'There's Stewart Thomas,' said Cate, pointing. 'See? Number twelve.'
Aisley nodded. 'There's Brice Daly as well,' she said, gesturing at number four.
Brice took a mark and they clapped and cheered with everyone else.
'We're winning,' Cate said, looking at the scoreboard. 'Seamere, ninety to Jarvis, thirty-six. Wow! We're killing them.' She pumped the air. 'Go Sharks!' she screamed.
Aisley was looking at a familiar face nearby. 'Hi Willa,' she called.
Willa Fry looked around. A pretty girl with fine blonde hair, she smiled and came over to them. She was wearing a woolly beanie and she looked very cute.
'Are you here to watch Stewart play?' Aisley asked her.
Willa nodded. ''I am,' she said. 'He's playing really well today. He's kicked five of our goals. At this rate he's going to win best-on-ground.'
Aisley grinned. 'It's nice that you two are back together.'
'Well, I certainly think so.' Willa looked proud. 'Are you guys sticking around for the whole game?'
'No. We're going to Melba's for a hot drink,' Cate told her. 'Care to come with?'
'I'd better not,' Willa said. 'Stewart won't know where I've gone.'
'So, text him,' said Cate, shrugging easily.
Willa shook her head. 'No,' she said, shaking her head. 'Thanks anyway. But I'd like to be here when he comes off the ground.''
'Okay,' said Aisley kindly. 'Catch you in school.'
She and Cate said goodbye to Willa and left the footy ground.
'So Willa and Stewart's off-again is on-again,' Cate observed. 'I can never work that girl out. Her mood swings like a pendulum!'
'Willa thinks too much,' Aisley said. 'She always seems to worry about things that haven't happened yet. But she seems happy enough today.'
Leaving the mystery of Willa Fry's complex personality behind, they walked up Main Street towards the Melba café.
They were looking forward to a nice, hot drink after the chill of the open surf beach and the footy game. Just then, Cate noticed Bliss Anderson coming towards them with Megan Davies glued to her side as usual. The rest of Bliss's posse was elsewhere today.
'Uh oh,' Cate muttered ominously. 'Here's trouble.'
Aisley turned her head to see what Cate was talking about. 'Just don't make eye contact,' she said. But it was too late.
Bliss came to a stop in front of them.
'Hi Bliss,' said Cate, smiling sweetly. 'What's happening?'
Bliss ignored her, and glared at Aisley. 'Well, I can't believe you're brave enough to show your face in public,' she snapped at Aisley. 'I wouldn't, if I'd made a fool of myself like you have.'
Aisley was a natural peacemaker and hated confrontations. She felt the blood rise in her cheeks, making her ears tingle, but she forced her voice to remain calm. 'I don't understand,' she said. 'What do you mean?'
Bliss snorted with laughter. 'You really have no idea, do you?'
Megan looked uncomfortable and shuffled her feet.
'What are you talking about?' asked Cate, impatiently.
Bliss ignored Cate again. She put her hands on her hips and scowled at Aisley. 'You bitch! You try to steal my boyfriend and then you try to make him your private property. You prance around school like you're so hot! Spare me!'
Aisley could hear her heart pounding in her ears
'You're talking rubbish, Bliss,' Cate said angrily. 'You weren't ever with Chandra. You're obviously delusional. Go home and take some medication.'
Aisley didn't say anything. She was too busy recalling the image of Chandra and Bliss in the science hallway. Chandra was laughing and Bliss was hanging all over him. Chandra not pushing her away ... Why didn't he push her away? There had been nothing to that. Right? So why did Aisley feel so troubled?
Meanwhile, Bliss turned on Cate. 'Shut up,' she growled. 'I wasn't talking to you.'
Cate bristled and took a step forward, but Aisley grabbed her sleeve. 'We don't need to listen to her,' Aisley told her friend quietly. 'You know she just wants to make a nuisance of herself.'
They made to walk on, but Bliss stepped in front of Aisley. 'You honestly think you're the only girl he's with right now?' she hissed viciously. 'You really think you're exclusive? That's not how it works these days and you need to know that. You have to learn to play by the rules.'
Aisley tried to turn away but Bliss still blocked her way.
