Six (14 page)

There was a pause, just long enough to hear the sound of a clock chime once from another room.

‘Well, there’s room in the Jag,’ said Cooper.

Virginia looked surprised, as if she hadn’t already considered that option. Her mother stilled her bustling for a moment without turning around.

‘Is there room for Loz?’ Virginia asked.

Her mother crashed a dish into the sink and Virginia’s head felt like it might explode.

Cooper finished the last of his toasted sandwich and licked his fingers before wiping them on his jeans. ‘Probably room for three of you,’ he said finally.

‘Hey, thanks,’ said Virginia. ‘Let me know how much to kick in for the car.’

‘My treat,’ said Cooper. ‘Better get back to it,’ he said as Virginia’s brother stood in the doorway. Cooper nodded to Oliver with a smile.

VIRGINIA WENT BACK to her room, shut the door and checked her mobile once more. There were a couple of new messages but nothing from Finn. She opened Facebook on her laptop and posted a new message on her wall.

‘Looking forward to being part of Cooper’s harem for the Year 12 Formal.’

She wished she could see Finn’s face when he found that message.

She peeked outside to see Cooper now bending over the garden edges pulling out weeds. She drew the curtains then lay down on her bed, her mobile under her pillow. The headache was now blasting the back of her skull. A light tap on the door announced her mother. No one else tapped that way.

‘Are you having a sleep?’ she asked.

‘Trying to,’ grunted Virginia. ‘I have a headache.’

‘What time did you get in last night?’ asked her mother. They both knew she already had that answer. ‘And who drove you home?’

‘Not sure what time it was,’ said Virginia. ‘And Marty drove me home. You don’t know him.’

‘Well, I hope he’s a safe driver, sweetheart. You do too much. Is it really necessary to rehearse on a Friday night? And so late—’

‘We can’t just turn off when rehearsal’s over, Mum. You don’t understand. We need to wind down.’

Actually, I was at a party, Mum, because I’m eighteen and I’m an adult and there’s nothing you can do about that. Except maybe stop my allowance.

‘I’ve got to fit it in sometime,’ said Virginia. Actually, I really do, she thought. Maybe she would go over her lines after a nap. ‘There’s another rehearsal tomorrow.’

‘Have you eaten today?’

‘Dad made me toast before dance class,’ Virginia lied.

‘Oh well… how about some lunch? I could make you some soup—’

‘No, really, thanks anyway.’

‘Have you taken something for your poor head?’

‘You know I hate taking stuff,’ said Virginia. She felt her phone vibrate under the pillow.

‘I’m going to get you something.’ Her mother stood in the doorway. ‘That was nice of Tom to ask you to the Formal.’

‘He offered me a lift, Mum. Me and the girls,’ said Virginia. Then she softened her tone. ‘I’m going to need a new dress. And my hair and makeup done.’

‘Maybe we could go shopping tomorrow,’ said her mother. ‘Before rehearsal?’

‘Okay.’ Virginia didn’t want to shop with her mother, who would pull out totally inappropriate dresses and talk to the shop assistants as if they were old friends. And her mother knew so many people that they would have to stop every five minutes so that she could say, ‘Oh, I’m just shopping with my daughter, Virginia. You know Mrs X, Virginia?’ Even though Virginia had no idea who all these old women were. And then they would go on and on about people she didn’t know until finally they went to another shop so that her Mum could pull out more inappropriate clothes. Maybe she could organise to meet Loz and the girls somewhere after an hour of shopping with her mother. If only she had her own credit card. Maybe she’d ask her dad about that.

The mobile under her pillow vibrated again and she ignored it.

The door swung open, and Oliver leaned against the doorjamb.

‘Are you seriously going to the Formal with Cooper?’ he asked.

‘Go away,’ said Virginia.

‘What about Finn?’ he demanded.

‘We broke up at Christmas. Remember?’

‘Oh. I thought…’ Oliver shrugged.

‘Anyway, I’m not going to the Formal with Cooper. We’re just sharing a ride.’

The mobile vibrated again.

‘Virginia… Cooper’s a freak.’

Virginia raised herself on one elbow and looked at her brother. He looked so earnest, like an older brother instead of the little kid he still was.

‘Hey, Ollie, it’s okay. I’m not hooking up with Cooper.’

‘Well, that’s not what Mum thinks.’

‘Yeah well—’

‘Here we go.’ Mrs Sloan sailed into the bedroom and handed some capsules over to her daughter. ‘Leave your sister alone, Oliver. Come and help me in the kitchen.’

Mrs Sloan fiddled with the curtains so not one chink of light could get through and then closed the door behind her with an annoying click. The air from the ducted heating was making Virginia hot. Or maybe she had a fever? She stripped down to her underwear before climbing under the doona, then pulled her mobile out from under the pillow. Three messages. All from Finn.

‘LOST MONY AT POKR LAST NITE SHOULD HAV STAYD HOM’

‘KNW YOUR JST USNG COOPR MAK SUR U RMMBR THT’

‘CAN I C U 2NITE?’

Virginia clicked on her phone’s camera roll icon and scrolled through photos of her and Finn. It was like looking at a couple of strangers. Pretending to be like Romeo and Juliet wasn’t as fun as she had thought it would be. She missed seeing Finn whenever she wanted to. She’d decided to pretend until the end of Year 12 when she and Finn would go off and have their own private Schoolies. It would keep her mother off her back until then, keep the cash coming, and wouldn’t be for too much longer.

