Caught Inside

by Mandi Greenwood

  Stewart chuckled. 'This has to be the most well-mannered, insipid, useless game of volley ball I've ever seen!'

  'It's not volleyball,' Archie called, overhearing their comments. 'It's a hybrid game.'

  'Invented by?' Stewart called back.

  'Us, of course,' said Cate. She whacked the ball to Drew, who forgot he was supposed to whack it and caught it instead. Cate screamed. 'Foul ball!'

  He dropped the ball like it was hot, and she leapt on him. He laughed, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her out of the water. Cate squealed, pummelling his chest.

  'Put me down,' she yelped. He did, but he kept his arms around her and the ball floated harmlessly past them as he kissed her.

  Archie abruptly waded to the pool-edge and climbed out. He flung his novelty glasses into the bushes, kicked a banana lounge aside and went indoors, slamming the sliding door behind him so hard that it bounced open again.

  Stewart and Chandra watched him go and then they exchanged a look.

  'What a mess,' Stewart muttered. 'I'm starting to think we'd all be better off if we were gay.'

  'Gay hearts break as easily as straight ones,' Chandra reminded him.

  'True,' Stewart nodded. 'But women! Damn, they're hard work! Don't you agree?'

  Chandra thought about it while he watched Aisley leaping about in the pool. He thought about how coming home from Costa Rica to her had made him feel like the luckiest guy on earth. In his mind's eye he saw her encouraging him, inspiring him … promising to care for him with his hurt hands. He thought of everything they shared, and the promise of what the future might hold.

  Did he agree? Nope. He couldn't agree with Stewart at all.

  The afternoon got old. Archie didn't come back and the shadows grew long.

  Stewart couldn't relax and in the end he rang his dad and asked to be picked up. 'It doesn't feel right,' he tried to explain to Freya. 'Being here and having fun while Willa's in the hospital.'

  She looked at him kindly. 'You're such a nice person, Stewart,' she said, giving him a kiss goodbye.

  Meanwhile, Archie was sitting on the couch with his legs crossed like a pre-schooler. He'd been in a black mood since having to watch Cate and Drew make out in the pool earlier. He had the television remote in his hand and was flicking idly through the channels, watching nothing and brooding.

  Of Drew and Cate, there was no sign at all. They certainly weren't in the lounge or the kitchen. The general consensus was that they were holed up in the girls' bedroom and this only added fuel to Archie's foul temper.

  Aisley tried to pull him out of it. She collapsed on the couch beside him and poked his skinny arm with her finger. 'Game of air hockey, Arch?'

  'Nah.'

  'Snooker? I suck at it so you'll win.'

  'Nope.'

  'Poker? I found some cards in the kitchen drawer. We can play for Maltesers.'

  He pouted.

  'Chandra and I might go for a walk soon. Care to come with?'

  Archie shook his head morosely, and Aisley decided to give up. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. 'Don't worry,' she whispered. 'Everything happens for a reason.'

  He gave her a flat look. 'Oh? So, Cate's shagging Drew for a reason, then?' he grumbled. 'Gee thanks. Now I feel so much better.'

  'I didn't mean that.' She frowned, hurt.

  Archie melted. He was not cut out to be spiteful and he was distraught that he'd caused the wounded look on her face. His features softened as he pulled her into a hug. 'I'm sorry, Ais,' he said. 'That was way out of line.'

  She hugged him back. 'I understand,' she said.

  'This is not your fight. Thanks for caring.'

  'It's okay.'

  Chandra appeared, his white-mittened hands hanging at his sides. 'Sure you don't want to come for a walk, sonny boy?' he asked Archie. 'Fresh air and all that.'

  'No thanks, dad,' Archie smirked. 'I'm enjoying sitting here, wallowing in sorrow. I thought I might write a poem about it.'

  Aisley got to her feet. 'Roses are red, violets are blue…'

  'What do I care if Drew n' Cate screw,' Archie finished, a half-smile on his lips.

  Chandra laughed. 'That's the spirit.'

  'Except that you do,' Aisley said.

  Archie shrugged. 'Oh well,' he said resignedly. 'Go on you young things, you. Go for your walk.'

