Page 20 of Nothing Without You

The heavily graffitied toilet block with its Besser brick walls, broken taps and cracked basins, was a meeting point for the ‘smokers’ of the school. As long as there was a lookout at the door, they were safe to have a couple of smokes before classes started. Some of the older girls, including Lily and Rose, often had a bottle of alcohol or a joint that they offered around before school. They treated her like a little sister, and she enjoyed belonging to the group of girls, along with the status that came with hanging around with older kids.

For Layla, it was another ticket to add to the prestige she gained from her older two sisters’ reputations. Even the toughest girls at school, who loved to pick fights, steered clear of her and Evie.

Life was good, and on weekends Evie threw her new white skates with their laces tied together over her shoulder and headed for the local roller-skating rink. Saturday afternoons and Friday nights were regular evenings to go skating, and Layla and Evie would walk to the rink, meeting up with Chris and his mates on the way. Evie was in love with Chris and her heart jumped when she spotted him leaning on the wall of the corner shop waiting for her.

When he gripped her hand and they walked together, it was like nothing else mattered. Not school. Not her parents. Not homework. Her life revolved around him and when they weren’t at the rink skating around holding hands, they could be found sitting in the back, darkened area of the building, sharing cigarettes and kissing.

It was what she lived for, and her parents were happy that she loved to skate and had the same friends from primary school. They had no idea that Chris McIntosh was her boyfriend, and that sometimes at parties they disappeared into the bush nearby, or that they met at the grassy area behind the park. They believed her when she said the silver ring she wore had been a present from Layla, and that a bruise on her neck that she covered with make-up, was from someone running into her at the skating rink.

She was smart enough to keep her grades high so that she was allowed to go out on weekends. Skating was considered a sport by her father, and from what he said, she could tell he assumed there were only girls at the parties she went to. He would never have dreamt there was alcohol and marijuana available, or that older kids from school were also part of the crowd.

Layla’s boyfriend was Adam, the boy she had dared to kiss her when she was in grade five. Adam’s parents were often not at home, so his house was the perfect place for parties without any adult supervision. Where he lived was also out of town and on acreage, so the record player could be turned up as loud as it would go, and no one needed to be quiet, even when it was late at night.

Evie often told her mother she was sleeping at Layla’s house, but along with most of the others at the parties, she would snuggle up next to Chris in one of the spare beds under Adam’s house. Chris had also thrown inhibitions and rules to the wind, and although he didn’t touch the marijuana that was continually passed around, he often drank too much.

Sometimes Evie had a couple of drinks, but the thought of what her father would think of her drinking stopped her from having too much. She didn’t, however, let what he might think of her get in the way of allowing Chris to touch her body.

She was glad her father usually wasn’t there when she arrived home the day after a party. It confused her, coming from a night of wild dancing, alcohol, and being with Chris, to turning into the polite, innocent young girl her father still thought she was. Driven by the fear of disappointing him, she became adept at lying and concealing her activities and whereabouts. Because she was always out, and he was often away on business, his involvement in her life became less and less. Meanwhile, her mother grew increasingly distant with each passing year, seldom engaging Evie in conversation beyond her schoolwork.

Layla and Evie continued to hang out together, and Evie didn’t know what she would do without her friend’s advice. Wagging school became a regular pastime, and today they had not even bothered going in to get their names marked off. Instead, they made their way to the grassy area down behind the park. They had supplies; sandwiches, packets of chips and a bottle of soft drink. Evie also had a new packet of cigarettes, so they were set for the day.

They lay on their backs, their short school uniforms hitched up high so that their legs gained the full benefit of the sun. ‘It doesn’t matter how much I sunbake,’ Layla said, sitting up and looking at Evie’s legs, ‘my legs are never as brown as yours.’

‘Skin like Dad’s,’ Evie said, before blowing a large chewing gum bubble.

‘You don’t get pimples either. That’s not fair. I go through a tube of Clearasil a week.’

Evie ran her hand over her face. ‘Chris gets pimples. He loves it when I squeeze the ones on his back,’ she said.

Layla pulled a face. ‘Eww. That’s gross.’

Evie rolled onto her side and the two of them faced each other. ‘I’d do anything for him. I love him.’

‘Does that mean you’re finally going to have sex with him? He must be sick of waiting for you. It’s no big deal you know, losing your virginity. You have to do it sooner or later. There’s only one week left of year ten, and you’ll be the last one in our group if you don’t hurry up.’

Evie flopped back on the grass. ‘Yes. I’m going to. We’ve talked about it. We’ve done everything else.’

‘When are you going to do it?’

‘Soon. Very soon.’

‘When? Soon?’

‘I’ll tell you when it happens.’ Evie wasn’t about to give too much away. She and Chris had promised they wouldn’t talk about it with anyone else.

Layla was persistent though. ‘When?’

A quiver of excitement rippled across Evie’s skin. ‘Tonight. I’m going to do it tonight.’

Layla hugged her. ‘Remember, I want details tomorrow. You’ll be a woman then.’ She looked at her watch. ‘It’s only one o’clock, and I’m going to go to Adam’s house. He said he’d meet me there at one-fifteen. That means we have a couple of hours before I have to walk home. His parents will be out.’

Evie stood up. ‘I’m going to head home. Dad’s at work and Mum’ll be cleaning.’

Layla hugged her again. ‘Good luck for tonight.’

Chapter Seventeen

Getting home from the park without being seen was simple. She threw a large T-shirt over her uniform and walked briskly, sticking to the bush paths for as long as possible before heading up her street and slipping into the house. With nobody around, she checked each room, a sense of rebellion rising as she popped a Jaffa lolly into her mouth.

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