Page 58 of Vying Girls
Rude.
‘How long will she be?’
‘We’re honouring a special guest tonight. Could be a while.’
I peer into the darkness. ‘It goes underground?’
‘All the way to hell, baby.’
It might even be the truth. I’m starting to think this castle’s a lot more sinister than any of us first thought.
And of course Nic’s mixed up in it all. I feel a weird heaviness in my heart. It hurts to compare the two, to think how she ended up. Angry and hateful and distant. How many years did I pine for that girl, never knowing she didn’t exist anymore? All this time I’ve been mourning a ghost.
Ghost or not, it’s one I’m desperate to commune with. She’s been at her tent all week. No doubt she’ll return to it later.Hockey was the only time I could corner her but she was a step too quick for me.
But fuck that. I’m not waiting until next practice to see her.
I stalked her to the gym, waited outside like a creep, then followed her here.
Bloody leggy thing. Practically had to skip to keep up.
‘Who’s your special guest?’ I come to stand on the other side of the entrance to Blakely. She’s as good a windbreaker as any.
‘An old president of ours. Never met him myself.’ Blakely eyes me side-on. Her irises are the creepiest colour. They practically glow in this light. ‘Your Nic would have though. Happy cousin reunion. Don’t suppose you’re responsible for the state she was in the other morning?’ She shakes her head. ‘Always the pretty girls.’
I frown, struggling to sort through all that. What state was Nic in? Was this after Anarchy? ‘Wait, did you have anything to do with her getting hurt?’
‘Nope, that wasalllllher. I just provided the fists.’
‘You hit Nic?’
I straighten up, feeling my blood flow faster. Now this is a familiar feeling. How many times did I stick up for Nic on my old estate? Those chavvy little kids, spotting her dad’s fancy car when he visited. It made her a target, any time she was out with me. Couldn’t buy ice pops from the corner shop without some thug trying to trip her. She was still tall back then, dressed in clothes a little too fancy for where we lived. None of that lankiness though. She still had baby fat, always hunched in on herself. She seemed sad even then. Now she’s just a grump.
‘She was pretty beat up before she came to me. Bleeding her sad all over the place.’ Blakely holds up her fists. ‘Think you got to her before me.’
‘That is beyond fucked up.’ I shake my head, not willing to delve any more into that. I’ve barely sorted through my own sludge from that night.
Then I remember the rest of what she said.
‘Tommy,’ I say quickly, suddenly panicked.
Blakely stares dumbly. ‘Who the fuck’s Tommy?’
Of course it’s not Tommy. He’s only a fresher. Not old enough to be any president, certainly not of some creepy secret society. Couldn’t think of anything he’d like less.
‘Damien?’ Even the name in my mouth sounds wrong. I want to spit it out.
‘Nic’s cuz?’
‘Yeah. Is he in there?’
‘Maybe.’
I put my hand to my forehead. ‘You literally just said he was. Blakely. He can’t be here. Not in there. Not with her.’
She raises her eyebrows as though asking me to elaborate. I’m hesitant. This asshole beat Nic up so bad she didn’t kick me out her bedroom. Let me administer a compress to her eye. Even muttered a thanks. Why would she care about Nic’s fucked up family? That’s private, none of her business.
Yeah, well, Nic was once my family too. Born on the same day, twelve hours apart. That feeling of being the oldest twin still lives within me even now apparently. Nic can hurt me all she likes but no one gets to hurt her.
