‘I’ve gotta slow down,’ Harrison called out to her, his feet dragging and scuffing on the track.
‘We’ve only just started walking again.’ Jaddi sighed, watching the others stride ahead around a bend.
‘Hey, let’s cut through here.’ Harrison limped over to a path leading off to the left. ‘It’s a shortcut for sure. We can catch up by skipping that bend up ahead.’
‘No way.’ Jaddi raised her eyebrows and shook her head. ‘Al said we need to stick to the path.’
‘No, he didn’t. He said, “Your partner is your responsibility.”’ Harrison mimicked the deep voice of the walk leader. ‘And I’m your partner, and I’m going this way so you have to come.’
Jaddi sighed and glanced back up the main path. There was no sign of Al, or Lizzie, Ben or Samantha. ‘Fine,’ she said, striding ahead. ‘Let’s catch up with them then.’
‘Hang on, hang on, I gotta stop first.’ Harrison groaned, shrugging off his backpack and dropping onto a log. ‘It’s these blisters. It would’ve been fine if we hadn’t gone through that river.’
‘It was a creek. And my feet didn’t get wet.’
‘Well, I don’t have any special shoes, do I? No one said we’d be going through water, and now I’ve got, like, a gazillion blisters.’ Harrison kicked off his trainers and peeled away a damp, white sock, revealing a tanned foot with tuffs of dark fuzz and circles of raw pink skin.
‘How bad are they?’ Jaddi asked, placing her hands on her hips and fighting to keep the distain from her voice.
Harrison scrunched his face and closed his eyes. ‘Bad.’
Jaddi summoned her remaining energy and looked at Harrison. ‘Where’s the pack Al gave us?’
‘Here.’ Harrison unclipped it from his belt and held it out for her to take.
Jaddi sighed again. ‘I don’t want it. It’s for you. Get the plasters out of the first-aid kit and put them on your blisters. Do you have any dry socks?’
Harrison shook his head. ‘I’ve used them already.’
‘Right, just plasters then.’
Harrison stared at the bag in his hands for a moment longer before unzipping it. With infuriating slowness, he unpeeled the packaging of one plaster after another, before moving his focus onto his other foot.
Jaddi sat down on the far side of the log and tried to remember the Harrison who’d rescued her from the cockroach, rather than the Harrison drivelling over a couple of blisters.
‘Is that really as fast as you can go?’ Jaddi fought the desire to grab Harrison’s arm and drag him along.
She moved the light of the torch over her watch. They’d been walking, or hobbling in Harrison’s case, for over an hour, with no sign of the rest of the group or the campsite. Jaddi wasn’t even sure they’d turned back onto the main path after the shortcut Harrison had dragged her into.
‘Are you sure it’s this way?’ he asked, hopping beside her.
‘No, I’m not sure. Let me check the map and take a look at the compass. Oh no, that’s right, we can’t because you left it back at the log, along with the rest of Al’s pack,’ Jaddi replied. She made no effort to hide the mordant tone from her voice as heat pulsed through her.
‘I said I was sorry.’
Jaddi groaned and bit back the comment on the tip of her tongue. They’d had the same exchange of words an hour ago and it hadn’t gotten them anywhere then. Why did it seem that she was destined to repeat the same squabbles over and over again? She thought of Suk. How they would laugh about this little episode one day. If they ever found their way to the campsite, that was.
The problem was the light, or lack of it. She’d hardly paid attention to Al’s comment at the start of their day – it gets dark early in the forest – until the light had started to fade. At first the sun’s rays had danced through the leaves, casting intricate patterns on the path before them. Then it was gone and they were left with an eerie twilight, which had quickly given way to darkness.
She couldn’t see the trees on either side of her, or Harrison, or her feet for that matter. Only the orange circle of light from the torch kept them on the path, or from walking off a cliff edge.
‘Can you slow down a bit? You’ve got the torch, remember. I almost fell flat on my face back there.’
‘Can you speed up a bit?’
‘What’s the point?’
‘Pardon?’ She spun around, shining the torch at him.