Virginia scrolled back further through her photos and there she was. The girl they had left behind. Virginia had been dying to tell someone about how she had seen the body. Had been tempted to drop a hint or two to Tamara and Loz, but the thought of her father kept her quiet. If he found out that she had been in The Woods with Finn…

Virginia would never forget the day her father had found her scrambling back through her bedroom window after a late night visit to Finn. He hadn’t yelled at her but there was something chilling about the way he quietly asked her questions until she broke down and confessed. That was the night she agreed to break up with Finn. Her father had offered her a choice. Leave home right now, leave everything behind, or break up with ‘that useless piece of goods’.

Virginia daydreamed about the life she would have. About the time she’d have her own money and not have to rely on her father. She’d do her time in theatre, but it was film she was really interested in. She knew her dance teacher would be furious with her, but dance had started to lose its shine for Virginia. Already there were younger, skinnier dancers looking to knock her off her throne at the ballet school. She understood their need to succeed; once she’d been focused like them, but it was getting harder as life became more complicated.

She’d probably have to move to Hollywood if she was going to make it in film. Finn could go with her. As a manager, maybe, or her bodyguard or something.

Lying back against the pillows, she returned to her messages. Then she snapped a photo of herself and sent it to Finn.

‘C U 2nite.’

He really was cute and she really shouldn’t be so mean to him, she thought, as she drifted off to sleep.

I wish I may

I wish I might

have this wish

I wish tonight

IN THE SECOND week of winter Aunt Lili had her baby, a girl called Betsy, I turned eighteen, and my parents gave me a car. That present hadn’t been part of the plan. I’d been saving money from my cafe shifts and Poppy and I had been checking out carsales.com and dreaming. It was months before Nico was going to be old enough to get his licence and Poppy had turned eighteen before me but she didn’t even have her Learner’s permit yet. Still, she had definite plans for all three of us when I got my Ps. So I hadn’t been expecting it, but there it was when I woke up that birthday morning, all shiny and nearly new in the driveway, wearing my L-plates. I cried I was so happy. Actually cried. As a girl who hardly ever cried, this was very embarrassing.

‘Happy birthday,’ my father said in his understated way. ‘You are a good girl, Sarah. You will make a very fine doctor.’

A stray cloud scudded over the weak winter sun and my shining silver present diminished a little in the dull Monday morning light.

Dad went on to show me all the safety features of the car. Then he opened up the bonnet and showed me where the oil and water needed filling. Then where the spare tyre lived. Then how to open up the petrol cap from the inside of the car.

He was still talking about how many litres to the tank I should get when I interrupted. ‘Can we just drive now?’ I held out my hand for the keys.

‘Look, Sarah, your brother has bought you a present with his own money,’ said Mum.

There inside, hanging from the rearview mirror, was a fake green leaf smelling of vanilla.

‘Happy birthday, Sair,’ said Jefri gruffly.

He endured a hug for two seconds before scooting back inside to morning TV.

Still dressed in my PJs, I ushered my parents into the car and drove around a couple of blocks, beeping whenever I passed one of my aunts’ houses.

‘Quiet, Sarah,’ admonished Mum, although I could tell she was pleased to see Aunt Elya’s astonished face as she retrieved her daily paper from the front lawn.

‘I wish I could drive it to school,’ I said.

I could just picture swinging into the visitor’s car park, seeing Poppy’s face as I casually parked my car, windows down, music blaring.

‘Maybe next Monday,’ said my father. ‘Turn right here.’

I was taking my licence test that coming Saturday but hadn’t told anyone — except Poppy, of course. Too many people at school had failed their test the first time for me to want to advertise when I was going for mine.

‘I hear they have to fail at least half the people on their first try,’ Poppy had said the week before my birthday. ‘I’m sure it’s just a way for them to make money.’

She was consoling Tamara Deng who had missed the school zone speed limit during her test and had continued driving at 60 kays an hour. It was instant failure.

‘I mean, if they didn’t fail people, they wouldn’t have a job,’ continued Poppy, offering up a tissue.

I hadn’t been so sure about Poppy’s logic. Speeding through a school zone could end in disaster, but I understood what she was trying to do. Tamara had been bragging for months about getting her licence on her birthday. If there was someone who didn’t know Tamara was going for her test, then they lived on Mars. She was devastated when she failed and claimed it was her worst birthday ever.

So maybe I’d be driving to school on Monday, and maybe not.

Dad directed me the long way home, out past the sporting grounds, past Mansion Acres and around Chandler Road, near The Woods. Even though I was doing the speed limit, I slowed down as I rounded what locals called Dog-leg Bend, where a small white cross was planted just off the road’s edge. I noticed a posy of fresh flowers at the base of the cross.

‘Slow down here,’ warned Dad, even though by now I was crawling.

‘I am,’ I said crossly. ‘If I go any slower I’ll stop.’

We pretended not to notice the roadside tribute, as if even mentioning it would invoke bad luck. Back at home I parked carefully in the driveway and turned off the engine.

‘Birthday breakfast,’ said my mother brightly as she scooted out of the car and rushed inside.

Dad and I sat side-by-side for a moment in silence. I leaned forward and turned on the radio, punching the buttons to get a station that I liked.

‘This is not a toy we have given you,’ Dad said finally, turning down the radio’s volume.

‘I know that, Dad,’ I said impatiently.

‘You need to treat this car with respect,’ he continued. ‘Think of it as a loaded weapon. You will be in charge of not only keeping yourself safe, but other people—’

‘I know.’