Nine Letters Long (12 page)

‘Is it … hard, being the way you are?'

‘It can be,' Evie swallows.

‘Sometimes I'd like to know what people are thinking.'

‘Yeah?' Evie's voice is soft. ‘Like who?'

‘Well, no one in particular.' Poppy sits next to her on the bed. ‘It's just sometimes people say things and you just know they don't mean it.'

Evie nods.

‘That always makes me feel, I don't know, uncomfortable,' Poppy says. ‘Do you get that feeling?'

‘I do.' Poppy's words turn over in Evie's head. There's something about them that makes Evie say, ‘Pop, do you want to come back to my place after Luna Park? Stay over?'

‘Sounds good. I'll tell the old girl. She said she'll give us a lift to Central at six.'

‘Is this top too much?' Evie stands in front of Poppy, her fingers fiddling with the sequins. ‘Be honest.'

‘It's drop-dead gorgeous. Anton'll be frothing at the mouth.'

‘Piss off,' Evie laughs. ‘Oh, how did I get myself in this situation, Poppy?'

‘Don't ask me.'

‘I know what I'm going to do,' Evie tells her. ‘I'm going to stay close to Seb. All night.'

‘You might have to fight off Roxy.'

‘Aw, shit.' Evie ties her jacket around her waist. ‘I forgot about her.'

 

Saturday night at Luna Park and it's packed. The queues are long and the music is loud. The screams from the big
dipper rise and fade with the clack of the cables as the carriages climb then hurtle down the hills. Pools of spew are splattered outside the exit to the Astrospin. Evie walks through one.

‘Aargh,' she squeals. ‘It's on my toes.'

Everyone's laughing. ‘Sucked in!'

‘Come on.' Alex takes her hand. ‘Wash it off in the bathroom.' She hangs her camera around Zac's neck. ‘I'll be back in a sec.'

Firmly, Alex holds Evie's arm as they look for a bathroom. ‘What's your problem?' she says through a clenched jaw.

‘Huh?'

‘You're acting like Anton isn't even there. You asked me to get Zac to ask him and now you're totally ignoring him.' Alex pushes through the door first. ‘You're making me look like a complete idiot, Evie!'

‘Hang on!' Evie wets some tissues then rubs them between her toes. ‘I didn't ask you to ask him along. It was all your idea.'

‘No it wasn't!' Alex spits back. ‘I said, do you want me to get Zac to bring him along and you said yes. Anyway, you were so off with the pixies that afternoon, like you are all the time these days.'

Evie looks up at her. There is nothing she can think of to say back, but Alex has plenty to say. ‘I thought everything was going to be normal after you got back. You said so yourself. But it's not. You're all caught up in something again. Not that you've bothered to tell me. But don't think I don't know.' Alex rips some tissues from the wall. ‘And I don't want to.'

Girls in the bathroom whisper behind their hands as they watch Evie and Alex through the mirrors. ‘What are you staring at?' Alex growls at them. Quickly, they turn back to their make-up and hairspray.

‘You know, most girls'd die if they thought Anton was even a little bit interested in them.' Alex hands her more tissues.

‘Look, he's a nice guy,' Evie says. ‘He's just not … my type.'

‘Well, what is your type, Evie? I mean, you're never going to get a boyfriend the way you're going because there won't be anyone left!'

‘What about Seb?' Evie bites her lip after she says it. She tastes the blood on her tongue.

‘Seb?' Alex repeats. ‘Seb is interested in Roxy. He's waited long enough for you to show any interest in him. Like all his life!'

‘Well, why isn't he here tonight, Alex?' Evie feels the salt sting the backs of her eyes. She rubs hard at her toes. ‘Roxy's here but I can't see Seb anywhere.'

‘He couldn't come.' Alex's fingers pick at the tissues she still holds. ‘He had a family thing on.'

Evie nods. She knows Alex is lying.

‘It wasn't about you, Evie, if that's what you're thinking. Not everyone's in love with you.'

‘I didn't say they were.' Evie gulps as she ties the laces of her sandals around her ankle. ‘I'm done.'

The girls walk out of the bathroom in silence.

 

‘Oi! Over here.' Poppy waves to them from the line outside the dodgem cars. Zac is taking a photo. Roxy's giggling and sticking out her chest as she leans against Anton. Anton's looking the other way.

‘Say sex,' they hear Zac call.

