“No way. We’ll drink it before we get back.”
“Shit, now what?” Tom handed me the ring pull that had fallen off in his hand.
“We’ll open it with a bottle opener. I’ll sneak in and get one from home; no one will know.”
Kate and Tracy were listening to music in their room. Kathy Bryson and Cheryl Fiennes were in there with them. I snuck into the kitchen and found the bottle opener. We didn’t want to risk bringing the beer into the house so I took the bottle opener outside to where Tom was waiting for me. He punctured two holes in the top of the can. Beer frothed out through the holes and ran down the sides. He quickly put his mouth over it to avoid wasting it. “Yum, that’s delicious.” He handed me the can. I took a big swig and almost choked. It got up my nose and tickled. I swallowed the beer and squeezed my nose. I didn’t really like the taste that much, but I drank it anyway.
We stood at the side of our house where no light escaped and took turns drinking the beer. Tom finished the last mouthful and let out a loud burp. “We’d better go,” he said, “they’ll be wondering where we are.” We chucked the empty can under the house and climbed through the back fence. We both tiptoed towards the cubby. “Yah!” Tom screamed, jumping through the door.
Chrissy squealed. “Don’t do that, you scared us half to death.” Her pale face was even whiter. Because her skin is so fair and her light blue eyes are forever red and watery, she always looks like she’s about to burst into tears, even when she’s not. Next to Raelene, she looked even more fragile. She’s as short as Raelene is tall, and has the skinniest arms I’ve ever seen. Even her blonde hair is wispy and thin, just like the rest of her. Not that her size stops her from being the bossiest person I know, mind you. Trevor had seen us coming and never batted an eyelid. He pretended to be Mr Cool for not jumping and scoffed at Chrissy and Raelene for being scaredy cats.
It wasn’t totally dark inside the cubby; shadows danced by candlelight and cast their flickering patterns on the sloping walls. Mum would have a fit if she knew we had candles alight in the cubby, but there was no way she was going to find out. Besides, she’s the one that bought me the candle making kit, so it’s kind of her fault too.
Tom threw Trevor the box of Cheezels and handed Raelene the drink. “Here ya go, don’t say we never give you anything.”
Raelene drank from the bottle and handed it to Chrissy. It made its way around the cubby and back to Tom. “No thanks, we just had a beer.”
“Did not,” Trevor said.
I jumped in. “Did so. I knocked one off while we were at the Unwin’s.”
Trevor looked like we’d stolen his last lolly. “Thanks for getting us one,” he huffed.
“Bugger that,” said Tom, “get your own.”
“Let’s play something,” I suggested.
Tom looked interested. “What do you want to play?” he asked.
Trevor’s face lit up. “Let’s play spin the bottle.”
Raelene and Chrissy didn’t look as keen. I knew Raelene had a crush on Trevor, so I leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Maybe we can rig it so it lands on Trevor.”
That sparked her interest. “Righto,” she said, “I’m in.”
Shit, now what? I had no idea how I could really rig it, but I wasn’t counting on her changing her mind that easily when I suggested it. Trevor looked at Tom who was sitting on the floor next to me. “Wanna play?”
“Sure, why not.”
“What about you, Jenny?”
I didn’t want to look like a chicken, so I said yes.
Trevor got up and headed for the doorway. “I’ll go find a bottle.”
Chrissy looked offended. “Hang on a minute; no one asked me if I wanted to play.”
“You’re outvoted,” said Trevor, disappearing into the darkness.
Chapter 51
Monday, 31 December 1979
I’d never played spin the bottle before. “What happens if it lands on Chrissy or Raelene?” I asked. I didn’t like the idea of having to kiss a girl.
“You just keep spinning until it gets Trevor or me,” Tom explained.
“That’s not fair. You and Trevor have three girls to pick from and we only have two boys.”
“Well, get someone else then, see if I care.”
It was Chrissy who solved it in the end. “We’ll each have a turn at sitting out,” she suggested.
We all agreed that Chrissy would sit out first turn, followed by Raelene and then me. We waited nervously for Trevor to come back. I was starting to get light-headed from the beer. Tom must have read my mind. “I’m pissed,” he said.
