Barb cleared her throat. ‘That’s a lovely gesture.’ She sipped her tea then asked, ‘What made you decide to cut your hair?’
Tilly shrugged. ‘Thought it’d be easier when we go to the contest. Besides, it was time for a change.’ The soft chatter from Sam’s game filtered through the door. Tilly fidgeted, unsure how to say what had been in her thoughts. ‘Barb, I know I haven’t behaved very well or made you welcome, but do you think we can start over?’
Tilly had half expected Barb to rush over and hug her but she stayed where she was, twining her fingers around the cup. A little unnerved, Tilly went on, in a faltering voice. ‘It’s my fault, I know. I’ve been pretty rude. I’m sorry.’ She wrung the plastic bag handle around her hand, pulling it tighter and tighter. It had been said. And she felt better. She glanced up through her new thick fringe. Barb still hadn’t said a word but her eyes were warm.
‘Thanks. It took courage to do that.’ Barb’s hands shook as she put her cup down. ‘I’d love to be a part of this family. I know I can’t replace your mother – and I’d never try to do that – but I’d like us to be friends.’
‘There’s just one other thing,’ Tilly added. ‘It’s Mum. I need to talk about her and I like seeing her photos on the sideboard when I get up in the morning. Not shoved in a corner.’
‘I …’ Barb began.
‘I know you didn’t move them. Sam did. But it’s like Mum’s been sidelined because no-one wants to hurt your feelings – but I don’t want Mum’s feelings to be hurt either.’ Tears collected in Tilly’s eyes and she blinked them away. ‘She can’t stick up for herself, so I have to do it. Can you understand?’
Barb did hug her then and it felt okay. ‘Yes. I do.’
Tilly fanned her eyes with her hand, relieved. ‘Whew, it’s good to get that stuff out in the open, isn’t it? Oh …’ She gave Barb the freesias. ‘These are for you.’
‘Thank you.’ Barb smelled them. ‘Mmmm, they’re my favourites.’
Still swinging the plastic bag in her hand, Tilly edged towards the kitchen bench. ‘I bought some stuff to make dinner tonight. It’s called a Steamboat. It’s a communal kind of meal. I think you’ll like it. I’ve tried to make it a couple of times and it’s never quite happened, but tonight seemed like a good time to try again.’
Barb glanced at the fridge and Tilly knew that there’d be something made already but Barb nodded and rinsed her cup. ‘Sounds good. Need any help or shall I go read the paper?’
‘No, I’m fine.’ Tilly took out the bag of prawns and realised yet again that Jamie wouldn’t be there to peel them – not now, not ever. ‘Well, if you really want to, you could peel the prawns.’ She handed Barb the wet packet of paper. ‘But I can handle the rest.’
Barb spread the prawns on the table before her. ‘That lovely boy dropped by today.’
Tilly’s heart felt like it’d been crunched. ‘Jamie?’ she mumbled.
‘The tall one with the dreamy eyes.’ Barb sampled a prawn. ‘I think he’s keen on you.’
Hope surged through Tilly, quickly replaced by a feeling of hopelessness. Normally if she had a problem Jamie was one of the first people she’d call, and out of habit she’d picked up the phone a few times, only realising when the dial tone kicked in that he probably didn’t want to speak to her and she had no idea what to say to him. ‘I don’t think so,’ Tilly said despondently. She’d been able to make things better with Barb, so maybe she could do it with Jamie?
Sam pushed open the kitchen door. ‘What time’s dinner? I’ve got to eat and run.’
‘Soon. Why?’
‘Jamie’s coming over. We’re going to the movies.’
‘When?’ Tilly asked, panic setting in.
‘Hmmm.’ Sam checked his watch. ‘’Bout now.’ Sam’s eyes narrowed as Tilly blushed a deep red. ‘So I was right. What did you say to him, Tilly?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘The poor guy’s been absolutely miserable since the party. At first I thought it was Pink but then I realised it was you! Just talk to the guy! You’re killing him.’
‘He won’t want to talk to me,’ Tilly said. ‘It’s too late.’
‘Well when I phoned him five minutes ago to tell him you were home he said he’d be right round, so you’d be wrong about that.’
