by Mo Johnson
‘Why? What about all those red-headed actresses making red hair popular these days?’
‘Yeah?’ Terry retorted. ‘Then how come this month Nicole Kidman’s blonde? Not even red-haired actresses want to have red hair all the time.’
Mum ignored her. ‘I think Isla is the spitting image of Nicole.’ She stroked my hair.
Hello! I’m sitting right here! Did they think I couldn’t hear them?
Terry laughed. ‘Maybe…if she wore stilts…and knew a good plastic surgeon.’
I wondered viciously if she knew a good obstetrician. But I bit my tongue.
‘Out!’ I chased them both from the room.
I picked up the irons again. Ignoring the cloud of steam and the worrying burning smell, I continued to sizzle my locks. Red it may be, but it was going to be red and straight!
I was packing my overnight bag when Terry came back.
‘Don’t forget your swimmers,’ she said slyly.
‘Shame I already have.’ I did up the zip.
‘Seriously, you should get over your pool thing. You’re going to miss out on so much in Australia if you can’t get into a swimming pool.’
‘Yeah, like colds and the flu. And that’s just from the water temperature. I can’t even begin to imagine what other germs are floating around in there.’
‘So it’s got nothing to do with the fact that you can’t swim?’
‘No.’
‘You’re just going to turn up to a pool party and not go in the pool?’
I wanted her off my back. ‘I didn’t just spend an hour on this hair to get it wet again in a swimming pool. Can you imagine what will happen if the chlorine gets to it?’
She conceded the point. ‘I see what you mean. Anyway, it’s probably for the best; your bum is enormous in swimmers.’
‘At least I’ll still fit into mine in six months time!’
She flinched.
‘Sorry.’
‘It’s fine,’ she said.
‘You need to take…’
‘I know. I know. You’re right, but I’m so scared. I keep taking it out and looking at it, but I just can’t do it. Dumb, hey? It’s not like the test can hurt me or anything.’
‘No, it’s not dumb. And you’re not dumb, either. The smart thing to do is to find out. Take the test tomorrow morning.’
‘But you won’t be here! I need you here.’
On impulse, I went over and gave her a hug.
She clung to me. Her voice was muffled. ‘I keep thinking that it’s going to be okay. I don’t feel any different. I haven’t got any of the symptoms. I’ve read that a lot of them are the same as a late period, anyway: like sore boobs and funny stomach cramps. And I haven’t wanted to throw up.’
I tried to sound hopeful. ‘It could be a false alarm; that’s why we need to find out for sure. You want to know if it’s good news, right?’
‘What time do you get back tomorrow?’ she asked, pulling away from me at last.
‘In the afternoon. Do you want to take the test then?’
‘No, it’s better to do it in the morning.’
‘Why?’
‘Because it says so on the box. Something about first urine being stronger.’
‘Do it tomorrow, then call me. If it’s bad news I’ll come home early,’ I told her, adding, ‘but I’m now taking my enormous bum, my red hair and my gear minus a swimming costume off, okay?’ I ushered her out.
‘Okay,’ she said in a small voice and made it as far as the doorway before turning round.
‘Isla?’
I waited impatiently for a snide punchline.
‘You look nice,’ she whispered and disappeared.
‘They say your life flashes before
your eyes when you drown, Isla,
so if you don’t want to die bored,
learn to swim.’
(Gran McGonnigle)
By six I was on the train to Sydney, after reassuring Dad that I’d take care. I tried to spend the journey concentrating on Sam, but I kept worrying about Terry, and wondering what Jack had been lined up to ask me. Was Molly going to use him to pass on another warning to stay away from Sam?
After dumping my bag at Uncle Colin’s and listening to a million instructions about safety, I escaped. Ten minutes later I was knocking gingerly on Emma’s door, aware that my heart was beating too fast. This was the first time I’d hung out with most of these people outside of school. It felt a bit strange. I smoothed my hair down. Good, it was holding up.
A glamorous woman answered the door.
‘Come in, darl,’ she croaked, destroying the illusion instantly. ‘They’re all out the back.’