Trevor walked back in without a bottle. “Cheap shout; you only had one beer.”
Raelene sounded like she was actually looking forward to playing and eyed Trevor with disappointment. “Where’s the bottle?” she asked.
“I couldn’t find one.”
“I know,” Tom said, “we can use a stick instead.”
Trevor carried a candle outside with him to look for a stick. A short time later he came back in with a stick about six inches long. He pointed to a fork in one end. “This can be the pointer end.”
“Who goes first?” Tom asked.
Trevor was quick to respond. “I do, I’m the one that got the stick.”
With that settled, we arranged ourselves so that the girls sat along one wall opposite the boys. I moved the milk crate with the candles to one side and cleared a patch in the dirt. Trevor put the stick in the centre of the clearing and spun it around like a game spinner. Everyone held their breath while it spun. After about five spins the forked end stopped on Tom. “Yuk, I’m not kissing him.” Trevor announced.
We all laughed. Tom told him about the rule we made while he was gone. “You don’t have to you nong, you can keep spinning til you get a girl.”
Trevor spun again. This time it landed on himself. He tried again. He looked from Raelene to me. “Is that on Jenny or Raelene,” he asked. I silently kicked myself for agreeing to play the game in the first place. Tom got down on his hands and knees to study the stick better. From where I was sitting it looked closer to me than Raelene.
“Raelene,” confirmed Tom.
Trevor accepted Tom’s word and jumped up from where he sat on the ground. He leaned over on his haunches so he could reach Raelene. “Don’t just peck her,” said Tom, “give her a pash.”
Ignoring Tom, he gave Raelene a short kiss on the mouth and sat back down. He looked more relieved than embarrassed. Raelene was neither. She looked very happy with the outcome of the first round. I thought the waiting was worse than the idea of having to kiss someone and was envious of Trevor for having had his turn already.
“Who’s next?” Trevor asked with the confidence of knowing it wasn’t him. I bent down to grab the stick. “I am,” I said. “Since there’s only four of us and boys went first, girls go next. Since I didn’t get kissed last, that makes it my turn now.” Everyone agreed with my logic and I knelt down to spin the stick. I silently prayed for it to land on Tom as it spun endlessly around and around.
“That’s definitely on me,” Trevor said.
I was glad Trevor didn’t take Tom’s suggestion to pash last time, which meant he would just give me a short kiss and it would be over with. I stayed kneeling on the floor so Trevor could reach me from where he sat. He kneeled up and leaned across, kissing me full on the mouth. His lips were much thinner than Tom’s and not as soft.
Before I could stop him, he put his hand on the back of my head and pushed me closer, making it impossible for me to pull back without losing my balance. He pressed his lips against mine for a couple of seconds longer before pulling away, after which time he sat back down with a smug look on his face. “I’m starting to get the hang of this,” he bragged.
I looked at Raelene who smiled back. Tom shot Trevor a look and picked up the stick. According to my rule, it was his turn. “I’ll say,” Tom said, eager to get started on round three.
Raelene moved off th
e car seat and let Chrissy sit down. Tom spun the stick so hard it flung away and he had to start again. The first time it landed on him and the second time the fork pointed towards the door missing everyone. “Hey Simmo, three strikes and you’re out mate,” joked Trevor.
Tom gave the stick another spin. “Crap,” he said, “that’s not in the rules.” Luckily for Tom, it didn’t matter, the fork pointed towards Chrissy who looked petrified at the thought of kissing him.
Aw crap! This just wasn’t working out at all like I planned. First I had to kiss Trevor, and next, Tom gets to kiss Chrissy. I hoped he didn’t take his own advice and pash her. I tried to think of a way to end the stupid game without sounding like I was chickening out. Tom leaned across to kiss Chrissy and almost jumped through the roof when Brian and Ian stuck their heads through the door. “I’m telling Mum on you,” Brian said accusingly. “We heard you; you’re playing spin the bottle.”
“Shut up you little turd,” I snapped. The truth of the matter was that I could’ve hugged him. What perfect timing. Tom hadn’t yet kissed Chrissy. “Do you see any bottles in here?” I asked.