Tilly jumped at the soft knock on the door, dropping the carrot she was peeling. It bounced on the floor and she leaped over it as she rushed from the room. ‘Back in a minute.’ She raced to her bedroom and leaned against the door, listening to Sam let Jamie in. At the sound of his voice her heart started to pound and, panicking, she pushed up her bedroom window, cringing as the warped wood creaked loudly. The first stars were beginning to appear and the cold air chilled her newly exposed neck. She climbed over the window ledge, shimmying down to the ground, her bare feet cold on the wet grass. Crouching into a small bundle to stay warm, she waited for the bang of the door to let her know that Sam and Jamie had left.
As the sky grew dark around her Tilly shivered, listening to the muted noises inside and, finally, she heard the front door close. She waited another couple of minutes then stood, stiff with cold, to go inside. And walked straight into a soft warm chest. It smelled of her favourite soap mixed with the ocean and Tilly longed to rest her head there and breathe it in. She swallowed, struggling to muster some courage, then looked up at Jamie. ‘Lost my pen,’ she joked, trying to sidestep him.
‘So you’re going to run away again?’ His face was serious but he ran his hand down the front of her short hair, taking in every detail. Tilly dropped her head, unable to take his gaze, but Jamie lifted her chin, eyes fixed on hers. ‘This last week’s been the worst of my life. It’s taken me a while to work out what was what and in the end I knew I had to see you one last time.’ Tears fell down Tilly’s cheeks but she said nothing and made no attempt to wipe them away. ‘Just tell me one thing and then I’ll leave you alone forever if that’s what you want. Did you mean what you said the other night?’
Tilly swallowed, unable to drag her eyes away from Jamie’s face. Jamie took her hand and held it in his. She struggled to stop crying even though she’d done little else since their fight, chewing the inside of her cheek to keep herself focused. ‘I need to know if you meant what you said the other night. There’s no right or wrong answer. I just need to know,’ he repeated.
Another tear dropped onto Tilly’s cheek. ‘No.’ She shook her head. ‘Of course not. I’m sorry. There was no excuse for what I said – I was angry that you only wanted to be with me because Pink dumped you.’
‘Pink didn’t dump me. I told her I couldn’t see her anymore because of how I felt about you. That’s what I’d come to explain.’
‘You did?’ Tilly gulped, then added, confused, angry, ‘But I saw you kissing …’
Jamie shook his head. ‘No, you saw her kissing me. She was wishing me luck.’ He wiped away Tilly’s tears with his shirt sleeve. ‘So tell me. I want to hear you say it.’
Tilly sighed, dropped her head. ‘I don’t hate you. I’ve wished a million times that I could take it back.’ She looked directly at Jamie, melting. ‘I could never hate you.’
Jamie smiled then, his hand running gently down the side of her face. ‘Not that. The other bit.’
If there was a moment Tilly could choose to disappear, this was it. All her plans to be honest and sort things out hadn’t happened and now she felt trapped, the moment not of her choosing. She swallowed, watching the muscles along Jamie’s jawline tensing, more terrified than she’d ever been. ‘Do you mean the “I love you” bit?’ she whispered.
Finally Jamie sighed with relief, his warm body wrapping around hers. ‘Yeah, that bit.’ He held her for a long time, then kissed her softly on the lips. ‘I didn’t realise how I felt until I couldn’t see you anymore, and you were so angry I thought I’d blown it for good. It nearly killed me waiting until you’d calmed down.’ He sighed, a deep contented sigh. ‘I’m an idiot, Tilly. I nearly lost
you because I couldn’t see the bleeding obvious.’ He kissed her again.
‘Well you are a boy,’ she giggled. ‘Sub-species and all of that.’ She shivered, snuggling closer. ‘Want to stay for dinner? Please say yes this time.’
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The week before the school holidays started, a small crowd gathered around a minibus that idled noisily out the front of the Surf School as the morning traffic eased past.
Out of habit Tilly reached up to catch her hair and twist it into a knot but her hand grabbed air and she shook her head, light and free, still enjoying the novelty of it. Sam pushed the last of Tilly’s boards into the storage compartment underneath the bus then hooked his arm around her neck, wrestling as Tilly struggled. ‘The hair, you nut, get off.’ Tilly shook her hair, looking around quickly, then grabbed Sam’s ears, pulled him towards her and kissed his cheek.
‘He’s coming, stop stressing.’ Sam hugged her roughly. ‘See ya, sis. Do good.’
Tilly turned towards Barb, standing quietly next to Phil. ‘Bye, Barb.’ Tilly hugged Barb who pushed a small soft present into her hand. ‘Hey, thanks.’ She opened it, smiling at the blue beanie inside and immediately stuck it on. ‘Mmm, that’s so warm. I love it. Thanks.’
