A one week delay was better then nothing, and thankfully he was allowed to wear boyish clothes for their trip into town. Afterwards, Andrew’s mother dropped him off outside William’s house and told him to be home before dark. “I will.” Andrew replied. His mother waited until he knocked on the door. “Hello Mrs Dowson. Is William in?” he asked.
“Hello Andrew… yes, come in.” she said, acknowledging the boy’s mother with a smile and a wave. “William! Andrew’s here to see you.” she hollers, before looking Andrew up and down. “I like that coat.”
“Er… it’s my sister’s.” Andrew meekly replied.
“Of course.” she smiled as William leans over the balustrade and invites Andrew upstairs. Andrew enters William’s bedroom and casts his eyes around. It’s typical boy’s room with a poster of Slade on one wall and the Six Million Dollar Man on another. Do it anyway you wanna do it blasts out of a crackly transistor radio. William looks Andrew up and down as he begins sheepishly unfastening a double breasted dress coat that covered him from neck to knee He dropped it from his shoulders and revealed a pair of sky blue dungarees with a butterfly embroidered on the bib pocket. Beneath this he wears a pale blue long sleeved blouse. “How come that shirt’s got buttons on the front and the back?” William asked.
“Because it’s a girl’s shirt.” Andrew replied, pointing out that the buttons on the front are only for show. After a brief uncomfortable silence, Andrew confessed that his parents have decided to continue petticoating him at home. “And she’s gonna make me go to the Saturday dance class.” he grumbled.
“So… are you staying at St Flick’s?” William asked as he took Andrew’s jacket and hung from the back of the door.
“No… I’m going back to Cromwell Road… I wouldn’t mind so much if I did have to stay at St Flick’s but I don’t and I still have to wear her clothes.” he moaned.
“Didn’t they offer you a place?” William asked. “…at St Felicity’s?” he added.
“Yeah but there’s no way I’d take it.” Andrew retorted. William said they’d offered him a place too. “They probably say that to everyone.” Andrew figured.
“I took it.” William confessed.
“What?!”
William gulped. “I’m staying at St Flick’s.” he said.
“You’re kidding!” Andrew gulped. William shook his head. “Why?” Andrew gasped.
“Because it’ll be unbearable if I go back to Cromwell Road and everyone knows we’ve spent two weeks attending a girl’s school.” William explained. “Doesn’t it bother you?”
“Course… but Miss Coulton said blah blah blah.” was Andrew’s lengthy reply. Both Miss Coulton and Mrs Arkwright were at the meeting with the head teacher on Friday afternoon, and between them, they assured Andrew that the details of his suspension are held in the strictest confidence.
“Yeah they said that to me too… but anyone might have seen us on the bus, or passed the school gates during break.” William reckoned. “They can’t guarantee that word won’t get out.”
“No but we can just deny it… and Miss Coulton did say she’d back us if we say we’d been suspended and grounded at home.” Andrew stated.
“I’m not gonna risk it… anyway, it’s not just about having people laughing at me and taking the piss… uniform aside, St Flick’s is a much better school.”
“It’d be better if it wasn’t a girl’s school.” Andrew said, before expressing his utter shock and surprise that William has decided to stay at St Felicity’s. “…that’s the last thing I expected.”
“Soz.” William frowned. “I’d been thinking about it all week… I just didn’t say owt…”
“I wish you had. Then I could have talked you out of it. This is crazy!”
“Not really.” William replied. “It’s a better school and I’ve discovered that I like learning stuff. There’s fat chance of that happening at Cromwell Road. It’s just crowd control. No wonder we kept nicking off.” he shrugged.
“Yeah but… at least we don’t have to dress like girls and answer to girl’s names, skip around the playground or attend dance classes.”
“Well apart from skipping around the playground… you still have to do all that.” William reminded him.
“Don’t remind me.” Andrew sighed, before asking if William would be joining the Saturday dance class too. William wasn’t sure and said he hadn’t really thought about it. “Oh go on… I’d hate it if it was just me.” Andrew said.
“Hello Andrew… yes, come in.” she said, acknowledging the boy’s mother with a smile and a wave. “William! Andrew’s here to see you.” she hollers, before looking Andrew up and down. “I like that coat.”
“Er… it’s my sister’s.” Andrew meekly replied.
“Of course.” she smiled as William leans over the balustrade and invites Andrew upstairs. Andrew enters William’s bedroom and casts his eyes around. It’s typical boy’s room with a poster of Slade on one wall and the Six Million Dollar Man on another. Do it anyway you wanna do it blasts out of a crackly transistor radio. William looks Andrew up and down as he begins sheepishly unfastening a double breasted dress coat that covered him from neck to knee He dropped it from his shoulders and revealed a pair of sky blue dungarees with a butterfly embroidered on the bib pocket. Beneath this he wears a pale blue long sleeved blouse. “How come that shirt’s got buttons on the front and the back?” William asked.
“Because it’s a girl’s shirt.” Andrew replied, pointing out that the buttons on the front are only for show. After a brief uncomfortable silence, Andrew confessed that his parents have decided to continue petticoating him at home. “And she’s gonna make me go to the Saturday dance class.” he grumbled.
“So… are you staying at St Flick’s?” William asked as he took Andrew’s jacket and hung from the back of the door.
“No… I’m going back to Cromwell Road… I wouldn’t mind so much if I did have to stay at St Flick’s but I don’t and I still have to wear her clothes.” he moaned.
“Didn’t they offer you a place?” William asked. “…at St Felicity’s?” he added.
“Yeah but there’s no way I’d take it.” Andrew retorted. William said they’d offered him a place too. “They probably say that to everyone.” Andrew figured.
“I took it.” William confessed.
“What?!”
William gulped. “I’m staying at St Flick’s.” he said.
“You’re kidding!” Andrew gulped. William shook his head. “Why?” Andrew gasped.
“Because it’ll be unbearable if I go back to Cromwell Road and everyone knows we’ve spent two weeks attending a girl’s school.” William explained. “Doesn’t it bother you?”
“Course… but Miss Coulton said blah blah blah.” was Andrew’s lengthy reply. Both Miss Coulton and Mrs Arkwright were at the meeting with the head teacher on Friday afternoon, and between them, they assured Andrew that the details of his suspension are held in the strictest confidence.
“Yeah they said that to me too… but anyone might have seen us on the bus, or passed the school gates during break.” William reckoned. “They can’t guarantee that word won’t get out.”
“No but we can just deny it… and Miss Coulton did say she’d back us if we say we’d been suspended and grounded at home.” Andrew stated.
“I’m not gonna risk it… anyway, it’s not just about having people laughing at me and taking the piss… uniform aside, St Flick’s is a much better school.”
“It’d be better if it wasn’t a girl’s school.” Andrew said, before expressing his utter shock and surprise that William has decided to stay at St Felicity’s. “…that’s the last thing I expected.”
“Soz.” William frowned. “I’d been thinking about it all week… I just didn’t say owt…”
“I wish you had. Then I could have talked you out of it. This is crazy!”
“Not really.” William replied. “It’s a better school and I’ve discovered that I like learning stuff. There’s fat chance of that happening at Cromwell Road. It’s just crowd control. No wonder we kept nicking off.” he shrugged.
“Yeah but… at least we don’t have to dress like girls and answer to girl’s names, skip around the playground or attend dance classes.”
“Well apart from skipping around the playground… you still have to do all that.” William reminded him.
“Don’t remind me.” Andrew sighed, before asking if William would be joining the Saturday dance class too. William wasn’t sure and said he hadn’t really thought about it. “Oh go on… I’d hate it if it was just me.” Andrew said.