stink like beer, and pot. Do you have any deodorant?" she asked someone. I looked around, we were in a car and the guy from Debbie's party was driving. He looked pretty shit, Fiona did too. I could smell the booze on her breath. "You're drunk" I told her and chuckled. "Finally she's awake" the guy said, "Adam?" I said as I remembered. "Lucy, had another party?" he asked. "It was awesome, there was pixie sticks and monster drinks" I said as Fi forced my leg up and tried to shove a shoe on my foot. Adam pulled into a parking spot and turned off the car. "You can go, I'll catch the bus home. You probably shouldn't be driving anyway" Fi said and shoved me out of the car. She put on my other shoe, put my violin in my hands and guided me into the music school building. "Fuck, I need a smoke" she mumbled as we approached the classroom. The teachers were already giving out instructions for the day. I reached into my pocket and pulled out 2 cigarettes and a roach. Fi grabbed them then slapped me on the back of the head. She knocked on the door and started apologising for me being late. I spotted Mr McKenzie at the piano, I had forgot he was doing that today. "Hi Mr McKenzie" I yelled out. He smiled at me. "Big night Lucy?" He asked. "Yeah, I had like 4 monster drinks and so much candy and pop" I smiled and looked down "these aren't my shorts" I mumbled as I pulled at them. One leg was blue and the other green, they went down to below my knees and barely stayed up. I looked up at Fi. She shrugged and kissed my forehead. "Be good, someone will pick you up at 4" she said and hurried off. I looked around the room, everyone was staring at me. "Take a seat Lucy" one of the other teachers said.
Emily knocked on the door, "Lucy, there's someone here to see you" she said. I got up and followed her into the foyer. Cue was there with his cousin, "they are my shorts!" Junior yelled out and ran over to me, he slapped my leg then tried to take the shorts off. I looked at Cue, he held up a pair of my own shorts. "Ok, ok. I'll go change" I said and pushed Junior back. "He is such a psycho" Cue mumbled to me as we headed into the bathroom. Baby Violet was fussing in his arms. "Everything ok?" I asked him. "Hopefully now he has his shorts back it will be" Cue said. I changed then grabbed Vi of Cue and tried to settle her. "She sounds hungry, do you need to feed her?" Mr McKenzie asked. "I forgot to pack water" Cue mumbled. We passed some kids in the hallway who all gave us a wide berth. "Do you have formula? I'm sure we have water" Mr McKenzie said. Cue nodded then ran off to grab Junior and small Fry.
I fed Violet while Cue tried to control his cousin, Mr McKenzie was helping as well. The other teachers in the staff room were trying to have lunch, they had offered to help but I said I didn't need it. I felt a bit uncomfortable with the way they would look at me when they thought I couldn't see, kids walking by the doorway gave a similar look as well.
"What the hell?" I said as I noticed Frank standing there. "Surprising hey?" he said. I got over my shock "yeah, let's go" I said. "Hey, not so fast. I want my money" he said. "I don't have any money" I said. "Yeah that's what a lot of these losers said too" he mumbled. "Frank! You better not be begging" I hissed at him and tried to push him out of the room. "Oh dear daughter, just trying to get these well to do people to support the arts they apparently love. A poor prodigy like you has so much to offer, your name will be on billboards and your friends could easily benefit from that fame …" "Jesus Christ Frank" I told him and grabbed a note from my pocket "a 5, really" he said. I sighed and grabbed another one, "that's more like it. Let's stop by the bottle shop then catch the L home" he said and headed to the door. I quickly followed him, I didn't dare glance around the room but knew most people would be staring.
"Who was meant to pick me up?" I asked Frank as we turned the corner. "Lip, see, you can't rely on anyone kid. It's a tough lesson, would have been easier to learn when you were younger but they wanted to coddle you … hey where are you going? We got more money to make" I continued to walk away.
I squeezed passed a mom picking up her kid and headed for the kitchen. No one was there. I stomped up the stairs, Fiona was picking up clothes off the floor. "Where is Lip?" I asked her. "What? He was meant to pick you up" she said. "He didn't, Frank did" "Jesus that would have been fun" she mumbled and headed downstairs. I followed her, "can you put this in the drier once it's done?" she mumbled as she put the clothes in the washing machine the headed upstairs again. "Hey!" I yelled and followed her into the bathroom. "What do you want?" she sighed. "Frank was at my music school Fiona, Frank! And Lip sent him" I told her. Fi sighed as she stepped into the shower, "You said." "You don't care? He beg the parents for money!" "Ok, that sucks but … Lips going through shit and we just need to cut him some slack" she said. "He sent Frank" "maybe that's all he could find?" "There's heaps of other people he could have sent" "Lucy, just get over it. Let me shower in peace" "Fiona!" "Please" she begged.