Trevor snatched the stick and drew noughts and crosses in the dirt. “Simmo, it’s yours and Chrissy’s turn.”
Ian looked at his big brother with suspicion while Brian looked around the cubby in confusion. The only bottle in the cubby was the Fanta bottle sitting in the corner. It was almost full and was too clean to have been spun in the dirt. Brian continued to scan the cubby. He eyed the Cheezels on the milk crate next to the candles. For a moment I thought he was going to say something about the candles, but he didn’t. “Here, take these,” I said, throwing him the almost empty box of Cheezels. “Now rack off, or I’ll smash your face in.”
“Who knows any ghost stories?” Trevor asked as soon as Brian and Ian were gone. Everyone agreed not to continue with spin the bottle without actually saying so. After Brian and Ian left, we just changed the subject and none of us bought it up again.
“I’ve got a better idea,” said Raelene, why don’t we have a séance.”
Chrissy, who’d hardly spoken a word since she thought Tom might kiss her, spoke up. “We can’t have a séance without a Ouija board.”
That gave me a great idea. “Why don’t we have a séance and talk to Shortie.”
“Because,” Chrissy said firmly, “we don’t have a Ouija board.”
“Do we even need a Ouija board?” Tom looked at Chrissy questioningly.
Chrissy’s initial comment had been taken as a declaration of her expertise on the subject. “Uh huh, we do. You can’t have a séance without one.”
Trevor was not as ready to accept her authority on the matter as we were. “How would you know?”
“My mum had one when my grandpa died. She didn’t know I was watching, but I was. I saw the whole thing. The Ouija board has the alphabet on it and they moved this pointer thing around the board.”
She had everyone’s attention now. “Then what?” Tom asked impatiently.
“Then, you ask the spirit questions. If he or she is listening, they’ll make the pointer move around the board. If everything is working properly, the pointer will stop at the letters and spell out an answer.”
I was already trying to think of something I could make a ouija board out of. “Did it work?”
“Of course it worked. Uncle Pat said Dad was cheating, so Dad let him have a go. Uncle Pat got so freaked out by the whole thing that he wanted to call it off. That’s how good it worked.”
Raelene was impressed. “Wow, I reckon we should definitely have one.”
I remembered what Dad said about using the tent and had an idea. “Dad said I can have a camp-out and invite some friends over. It’ll only be in the backyard but we can stay up late and wait for them to go to sleep and then have a séance.”
“When are you having it?” Trevor asked.
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“I’m going to my cousin’s place until Thursday, so don’t have it before then,” said Raelene.
“How about we make it Friday night?” Tom suggested.
We all agreed. Now, all I had to do was check with Dad.
“That’s all well and good, but what about tonight,” asked Trevor, “what can we play now?”
“Let’s play truth or dare,” Chrissy suggested.
I was first to agree. Truth or dare was a cinch compared to spin the bottle.
“I’m first,” announced Tom, “who wants to ask me?”
We discussed how it would work with five people. The person whose turn it was got to choose who they wanted to ask a question to. To get things started, Tom said I could ask him. “Are you ready?” I asked. “You have to promise to tell the truth. And if you choose dare, you’re out of the game if you don’t do it.”
“I know how to play. Just ask me a question.”
“Okay, here goes; truth or dare?”
Tom thought about it for a moment before answering. “Truth.”
“Let me think, what do I want to know? I know; do you have a crush on anyone?”
Tom thought about my question for what seemed like ages. “You have to tell the truth,” reminded Raelene.
“I know,” Tom snapped. “My answer’s yes.”
“Ooh,” cooed Trevor, “Tom has a crush on someone.”
“Well?” I demanded. “Don’t leave us in suspense, tell us who.”
“No way,” he laughed.
“You promised to tell the truth.”
“I did tell the truth. You only asked me if I had a crush on someone, you didn’t ask who.”
“Ha!” said Trevor, “he’s got you there.”
I reluctantly agreed that he didn’t have to tell us who. Now I would have to wait for the next question to find out.
“Righto,” Tom said, “it’s my turn and I pick Trevor.”
