Page 7 of Love, Just In

‘We’ll do that. Thanks so much for the ride.’

I adjust my grip on my suitcase and dart forward to press a lightning-fast kiss on Zac’s cheek, catching another whiff of soap and a brief smell of mint chewing gum. His spine snaps straight like I’ve assaulted him, and I spin away from him and drag my suitcasetowards the serviced apartments without a backward glance.

A note-to-self rings through my head.

Don’t kiss his cheek again. He doesn’t like that anymore. He doesn’t likeyouanymore. He only picked you up today because he’s the world’s most decent guy and he felt obliged to, and now you’ve gone and moved intohiscity, intruded uponhisspace, and interruptedhisbeachy, surfie, I’m-meeting-up-with-someone new life. There’s a reason he never once came down to Sydney to visit you.

He doesn’t want you in his life anymore.

The problem is, now that I’ve been in Zac’s company again, heard that ridiculously cute laugh, felt his eyes on me—his full attention—I’ve never been so sure of anything.

I miss Zac. And I need him to be my best friend again.

CHAPTER 3

Fifteen years ago

I loathed the oppressively strict St Teresa’s Girls High even more than my liberal-minded parents did, but right now, deciding to move to the local high school feels like a colossal mistake.

As I clutch my shiny new schoolbag and sink further into a sea of gawking faces, I don’t find anyone I recognise. The guy with slicked-back hair and piercing blue eyes keeps wolf-whistling whenever I walk past, making the other boys laugh. There are happy, chilled-out studentseverywhere, while I can’t seem to catch my breath.

I hover near a group of girls on the benches beside the canteen who are having an intense discussion about the lead star of the superhero movie that just came out. But when they don’t invite me over, my throat draws tight, and I get a thumping feeling of pressure behind my chest wall.

I scan the other half of the quadrangle for potential new friends and spot one of the boys watching me—thetall one with curly hair that’s so dark it’s almost black. I duck my head, then wander over to the empty benches facing the sports field and dig my iPod out of my bag. I press the earbuds into my ears and hit play onThe Best of Billy Joel. He’s my dad’s favourite, so I’ve heard him a lot in the car, and I know all his songs. My favourite is ‘Piano Man’.

A hand lightly taps my shoulder from behind, and I nearly jump out of my skin. I fish out an earbud and twist to find the curly-haired guy smiling down at me.

‘What are you listening to?’ he asks.

My throat closes up. ‘Billy Joel.’

This is the part where kids my age usually scrunch their faces or laugh, but the guy just says, ‘Cool,’ and drops onto the bench beside me. His thighs look twice the length of mine.

‘So, you’re the new girl,’ he says. ‘Josephine.’

I exaggerate a shudder. ‘Please don’t call me that. It’s Josie.’

His smile is as warm as my cheeks feel. ‘I’m Zac. Zachary, actually, but please don’t call me that.’

‘OK.’

He flops out an upturned palm. ‘Can I share your earphones? Billy Joel’s cool.’

‘Yeah, sure.’ I hand him the earbud I just pulled out of my ear, and he shifts closer to me so that it can reach.

‘This song’s my favourite,’ he says over ‘Piano Man’ while we sit, joined by wires, like a two-headed space creature.

My lips split into a smile. ‘Mine too.’

‘What do you think it’s about?’

‘My dad said it’s about loneliness.’

Zac squints up at the sky, thickly blanketed with clouds. ‘Good call.’

After a couple of bars of the song, a chattering group of boys I saw Zac with earlier sidle up to our bench, surrounding us on all sides like a prison gang.

‘What are you and the new girl listening to, Jameson?’ one asks Zac, like I’m not even here. I think his name is Cody.

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