‘Sex!' Roxy chimes.

‘We saved you a spot,' Poppy tells them.

‘Thanks.'

Alex drapes her arms around Zac and whispers something in his ear. He nods, pushing his nose up with his finger. Alex lets a laugh escape. Poppy looks at Evie and frowns. Evie shrugs it off.

‘Hey, they can't push in,' says the girl in the queue next to Poppy. ‘They weren't here before.'

‘They just went to the loo,' Poppy tells her.

‘So?'

‘So we saved them a spot,' Zac adds. ‘Okay?'

‘No, not okay,' another girl says. ‘They can't just push in.'

‘They're not,' Roxy whines. ‘They're with us. So just mind your own business.'

‘Piss off,' says the first girl. ‘You mind your own business. We weren't even talking to you.'

‘No, you piss off,' Roxy retorts. ‘My friends are my business.'

‘Yeah, well, tell your fat friend she can't just jump the queue.'

‘Fat? Look who's talking.'

‘Yeah?' says the girl back to Roxy. ‘Do you always wear your hair like a poodle or is it that you can't help looking like a dog.'

‘Takes one to know one,' Alex pipes up. ‘You're obviously a descendant of the pit bull, or is it the pug?'

Poppy nudges Evie. Zac starts howling like a hound.

‘Well, I'm surprised you've even lined up for the dodgems,' she bites back at Alex. ‘Do you really think your fat arse is going to fit in the seat?'

Alex's skin flushes pink. ‘Stupid bitch,' she says under her breath.

‘Hey,' the girl says to Zac. ‘Does she pay you to go out with her or is it just 'cause she gives good head?' They burst out laughing.

‘You slut,' Zac spits. He then hisses something in another language. Evie catches the last word – ‘
curva
'. She's sure of it. Roxy nods and repeats it too. This time Evie hears it, clear and precise. ‘
Curva.
'

‘Stand back,' the man yells as he unlocks the barrier. Evie is pushed up against the ramp as the queue starts charging to the cars.

‘Hurry up,' he says to her, ‘or you'll miss out.'

Evie stumbles across the black rubber floor, the word ‘
curva
' shrieking in her head. People are sitting in the cars staring at her. She stumbles around them like a drunk but all the cars are full. Their faces are leering, their arms are pointing, but she can't hear them. All she can hear is a voice in her head that screeches, ‘
curva
,
curva
,
curva
.'

‘Hey!' A man in blue overalls runs over and gives her a gentle push. ‘Get in the car, princess.' He wraps the belt around her and starts yelling in her ear as the dodgems begin to bump and slam into her. ‘The pedal. Put your foot on the pedal.'

She obeys. The car jerks forward and the man jumps off.

Around and around it goes like a whirlpool, as if somebody else is turning the wheel. Poppy squeals and waves. Zac and Alex ram into the side of her. Alex is laughing hysterically, her mouth stretched and mocking. Zac is singing at the top of his voice. Evie's hears him loud and operatic above the crowd. ‘Currrvvvvaaa. Currrrvvvaaa Currrvvvaaa.' Her car keeps spinning. It's going nowhere.

‘What're you doing, princess?' The man in the blue overalls jumps back on and grabs the steering wheel. ‘You've got to stay on the outside. You'll get into trouble in the middle.'

‘Huh?' There's so much noise.

‘Sexbomb Sexbomb,' the music screams.

‘Haven't you driven these before?' he yells. Evie looks up at him. His toothless mouth grins at her as he steers the car around the outside of the rink. Evie sits there frozen.

 

On the train home, Evie doesn't speak. She's not sure if it's because she doesn't want to or can't. At least she managed to wing it through the rest of the night. But not without suspicion. Alex's eyes are on her.

Still Evie just stares out the carriage window, watching the others through the reflection in the glass. Zac and Alex lie all over each other. Alex isn't even speaking to her now.

‘It's such a shame Sebby couldn't come,' Roxy says, stretching out on the seat. Anton pushes her up. ‘Get off.'

‘He really wanted to, Roxy,' Alex says. ‘Didn't he, Zac? I think it was his little sister's birthday.'

Evie listens. She knows Seb doesn't have a little sister.

‘Is your mum picking you up at the bus-stop?' Alex asks Poppy.

‘No. I'm staying at Evie's.'

‘Oh.'

 

‘You're quiet,' Poppy says when they get off at Central Station. ‘You okay?'