She teetered on impossibly high heels, which seemed intent on detaching themselves from her shoes as they slid on the shiny marble floor. I was amazed she kept her balance.
‘There.’ She waved a tanned hand with a flourish, dazzling me with diamonds, and stepped aside.
I muttered my thanks and headed through the back door to a world of music, laughter and noise. Lots of noise.
‘Isla!’ Emma screamed, and hugged me. Three other girls I vaguely knew raced over and did the same. Bewildered, I handed her my present – an iTunes card – which she took and tossed carelessly onto a pile of similar envelopes.
‘Thanks.’ Her voice was loud over the music. ‘Drinks are there, beside the pool.’ Some sort of secret message passed between her and the rest of the girls, and they giggled. ‘There’s food on that table there, and you can get changed in my room through here.’
She twirled round in her swimsuit to emphasise the point. Her voice sounded thick. I suspected the orange liquid in her glass was not Fanta.
‘Actually, I’ve forgotten my swimmers,’ I apologised.
‘Nooo!’ she screeched, as if I’d just told her she had a huge zit on her nose. The other girls were also desolate at the news.
After a quick huddled conversation, they sprang apart.
‘No problem, I’ve got a few spares in my drawer. You can use one of those. We’re about the same size.’
She nodded, pleased with herself.
What was she on? There was no way we were the same size. If you popped a few holes in Emma Duggan, she’d be a flute!
‘Oh, it’s fine,’ I said, edging away, but they wouldn’t drop the subject. I was whisked off to Emma’s bedroom, and before I could blink I was alone with a cossie in my hand.
‘Put it on,’ they urged from outside. For a minute I considered pretending to be ill and leaving, but I thought about what fi had said. It would accomplish nothing to get this far and run away. ‘Come on.’ They banged at the door.
Reluctantly, I held up the cossie. Leopard-skin print.
Mmm. Attractive.
Something fell on the carpet. The bottom. A bikini. Great.
I squeezed myself into it with much difficulty. Then I braced myself to face the mirror.
When you don’t want to see your body, you will always find yourself confronted by the biggest mirror in the world. Emma’s was an enormous floor-to-ceiling affair. No one needs a mirror that big.
Top…not too bad.
It squashed my boobs, making them look bigger.
Bum? Massive!
I panicked and my eyes swept the room, coming to rest on a scarf hanging from the door handle. I grabbed it and swaddled it round my hips so tightly I had to mince across the carpet to get out of the bedroom.
‘Gorgeous!’ they yelled in unison, not even taking the time to inspect me, and with that I was catapulted back outside.
They left me alone in the crowd. I had a quick look for Sam but couldn’t see him anywhere. I headed towards the drinks table. It was full of those alcoholic fruit juices that are mostly vodka.
I’m happy to not drink alcohol for now. Dad has so many horror stories about underage drinking from when he was a cop in Scotland. They scare me nearly as much as his P-plate stories.
I made a big display of emptying the contents of
a pink bottle into a tall glass.
‘Omigod! You need fruit if you’re putting it in a glass. It’s so much more showfisticated.’ Emma giggled beside me, grabbed a handful of mixed berries from a bowl and tossed them in my drink. I pulled one from my new cleavage as she reached across the table for an orange drink and gulped directly from the bottle.
‘After you’ve had a couple of theesh, you won’t bother about a glash.’ She slurred a goodbye and was gone before I could reply.
A couple of people from my art class called me over.
‘I’ll be there in a minute. I’ve just got to…’ I waved my hand at Alice Greystains and moved in the direction of the pool.
I headed for a big pot plant beside the spa, which was lit by twinkling fairy lights. In a quick movement I stepped behind the sprawling palm, tipped my drink into the mulch and then retrieved the fruit. I went back to the drinks table, grabbed a bottle of red Fanta and hastily refilled my glass, watching the fruit bob to the top. No one would ever guess it wasn’t vodka.
I turned around and bumped into Jack Ferris.
‘That’s not vodka,’ he said, eying my glass.
