Page 2 of A Flash of Neon
“Don’t you need to leave for the station soon?” Hannah checks the time on her phone. “His train is due in at around one thirty, right?”
I didn’t tell her or Caitlin that. They must have looked up the timetables, worked it out from the post on Neon’s account this morning. “Um, yeah, I think so. But I told Neon how to get here, what bus he needs to take…”
Caitlin looks scandalised. “Laurie, no! This is your big romantic reunion – youhaveto meet him off the train.”
My cheeks instantly go red. As I’ve told them a hundred times, there’s nothing romantic between me and Neon. “It’s not like that. He’s my friend.”
“Sure. If you say so.” Caitlin tries to wink at me, but it looks like she’s got a lash in her eye. “Don’t worry – we’ll come with you.”
“No, you don’t have to…”
“But we want to!” She crosses her arms, her expression suddenly serious. “Plus it’s safer. Isn’t that the number-one rule of meeting someone off the internet? You don’t go alone.”
“Neon isn’t exactlyoff the internet,” I say.
That’s another thing I’ve told Hannah and Caitlin multiple times – that Neon and I met in Brighton last summer, while he was on holiday and I was visiting some family friends with my mums.
“Still, better safe than sorry,” Hannah says. “I want to go to the shops anyway. I need some new mascara.”
“Let’s go, then. There’s a bus in ten minutes.” Caitlin peers past me and towards the bookshop. “Or maybe we could ask Joel for a lift?”
“No!”
The word is almost a shriek, but Caitlin’s smile doesn’t fade. A sickly feeling creeps into my stomach. Going to the station to pick Neon up with them is honestly thelastthing I want to do, but I know Caitlin, and I know she’s not going to back down now.
“Fine, we’ll take the bus,” I mutter. “I just need to get my money.”
I trudge back to Every Book & Cranny, leaving Caitlin and Hannah outside – I can already sense the way they’re grinning at each other behind my back. Inside the shop, Joel and Mutti are rearranging the fiction table to make room for the new arrivals while Mum is frowning at the computer by the till.
“What was all that about?” Joel asks, raising his eyebrows. “What did Caitlin mean by the big day?”
“Um, Lewis Capaldi has a new single coming out. She’s a big fan.” Joel thinks he’s above listening to anything that makes it on to the charts, so I know that’ll put an end to his questions. I lean on the counter and turn to Mum. “Is it all right if I go into town? And can I have my pay for this week now, please?”
Her face falls. “Your shift isn’t over for another hour, Laurie.”
Mutti waves a hand at Mum to say it’s fine. “Let her go, Liv. It’s quiet anyway.”
“She needs to learn some responsibility!” Mum’s expression turns stormy. “She won’t be able to wander off whenever she likes when she has a real job.”
“She’s fourteen. She’s got plenty of time to learn.”
Mutti takes her wallet from her cardigan pocket and pulls out a couple of notes. Mum throws her hands up and disappears into the storeroom, muttering something about “never listens” that could be about me or Mutti, or maybe both of us. I catch Joel’s eye, and he pulls a face. Our parents have been snapping at each other a lot lately. Whether we’re at home or in the shop, the atmosphere often feels like it’s about to shatter under a weight I don’t quite understand.
“It doesn’t matter,” I say, trying to smooth over the tension. “I’ll stay and finish the shift. Caitlin and Hannah won’t mind.”
“No, it’s fine. Go.” Mutti hands me the money with a tight smile. “But be back at five so we can say goodbye before our flight, OK?”
I pocket the notes with a thank you, then shout bye to Mum and Joel and head outside. Caitlin and Hannah are waiting on the doorstep, both grinning widely. The nervous feeling in my stomach expands into full-blown nausea, and I mentally kick myself for ever telling them about Neon’s visit. This is one turn I did not want my story to take.
The town where we live is a small, sleepy place on the banks of Loch Ness. The bus to Inverness only comes by once an hour and it’s often late or early, and sometimes doesn’t turn up at all. As Caitlin, Hannah and I hurry down the high street, I keep my fingers crossed that we’ve missed it, but unfortunately it’s waiting patiently outside the fish-and-chip shop when we get to the stop.
I buy a return ticket with the money that Mutti gave me and reluctantly follow my friends upstairs. There’s a parent with a toddler pretending to drive by the front window and a couple of older people dozing a few rows behind. Caitlin and Hannah sprawl out across the back seat, so I take the one in front and twist round to look at them.
“Youreallydon’t have to come to the train station with me. You can do your own thing and I’ll meet up with you later.”
“We told you, it’s totally fine.” Caitlin starts pulling her long dark hair into one of those messy buns that she does so well. “It’s not every day your best friend comes to visit.”
“American internet best friend,” Hannah clarifies. “We’re your real-life besties obviously.”
