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Satisfying Click

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Erimentha Parker's to do list
Chapter 4


Overview: Chapter 4 is a brief one so I thought I'd recap it today as I have nothing productive to do. It's generally an interesting insight into Erimentha's relationship with adults - her overfamiliarity with staff at the school and how she expects them to be dazzled by her brilliance despite the fact they have a heavy workload and are responsible for several other young people.

She's on her way to the library and mentions she wrote a pamphlet for a teacher and can also give it to Mr Aldridge as there is a historical element. Mr Aldridge needs to attend a support group, this burden is way beyond his remit. By the end of this chapter, I expect Erimentha is That Child discussed over breaded garlic mushrooms at the Slug and Lettuce on a Friday night staff outing.

Erimentha visits the library with a list of texts. Being a lower school girl, she's only allowed to take two books out at a time. Outrageous! Don't they know who she is? The librarian very reasonably asks if the books she has chosen are the right level for her.

Erimentha puts this bitch right in her place, it's the Pretty Woman, "Big mistake, huge!" moment. She tells the librarian she has read A Brief History of Time, making a mental note that she'll be among the first against the wall when the time comes.

It's class time and she decides to do some reading to ignore some of the things her classmates are saying about her in earshot. Mr Aldridge then has the audacity to enter the classroom and make a start. She's delighted at having a desk close to Mr Aldridge so she can converse with him about his Cambodia trip. Will you leave the poor sod alone, this is his private life!

He tells them they need to go to assembly and Erimentha 'stands abruptly' and asks if he's going to register the class?

Excuse me, lady, who put you in charge? If you don't set her right now, Mr Aldridge, this little madam will be responsible for your gastric ulcer. He tells her he has already counted, wishing he had thrown his passport into the Mekong river when he had the chance.

Erimentha briefly talks about how he'd get into trouble with administration for not doing so, but there would be no way of accounting for their bodies should they burn to death in a fire, apparently the most painful way to go. Not gonna lie, Erimentha is beginning to make me nervous, she seems to have thought about this a little too much...

Izzy and Kimberly make some jibes that Erimentha has no friends (this is not fake news) and ask what she's doing for the weekend. She wastes no time haughtily telling them she and a friend are going to be making a working model volcano and will have a much more enjoyable and productive time than them.

Again, I check who is bullying who here. Erimentha believes she's superior to her peers and is entitled to Erimenthsplain to her teachers how to do their jobs. Instead of any introspection into her behaviour over the weekend and maybe working on being a bit more humble, she decides to look up the definition of bullying to give the other's behaviour a label.

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Disclaimer: when I was in Year 7, weekends would be spent buying those little bath pearls from the Body Shop, it was the height of cool. I'm not going to yuck anyone else's yum, whatever floats your boat, or erupts your volcano, this isn't meant to be a mean interpretation of the book.
 
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Satisfying Click

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I'm putting further overviews behind spoilers, that way if Ruby is choosing to read this thread, she can walk on by. These are not intended as a personal attack on Ruby. I used to keep a diary, I once described Ronan Keating as, "incredibly talented." 😨

Erimentha is home and dinner is on the go (pumpkin soup and cornbread, aesthetic!) She's annoyed there's no homework, so writes another list and goes on a walk, I really cannot be bothered to go into the intricacies of these. This chapter is mainly an insight into the toxic family dynamic at play: Golden Child/Black Sheep.

Dinner is ready and Erimentha goes upstairs. Nathan is in his room playing Lego and has almost finished making a police station. That's impressive for a 9 year old, I bet he has made a holding cell for his family.

When he comes down, their mum makes a big show of him coming to the table on time, claps and pulls out the chair for him. In years to come, Nathan will recount his story to a therapist and be encouraged to write the letter to his estranged family that he'll never send.

He slurps his soup, which to Erimentha is as disgusteng as Scottish children not flushing the toilet. Erimentha doesn't tell him off though, she doesn't have the heart and 'he's not this rude when we eat out' - except Erimentha, YOU ARE NOT THE PARENT HERE. In her determination to be precocious, she is actually pretty obnoxious.

The soup is a great-grandmother's recipe, and their mum mentions spending her childhood Christmases in Paris, which is nice if soup can do that for you.

Later, she does some research on Cambodia to torment Mr Aldridge. She mentions that other than the fruit, Cambodian delicacies do not look very appetising. [Ed: Waaaait a minute missy, there is some really nasty snobbery going on here and I'm surprised Ruby didn't cut this out when she re-edited the book.] Amok curries, banana flower salad, Khmer curries etc are delicious, complex and memorable.

She looks up the definition of bullying in multiple books, deciding her bullies will never change, because personal growth does not apply to humans.

She will continue to do her extension projects, "even if it means sneaking them to the teachers in the dead of night". Erimentha forgot to look up the definition of 'stalking'.
 