Phil kissed her cheek, wrapping his arms around her. ‘Ah, my little girl’s growing up. I’ll miss you but we’ll be watching online. Good luck, darling.’
Tilly nodded. ‘Yeah, I’ll miss you too.’ She pushed her face next to Phil’s ear and whispered, ‘You know that thing we discussed at breakfast a few weeks ago?’ Phil nodded. ‘Well count me in.’
‘Excellent!’ Phil beamed, then picked her up and spun her around.
Tilly laughed. ‘Okay, so you go now. You know how I hate goodbyes.’ She climbed onto the bus, choosing a spot with a view of the boardwalk, kneeling on her seat so she could keep watch in both directions.
Marlee’s sisters helped with her large quota of luggage while her mother took photos. Marlee kissed them goodbye, then moved through the crowd to Fran. ‘I’m sorry you won’t be with us, Franipani,’ Marlee said.
Fran nodded sadly. ‘Me too. It sucks being the only one going to school, specially the week before holidays. Here.’ She handed Marlee a tiny packet. ‘It’s my favourite lucky thing but you won’t need it. Mum says you’re the most naturally talented surfer she’s seen in years.’
‘She did?’ Marlee looked chuffed. ‘Well tell her thanks. I wouldn’t be surfing so well if it wasn’t for her.’
‘Wooohoooo!’ Pink yelled, head stuck through the sun roof. ‘All aboard the Shipwreck Express! Love you, Franny! Love you, Diamond Beach! Love you, Tony,’ she yelled, then dropped her head down only to reappear seconds later, embarrassed. ‘I never said that.’ Then she disappeared again.
Evelyn raced across the road and tapped Marlee’s window, raising her voice over the rumble of the engine, her words urgent. ‘Remember, don’t hesitate – once you commit, keep going. Perseverance is the word.’ She kissed her fingers and touched them to Marlee’s cheek. ‘I have to go, I’m running late, but good luck – remember everything we’ve done and have fun! The fun part is important.’ She smiled again and waved, then ran towards her car.
Tilly slunk lower in her seat as the engine cranked up ready to depart. Tears pricked her eyes, disappointed that she wouldn’t see Jamie, already counting the days until she returned. His eyes appeared over the edge of the window and Tilly screamed, reaching out of the window to throw her arms around his neck. ‘Sorry, I tried to get here earlier …’
The bus horn sounded and Tilly grabbed Jamie’s shirt, pulling him towards her for a last quick kiss, letting go only as the bus edged away from the kerb. ‘I’ll be back in fourteen days,’ she yelled. She slid back into her seat, grinning.
Marlee sat next to Fizz, already asleep on the back seat. She waved out the back window to Fran and her mother and sisters. Further down the boardwalk Kyle was standing alone on the beach wall. As the bus passed he held his palm up high and Marlee pressed her palm against the window, mirroring his until the bus turned the corner for the airport.
As the plane roared down the runway Marlee wondered how such a heavy chunk of metal could ever hurl itself into the sky. She clutched the armrests, smiling nervously at Tilly as the plane tilted and the ground slipped beneath them, leaving her stomach under the seat. Trees shrunk, roofs turned into red stamps and clouds swallowed the plane. All those clouds she’d gazed at over the years and here she was inside one. They weren’t fluffy at all, she realised, disappointed, but cold and wet-looking, tossing the plane from side to side like a bath toy.
‘Ahhhh.’ Pink reclined her chair, closed her eyes. ‘Take-off is such a rush.’ She opened an eye and glanced at Marlee. ‘Mind you, I didn’t think we’d ever get through check-in with all the stuff you brought. What an earth have you got in all those bags? You make me look like I’m travelling light.’
‘Just stuff,’ Marlee said defensively. ‘We’ll be gone for a while, you know.’
‘You can’t talk, Pink!’ said Tilly. ‘Besides, what’s it matter? We had heaps of baggage allowance between us all. We could’ve smuggled Franny in as well.’
Marlee fished inside her pocket for the gift Fran’d pushed into her hand. It was her lucky shell. The shell curled inwards, the sides tinted a delicate pink. Inside was a tiny strip of paper. You’ve earned it, Marls. And you want it bad enough. Now go get it.