'He was dumping girls long before you arrived in town, you know,' Bliss said. 'He'll be dumping them long after he's finished with you too. What makes you think you're so special?'
Aisley flinched like she'd been slapped, but Bliss wasn't finished. She laughed at the look on Aisley's face. To give Megan some credit, she looked uneasy as she stood by and watched Bliss attack Aisley.
'Wake up!' snapped Bliss. 'Look at you, walking around like little Miss Perfect. Let me tell you something else to save you some pain. He won't hang around you for long if you don't let him screw you. You think he wants to hold hands forever? If you think that then you're more stupid than I thought. Guys like him are only after one thing.' She held her pointer finger up right in front of Aisley's eyes. 'One, thing!' Bliss marched off and Megan tagged miserably along, looking like she'd rather be anywhere else.
Aisley was frozen where she stood.
Then Bliss swung around and offered one final parting shot, and it was a cruel one. 'How do I know? Because it's the only reason I'm still holding his interest. Ever wondered where he is when he's not with you? Well, he's with me, and we're not holding hands, I assure you.' This time she strode away without looking back again.
Megan cast a worried look back at Aisley. She seemed about to say something when Bliss barked an order. Megan hurried off after her.
'You're a pure bitch, Bliss Anderson!' Cate yelled after her, furious. 'What a sad, sad little life you must lead! Really.'
Aisley felt stunned, like someone had punched her in the stomach. She felt like she was going to be sick. She turned away and headed back towards the beach, dragging the unfortunate Ellette along with her.
'Aisley, don't,' called Cate, trotting after her.
Aisley couldn't speak. Her head was in a whirl.
'Ais,' Cate persisted, grabbing hold of her arm.
Aisley shook her off and kept walking. She got to the beach and rushed down on to the sand. The temperature had dropped. It was freezing and Aisley couldn't stop shaking. She paused to let Ellette off the lead and then she hurried on, thinking if she moved fast enough she could outrun Bliss's hateful words. They seemed to be replaying over and over in her brain.
… He was dumping girls long before you arrived. She walked on like a robot.
'Ais!' Cate was chasing her along the sand. 'Aisley wait.'
… You're more stupid than I thought.
'Don't you dare let her get to you,' yelled Cate. 'Aisley, please.'
… It's the only reason I'm still holding his interest.
Aisley stopped suddenly and sat down on the sand.
... He's with me, and we're not holding hands.
She couldn't outrun Bliss's words. It was impossible.
Cate puffed and panted to a stop and dropped down beside her. She clutched at Aisley's hands. 'Please do not tell me you're taking her seriously' Cate gasped. 'Ais! How can you! She's a bitch, you know that. She's full of hate and poison … believe me! I've known her since freaking kindergarten!'
Aisley bit her lip and wiped away a single tear. She didn't trust her voice so she didn't say anything.
Cate threw her arms around her and hugged her tight. 'You need to forget every single thing she said,' Cate said urgently. 'You need to know the truth. I've known Chandra for years too. Yes, it's true that he's in trouble more often than not. Yes, it's true that he's a loudmouth, he ditches school, and he doesn't give a shit when he really should. But all that stuff about girls! Ais, it's just not true. It can't be.'
Aisley blinked at the horizon. 'Maybe there was more to the whole Bria thi
ng after all,' she whispered.
'Okay,' conceded Cate. 'Okay. Look, I know Bria liked him for a while, but I don't think he ever led her on. I'll also admit that he's always been popular and perhaps he's had other girlfriends, but so what? You've liked other guys, right? It doesn't change the fact that I'm certain what Bliss said about him and her was just a big pile of crap.'
Aisley wiped her eyes and stared at the ocean. 'I dunno …' was all she could manage. In her mind's eye, all she could see was Chandra and Bliss in the science hallway. The way Bliss leaned against him … it was so intimate. … Ever wondered where he is when he's not with you? Well, he's with me, and we're not holding hands, I assure you. Bliss's words played repeatedly in her troubled thoughts.
Once again Aisley found herself thinking, He doesn't spend every minute in my company. We do have our own lives. I'm the first to remind everyone that I'm not his mum and that he is free to do his own thing. Maybe his "own thing" is having multiple relationships …
'You need to talk to Chandra,' said Cate quietly.