  Aisley and Chandra headed for the sliding doors and the patio beyond.

  'Come back soon,' Freya sang to them as they went out onto the deck. 'Dad said he's ordering pizzas and you don't want to miss out, right.'

  'Okay,' Aisley called back. She went to link hands with Chandra and realised she couldn't. They both frowned at his bandaged hands and sighed.

  'This bites,' he muttered.

  'Could be worse,' she said as they left the property and walked down the dirt road towards Mistmoss Village. 'You could be Willa.'

  'True.'

  'Are you in much pain?'

  'Not too much,' he said. 'The pills helped a bit, but I'll need more before tonight.'

  'I should've pulled harder on that rope,' she said, feeling bad. 'You ended up doing all the work and now look at you.'

  He put his arm around her shoulders. At least he could still do that. 'You did the best you could do, Ais,' he said. 'We all did. What's done is done. You can't change the past, and there's no point worrying about the future.'

  She smiled at him. 'Live for now, yeah?'

  'Yep.' He leaned in and kissed her. 'And now is bloody good.'

  Walking in comfortable silence, they eventually reached the Mistmoss main street. The Sally May was to their right and the row of antiquated shops was on their left. The evening was tranquil and still, and their shadows stretched out long as the sun set.

  Chandra stepped across the gangplank and onto the paddle steamer, and Aisley followed him. All signs of the previous evening's festivities had been cleared away. It was difficult to imagine this as a big, noisy party venue. Now it was just a very old boat.

  They wandered across the creaky lower deck and then climbed up to the middle deck. All the sofas, chairs and tables were gone now, and there were no fairy lights either. It was all very ordinary.

  Completing the pilgrimage, they climbed to the very top deck where the captain's wheelhouse was. Aisley walked to the edge and leaned on the railing, looking down at the river and after a moment, Chandra joined her. He gently head-butted her and when she turned, he kissed her. She crept inside the circle of his arms and rested her head against his shoulder.

  'I'm so glad we're us,' he said quietly.

  Aisley knew he was thinking of Stewart and Willa, and maybe of Archie and Cate.

  'Me too,' she said gratefully.

  Oldest Line in the Book

  The pizzas arrived. Three kinds! Archie should have been euphoric, but how could he be euphoric while Drew King existed? It was impossible.

  Instead, he solemnly selected a slice of meat lovers with extra anchovies and sat on the floor next to Lucan.

  Freya found a Toy Story DVD in the cupboard under the telly but Archie couldn't concentrate on the film. He couldn't even concentrate on his pizza.

  Lucan noticed. 'Aren't you feeling well?'

  Archie rolled his eyes. 'It's okay,' he said. 'You don't have to be polite. You know the score. I'm a pathetic, heartbroken twat.'

  Lucan gave up any pretence at ignorance and took a sip of his lemonade. 'If it helps,' he said. 'I seriously doubt Cate and Drew will go the distance.'

  'How do you mean?'

  Lucan shrugged. 'I'm no expert on human nature,' he said. 'But I'm quite sure the first blush has worn off and Cate's realising there's nothing underneath. She probably fell for him because he's hot and a bit of a badass, but you can't build a relationship on that, can you?'

  'No,' Archie murmured, looking hard at Lucan. He didn't think he'd heard him speak this much ever!

  'It takes friendship,' Lucan said calmly. 'Respect, compassion, and an interest in who
your partner is.'

  'Yes.'

  'So,' Lucan said, taking a bite of his pizza. 'Wait it out, my friend. Be the last man standing.'

  That was all Lucan was going to say, but it was enough. Archie felt a little better. He found his appetite and finished the rest of his pizza. 'Cheers,' he said.

  Lucan smiled gently as Archie stood up and stretched tall.

  'Hey!' Chandra called. 'Down in front!'

  'Calm down,' said Archie sauntering towards the sliding door.

  Chandra tried to point at him but couldn't because of his bandages. He jabbed his mittened fist at him instead and looked stern. 'You go and fall down a cliff, you get yourself up it again,' he warned.

  Archie made a peace sign. 'Settle. I'm just stepping outside.'