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Satisfying Click

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Erimentha Parker's to do list
Chapter 3


We've reached our first antagonist, Kimberly. Her family spent the summer in Cancun, which must be the upper-middle-class equivalent of 2 weeks in an all-inclusive in Magaluf via Easyjet. She also has icy blue eyes; Ermientha has an unhealthy obsession with other people's body parts in this book. More on that later.

Erimentha is pissed that they stayed in their forms, missing vital classes where she could have harassed her teachers into reading her stack of book reviews. I hope these public servants belong to a union.

Her classmates are giggling. She introduces herself to the teacher and says, "I would like to apologise on behalf of our table for our behaviour."

EXCUSE ME? Who is bullying who in this story? It's their first day of school too, and this charlatan takes it upon herself to speak for the table? Is this an attempted coup?

Out comes the infamous Globalisation speech during the Geography lesson, and I'm starting to feel triggered by hearing a child repeatedly say to an adult, "Did you know?"

Erimentha decides to ignore Kimberly for the rest of the lesson as she made a smart-mouth comment (deserved, in my opinion) and after class she takes it upon herself to squeeze the teacher like an old lemon. The teacher suggests Erimentha write a presentation on the subject as a way of getting her to go away. Erimentha earnestly writes a list about it, totally missing the hint.

It's lunchtime and the school is serving the proles stodgy filth of fishcakes and chips. Erimentha being vegan, virtuously piles her plate with salad and so does a classmate after being shamed about eating ones seven-a-day. I double check that this is a book about others bullying Erimentha, and not the reverse.

Another antagonist, Izzy (note the cheap and cheerful names given to them - they are Lidl to Erimentha's Waitrose) deliberately spills water on Erimentha (at this point, I would have force-fed her a saveloy) but she sternly tells Izzy off and not to worry as she bought a spare uniform with her (because of course she has)

Kimberly accuses Erimentha of being a psychopath, accusing her of tripping Izzy during watergate. Erimentha denies being one - she's read the DSM-V and doesn't meet the diagnostic criteria, which is something all 12 year olds do.

I'm beginning to wonder if Erimentha isn't in fact, a dark overlord mastermind in this story.

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Disclaimer: this is a light-hearted poke at someone's creative writing exercise. When I was Ruby's age, I'd write a small chapter about my drunken uni one-night-stand(s)
 
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Satisfying Click

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So some thoughts now I'm a quarter-ish of the way through the book. A lot of the negative reviews say it's written poorly. I don't think this is the case - the prose and structure seems ok to me, I think it's the fact that Erimentha just isn't a particularly likeable or relatable character, and Ruby needs to decide who her target audience will be; 9-12 age group seems like a better fit?

Do I want a sequal of Erimentha Parker goes to uni, gets a few piercings, a hangover and learns some humility? Hell yes!

I don't think Ruby moving back home did her any favours, I do think her parents indulge this 'childlike Ruby' a little too much. When she did a video on reflecting on her Oxbridge rejection, it was really insightful and mature, not a, "I'm SOOOO much better off without them!" defensive take like that Jade person.

Anyway...

Simone arrives with her dad and Erimentha meets them outside and starts examining his car.

"Is your family otherwise eco friendly?" I enquire, running my hand along the green car frame. "As in, do you use renewable energy sources to power your home?" Mr Randolph indulges her, rather than wondering why this peculiar little gnome is asking strange questions. Philippa Forrester of Robot Wars meets Greta Thunberg.

They talk about solar panels and her dad chuckles at his daughter in an, "Oh, aren't you adorable?" kind of way, rather than reprimanding her for asking another adult such personal questions about his home life.

Simone asks Erimentha if she can make the papier-mâché as she has an allergy to glue. Erimentha says they can use rubber gloves, she isn't doing all the grot work for this, and did her feeble-minded friend not think about gloves? She also points out to Simone that she's getting drips down her shirt. Erimentha begins to wonder whether it's possible that Simone's inhaling her IQ points in such close proximity. Simone goes on about her clumsiness and points out how 'together' Erimentha is.

Simone tells Erimentha that the water spilling incident was intentional and she should tell a teacher to nip it in the bud. Erimentha gaslights her, telling her it was an accident.

She knows Simone is not convinced, and says she, "can see the cogs turning underneath the marrow of her skull, beating against the blood flow and the electrical impulses of her cerebellum."