Trevor rubbed his hands together expectantly. “Truth or dare?” Tom asked.
“That’s easy; dare?”
“Make him run down the street naked,” I suggested.
Tom shook his head. “Nah, I got a better one that that.” He looked at Trevor and asked if he was ready. Trevor said he was.
“Alright, I dare you to go to the Unwin’s place and knock off two cans of beer; one for you and one for me. Do you accept?”
“Do bears shit in the woods?”
***
Trevor handed Tom a plastic bag. “Here you go.”
Tom looked inside. “Tops!”
“Well?” Trevor asked, “Do I pass?”
Tom emptied the contents of the bag on the ground. There were two cans of KB, one can of Tooheys, and a silver bag that sloshed when it moved. “You bet.” Tom picked up two of the cans and opened them. He handed one to Trevor and kept the other for himself.
“Guess what else I got?”
We all looked at Trevor expectantly.
“These.” He reached around to his shorts pocket and pulled out a packet of Winfield Reds. Chrissy screwed up her nose. “Yuk. I’m not having any. My mum will smell them on my breath if I do.”
“Mine too,” said Raelene.
Mum and Dad both smoked so I could probably get away with it if I wanted.
“Where’s the lighter?” Trevor asked.
I felt under the seat for the matches I’d hidden earlier. “Here you go.” I handed Trevor the book of matches that had come all the way from a pub in Katoomba.
“Who gave you the fags?” Tom asked Trevor.
“Nobody. I nicked them from under Mr Morley’s chair. They must’ve fallen out of his pocket without him knowing.”
Trevor got out a smoke and passed it to Tom. He went to hand one to me, but I held up my hand to stop him. “No thanks, I’ll share Tom’s.” I was pretty sure I wouldn’t like them, but I didn’t want to sound like a total baby. While Trevor and Tom struggled with the tear-off matches, I picked up the boxless cask and gave it a shake. It still had a bit in it, but it was by no means full. “Wh
at is it?” I asked.
“How the hell should I know?” asked Trevor. “It was sitting on the table so I grabbed it.”
What did I know about wine anyway? I shrugged and held the bag over my mouth. I squeezed down on the tap and filled my mouth til it overflowed. I held my mouth shut and forced the wine into my cheeks, making me look like a chipmunk. It was sweet and sour at the same time. I couldn’t decide if I liked it or not, so I had another swig before passing it to Chrissy. Chrissy shook her head and held up a can. She and Raelene were sharing the last beer.
Raelene looked at Trevor with admiration. “Didn’t anyone see you?” she inquired.
“Mr Fiennes did, but he was too pissed to care.”
“What were my parents doing,” I asked. I didn’t want them to come looking for me.
“They’re just talking with Mum and Dad and some other people. I told them we were still at the cubby and all they said was to come back before midnight or we’ll miss the crackers.” I had no idea what time it was. I figured we’d be able to see the fireworks from where we were and know when to return.
Trevor spoke with his cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth, “Hey man, it’s my turn to pick.” He tried his best to look like a rebel, but ended up looking constipated instead. “Jenny; truth or dare?”
Even though he appeared to give the matter some consideration, I wasn’t convinced that he hadn’t had his mind made up to pick me all along. I didn’t trust him enough to say dare. “Truth.”
“Will you go with me?”
What? Did I hear him right? The beer must have gone to his head. What on earth made him think I liked him in that way? I didn’t want to appear too chicken to answer him, so I looked around for a distraction. I reached out for Tom’s cigarette and slowly put it to my lips without saying another word. I even managed to make my movements look smooth and relaxed, almost like I was teasing him.
Holy crap! My lungs were on fire. I coughed uncontrollably. I grabbed the bag of wine and quickly sucked down a mouthful hoping it would extinguish the fire in my chest. It worked. Raelene reached across and patted me on the back. “Got bones in it?” she asked.
So much for Miss Cool as a Cucumber.
Trevor was still looking at me waiting for an answer. I deliberately took my time recovering, still not sure what to say. “Well?” he asked anxiously.
Tom came to my rescue. “That’s not a question. Ask something else.”
Summer Page 39
