Angel Kiss - Laura Jane Cassidy [36]
‘Colin, that’s not going to fit you!’ I said as he tried to squeeze himself into my denim waistcoat. To my disbelief he managed it.
‘Do I look like Kate Moss?’ he asked.
‘Spitting image,’ I giggled, as I searched for my other ankle boot. It was impossible to find anything.
‘We should put on some music,’ said Colin. He grabbed my iPod and within seconds ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ was blasting from the portable speakers. Colin tied my red silk scarf round his neck and proceeded to dance around the tiny caravan.
‘Don’t look,’ I said as I changed into my shirt and tartan skirt.
‘What you’re sellin’ I ain’t buyin’,’ said Colin, mid twirl.
I put on a silver necklace and my leather jacket. My outfit was finally coming together.
‘Lookin’ good,’ said Colin.
The door swung open and almost hit him in the back. Oh no, here we go, I was going to be in major trouble. The caravan was in a state.
‘Hi, Mum, I was just about to clean this –’
‘Don’t worry about it,’ she said, struggling in with shopping bags. Colin grabbed them for her and found a clear space on the table.
‘We’re going to a party,’ he explained, motioning to the piles of clothes. ‘A girl has to look her best.’
Mum smiled. ‘Jacki, it’s fine. You go off to your party.’ She started to unpack groceries and I put on the rest of my make-up in the bathroom while Colin chatted to her about house renovations. He was one of those guys who parents loved because he was so chatty and polite. I could tell from her tone of voice that Mum seemed to be in a really good mood. I filed a mental note to bring Colin round more often.
As I stepped out of the bathroom I heard a car outside. ‘Who’s that?’ I asked, looking out the window.
‘It’s Des,’ said Mum.
‘It’s half nine. Why is Des here?’
‘We’re going to the Chinese in Carrick.’
‘What? Why?’
‘He asked me if I wanted to –’
‘Wait … is this a date?’ I asked, dreading her answer.
Colin stood awkwardly between the two of us, trapped in the tiny space.
‘Yes. It’s a date.’ She knew I wouldn’t explode with Colin there. I couldn’t believe it. She was actually going on a date with him. He was totally not right for her. This was ridiculous.
‘Here,’ she said, handing me twenty euro. ‘Don’t be back too late.’
‘You don’t be back too late!’ I shrieked.
Mum smiled and despite my effort to pull away, she kissed me on the cheek. ‘Have a nice night,’ she said.
‘You too,’ said Colin as she left the caravan. He turned to me and shrugged. ‘She seems happy.’
I hated to admit that he was right. I felt disloyal to my dad, even though I knew it was unfair. ‘I wish we had some vodka,’ I said.
‘Whoa there,’ said Colin. ‘Don’t want you hallucinating again.’
‘I didn’t hallucinate,’ I said. ‘There was somebody in those trees.’
‘Maybe you saw a ghost!’ said Colin. ‘There’s rumours that those woods are haunted.’
I thought back to the bathroom at the café. ‘I didn’t see a ghost. She was … she … I don’t know. But I didn’t see a ghost. There’s no such thing.’ It sounded convincing when I said it aloud.
‘Is so,’ said Colin, whooshing me out of the caravan.
‘No, there’s not,’ I said, locking the door behind us. ‘When you die you are dead – that’s it. You rot into nothing and you are never coming back.’
‘Whatever you say,’ Colin replied. ‘Now, let’s get ready to party!’
Chapter 11
‘Right, guys, you can do whatever you like, just don’t move anything, don’t break anything and don’t get sick on anything,’ said David Mulvey as he dropped a bag of tortilla chips on to the mahogany coffee table. From the leather couch, I looked around the enormous sitting room. It resembled a small ballroom, with its dark red walls, smooth wooden floor and crystal chandelier suspended from the high ceiling. The décor was surely the work of an interior designer. It was wonderfully elaborate and everything matched perfectly. His house was probably