Letters from the Inside Read Free

that’s a boring way to start a letter. I’ll come up with something better next time, I promise. But my life’s boring at the moment. Can’t wait till the holidays, not that we’re doing anything or going anywhere. Oh well. At least the Power Without Glory concert was good. Actually it was better than good; it was over the mountain and far away. It was a great great concert. I didn’t go with anyone, any guys I mean, just Cheryl and Rebecca, but that was fine by me. Sisters of Rock were the support band and I like them, too.
    That Phil Nuffield, he’s amazing. He was jumping off the stage into the audience and jumping back up again and ripping off these amazing vocals through it all. There were four encores so it went late. Those encores are a pain in the butt — the bands know they’re going to play them, they’ve rehearsed them and everything, the crowd know they’re going to play them — but you’ve still got to go though the routine of clapping till your hands are burning. It’s so fake.
    Anyway, I’m being selfish, ’cos Saturday was your big basketball game. How did you go? Did you win? Hope so. I actually remembered it a few times during the night and crossed my fingers for you — maybe it was when you were shooting the winning goal.
    You know, that’s — don’t take this the wrong way — but that’s one of the first times since we’ve been writing that you’ve let yourself go a bit, like it was the ‘real you’ or whatever you want to call it.
    You seem reserved. Is that what you’re like in real life? I keep thinking of questions I want to ask you but it’s hard when you’re a week away. For instance, who are your friends? (apart from Casey). What do you look like? Send me a photo. Do you believe in God? Do you do drugs? Do you smoke? Do you get on with everyone in your family? Do you follow a footy team? Are you a brain at school? What kind of jokes make you laugh? What kind of clothes do you wear? Gee, now that I’ve started, I could go on all night. Lucky I don’t have to answer these questions myself. Have you ever been anywhere, like travelling?
    Sorry if I’m overdoing it! You don’t have to answer them anyway.
    Oh yes, I was going to tell you about Paul and Marco. Well believe me, I’m offering this as a script to ‘Days of Our Lives’. But I handled it good! I handled it great! I’ve never been this tough before! I rang Marco Sunday night and just blew him off the phone. Poor guy, he didn’t know what hit him. You see, I’d had all day (and a lot of Saturday night) to think about what I wanted to say. I was right though — he virtually admitted Paul had asked him to get a few people together and have a ‘party’ because he wanted to screw me. Bastards.
    Well, Monday morning I walked right past Paul like I was the principal of the school. I treated him like scum all day, even though he tried to talk a few times. But after school I let him have it, face to face. And not the kind of face to face he’d been hoping for Saturday night. I told him how I’d trusted him and thought he was a pretty straight guy and how much I’d changed my mind about him. He just stood there dripping with guilt. And he grovelled for a long time. Actually we parted on OK terms. You know, I don’t mind him — he’s a decent guy, but he hangs around with some of life’s legendary losers.
    So, that all happened yesterday, though it seems a long time ago. Today was good. Paul was ultra-nice all day and Marco avoided me. But best of all, I’m proud of myself for putting it to them like that!
    Good luck in the finals, if you’re in them!
    Love,
    Mandy

    Mar 29
    Dear Mandy,
    Thanks for your letter. I don’t know how to answer your letters sometimes. What to say to you. You say I seem quiet and reserved. Well maybe I am. But you seem confident. Is that what you’re like in real life? The way you dealt with those guys, that was good.
    I get the feeling that if we met we probably wouldn’t