I'm convinced that Erimentha has decided that Simone is so intellectually sub-par, she's going to harvest her brain to experiment on
 
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Satisfying Click

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Chapter 2

It's the morning, and Erimentha talks about getting dressed in a way that gives me Patrick Batemen's morning routine vibes. She notes that she sleeps as straight as a 2B pencil, and lobbied her parents to get Nathan a double bed. I'm surprised that he's permitted to sleep in a bed, and not in a cage under the stairs. Erimentha also talks about how she and her mum would watch Nathan sleep at night. Other than the clear lack of boundaries this family has, they also admonish the poor boy for sleeping 'like a starfish'. (see: pencil)

She talks about the shopping trip and Nathan bounces around the bed store like a lovable stupid labrador that is about to go and live on a nice farm. Erimentha apologises to the shop assistants for his transgressions of behaving like a child.

Erimentha gets driven to school by her mum, who wants to go in with her, but is reminded by her plucky daughter that Nathan has a doctor's appointment - I can only assume to check he's a tissue match for Erimentha should she need an organ from him in later life.

The Head of School introduces herself and Erimentha judges her to be sensible and no-nonsense, based on her brown penny loafers. Damn girl, let the woman have a break! Mrs Stafford is only on a teacher's salary and I assume spends the bulk of her take home pay on her mortgage and tanqueray to cope with the drudgery of her life.

Anyway, they're in class with another one-dimensional teacher and we hit the infamous, 'What I did during the summer speech'. I'm running out of steam, just like her teachers. Erimentha likes to tell people facts, pre-empting everything with, "Did you know?..." She offers up an essay for this poor bastard to read and he politely accepts her offer, his resolve worn down to a nub.

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Disclaimer: As I said, it takes guts to put a story out there and Ruby if you're reading, this is done in light-hearted jest, we all do embarrassing shit when we're young
 
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xoxoxo13

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WHY would she place the holocaust and bullying in the same sentence??
A genocide isn't comparable to people making fun of you because you acted stuck up and b*tchy in school!
I think all that cold weather is freezing her neurones, because I refuse to believe she's always been this stupid.
 
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Satisfying Click

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Keeping these chapter overviews behind a spoiler, that way if Ruby is choosing to read this thread, she can walk on by. These are not intended as a personal attack on Ruby. I once noted in a diary entry the, "definite sexual tension," between me and an A level tutor. Narrator: there was no sexual tension.

Erimentha gets up, makes porridge and makes a list. Items include talking to Kimberly and Izzy to clarify the exact reasons for their unkindness. "From there, adjustments can be made as necessary." Adjustments? 😨 Re-education camps? Frontal lobotomy? The dark turn this novel is taking scares me.

At school, a friend is doing last night's homework and Erimentha offers to check it, as she is obviously far more capable than the adult paid to do it. A new antagonist, Beth, pulls a dick move by throwing Erimentha's post-it pad out of the window. She demands a meeting with the three of them to hash this out. Writes a new post-it to remind herself.

In history class, Mr Aldridge asks the class about Oliver Cromwell. Erimentha's hand shoots up, but given that she is already monopolising the class, he gives the answer to another student, and she said he was a ruler in Britain. She lifts her hand even higher to the ceiling, to the point of almost standing up. She will not allow this intellectual inferior get the final say! Now in real life, the teacher would take the reins and not allow this show-off to embarrass another classmate, but as this is fiction/autobiographical, the brow-beaten Mr Aldridge has no resolve left. She dazzles with her answer and is given a fucking housepoint.

It's the end of class and it's time to confront the others. They say she has no sense of humour and doesn't socialise. To be fair, this is fairly constructive, they haven't name-called and so far seems accurate.

To demonstrate there is actual bullying going on, Kimberly tells Erimentha that she's decided the whole year group will hate her, and throws her gum at her.

After classes, she sees her friend Simone who is excited to come to her place tomorrow. Erimentha has already made a list of what's required for the volcano. They don't keep vinegar in the house as Nathan's allergic (another fault of his) and Simone agrees to bring it, as well as dry ice.
 
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3calico3

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Screenshot_20210131-095449_Instagram.jpg

So she thinks she's addressed the problem enough that she doesn't have to mention it again. One day off Instagram (which nobody would have noticed), and addressing it on a story which disappeared after 24 hours, so it's like it never happened. Nice.
 
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Satisfying Click

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When Ruby said she voted left, I assumed she meant she went to the booth on the left-hand side of the room to cast her Tory vote 🥴

This is all really dull but essentially someone has used Erimentha's email account and sent inappropriate stuff in her name. She doesn't tell her parents what has happened and goes to school to speak to Mr Aldridge, who is wearing a cream suit like Jay Gatsby. The man is having a breakdown.

She tells him about the emails and that her tennis lesson is her alibi, thank goodness for middle-class extra-curricular activities! Mrs Stafford joins them and even though this is something her parents should be involved in, Erimentha manipulates her teachers into keeping quiet.

With two pins down, she goes to harass Miss Soloman who is 'absent-mindedly' eating a tuna sandwich - she assumes it's tuna due to the salty smell hanging in the air - ouch! Someone is salty!

