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“I am just going to take my shot…” Zahra said, “I like you Milly Clarke.”
Milly couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She broke into a smile. There couldn’t be a more genuine smile. Zahra relaxed from her tense posture and smiled too.
“I like —“ Milly began but quickly tumbled over onto the floor. Her knee stung and when she looked at it, there was a bloody scrape.
“Watch where you are going, Curly!” A little boy with a snub nose said. He had tumbled her over. Milly scrunched her face up and Zahra broke out into a laugh.
”Ham. That isn’t very gentlemanly,” a man with wide blue eyes and faded brown goatee appeared.
”Dad, they were in my way!” Ham retorted.
“Sorry about that,” Ham’s dad offered a hand for Milly to help her up, “He is going through a rowdy phase.”
”That’s okay - Tss..” she said as her knee hurt. Blood trickled down her leg.
”Sorry about the knee, but it’s nothing a plaster won’t solve -” Ham’s dad said.
”We will take care of that,” A man with latte skin and a trimmed moustache came out of the parlour. It was Zahra’s dad.
Ham’s dad nodded and looked at Milly once more before leaving with Ham in an old ute.
Mom came out and gave Milly that all knowing smile. She could easily read Milly’s mind.
Milly sat on the boot of Zahra’s dad’s car. He had a first-aid kit out and had cleaned the wound with a bit of bottled water. It stung.
“So are you Zahra’s new girlfriend?” He smiled.
”Dad!” Zahra said, embarrassed.
Milly blushed and kept quiet as he put the plaster on. She didn’t remember being more polite, ever.
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Once Milly was alone in her room she was rolling on her bed hugging her pillow. Zahra liked her. Milly felt the same way but she didn’t get the chance to respond.
Milly wanted to hold Zahra’s hand again like they had at the park.
She reached for her phone to message her friends. She messaged the FilmSoc chat: “Zahra said she liked me!”
Jojo responded on the chat: “Congrats! Hey I thought you said FilmSoc wasn’t happening anymore?”
Milly couldn’t help but respond, “I won’t give up if you won’t.”
Viraj and Stevie had seen the messages but hadn’t responded in the chat - instead they DM’d Milly. They still weren’t talking.
Viraj: “Hey that means you are officially part of the cool kids crew!”
Stevie: “Hey Milly I don’t think that’s a good idea. She bullied you for years and now she is trying to change?”
Milly felt like she was being pulled apart by Viraj and Stevie. If she chose Zahra - Viraj would open his arms to her, but Stevie may see it as betrayal. Stevie didn’t know that Zahra’s grandmother had died. Zahra wanted to be a better person and make her grandma proud. Milly was convinced that Zahra’s ‘cool girl’ persona wasn't real instead the girl who loved reading and singing in the gardens was.
Milly replied to Stevie first: “I think I really like her. She was only pretending to be mean to fit in.”
Stevie replied: “Pretending is just as bad. You don’t need my permission to date Zahra. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”
Stevie was being a true friend. She actually cared about Milly. She wouldn’t abandon her. Not like Viraj had abandoned Stevie. He had just seen Ludovica and was mesmerised - he gave up on true love. He joined Rosa’s gang just for a girl. Would Milly do the same?
Milly replied to Viraj: “I don’t think I could be friends with Rosa. You don’t have to choose either. Stevie and I are always your friends.”
Viraj responded: “You don’t know what it is like for someone to continuously flake on you everytime. Luds gets me. She is here for me.”
Milly didn’t respond. Viraj had liked Stevie - but she had done something to him.
She moved back to Stevie: “Thanks Stevie. Maybe you are right.”
Stevie replied: “Hey I am being honest with you but I have had enough of love.”
Milly: “I get that he wanted to date someone but he didn’t have to leave.”
Stevie: “I don’t really care anymore. You can’t make people choose you. Hey, come over to my house tomorrow?”
Milly: “Yeah of course.”
Milly looked at Viraj’s message: “She is here for me.”
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Stevie’s house was a colosseum of sport and mischief. Her brother Bryn and Gary were always kicking a ball about. Stevie wasn’t any better. She and Milly played with a bat and tennis ball in the corridor. Stevie’s mother knew all too well to have priceless vases around. Milly never saw any vases - only trophies for soccer, basketball, or half a dozen more sports.
“Why don’t you join any teams?” Milly asked Stevie.
”I am in the girls soccer team duh!” Stevie said.
”What? You never said anything about that. How come you never go to practice?” Milly asked.
“I had surgery on my knee last year and I haven’t been able to play as well. I am recovering. Well recovered by now,” she laughed, “I just got caught up, messing about in FilmSoc - I should probably let coach know.”
Stevie was back to her normal spirits. She wasn’t the sulky sea witch she was at the town fair. If the same thing had happened to Milly, she would have held it in for years and slowly corroded her insides. Case and point is exactly what happened to her with the bullying. Stevie was just made of tougher stuff, or at least she was really good at hiding it. Viraj had abandoned her. Gone off with someone else and forgot that Stevie even existed.
“How are you like this?” Milly said.
“Like what?” Stevie laughed.
”So… so strong,” Milly said.
Stevie did a strong man pose, “I am just a natural.”