‘Tell you later,' Evie whispers.

‘Anton's not pissed with you,' Poppy tells her. ‘I asked him just before.'

‘Alex is.'

‘What's her problem?' Poppy and Evie walk behind the others. ‘She's being such a bitch.'

Evie shrugs.

‘I can't believe what Anton told me.'

‘What?' Evie says.

‘I'll tell you that later, too.'

They go down the stairs to the tunnel that leads to the buses. Evie stops at the last step, pretending to fiddle with her shoe. Poppy waits with her.

‘Hey, Pop,' she whispers. ‘Do us a favour.'

‘What?'

‘Can you ask Roxy what
curva
means.'

‘
Curva
?'

‘Yeah.' Evie stands up and they start walking again. ‘Roxy and Zac said it to those girls in the dodgem queue.'

‘Okay,' Poppy says.
‘Curva?
'

‘Yep.
Curva
.'

‘Hey, Roxy,' Poppy calls, her voice echoing through the tunnel. ‘What did it mean when you said
curvato those
girls?'

Evie holds her breath.

Roxy stops and waits for them to catch up. ‘Ah. You speak Romanian, my friend,' she says in an accent. ‘You're a very –'

Zac's voice cuts in, bouncing off the walls around them. ‘Slut!' it booms. ‘
Curvameans slut.'

 

Poppy lies in Evie's bed. Evie is on a mattress on the floor.

‘That was a weird night,' Poppy says. ‘Alex is soooo uptight.'

‘She wants everything to be perfect.'

‘Well, “Miss Priss Trying to be Perfect” is the complete psycho bitch at the moment. I can't believe she hassled you like that in the toilet.' Poppy rolls over on her side and looks down at Evie. ‘You know that was bullshit, what she said about Seb?'

Evie nods.

‘Who told you?'

‘No one,' Evie answers. ‘I just knew Alex was lying. Besides, Seb doesn't have a little sister.'

‘I didn't think of that. Anton told me it was a load of crap.'

‘Yeah?'

‘Seb told Zac he didn't want to come 'cause he'd feel uncomfortable with you and Anton. That was just meant to be for Zac's ears but Zac told Alex. Alex told Anton and then Anton
told me on the way home. They've all got big mouths.'

‘Poor Seb.'

‘That's the other thing. Anton said Seb has the shits with Zac, anyway.'

‘How come?'

‘He didn't say. That's when I asked Anton if he was pissed off with you. He said, “It's not Evie's fault; it's Alex trying to be the big match-maker.” He then slipped in that you're not his type, which I so don't believe.'

Evie giggles. ‘That's what I said.'

‘You've got to admit he's gorgeous, Evie.'

‘Yeah, he's okay,' Evie says. ‘Just not my type.'

‘He reminded me of silverboy, that guy you used to have a crush on at the markets.'

‘Exactly, used to.' Evie tells her. ‘He was okay until he opened his mouth.'

‘So, who is your type?'

Evie lies on her back, pressing her lips together.

‘Evie?'

‘Sometimes I think I like … Seb.'

‘I wondered about that.'

‘In fact, sometimes I think I might like him a lot.' Evie can't help smiling. ‘And I know he's not interested in Roxy. He even told us that time, remember? So why has Alex got it in her head that he is?'

‘You want to know my theory?' Poppy asks her. ‘You might think it's a bit out there but I reckon Alex is threatened by Roxy.'

‘She's threatened by something, that's for sure. I can see it
all over her face. But Roxy?'

‘Yep,' Poppy says. ‘Like I said, it's a bit out there, but think about it – Roxy and Zac have known each other all their lives. Their families even go away together. You should have seen Alex's face when you guys came back from the loo and Zac was taking her photo.'

‘Yeah, but it's not Roxy. I just don't feel that about her,' Evie answers. ‘Roxy's harmless. She wouldn't hurt Alex. Poor Al – she's just obsessed with the boyfriend thing.'

‘Just a tad,' Poppy laughs. ‘Did you hear them on the bus going on about some family do they were going to tomorrow? Zac kept saying, “Is Dana coming?” Alex couldn't handle it. She kept saying, “Talk to me, Zac, talk to me.” He just ignored her.'

‘I don't like him.'

‘I don't either,' Poppy agrees. ‘How about the way he yelled in the tunnel? “Slut.” His voice sounded … evil.'