The Yearbook Committee (27 page)

Matty, it's Ryan. Tammi's sick at the RPA. Have you seen Gillian? I can't find her anywhere. Call me.

I stare at my phone for what seems like ages, then the reality of what it says hits me and I start to panic. I wrestle my way through the crowd and storm outside.

‘Leaving already, Matty?' the bouncer asks. ‘That's unlike you. Didn't like this band's sound?'

‘No, they were great,' I say, flustered. ‘There's just an emergency with some friends. I, ahh . . . need to make a call.'

I dial Ryan's number and he picks up straight away.

‘Thank God,' he says. ‘Do you know where she is? Apparently she was at the party too, she was with Tammi for most of the night, and now Tammi's in an ambulance on the way to RPA and I don't know what's going on.'

‘She isn't with me,' I say quickly. ‘I'm at a gig. Last I heard she was heading there with Charlie.'

‘No,' he informs me, ‘they had a fight. And Charlie left after the ambos came. She texted me saying her mum's in labour and she had to go be with her.'

‘I'm sure everything's OK,' I tell him. ‘It has to be, right?'

‘I don't know any more, Matty,' he says. ‘I wish I did.'

‘Did you actually see Gillian tonight?'

‘No,' he admits, and I can hear the strain in his voice.

‘OK, let's not freak out,' I tell him. ‘Maybe she left early. Did you check everywhere?'

‘Yeah, I think so,' he says, puffing. ‘I just tried the yard again.'

‘OK, while you keep looking, tell me what happened with Tammi. How did you find her?'

‘I was outside, and I heard a scream,' he explains. ‘So I went in, and she was just lying there, surrounded. Maybe she had too much to drink? I dunno . . . She'd been drinking some of Lauren's “special cocktail” — but there was nothing bizarre in Tammi's drink, Lauren said she made enough for a few people who all drank it. And then Tammi came into the room, said something about being ill upstairs, and just collapsed.'

‘So did you check upstairs?'

He goes quiet for a moment. ‘Oh my God. She wasn't saying she'd been
ill
upstairs,' he says, dread in his voice. ‘She was saying
Gill's
upstairs.'

And then my battery goes flat.

I don't know how it happens, but the bouncer puts me in a cab, gives the cabbie a fifty-dollar note, and the next thing I know I'm storming through the emergency ward of RPA. I don't even know if Gillian's there, so when I smash against the reception desk and say her name, I'm hoping I've just blown out the situation in my mind; that Gillian just got bored and left the party early.

But the receptionist nods and my worst fears are confirmed. She has just been admitted.

I ask the receptionist if I can see her.

‘Are you immediate family?' she asks.

‘No,' I say. ‘But I'm the one who cares the most.'

She gives me a sympathetic smile. ‘Sorry, immediate family only.'

‘I just need to know she's OK,' I beg.

‘I'm sorry, sweetie,' she says. ‘Like I said, immediate family only.'

But her parents don't care
, I think.

‘And Tammi Kapsalis?' I ask, feeling weird about using her full name. ‘Tamara, sorry.'

‘Yes, she arrived a while ago. She's with the doctors. I can't tell you any more.'

I sigh, defeated, then walk over and take a seat.

‘You shouldn't stay here,' she calls out to me. ‘It's 1 a.m.'

‘Trust me, I'm all she has,' I tell her.

She shrugs and gets on with her job. A few minutes later, she comes up to me with a Post-it.

‘Put your name and number here,' she says. ‘Home and mobile. I'll do what I can.'

‘If it's all the same,' I say, ‘I'm just gonna stay here. My mobile's dead anyway.'

She smiles politely and walks away, and I slump back into my chair.

Poor Gillian. We all thought it couldn't get any worse after the webcam hacking; God knows what has happened to her now. And Tammi! How did she get involved? I grab my phone to text Ryan, to ask more questions — and then I curse myself for using it to record snippets of the band showcase at the bar.

I start feeling claustrophobic, so I head outside for some fresh air. But I can't escape the feeling of the world closing in. I sit next to a man on a bench, and try to slow my breathing, but I can't. It just gets more rapid.

‘You OK, kid?' the man asks, with the faint trace of a foreign accent. ‘You're breathing like my wife during one of her contractions.'

I shake my head, my eyes welling up with tears. ‘Something's happened to two of my really good friends,' I tell him. ‘And they won't tell me anything because I'm not family.'

He nods sympathetically and a jolt goes through my body when his eyes lock on mine. For a second I feel like I've seen him before, in a distant dream. But it's probably just my shock talking.

‘Sometimes it's better,' he says. ‘Not seeing them. My wife convinced me she doesn't want me there at the birth. Too much happening, you know?'

I nod, but my friend's not giving birth. She's . . . something else.

A policeman appears before me. ‘Are you Matthew Fullerton?'

I nod quietly.

‘I'm Tamara Kapsalis' father, Nick,' he says, extending a hand. ‘Were you at this party my daughter was at?'

‘No, sir,' I tell him.