"Just give me a second, Erimentha." She wants to be left alone - Erimentha doesn't take the hint. Erimentha denies knowing who the culprit is.
 
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Satisfying Click

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Surprised (not surprised) she behaved like a haughty little madam in response to that individual on IG.

It's Friday and the kids are allowed to choose a special Friday snack. Erimentha chooses a nature bar and banana milk. Nathan chooses chocolate buttons and chocolate milk, because he's a dirty disgusting pig. Oink.

Their mum comments that Nathan will be hyper (likely the only joy he gets to experience), Erimentha corrects her stupid mother that there is no link to sugar and hyperactivity in children, isn't intelligence in children supposed to be matrilineal?

In the shops, they bump into a 'middle-aged' woman with Ella, the young girl from the library. They've spent a month in Bali, which is much more palatable for Erimentha compared with Cancun. They invite Erimentha and family to a BBQ at the weekend, hoping the weather will stay nice. Mum interjects that Erimentha loves cloudy weather - this is totally irrelevant and no one cares. Erimentha is keeping a watchful distance from this woman, in case the menopause is contagious.

There is a twist in this plot! Her other daughter is in Erimentha's year. Yep - pale-eyed Kimberly is the spawn of this she-devil, and they're going round to their house, no doubt to be tormented by sunny weather and dead-animal family feast.
 
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Satisfying Click

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There are two chapter 8's in the book, so I'm going with it. Ruby, for goodness sake, LinkedIn is your equivalent of visiting a scary grandmother on a Sunday - best behaviour, keep it professional.

They're in class and Mr Aldridge is telling them which class sets they're in. Beth is in the same set as Erimentha, and she, Izzy and Kimberly start complaining about it.

Erimentha turns round to tell them to STFU, when Mr Aldridge tells Erimentha to turn around and pay attention. YES! Those power poses in front of the mirror worked, he has found his voice!

Erimentha cries - unlikely out of sadness, but more out of the injustice at having been told off.

At lunchtime, Erimentha ruminates at not having told anyone in authority about the water incident as she has carved out a confident and near-to-perfect image of herself in the school. Izzy tells her reading makes people unpopular [Ed: I was a bookworm at school and if anything it increased my street cred when other kids needed the answers] and nicks her flapjack.

It's form time, and they're told their email addresses are their full-names with the school domain name, and they all have the same password. If you haven't already guessed, this is relevant to the plot and some of the worst IT security since Q gave Silva M16 access in Skyfall.

Erimentha goes to a tennis lesson which pads out the chapter a bit, her mum is reading, 'Country Living' and possibly, 'How to destroy your child's self-esteem'. Once home, Erimentha goes to check her emails.

Her head of year has sent her an email, saying how inappropriate her behaviour has been and needs to be punished. Ruh-roh.
 
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CatCafe234

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Ooof, ‘underfunded state school’. I know that many are but perhaps it could have been phrased better?
 
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buflesse

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Honestly tho idk - my parents are in the highest tax bracket but refuse to vote completely as they think labour’s a mess and the tory party are immoral. However, if it came down to it they would vote labour and so would I - whilst I think ruby is very upper class and privileged, it makes sense for her to be voting left, being a young person with relatively progressive values she’s previously been vocal about, and I don’t think it’s something she would lie about. I just dislike it when people view it as a given that people in higher tax brackets would vote Tory, when imo things like taxes only play a small part of it. Now, how her parents vote is a different story but when ruby said she votes left, I actually believe her. Nothing against people speculating ofc - just putting my own opinion out there
The fact that your parents refuse to vote completely is the thing though - in order to actually change society and redistribute wealth you need to take part in the process and actively support a party. Not voting is basically abstaining and supports the status quo. Statistically wealthier voters are more likely to vote Tory- which would make sense, as they benefit the most from Tory policies. Saying that Labour is a mess so you refuse to vote for them is symptomatic of being so privileged that you don't really mind whether society changes or not.
 
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Scapier88

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But imagine if they complained about her for waltzing around at 6am! She would not be happy!!
She probably expects everyone to be on the same schedule as her
Can you imagine been her flat mate and you've just finished a bar shift at 3am because your working to help finance been at uni then at 7am all you here is the theme song to alton towers been blasted from your flat mates room whilist hearing good morning its Ruby
 
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buflesse

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OK so Ruby has just posted this quote on Instagram...attributing it to George Orwell when actually it's one of Orwell's CHARACTERS who says it....and I interpreted the quote as ironic because Winston has been conditioned by the Big Brother totalitarian society to not stray out of his comfort zone. So it's actually a quote about how you stay ignorant if you just keep reading the same things...which is especially apt for Ruby, but not in the way she thinks it is 😂
 

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3calico3

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It reminds me of people on Facebook who share misattributed quotes:
"Starships were meant to fly, hands up and touch the sky" ~ Mahatma Gandhi
 
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