Page 97 of Tricky Girls

The Vaults, then. Makes me on principle not want to take them, but my principle’s not very strong today.

I mumble out a thanks, not sure she can hear me from where she’s pulling herself up the stairs.

No doubt the pills are for her ankle—probably the only reason she can get around on it.

I don’t take my eyes off the pill box, like it might disappear into a fog of smoke at any moment.

She did something nice for me. What the fuck’s she going to want in return?

Eventually Haz and Elly return home, regaling me with everything I missed on my day of convalescence.

‘Oh, also,’ Elly says, ‘I’m thinking of hitting the mainland for a spot of Christmas shopping at the weekend. Haz has alreadypolitelydeclined’—Elly shoots her a look that tells me she wasn’t polite at all—‘and I know Nic will say no too. Do you maybe fancyit? We can visit the Christmas market. I don’t think we’re gonna get any more snow.’ She puts on her most charming smile. ‘Please?’

‘Yeah, sure, sounds like a good day out to me.’

‘Yes, thank you. It fucking will be. I’ll see if we have to pay for the market.’ She perches on the arm of the sofa, eyes drifting to the TV. ‘Hey, are we watchingThe Holiday?’

‘Not you.’ Haz points her up the stairs. ‘You’ve got your rotoscoping to do.’

‘Oh my god, you’ve still not finished yours?’ That assignment took me a week to get done and the deadline for it is this Friday.

‘It’s just so shit,’ Elly groans, dropping her head to her chest.

‘Gotta be done.’ Haz claps her on the shoulder. ‘First or nothing, remember?’

Once Elly’s traipsed herself upstairs, Haz falls onto the sofa by my feet.

‘I think something’s wrong with your housemate,’ I say.

‘Which one? They’re both freaks.’

‘The one on the top floor. She gave these to me.’ I flap the box of pills. ‘Reckon they’re poisoned?’

‘Must be feeling the Christmas spirit.’ She rips them from me with a grin. ‘I’ll check if they’re poisoned for you, baby, these are the good stuff.’

‘You will not.’ I grab them back. ‘You don’t even like drugs. And Nic needs them for her ankle.’

‘Aw, look at you two soothing each other’s pain.’

‘Don’t think anything can soothe this pain,’ I grouse.

‘You get it pretty bad, huh?’

‘First two days, yeah. Still rather the physical pain than the emotional.’

‘Ah, so that’s why you were so fucking weird with us last night.’

‘Yeah, I’m super sorry about that.’

‘No worries. I can take it. He’s no competition really.’ She nods to my end of the sofa. ‘Can I bed down with you there?’

‘Not much room.’

‘Don’t need it.’

Easing me into a seated position, she settles behind me. Popping two capsules, she hands them to me with a glass of water from the table. Once I’ve swallowed them, she guides me down until my head’s against her solid chest.

Any other time, I’d probably protest but she’s too much of a force to go up against. I wince as my stomach spasms, drawing my knees in as much as I can with Haz’s thick thighs either side of me.

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