Sometimes

Chapter fifteen

I made sure to wear the violet t-shirt that I’d bought when shopping with Cassie a couple of weeks back, when getting ready for band practise on Friday night.  I’d been saving it up for a special occasion and thought what better an occasion than showing off my new look.  New hair, new outfit, new confident Harriet.  I pulled on my jeans and stuffed my phone into my pocket before running downstairs to meet Leanne in the hall.  She was slipping on her biker boots over a pair of neon pink socks. 

    “Ready?” she asked once she’d straightened back up and retrieved her bag from the banister at the bottom of the stairs. 

I nodded.

    “You know, I’m glad you’re coming.  It’s nice that we can do something together, besides work that is.”

I smiled as she opened the door and waited for me to step out onto the drive.

    “You look nice,” she added, following me outside.  “Your new hair really suits you.”

A warm, fuzzy feeling filled my stomach.  “Thanks, Leanne.  I appreciate it.”  I let the sound of her heels clicking on the concrete fill the silence for a moment before deciding to confess.  “I thought you might think I was trying to copy you.”  I raised a hand and patted my fringe.  “You know.”

Leanne stopped at the driver’s side door, looking at me over the roof of her car.  “Don’t be so silly, Harri.  Hundreds of girls have side fringes and choppy layers.  Just because I sort of have the same hairstyle as you, doesn’t mean I’ll hate you.  Or think you’re copying me.”

My worries eased at her words.  It had only occurred to me yesterday, when Cassie had been talking about where Leanne got her hair dyed red, that I’d begun to see the similarities between our hairstyles now that I’d had mine cut.

    “Good,” I replied.  “I mean, I didn’t want you to think I was trying to be like you or anything.”

Leanne unlocked the car with a jarring sound before climbing inside.  I got in too, to see her staring at me again.  “What is wrong with you?” she asked.  She looked confused, like she’d just been asked to explain why Zelda King had just called someone a fork.

I shrugged.  “What do you mean?”

    “Why should you care whether you look like me or not?  I don’t.”  She smiled.  “In fact, I take it as a compliment that you kind of look like me.”

I relaxed even further then.  She’d seen me wearing her blazer the other day and I’d been worried that she’d wonder why I’d suddenly taken an interest in wearing it, even though she’d told me to help myself to the clothes she hadn’t wanted.

    “I do draw the line at dyeing your hair red though.”  She smoothed a hand over the curls she’d fashioned her hair into before turning the key in the ignition.  The car sprang to life and we buckled up.  “It would just be plain annoying if you did that.”

I shook my head.  “I like my brown hair.”

    “You keep your freaky, two tone hair.”  Leanne laughed as she pulled out of the driveway and

I chuckled just as my phone vibrated from my pocket.  I took it out to see Aiden’s name flashing on the screen.

Have you left yet? My bike’s got a flat and I need a lift x

I glanced out of the window to see that we were just coming to the end of the cul-de-sac.  If Leanne made a left, we could get Aiden. 

    “Turn left,” I said, waving my phone.  “Aiden needs a lift.”