”I mean with Viraj…” Milly said.
Stevie looked sad for a second. Milly had glimpsed a hidden part of Stevie for just a moment.
Stevie put down the bat and sat on the stairs, “I had a call… from my big sister Ellen… She’s in college. She said when things end, it makes way for new beautiful experiences.”
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Three years ago…
Ellen missed her serve. The shuttlecock fell to the ground between her feet. She could have sworn the impact was in sync with heartbeat. Ellen was fifteen - tall and lanky - with a tom-boyish mess of dirty blonde hair and soulless grey eyes.
In the end, she lost the game of badminton. It was a crucial game and she wouldn’t continue. Her heart ached when she saw Grace in the changing room with the other girls. They all huddled around leaving Ellen out of it. She didn’t know how to feel when your girlfriend broke up with you on the eve of the tournament. How could she pretend like nothing happened? And how could everyone choose her over Ellen? Weren’t they all friends? It seemed like Ellen was kicked out of orbit and was hurtling out of the solar system into a cold and empty darkness.
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Coach Burns, a polar bear of a woman, grilled Ellen on why she lost that match the next day, and Ellen just broke out into tears. The other players in the club whispered and snickered as Ellen was ushered into the coaches office.
”I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings Ellen. I am just confused as to why yesterday was one of the worst games I’ve ever seen anyone play. You are our best player. Our star,” Coach Burns said.
”I am not a star… I can’t do anything right,” Ellen sobbed.
She felt like she had failed everyone. Coach. Her friends. Grace. Nobody wanted her.
“What happened, love?” Coach Burns said kindly.
”Grace dumped me, and the whole club isn’t talking to me… I don’t know what I did wrong…” Ellen sobbed.
“It is okay to cry. But a club who turns their backs on someone like that deserves no tears. Grace may have her reasons, but it is not your fault. You are wonderful Ellen. I have seen how amazing your game has been these past years. You have a shot at the big leagues.”
“I feel empty, like some part of me is missing,” Ellen said.
“Look at this,” Coach Burns said, bringing up a golden shuttlecock to her face, “I won this at your age. I was on my way to greatness, but I met a young devil who I loved deeply but broke my spirit gradually until I became severely depressed. I gave up badminton. I see now that if I had someone to believe in me at that time, maybe my life would be different. You have the makings of greatness Ellen. You have the support of the whole school.”
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A year later, Ellen would be training harder than ever. Grace and the other club members had pretty much kept their distance. Ellen didn’t even look at them. It was just her and the court. No, that wasn’t true. She had her family. Pat was absent minded and in his own world but he cared. Gary was such a pain, a thorn in her backside, but she knew. Stevie was her biggest fan, but she was so cool about it. Bryn was just a baby - but his smile was just love. Mom and Dad were her rock - they would always support her no matter what the score. Coach Burns had been there to clear her doubts - she had everything in the makings of a star, and when the national tournament came, she played with a will to win.
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Grace was now seventeen. She made friends with a lot of the new club members - David, Sanjula, Chi, and Reggie - and some of the older members had gravitated back, although she wouldn’t trust them the same. She wasn’t a grudge holder by any means - but that sort of trust is hard to earn back. They were all sitting at an Italian restaurant having pizza after nationals.
”Let’s have a cheers for El - you bloody well get us a gold at the Olympics!” Reggie said in his usual mischievous banter.
The whole table cheered. Grace wasn’t there. Grace had left the team a long time ago. She wasn’t part of her life anymore, and frankly it didn’t hurt as much thinking about her. There was only a memory of sadness - which Ellen hoped would soon be forgotten.
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She didn’t give up on life when Grace left - because when Aarthi arrived, it all made sense.
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Stevie had told Milly about Ellen’s heartbreak and how she didn’t give up. The way that Stevie talked about Ellen, showed how much Ellen was important to her.
“Ellen believes in me,” Stevie said, “So that’s why I won’t give up.”
Stevie was amazing.
There was a ring at the doorbell. Mom. Already?
The door opened and the girls peeked at the top of the staircase. Stevie’s big burly dad opened the door and Milly’s mom gave a slightly intimidated smile. They moved into the living room? What was happening? Normally Mom would call for Milly.
”I think our parents want to be friends?” Stevie guessed.
”Friends?” Milly said.
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Milly sat in the car with Mom. Mom was tall and thin with dark chocolate skin and short black curls. Their car smelt of grass because her Mom was a commercial gardener.
“Stevie is such a good friend. You should ask her to come over sometime,” Mom said.
“Really?” Milly said. Milly had been too nervous to ask Stevie over. She had a sneaking doubt that maybe Stevie would say no.
“I’ve invited the Lunds out for a picnic next week,” Mom said.
”Stevie was right. You want to be friends with her parents,” Milly said.
”I want to know the people who are making my daughter so happy,” Mom smiled.
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How could this day get any better?
★★★ ★★★ ★★★ ★★★ ★★★ ★★★ ★★★
Hello! Mal here! :) I hoped you enjoyed reading chapter one of season two. There will be ten chapters in this season - which will released over the next few months. Stay tuned for more! I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to read my first story. It has been a dream to be on Penana. It is wonderful community.
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