Once they were airborne, Pink’s thoughts turned to the niggling issue of her mother and Jack Finn, and even though she’d gone back and checked every photo, looking for a date that would clarify when they’d broken up, there was nothing.
She glanced at Marlee, now watching a movie, scouring her face for common ground – blue eyes: Marlee’s were blue-grey Atlantic Ocean while hers were Pacific blue-turquoise; blonde hair: Marlee’s was sun-bleached white while Pink’s was blonde with added help from a bottle; dimples: none; teeth: Pink’s had a tiny gap at the front with a slight overlap on the eye tooth. Impulsively she grabbed Marlee’s chin.
Marlee drew back sharply, surprised. ‘What are you doing?’
Pink, shocked herself, pulled away. ‘Sorry, I thought I saw something stuck in your teeth.’ Like our father’s genes, she thought. Marlee bared her teeth but they were straight and not even remotely like Pink’s. ‘Hmm, all clear,’ she said.
Perth airport was twice as small as Sydney and three times more efficient. By the time the girls had reached the baggage carousels their bags and boards were ready for collection. They loaded their luggage onto trolleys, moving slowly into the terminal where three bus drivers stood under large Island Breeze umbrellas.
Fizz screamed, then ran down the final ramp with her trolley, throwing herself at the Hawaiian and Brazilian girls slouched on the couches behind, while the girls from France and New Zealand waited patiently alongside.
As they drove through the city, a party broke out on each minibus, with Pink and Fizz urging their drivers to go faster to beat the others until the buses stopped and the drivers read the riot act. The New Zealand girls pulled out guitars and, as the hours wore on, they fell silent, watching the lights of small towns come and go with long stretches of blackness in between.
Tilly curled up next to Marlee, her thoughts veering between Jamie and the contest. She nudged Marlee sleepily. ‘We made it! How’s it feel?’
Marlee settled back in her seat and grinned. ‘Better than I could ever have imagined.’
It was after midnight when they finally turned up the long drive towards the house and a buzz of excitement ran through the group as they woke up one by one, looking around to see where they were. Spotlights shot up the trunks of palms trees and Marlee slowly raised herself in the seat, whistling quietly as the house loomed in front of them. Island Breeze flags lined the circular turning area where the buses pulled up and Christie was in front of massive double doors wearing white yoga pants and a welcoming smile. ‘Come in, everyone, you must be exhausted. A
ll the beds are set up. Come in, come in.’ She waved to Pink. ‘Jasmine, come and give your mother a hug.’
The surf pounded in the distance, its familiar thud re-energising the girls as they trooped wearily into the huge timber house built in a series of connecting pavilions that stepped down the headland. Lush ferns, lit by the flicker of garden flares, knitted the buildings together.
Christie led them through the kitchen, a shiny cavernous room with two double fridges and a ceiling hung with copper pans. They wandered down to a large open room with big sofas and a TV screen covering one wall. Marlee took in the master bedroom, its bed on a raised platform overlooking the ocean, and Tilly pointed out the deep veranda with padded pool chairs around a small open fire.
Christie giggled. ‘This house is a trip, isn’t it!’ she said. ‘It’s the main reason I wanted to hold the contest here.’
They followed Christie down more steps to a third pavilion alongside the swimming pool with a games room big enough to house a pinball machine, air hockey table and pool table with room to spare for sofas, a karaoke machine and a big spa near the pool. The more they saw of the house the more uncomfortable Marlee felt. She didn’t belong here, and having Christie so close by only made her feel anxious. She didn’t bother to look in the bathrooms but listened to the other girls gasp at the sunken bath and acres of fluffy towels.
‘Here are your rooms, girls.’ Christie pointed to two large, airy rooms with bunk beds lining the walls. ‘Sleep well because there’ll be photo shoots and briefings happening first thing. Welcome all.’ She waved a hand in the air, not looking at any of them, and went out.
Marlee walked straight into the dorm room, kicked her bag under the bed, unzipped her sleeping bag and climbed in fully clothed. Within minutes she was fast asleep.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Marlee lay awake listening to the snuffles and snores around her. The air felt thick, recycled, and as soon as the sky began to get light she opened her eyes, wondering where Tilly was. She didn’t have to look far. Tilly’s purple nails, almost black in the dim light, dangled down from the bunk above. Marlee tickled her hand to rouse her. Wrapped in their sleeping bags they tiptoed outside, enjoying the cool fresh breeze.
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