Authors note: Sorry guys, maybe I died or something, I dunno, but I've had this written since before I posted the last chapter (all those months ago...), I just got a bit wrapped up in my legacy to go shoot for this. Sorry!
I've spent almost every day the past two weeks with Justin. He's loads of fun, and he's really helped take my mind off my parents. It helps that he's been through it all too, I think.
Daddy, I mean Dad (hehe), came by to get more clothes a few times, but he still hasn't got all his stuff. He's sleeping at his sisters (aunt Lynn, across the street), and Emily says he hasn't looked at any houses, but he applied for a new job the other day! I thought he liked working on the farm. I know he moans about it, but that's what adults do! They moan about stuff even though they like it.
Justin met Lottie for the first time yesterday, we hung out at the park for a bit, Lottie was telling us all about her holiday. She said it rained most days, and me and Justin laughed at that because it's been boiling here! She invited me to spend the night, and she asked if Justin could as well, but her Mum said she wasn't allowed boys to sleep over 'at our age'. I said I'd ask my Mum, she's letting me get away with anything at the moment, but Justin said his Mum probably wouldn't let him stop out anyway.
Justin walked us to my house so we could pick up some things, and then walked us both to Lotties house too! It's at the top of a really steep hill, so we told him he didn't need to, and he said "You can never be too careful."? How weird is that? I remember about two years ago, someone stole an apple from the market, and it was the talk of the town for months. What were we being careful of? I suppose Justin has always lived in a city, and so being careful is something he's used to. We had the 'stranger danger' talk in school, and my parents have told me not to talk to strangers, but there are no strangers in Winchester. There's about 100 people, most of them are young people still at school. I know everyone at school, and you can work out who's each persons parents because there isn't a lot of choice. I guess it was sweet of him to worry, though.
And then something weird happened when we got to Lottie's, Justin asked if he could talk to me alone a minute, so Lottie took our stuff inside. He stared after her, making sure she'd gone all the way in before he turned back to me.
"I've got you a present." He was grinning his usual 'I'm planning something' grin, and I couldn't help but shoot a worried smile back.
"What is it?" I asked, imagining that he'd picked up a slug or something disgusting like that on the walk up there.
He pulled a gift-wrapped box from behind his back. He actually planned this, and didn't just pick something off the floor? "What is it?" I repeated, excited this time.
"Well, if you open it you'll know." I hesitated. "Go on! Open it!" He pushed, and so I did.
"A phone?!" I was shocked. He got me a phone?! My parents won't even get me one, they say I can't have one until I can afford to pay the bill myself. Even though they won't let me take a paper-round, because it's not safe apparently. "How did you get this? Why did you get this?" I wasn't even sure I wanted to know. Justin is twelve, like me, he doesn't have a job, like me, and I've never met his Mum, but I assume she wouldn't buy phones for her sons friends.
"It was just an old one my Mum wasn't using anymore, and I got you it so I have a way to contact you. It's a long walk from my house to yours, and if you can't or don't want to come out then I have to walk all the way back. Much easier to just ring you." I didn't know what to say, but he was still beaming at me, his eyes twinkling after his good deed.
"Thank you!" I said after a while, and threw my arms around him. I've never hugged a boy before, except Lottie's brother and my Dad, but they don't count. It was weird and I wasn't sure how long I was supposed to hug him for. He didn't seem to mind, so it probably wasn't too long, but he didn't hug me back. Maybe he was as shocked as I was. After I pulled away, he said he'd send me a text later so I had his number, and then I'd have to send him one back so he had mine. ("If I could work out how". He actually said that!)
We had dinner with Lottie's parents and brother. I love her family, they're always so happy, and they were all extra nice to me and gave me extra dessert because of my parents. They let us sit at the breakfast bar instead of the dining table. I like sitting at the breakfast bar, I know it sounds weird, but it's fun! Maybe it's because it's high up? I don't know.
Ellis helped us set up Lottie's room for me to sleep, and he told me all about his holiday too. I know it was the same holiday, but Ellis and Lottie have very different ideas of fun, so I like hearing what they did from both sides.
After Ellis left us, I told Lottie about the phone. She was as shocked as I was, but gave me her number immediately so we could see if it worked. It did.
"What will you say to your parents?" She asked me after we'd stopped squealing about me sending my first text from my own phone.
"Oh, I dunno. I didn't think of that." I really hadn't. What if they would take it off me? "I guess I'll keep it a secret because they might not let me keep it." Lottie nodded.
"But what about the bill?"
"I don't know." I shrugged. "I'll have to ask Justin about it, I guess."
Time flew by, there was so much to talk about, and then at about nine Justin text.
Gess hu? Was all it said. I'm not good at text speak, because I've never used it, but Lottie told me that it meant 'Guess who?'. I think I'll pick it up quickly, she said if there's something I don't understand then I should just say it out loud, because it will probably sound the same as the word it replaces.
The boogeyman? I sent back as a joke. Lottie and I had eaten a lot of sugary snacks by this point, and it seemed really funny. It isn't now I'm reading it back not-hyper.
Boo! He replied, which sent us into fits of giggles, causing me to nearly fall off the bed, and making Lottie's Mum come in and tell us to start to wind down or we wouldn't sleep. She wasn't angry, she's never angry, but her bedroom is next to Lotties, and Ellis' is on the other side so we can't ever be too noisy when I sleep round.
We weren't tired, probably because of all the sugar, so we changed into our PJs and went downstairs to watch TV. If we're downstairs we can be noisier too, so it was better all round. We stayed up past midnight! We've never stayed up that late before! Justin stopped texting about half eleven, so that must've been when he went to sleep.
We didn't wake up until nearly midday, and so we had lunch for breakfast!
And then I spent the whole afternoon at the park with my two best friends. I wish summer holidays would last forever, we're nearly halfway through already, and I really don't want to go back to school.