'I can't … just yet.'
Cate nodded. 'Okay. Well then at least let me talk to him. Let me find out how it really is.'
'No,' said Aisley. 'No, I don't want you to do that.'
'I can do it for you,' insisted Cate.
'No. Promise me you won't!'
Cate sighed. 'Okay, I promise. But Ais,' she said, forcing Aisley to look at her, 'Please don't believe anything Bliss Anderson says, at least until you hear the other side of the story. You know first-hand what she's like.'
'I'll try,' Aisley promised, with a watery smile. 'I just need to think it all over for a while.'
Cate wasn't convinced that was the best course of action. But there was nothing more she could add, so she said nothing. She just sat and watched her anxiously. After a bit, Aisley stood up and listlessly rubbed the sand off her jeans. 'I think I need to go home for a bit now, Cate.'
Cate stood up too and they hugged. 'I'll ring you tonight,' Cate promised. 'Please try not to worry. Please. For me.'
Aisley nodded unconvincingly and called to Ellette. Cate stood there and watched her go, hating the way Aisley's shoulders slumped and hating Bliss Anderson with a vengeance. She'd promised she wouldn't talk to Chandra, but she could talk to Archie. Then perhaps Archie could talk to Chandra.
Chapter Twelve
Glass Half Empty
The last week of term
Aisley Brannon was a naturally cheerful person. Her glass was always half full. She managed to see the solution to problems and was good at cheering others up. Her father Grant was particularly fond of re-telling the story of the time when four-year-old Aisley had run to help a much older child who'd fallen off a swing in the park. The child was sitting there crying and Aisley had sat by her side telling her stories until she was happy and laughing again. If someone had told the Brannons right there and then that their four-year-old daughter was destined to be a successful and compassionate psychologist in her adulthood, they wouldn't have doubted it for a second. Aisley was practical, sensitive, and she was forthright. In short, it took a lot to get her down.
Nevertheless, the week following the incident with Bliss Anderson on Main Street was the worst of her life. She couldn't sleep at night for thinking about everything Bliss had said. Then, because she hadn't slept, she had to drag herself out of bed in the mornings, spending the day in a foggy haze. She was sure that everyone was laughing at her behind her back at school. Everything that had seemed so good and perfect seemed to have swung around one hundred and eighty degrees and become tainted and stained. She had no appetite and her mother worried that she was coming down with something. Aisley just sat there at the dinner table at meal times, pushing her food around the plate.
Cate, Freya, and Archie worried about her too, casting anxious looks at her and then at each other throughout the day at school. No doubt, Cate had filled the other two in on what had happened on the weekend. They did all they could to try and cheer her up. If Chandra worried about her Aisley wouldn't know, because she went out of her way to avoid him as much as possible. A little voice inside spoke up now and then saying she really should get his side of the story, but she refused to listen to that little voice for long.
The truth was she couldn't bear the pain of facing him and talking to him, because she felt heartbroken and foolish. She had presumed Chandra and she were exclusive, but what if they weren't. What if he thought it was perfectly fine to be seeing other people at the same time? Lots of people did these days. Maybe she had misunderstood. How ignorant and silly must she look?
So she sat far apart from Chandra in the classes they shared. When he tried to pass her notes via Lucan or Archie, she refused to take them. She spent her lunch breaks in the library where she knew he probably wouldn't think to look for her. She deleted his numerous texts unread and wouldn't take his calls. On the odd occasion that they did come face-to-face, she'd keep moving. She didn't want to look into his eyes in case the hurt she'd see there would make her cry.
Finally on Wednesday, Archie confronted her as she walked to her locker. 'Cate told me what happened,' he said, serious for once. He leaned on the top of her locker watching her face as she rummaged inside. 'Ais, you can't take anything Bliss says seriously.'
Aisley sighed. 'Usually,' she said. 'But don't they say there's a grain of truth in every lie?'
'Who says that?' Archie looked disgusted. 'What a dumb thing to say. That's almost as bad as the elephant in the room thing.'
Aisley just shrugged and continued looking for her pencil case.