  On the deck, he put his hands on his hips and gazed up at the evening sky. It wasn't completely dark yet and the twilight painted everything a gentle shade of blue that he found very calming. In front of him, the hill dipped down and the valley was spread out all around. Archie took a deep breath, let it out very slowly and felt brand new.

  With no intention of going nearly as far as Willa had, he headed down the grassy path. About halfway down, he sat and linked his arms around his bent knees.

  He felt pretty good, all things considered. Lucan was right. Cate and Drew were going to burn out quickly. Any idiot could see that. When they did, he'd be there to pick up the pieces.

  Not that Cate would instantly fall into his arms of course. He was fairly sure she didn't feel the same about him as he did about her, but it would be enough just to have Drew out of the picture. And it wasn't only that them being together made him die a little each time he thought about it. It was also because in his heart of hearts, Archie knew Drew was wrong for her and that he wouldn't treat her well. He, Archie, couldn't make Cate see that, but he could stick around to be her friend when she discovered it for herself.

  As time passed he watched night settle around him. The stars came out, all one hundred million of them. Wow! He craned his head back and watched them until he felt dizzy and then lay down with his hands behind his head and the dizziness went away.

  After a little while he became aware of an alien sound intruding on his thoughts and a frown creased his brow. Archie didn't have a subtle bone in his body, but his instincts were razor sharp. Something was up.

  He sat up and looked about. There … behind the house. That's where the sound was coming from. A horrible squeaking and the groan of rusty steel. He scrambled to his feet and made his way towards the noise. When he got to the wall of the house he propped against it and peered cautiously around the corner. He felt like a character in a movie and sincerely hoped it wasn't a horror movie. He wasn't up for that!

  He swallowed nervously and leaned further around the corner to see.

  A little earlier, Cate and Drew had made their way up the hill. Cate wasn't sure how she was feeling.

  Contrary to the others idea that they were in the girls' room, they'd actually been out bushwalking. After their make-out session in the pool, Drew had suggested the walk and she had jumped at the idea. It was romantic and very un-Drew-like, but hey … maybe he was making an effort. She should have known better.

  They'd walked beyond where Willa fell, on into the woods. The late afternoon was beautiful but somehow it hadn't worked out quite like Cate had imagined.

  All Drew wanted to talk about were the crazed times he'd had with Troy. Far-fetched tales about parties, fights, drugs, booze and girls … all supposed to impress her.

  'He's one wild dude, my brother,' Drew said.

  Cate smiled weakly and dragged her feet. She said nothing. What could she say?

  'We should take off,' Drew said suddenly. 'This sleepover is getting old, don't you reckon? We'll call a cab and go over to Tynan's place. There's always something happening there.'

  'But I don't want to leave.'

  'Oh come on! It'll be fun.'

  'Here is fun!'

  'Y'think?'

  Cate flapped her hand at him. 'You can go.'

  After an hour of hearing all about the dubious wonders of Troy King, she'd had enough. She was grateful to see the house looming ahead on top of the hill. Freya had mentioned pizzas and all Cate wanted to do was curl up on the couch with a gigantic slice of margarita.

  But it was not to be. Drew grabbed her arm and steered her around the back of the house instead. There was an old-fashioned swing seat there, the type that has a canopy and fits two people. He pulled her down beside him and before she could so much as draw breath, he had his arms around her and his tongue down her throat.

  Cate tried to get into it. She closed her eyes thinking the margarita would have to wait. At least while he was snogging her he wasn't talking about his brother. The minutes ticked by. Why was she thinking about time? Wasn't she supposed to be so swept away with passion that time became irrelevant? He was groping around under her top and she begrudgingly let him and waited for it to feel nice … or to feel something anyway. Right now all she felt was hungry and her tummy rumbled in sympathy.

  Without warning one of his hands made its determined way between her legs. Cate saw red and pushed it away. 'Stop it!' she ordered.

  'Relax.' He attempted to kiss her again but she turned her head at the wrong moment and his lips smacked against her hair instead.

  'Drew!' she hissed as he shoved his hand between her knees again. 'I said stop it!' The old swing creaked and groaned in protest.

  He abruptly let her go and slumped against the seat. 'What the hell is wrong with you Cate?'

  'Nothing!'

  'You were up for it in the pool,' he said. 'And now this?'

