Page 36 of Nothing Without You

‘She’s wasted,’ Tim said, his words slurred and hard to understand. ‘Probably with Stoner somewhere. We’ll come back for her in the morning.’

It hadn’t taken her long to find Peace, who was pleased to see her. ‘Thought I’d lost you. C’mon, we’re ready to go home.’

‘Don’t you think we should find Sissy and take her home as well.’

‘Nah. She’s in one of the bedrooms with Stoner. She’s in love.’

‘Won’t your parents worry if she’s not home?’

‘No. they’re all for free love. She’s seventeen. She can make her own choices.’

Making their way home seemed to take a lot longer than when they had walked to the party, and Evie hung onto Arlo’s shirt in the darkness. The boys knew the track well, and before long she could see a couple of flares that showed where the entrance to the commune was.

Tim seemed annoyed with her, telling her to hurry up a couple of times on the way back when she slowed down. He had not been impressed when they all had to stop and wait while she threw up on the side of the track.

‘Sorry. Too much wine.’

‘Too much Bob,’ he muttered.

‘What’s that supposed to mean,’ she said indignantly.

‘He’s not a good guy. I didn’t think you seemed like that.’

‘Like what?’ she asked, annoyance in her tone. It was okay for the boys to take drugs and drink, but how was it that Tim was judging her because of what she’d done?

‘Like jumpin’ into bed with him. Just because those guys are well-known and play in a band, all the girls go for them. You want to watch yourself, Evie.’

‘Thanks for your advice, but I’m well used to looking after myself.’

It was strange to wake up in the morning in someone else’s bedroom. Evie looked at Sissy’s empty mattress as the events of the night came flooding back. Peace rolled over and moaned. ‘Shit, I feel sick. My head is killing me.’

‘Me too,’ Evie said. ‘I really need to have a shower.’

Peace faced her, their mattresses side by side. ‘Did you do it with Bob last night? You disappeared with him, so I figured that’s where you were.’

When she didn’t answer, Peace laughed and shook her head. ‘God, you didn’t waste time. Every girl at school has been after him. Was it good?’

Running her tongue around her mouth that was dry and tasted of stale wine, Evie replied, ‘Yes. Really good.’

They’d talked for a bit longer before Peace decided they should have a shower, then go back and find Sissy. ‘It’s not the first time she’s been with Stoner, Peace said. ‘We’d better go and get her though, otherwise she’ll end up drinking and smoking with those fellas again today, and I need her to drive me into town to get some groceries.

A shower energised Evie, and she used Sissy’s hairbrush to make herself presentable. Using her finger, she brushed her teeth, the strange toothpaste made from some plant that Peace said grew in the rainforest nearby, doing little to alleviate the terrible taste in her mouth.

Tim and Arlo were not around, and she was happy she didn’t have to encounter Tim’s judgement about Bob. By the time they made their way back to the party house, it was about ten o’clock and Evie started to get a bit panicky about getting back home on time. I have to be home by midday, otherwise Mum will come looking for me,’ she told Peace.

‘That’s okay. We’ll just collect Sissy, then walk you back home.’

Stoner and Bob were sitting on the front lawn, the grass littered with empty bottles and cans. They looked up as the two girls approached, and Stoner yelled out, ‘Sissy, your sisters are here to collect you. Get your pretty arse out here.’

It took a while for Sissy to emerge from inside the house, and Evie looked everywhere else except at Bob. He’d only glanced briefly at her when she arrived, and his nonchalant attitude made her feel even more uncomfortable. Maybe she had not done it right last night, or perhaps he thought she was too young, or her body wasn’t what he liked. Had she ruined everything by telling him she was a virgin? Now he didn’t appear to be interested in her at all.

Sissy appeared on the veranda with an old blanket wrapped around her. She had dark rings under her eyes and her hair was messy, her mascara blotchy and staining her cheeks. ‘Just be a minute. Give me two secs,’ she called out.

‘I’ll go and hurry her up,’ Peace said, as she walked slowly up the stairs and onto the veranda. Bob stood up and walked towards Evie, and she finally had the courage to look at him. When he took her hand and led her up the stairs into the house, she followed. His grip on her hand was tight. Peace called after her, ‘Don’t be long, we need to get you back home.’

The inside of the house was as messy as outside, the floor littered with bottles and ashtrays, the musty smell of marijuana and stale alcohol making Evie wrinkle her nose. Bob turned to her and placed his hands either side of her face. His eyes were blue and his hair tousled. A silver guitar hung from his ear, and she noticed for the first time the skull tattoo he had on his arm. Before she could say anything, he kissed her, his rough tongue bringing back memories of last night. His breath was bad and he stunk of cigarettes and beer, but she let him kiss her, and didn’t pull away until he did first.

‘I gotta go,’ she said. ‘I have to be home.’

---