Archie tried a different approach. 'You're not being fair, not hearing Chandra's side of the story,' he scolded, trying to make her look at him.
'Spare me, Archie.'
Archie held his hands wide. 'What? You don't agree? This is not like you Ais. You're a fair person, a just person. I can't believe you won't even talk to the poor guy.' Archie leaned forward, his hand under her chin forcing her to look him in the eye. 'You're killing him, y'know,' he said softly. 'He's a mess.'
Aisley jerked her head back and slammed her locker a little harder than she intended. 'What about me,' she hissed. 'I'm a mess! I really like him, Archie. I mean, I really, really like him. If even a fraction of what Bliss said is true then I've made a total fool of myself. I don't want to be just another tick on Chandra's list. I thought … well, I thought I was more than that to him.'
'Then talk to him!'
'I can't!' She started to cry, and then furiously wiped the tears away.
'Ais,' Archie pulled her into his arms.
'I know you all probably think I'm overreacting,' she said, her voice unsteady. 'But I don't know how I'm supposed to feel.'
She pulled away from his embrace and Archie looked at her piteously. 'I hate to see you like this,' he said gently.
'I hating feeling like this,' whispered Aisley, gathering up her books and walking away.
That evening she sat in her window seat looking out at the starry sky. Her iPod was playing and she kept skipping to every sad song she had, rubbing salt into her wounds and feeling generally sorry for herself. Her phone beeped to tell her a text had arrived and she picked it up to see who it was. It was Chandra of course. Before she could stop herself she read it.
He'd written six words, "I need to talk to you."
She deleted it. There was a tap at her door and Shay stepped into the room.
Aisley paused her iPod and pulled out her ear buds. 'Hi mum.'
'Hi Ais,' said Shay. She walked across to her daughter and planted a kiss on the top of her head. 'Feeling any better?'
'I'm okay.'
Shay just looked at her.
'I'm okay,' Aisley insisted. 'Truly.'
Shay perched on the edge of the window seat.
Oh no, here it comes, thought Aisley, The heart-to-heart talk. But Shay didn't mention the state of Aisley's heart. She wanted to talk about the home improvement seminar that was happening in the town of Salbury
the following evening. 'I don't know if you remember me mentioning it a while back,' said Shay. 'But your dad and I would really like to go. Only thing is it finishes really late. We wouldn't get home until well after midnight.'
'That's alright,' said Aisley. 'Wade and I will be fine.'
'Would you feel better if he went to Nyle's?' Shay worried. 'Maybe you could go to Cate's?'
'Mum, we're big kids now,' chastised Aisley. 'We can put ourselves to bed.'
Shay wasn't completely convinced.
Aisley sat up straighter. 'Look,' she said. 'We'll have some dinner, do our homework, watch some telly, and go to bed. It's a school night. What else are we going to do? Throw a wild house party? I don't think so.'
'I should hope not,' Shay smiled. 'Well, alright. But I'll phone or text you throughout the evening.'
'Okay.'
'And don't go out anywhere.'
'Yep.'
'And don't let Wade go out anywhere.'
'I won't.'
'And …'
'Mum! I've got it. Don't worry. It's all good.'
'Okay,' Shay stood up and kissed Aisley's head again. 'Thank you.' She walked to the door then hesitated and turned back, one hand on the doorframe. 'I'm not going to tell you about how it was in the old days,' she said. 'But I really and truly was a teenager once. For what it's worth, I do understand.'
Aisley smiled and nodded. Her mother left without another word. Aisley leaned back and plugged in her ear buds again.
Chapter Thirteen
The Missing Vandal
Thursday afternoon
Cate was playing in an interschool soccer match the next day, so Aisley walked home alone. She kept casting furtive glances over her shoulder, half-expecting Chandra to come after her, but there was no sign of him. She didn't know if this made her feel better or worse. Aisley felt like she didn't know much about anything lately.
The week had been a total nightmare. Tomorrow was the last day of term and they would do their presentation to Mr Briskett in Humanities class. She'd have to stand up there with the others in front of the class, wondering if the whole room thought she was a fool. She'd have to stand there, watching Bliss Anderson smirking at her. Aisley couldn't wait for it to be over.
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