|
See! Sydney
in my place.”
“Wow, really?”
He nodded. “I told her you were my right-hand man with the school mag.”
“Thanks, Angie, I would love that!”
“Cool! I’ll pass on your number, so expect a call from her soon.”
“Do I have to do an interview or anything? I know internships are really hard
to come by.”
“Yeah, but just between you and me, you’ve already got the position.”
I hugged him warmly. “Angie, you’re the best!”
I
FOUND
L
UCY
by the English block accosting Mr. Sadowski with a Sharpie in one
hand and her yearbook in the other. “Write something that will make sense to
me in ten years,” she instructed. Mr. Sadowski took the Sharpie from Lucy with
a sigh and scribbled in her yearbook: Youth is wasted on the young.
L
ATER
,
WE
MET
Freddy at the school gate, and the three of us stood waiting for
Duck. After a few minutes, I spotted him walking in a throng of students who, I
realized with a sense of relief, I would never have to see again.
“Duck!” Lucy called. “We’re over here.”
He looked up and waved at us. When he reached the gate, he took my hand,
threading his fingers through mine.
“What should we do now?” said Lucy as we made our way up the street.
I shrugged. “Don’t know.”
“Did you drive this morning?” Lucy asked Duck.
“No, we took the bus.”
“Okay, good, we can all go in Freddy’s car then . . .”
“It’s a gorgeous day; why don’t we head down to the beach for a swim?” I
suggested.
“Yes!” said Lucy. “What a great way to celebrate.”
“Sounds just like another typical day for me,” said Freddy with a grin.
“Well, your extended holiday is coming to an end soon, buddy,” said Lucy.
“Really? Have you finally decided on something, Freddy?” I asked.
“Business.” He put his arm around Lucy’s shoulder. “We’re going to enroll in
the same course next year.”
“Aw,” I said. “That’s cute.”
“We’re going to be tycoons,” said Lucy happily.
“I don’t doubt it,” said Duck.
When we got to the end of the street, Lucy stopped suddenly and licked at the
air.
“Mmmm . . .” she said. “Freedom.”
“Weirdo,” said Freddy.
“Where did you park, anyway, babe?”
“About two streets down, over by the corner store.”
Lucy pouted. “But that’s miles away!”
“Do you want a piggyback?”
“Uh-huh.”
He hoisted her onto his back, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“So Candela didn’t turn up today,” said Duck.
“Nope,” said Lucy, a trace of annoyance in her voice. “So much for sticking to
her word.”
“I didn’t think she’d come,” I said.
“Honestly, I’ve washed my hands of her,” said Lucy. “I’m sick of working so
damn hard for crumbs.”
“Don’t say that, Lucy,” I said quietly. “It’s been the three of us forever. She’s
just going through stuff at the moment.”
I knew Candela didn’t mean to alienate us. She was just sad about losing Ana,
and even though she would never say it out loud, she blamed me for what
happened. Maybe she sensed it was my fault, that I was responsible for Ana’s
death. And the awful thing was she was right. I took a deep breath and pulled my
hand free from Duck’s, reaching quickly for my rubber band.
“That doesn’t give her the right to treat us like shit,” said Lucy. “And I don’t
like the crowd she’s hanging out with.” She swung her head back to face me. “I
don’t mean to sound like your mum, Audrey, but I think it’s best you keep your
distance.”
Eleven
A
FTER
SCHOOL
BROKE
, each day seemed to blur into the next. I had no structure
or purpose, no reason to get up in the morning. I was going to bed late every
night, and I spent the hours reading penny dreadfuls, surfing the web, or
watching reruns of Doctor Who. My mind kept ricocheting between Ana, Rad,
and Candela. Like an unofficial tally of the lives I had inadvertently wrecked
when I told that lie.
One morning, my phone buzzed loudly, waking me from a restless sleep. I
reached for it blindly, knocking it from the nightstand. It fell to the floor with a
clatter.
“Shit,” I swore, hanging over the edge of my bed and grabbing it at lightning
speed.
“Hello?”
“Is this Audrey?” spoke a woman’s voice that I didn’t recognize.
“Yes.”
“Hi, it’s Sam, Angie’s aunt. I’m the editor at
Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |
