SOMETHING STUPID - JAMES MAGUIRE

002

Nora was exhausted. She had already had a shit morning full of rushing and rejection and the day seemed to get worse. 

On the bus they were stopped by soldiers, even worse before assembly they were stopped by Jenny. Then they had to sit - no STAND through a whole assembly. By the time break came around, Nora was antsy and ready to go. 

While the rest of her friends.... and James.... sat and ate she paced up and down behind them. 

"How about Nora?" Michelle pointed to the pacing girl, who finally stopped he movement realising her friends were talking about her. 

"Do you really think a band is her kind of thing?" Erin questioned. 

"It can be my sorta thing if we're all going" Nora said, desperately not wanting to miss out on a group activity. The group, aside Erin, voiced their distaste for the event 

"oh" Nora smiled " the nope not my thing at all" 

She returned to her movements now adding in little jumps as she tried to stretch her restless legs. 

"Please Michelle you're my only option" 

"Fine, but we all know know you're gonna sit in the corner like a frigid fuck" Michelle spat. 

"I'm not frigid" Erin looked at Nora, expecting the elected "kindest of the group" who gave her a guilty shrug "I mean a little bit". 

Erin gasped 

"You've never even kissed a boy before. You practice on your pillow sometimes but you don't think that's the same" 

"I do that too" Nora mumbled, receiving a confused look from James. To that she glared at the boy now not only upset about his rejection, suspicious of his murderous intentions AND disappointed in his judgey attitude. Also he's English. 

"The reading the diary was bad enough, I could do without the quoting it from memory" Erin shouted at her cousin. 

"Michelle, would you mind showing me where the toilet is" James timidly asked. 

"You're really starting to do my fucking head in do you know that?" 

"Will the following pupils please report to Sister Michael's office immediately? Erin Quinn, Nora Kelly, Orla McCool, Clare Devlin, Michelle Mallon, and the wee English fella. Thank you."

–

"It wasn't bullying, it was attempted bullying" Erin rationalised as the group pf girls waited outside on the tiny bench.

 Nora was on the floor, not too keen on being that bunched up on the bench. She instead lay on her back looking up at the ceiling. 

"What if we get expelled" 

"Nobody ever gets expelled" Michelle sighs "I mean Nora's been to the sister's office 9 times-" 

"12" the girl corrected from the floor 

"- 12 times for uniform infringement and she's still going strong" Michelle smiled down at the girl. 

"I just want to add colour to the uniform" the girl stated sadly, displaying her wrist that was now covered in all the colourful spare beaded bracelets she had made. 

"I can't find the boys toilet anywhere" James joined the group. 

"It's an all girls school, dick face. There are no boy's toilet's" 

"So should I just use the girls toilets then" James asked. The group looked back at him in disgust 

"No you should not you fucking pervert".