Girl from Mars by Tamara Bach Read Free Book Online Page B

are dumb. It has to be said again.

11
    Have you ever been in love?
    I’m fifteen. I’ve been kissed a few times. But I’ve never been in love. Or have I? I don’t know.
    ***
    The phone rings.
    â€œHi, it’s Suse. What are you doing right now? I’m going stir-crazy, and Martin’s busy. Are you free? We could ride around town a bit.”
    â€œI don’t have time. I have to do this math thing and my mother wants me to help her clear out the cellar or something.”
    â€œPoor you! Okay. I’ll try Ines, then.”
    â€œShe’s at Flo’s.”
    â€œWhatever. I’ll call you later or see you tomorrow, okay? Bye!”
    I’m fifteen. I’ve kissed boys before. A few times. I thought I was really in love with Marco and then with Patrick that time during vacation. I thought I wanted toget married and have kids and that that was a real kiss I had with Marco the first time and with Patrick the second time. And I also thought I was sad when whoever it was didn’t call me and things didn’t turn out the way I thought they would.
    ***
    The phone rings again. Dennis runs up the stairs, annoyed this time.
    â€œIt’s for you!”
    â€œHi, it’s Ines. Listen, I just wanted to tell you that I’m at Flo’s but I told my mother I was going to your place.”
    â€œOkay.”
    â€œGood. What are you up to today?”
    â€œNothing.”
    â€œWell, have fun then.”
    ***
    But then I wasn’t sad anymore. It’s just kind of funny when I run into Marco or Patrick now. And sometimes I wonder why I kissed them. I like kissing. And when I’ve been drinking, then I really like it. Doesn’t matter who I’m with. Maybe I feel something, too, but it has nothing to do with whoever I’m kissing. It’s just the kiss itself.
    ***
    â€œMum, can I help with anything?”
    â€œWhy, are you bored?” Usually she always has somestupid job or other for me. Why not today? “Something wrong, honey?”
    â€œNo. Nothing!”
    I find the phone and call Suse. “I’m free now. I’ll come over, okay?”
    I grab my jacket and take off on my bike.
    ***
    Suse lives on the other side of town. Her grandparents built this house for her parents. It has this big iron gate. That’s the kind of a house it is. A house with a gate. A gate that’s hard to unlock if you don’t know how to do it. A gate that you might glue closed with Superglue on Halloween. That’s the kind of house Suse lives in. And she lives on the top floor.
    You can turn your music up here, and that’s good. Suse likes to listen to music written by strong women who sing about men and women and love. Women who scream and wail but sometimes sing softly, too. Sometimes she copies out her favorite lines from the songs on her notebooks, on her pencil case, and on the wall above her bed.
    The music is playing when I walk into her room. Suse is standing at the window smoking, but only because her parents aren’t home. Otherwise she’d have to go for a walk to smoke.
    Suse’s room is big. There are scented candles everywhere, and cushions.
    She flicks her cigarette out the window and closes it.
    â€œSo, your mother let you go out?” she asks and sits down.
    Out? My mother?
    â€œUm, yeah.”
    â€œGood, because I was so bored. You are a true friend, Miriam. Martin’s playing football today and afterwards he’s going out for a drink with the guys.”
    Football. Great.
    â€œYou don’t want to go and cheer him on?”
    â€œGo out to the back of beyond to stand around freezing my ass off? I don’t think so.” She pulls a bottle of nail polish out of a drawer, shakes it.
    â€œDid you go out yesterday?”
    She unscrews the bottle. “We were here at the club. I was totally drunk by the end, and then Martin’s ex-girlfriend showed up and went berserk. Told me to get my filthy