‘What?’
He grinned. He seemed different out of his school uniform. Older.
‘I can assure you it is,’ I said haughtily. ‘Lots of people saw me pour it.’
‘Yeah, but I saw you pour it out.’ He nodded at the palm. ‘And the floating mulch is a dead giveaway.’
I looked down at my drink and fished out the offending woodchip.
‘Those fairy bulbs don’t give out much light,’ I snapped. ‘Anyway, what are you drinking?’
‘Raspberry vodka.’
‘It fizzes like red Fanta.’
He leant towards my ear and whispered, ‘No one suspects the difference if you leave out the mulch.’
Funny! I found myself wanting to laugh at a Ferris joke. And the fine hairs on the side of my neck were standing to attention. Before I could ask him why he wasn’t drinking either, a yell went up from the pool.
We turned around. Molly was a shimmering white goddess on top of Sam Doyle’s shoulders. Together, they were jousting with Emma and her boyfriend, Tom. Some people around the pool dived in to join the game.
‘Pool poker! I told you we’d play it. Coming in?’ Jack asked.
‘No…I, er…I’m just going to get something to eat.’
‘Oh, go on,’ he urged. ‘Get in there.’
‘Come in!’ Emma shouted from below.
The pressure was building.
‘No…I’m…’ I made eating motions with my hand and pointed to the food.
‘Isla! Isla! Isla!’
Oh my god, I’d become a chant.
I was about to escape towards the food when Jack blocked my path.
‘It’s heated,’ he reassured me, taking a step forward. I watched in horror as his hands came up to my shoulders. I felt the pressure as he gave me a shove. Before I could stop myself, I began to topple backwards.
My life went into slow motion at that point.
The cold water hit my skin, causing me to gasp.
Heated my arse!
For a few seconds, I managed to keep my head up.
Frizzy hair…frizzy hair…frizzy hair!
I couldn’t let it get wet.
Seconds later, my hairstyle became the least of my worries. As the water splashed up round my nose, I remembered one tiny detail.
I couldn’t swim.
Water poured in as I opened my mouth to scream and went under. I tried to put my feet on the bottom, but it was out of reach. With much limb-flaying, I managed to push my way up…into Molly Phillips’ arms.
Everyone in this watery world was yelling and splashing. Music was pumping. I tried to convey my panic, but I couldn’t get any words out.
Molly smiled maliciously. My mind raced as she placed her hands on my head, her face contorted in glee, and pushed down hard. I went under again.
I was in real trouble now. I clawed my way back up, fighting to clear my mouth of the water, and mustered up the strength to scream loudly.
My eyes were stinging from the chlorine, but I could just make out someone to my right. They grabbed my arm.
Please God, don’t push me down again.
I sucked in as much air as I could and prepared to go under. I didn’t. Thankfully, my rescuer was pulling me to the edge of the water.
In a rush of gratitude and shock, I clung on to his neck and did little to help him tug my heavy body to safety. We got there, nevertheless.
‘Are you okay?’
Sam!
Why did you take the photos of me? I wanted to ask him, but instead I spluttered and sneezed.
He laughed.
‘Can’t you swim?’ Molly was at his side.
I wiped my nose with my hand and shook my head.
She shrieked with laughter. ‘Look…Isla can’t swim.’
‘It’s because she’s Scottish,’ someone yelled back. ‘They don’t have swimming pools over there, unless you count their soccer fields.’
More laughter. I wanted to put my head back under and sink to the bottom.
At least the water wasn’t cold anymore. My burning body was heating it up. Maybe there was money to be made in that.
Isla McBay – Human Pool Heater. No pool too large!
Just as I was about to thank Sam, Molly jumped on him playfully and they both disappeared. I clung to the side of the pool, not quite sure what to do next. They resurfaced next to me…kissing!
Okay. Now I knew.
Actually, it’s a bit hard to escape from a pool if you can’t swim, so it was more of a cling-to-side, drag-body, cling-to-side kind of exit.
Whatever, it worked. I was out of there.