  'What do you mean?'

  'I'm not a machine,' he complained. 'You can't turn me on and off, just like that!' He clicked his fingers. 'You've got to give a little as well, you know!'

  So much for romance. Drew King didn't have a romantic bloody bone in his whole body. She bit her lip, trying to stay calm.

  'I thought you understood,' she said. 'I'm not ready for that.'

  'I'm going to call that cab,' he muttered, changing the subject. 'Are you coming with me, or not?'

  'If you mean am I going to ditch my best friends to go to some boozy party full of junkies, then no, I'm not.' She managed to keep her voice steady, but only just.

  'Serious?'

  'Serious,' she said defiantly. 'Once upon a time you would've wanted to stay here as well. They're your friends too.'

  'They hate my guts.'

  'They don't!'

  'I don't need them anyway.' He was pulling out his mobile phone. 'I've moved on.'

  Cate wasn't sure whether to get angry or cry, so she did both. 'You arsehole,' she sobbed, moving to the far end of the rusty swing making it squeak violently.

  He rolled his eyes. 'Oh that's right,' he muttered. 'Go ahead and cry.'

  'Why are you being so mean?'

  'Because I'm pissed off and my balls hurt.' He stabbed a finger at her. 'And that is entirely down to you!'

  She gave a loud sniff. 'Why do your balls hurt?' she asked curiously. 'I didn't even touch them.'

  'Exactly. Forget it. You're a girl. You'll never understand.'

  She wasn't sure whether to believe him or not. 'Isn't that just a myth?'

  The look he gave her was answer enough. She sat up straight and wiped her eyes. 'Well that's your own fault,' she said. 'You shouldn't have tried to rape me.'

  'I did not try to rape you!'

  'You did!'

  'Trust me, you'd know it if I did!'

  'What's that supposed to mean?'

  'Never mind.'

  'And how come you've never told me you love me?' she blurted, immediately regretting it. She held her breath, desperately wishing she hadn't mentioned the L word. In that instant she knew beyond a doubt that she did not love Drew King at all. She doubted she even liked him anymore.

  Drew narrowed his eyes craftily. 'If you really loved me,' he said slyly. 'You'
d sleep with me.'

  'Well, that's got to be the oldest line in the book,' remarked Archie strolling around the corner of the house with his hands in his pockets.

  Cate and Drew both jumped.

  Archie paced back and forth in front of the swing. 'Unless you take into account the do you come here often pick-up line. That's pretty bloody ancient as well.'

  'Piss off Arch,' Drew muttered.

  Archie inspected his nails. 'Next thing you'll be telling her she has to shag you otherwise you'll get blue balls. Or did you use that line already?'

  Cate gave Archie a weird look.

  'If you turn around and leave now, I won't hit you,' Drew warned Archie.

  Cate glared at Drew. 'You're not hitting him!' she snapped jumping to her feet.

  'Don't worry, Cate,' Archie said. 'He can't fight to save himself. All that shit he's using is frying his brain and slowing his reactions.'

  Drew stood up. He looked from Cate to Archie and then back to Cate again. 'You two,' he muttered. 'It's always been about you two hasn't it? Even back in the beginning, down on the beach on New Year's Eve, she was dancing with me but talking about you.'

  Archie glanced at Cate but she was watching Drew. A lone tear rolled down her cheek.

  'Archie did this and Archie did that,' Drew mimicked Cate's voice. 'Archie's such a friggin' legend! Not like Drew! Now there's a loser if ever I saw one!'

  'I never said that,' Cate said quietly.

  Drew flapped his hand dismissively at her. 'May as well have. But so what if I want to live a little? I'm not the only one out there dropping the occasional hug drug. I mean, it's not like I use friggin' speed or anything! I'm not hurting anybody.'

  'Except yourself, you wally,' Archie said conversationally.

  Cate took a deep breath. 'Drew, I think we …'

  'Are officially over?' He laughed. 'Hey guess what Cate? I think that too.' He pushed rudely past Archie. 'She's all yours, man. Good luck. You'll need it.'

  'Drew …' Cate tried one last time but he was already walking away. A moment later and the night swallowed him up. She stood staring after him, unsure how to react.