‘So you don't know what she's had to eat or drink tonight?'

‘No, sir,' I say again.

He sighs. ‘Has anyone in your grade ever sold or taken synthetic substances?'

‘As in party pills?' I ask.

He nods.

‘Not that I know of,' I say honestly. ‘But I was never part of Tammi's crowd.'

He grunts. ‘She's having her stomach pumped,' he says. ‘You kids have so much at your disposal, but you're not very bright. What about the other girl. The politician's daughter?'

‘She's my best friend,' I say in a hushed tone.

‘That's why you're here?' he asks.

‘She means a lot to me,' I say. ‘They both do.'

‘It could be a while,' he says. ‘I'll ring someone to come get you. You shouldn't be here alone.'

I watch him walk away, then bury my head in my hands.

The stranger hasn't moved, and I find his presence oddly comforting.

A phone beeps. His, not mine.

‘A girl,' he says, leaping up. ‘I have a daughter!'

‘Congratulations,' I say, giving him a half-smile through my sadness.

He shakes his head, smiling. ‘Life is a wonderful thing,' he says.

A few minutes later, Charlie leaps outside and into his arms. She doesn't notice me.

‘A girl!' she says, excitedly, embracing him. ‘She says she can't pick a name.'

‘Shall I go up?' he asks earnestly.

‘Sorry, Stan, she wants to get cleaned up first.'

‘Of course,' he says, deflated.

I stand up and she finally sees me.

‘Oh my God, Matty!' she exclaims. ‘Ryan's not replying. Is this where they brought Tammi?'

‘Yes, but we don't know anything yet,' I tell her. ‘About her or Gillian.'

‘Gillian?' she asks, confused. ‘What are you talking about? Gillian was fine.'

We look at other, bewildered, as if we're communicating in two different languages.

‘She was upstairs, I think she might have been unconscious . . .' I say.

‘Unconscious?' she whispers, stunned. ‘For how long?'

‘I don't know,' I tell her. ‘Ryan said he found her, like, forty minutes ago.'

She gasps. ‘She must've been out for ages then . . .'

‘You two know each other?' the man asks. We both nod through our shock.

‘I'm sorry, Chi,' he says. ‘I guess that means they were your friends too. I'll be right back. I'm just going to ring your aunty.'

We both watch him walk off.

‘Charlie,' I say after a moment, ‘I thought you guys were going to the party together?'

She bites her lip. ‘We had a fight,' she says, sighing. ‘Gill thought I was giving my mum info about her for Mum's thesis. But I've been talking to Mum about
everything
, just as a way to deal with it. I need help too, you know.'

‘Because you've been really hung up on the trolling and everything — trust me, I know,' I say.

‘Exactly,' she says, her eyes watering. ‘But Gillian just stormed out of my house. So I followed her . . . and she wouldn't talk to me. She wanted to have a drink with Lauren instead.'

I swallow hard, trying to keep my emotions down.

‘Let's talk about something else,' she says. ‘It could be all fine, right?'

I nod, unconvinced, but I feel like I owe it to her. I feel like I've ruined a happy moment by being here.

‘So . . . is that Stan?' I ask. ‘He has an accent.'

‘He was a Polish exchange student at our school once,' she says. ‘Isn't that cute? His real name is Stanislav Rezynoliki, but he changed it to Reynolds because no one could spell “Rezynoliki”. He went to Sydney Uni too, which is why he's bugging me to go there.'

A sudden shiver comes over my body and she notices it.

‘He went to our school?' I ask.

‘Yeah, why? Why are you acting weird?'

I realise I'm breathing extremely fast again.

‘Matty, you're scaring me. Sit down,' she says, dragging me to the bench. I sit down and put my head between my knees. ‘What's wrong?'

‘I just have this weird feeling,' I tell her.

‘Should I go get a doctor?' she asks.

I shake my head and look up, noticing a figure coming towards me. As she comes into full view, she looks tired, worn, more aged than ever, but so beautiful at the same time.

‘Mum!' I say, embracing her. ‘What are
you
doing here? Are you OK?'

‘The cops said you needed me,' she says, sadly. ‘I figured it's about time I stopped failing you. Are your friends OK?'

I start to reply, but a stunned look comes over her face as her eyes are trained on something behind me. I follow her line of vision to Stan.

And then my mother falls to the floor.

She comes to on a chair outside one of the wards.

‘You fainted again,' I tell her, grabbing her hand. ‘Here, have some water.'

She doesn't look at me.

‘This Stan guy,' I say. ‘Did you run into him at the supermarket?'

‘Matthew, don't,' she says. ‘I'm tired.'

‘So am I, Mum,' I exclaim. ‘I'm sick of being in the dark. I deserve to know.'

‘And so do I,' Stan says, emerging from around the corner.

‘What were you doing, hiding there?' she asks him.

I stand to attention — confused, scared, uncertain. He looks at me for a moment, then at her.

‘I had to see for certain if it was you,' he says quietly. ‘You're still so beautiful, it's like you haven't changed.'