I was able to get back to Emma’s room unnoticed. I changed quickly and dropped her swimmers in her bath. The big mirror took great pleasure in revealing my new red afro. I grabbed another scarf from her collection and tied it back. Feeling a bit more human, I searched around for my bag and left the room.
I found my way back to the tiled corridor and had the front door in my sights when Sam spoke behind me.
‘Hey, Is-la.’
I flushed with embarrassment.
‘How are you feeling?’
I didn’t trust myself to reply.
‘You’re not leaving, are you? Why don’t you come back with me? You can stay in the shallow end if you want to go in, it’s no biggie. I’ll take care of you.’ He was holding his hand out.
Before I could take it, Jack appeared.
‘I’m sorry I pushed you. I didn’t know you couldn’t swim.’
I froze.
‘Don’t go,’ he pleaded.
‘That’s what I’m trying to tell her,’ said Sam.
‘I think Emma’s calling for you, Sam.’
‘Is she?’ He hesitated. They were locked in a staring competition.
‘Yeah, mate.’
I wanted to scream at Jack to get lost. He was wrecking everything, just when it was getting interesting again.
Sam shrugged. ‘I’ll catch you at the beach tomorrow for our assignment, Is-la.’ He gave Jack a grin and left.
Jack began another apology but I interrupted. ‘Look, I’ve had enough of you this week. Leave. Me. Alone.’ Then I added just so he was clear, ‘I’m going home.’
He ignored my order. ‘How are you getting there?’
‘I’m staying in Cronulla,’ I snapped, running my hands through my locks. The scarf came loose. Frizz attack.
His eyes fluttered as he took in the hair. He looked like he was reading my aura when he spoke.
‘I’ll walk you back. It’s the least I can do.’
I crammed my hair back under the scarf. I didn’t want to fight anymore.
‘Fine,’ I said huffily. ‘But don’t expect me to speak to you.’
‘What?’ he asked as we opened the door.
‘Just don’t expect me to…’ I stopped. He was sniggering.<
br />
We walked in silence until we were almost at Uncle Colin’s, then he grabbed me by the arm.
‘I really am sorry. It was wrong of me to push you in, but I never thought for a minute that you’d drown.’
‘I did not drown. I just got a bit of a scare. It was unexpected, that’s all.’
‘A bit of a scare? You swallowed half the pool and tore the flesh off Sam’s neck.’
‘Is this an apology or not, Ferris?’
He raised both hands in a pacifying gesture.
‘Yes, it is. Anyway, I’m sure Molly will have attended to Sam’s injuries by now.’ He kicked a stone on the pavement.
We both watched it roll away.
‘What’s the go with those two? Is he seeing her?’
‘On and off for a few months. It’s not serious. Sam never gets serious,’ he said.
We’d arrived at the house.
‘But they’re a cute couple, don’t you think?’
Right, that did it.
‘No! I don’t think. Here’s what I do think, Jack,’ I hissed. ‘I think Molly Phillips tried to drown me in a pool, not to mention the fact that she actually kicked me the other day, and I think that you’re a spectacular idiot. I wouldn’t care if I didn’t see you again.’
‘You won’t, for a week anyway. I’m off to Queensland tomorrow…Why did Molly kick you?’ He was suppressing laughter and it made me furious.
‘Oh, forget it! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to talk to my cousins. They like pushing people in pools too, only they’re preschoolers!’
I stomped up the driveway. It was a cool exit, until I tripped over a Tonka truck.
‘Don’t even think about laughing, Ferris,’ I said into the darkness. There was no reply, but I heard a little snort.
‘Embarrassment is a state of mind,
Isla. Your state, lingering much
longer than you’d like it to in
other people’s minds.’
(Gran McGonnigle)
I got up early the next morning and decided to get to the beach in plenty of time.
Backpack? Check.
Cameras? Check.
In the kitchen, I declined my aunt’s invitation to breakfast and the boys’ kind offer of a burping contest.
‘Isla?’ Uncle Colin was coming down the stairs. ‘Are you still going to use my darkroom today?’