‘Seriously, what’s the point of speeding up when we have no idea where we are, or if we’re going in the right direction. Surely the best approach would be to bunker down and wait to be rescued.’ Harrison’s voice shifted as he spoke. The whining, which she’d been subjected to for the duration of the day, morphed into a teasing suggestive tone.
‘We are not stopping,’ she said, with what she hoped was enough authority to shake Harrison into moving. ‘We’ve followed the path. The campsite is just around this corner, now come on.’
He smirked, shielding his face from the torchlight and taking a step towards her. ‘You’ve been saying that for the past hour. Come on, admit it, we’re lost, and it’s kind of funny.’
‘What are you on about? Nothing about this is funny. Do you know how many acres of rainforest there are here?’ She angled the torch at the ground and stepped back.
‘No,’ he said, with a shrug.
‘Neither do I, but I’m sure it’s enough for two people to get lost in and never be found.’
‘Relax. We’re on a footpath. They’ll find us in the morning.’
‘Morning? I’m not spending the night out here.’
‘I’m not sure we have a choice. I really can’t walk any further. I have to rest.’ Harrison continued towards her, forcing her to inch backwards until the coarse bark of a tree dug into her back. He brushed the back of his fingers down her cheek.
‘Harrison, whatever you’re thinking of doing, don’t.’
‘You’ve been flirting with me since the moment you saw me at the airport,’ he said in a low voice. ‘Don’t bother pretending you haven’t. I’m surprised Lizzie hasn’t noticed. All those sly smiles and little winks you give me when nobody’s looking.’
‘Don’t kid yourself,’ she said as unease wound its way through her, speeding up the beating of her heart. ‘I’m like that with everyone.’
‘You can stop pretending,’ he said, gripping her arms in his hands. ‘I’m not going to tell Lizzie.’
‘Harrison, GET OFF ME.’ She shrugged him away, before striding back onto the path. The angle of the torch threw looming shadows on the ground in front of her.
A moment later, she heard his footfalls a pace behind her. ‘Fucking dyke.’
Her stomach reeled as his tone and his words cut through her.
‘You’re despicable,’ she said. ‘The second I see Lizzie, you’re finished.’
The sound of his laugh rung out beyond the trees. All of a sudden the flapping of wings filled the night as a flock of birds took flight from directly above them.
‘And you think she’ll believe your version over mine?’ he said when the noise had died. ‘You were the one that took my hand. You were the one that brushed up against me. You were the one that whispered in my ear, “No one has to know.”’
Jaddi drew in a sharp intake of breath. ‘Try it, go on. She won’t believe you.’
‘Oh, really.’ Jaddi didn’t need to point the torch at his face again to know he was grinning. ‘Well, according to Lizzie, you sleep with any bloke with a pulse. So, actually, I think she will believe me.’
Jaddi faltered. Hurt and uncertainty battled for space in her thoughts. Did Lizzie think that way about her? How could her best friend get it so wrong?
No, Jaddi decided. Lizzie may not know everything about her, but she wouldn’t have made such a crass comment to Harrison. He was trying to cajole her into keeping silent, and there was no way she was falling for it.
‘I’ll take my chances,’ she said.
They fell silence for
a minute.
‘Hey, come on, Jaddi, I was only messing with you,’ Harrison said.
‘Right.’ She nodded. ‘Just messing.’ She shook her head but continued moving. Anger pulsed through her body, but she had to focus. The vulnerability she’d felt from Harrison’s advance had renewed her urgency to find the campsite.
‘Come on, Jaddi,’ Harrison said. ‘Lizzie knows the score.’
‘And what score would that be?’
He paused for a moment. ‘Never mind.’
Jaddi’s mind ran through their time in Sydney. Harrison’s instantaneous declaration of love, the easy manner with which he’d inserted himself into the group of reporters at the airport. The sudden appearance of the same news crew at the hospital, and Harrison there again, front and centre, harping on about his love for Lizzie and concern for her wellbeing, without actually bothering to go in and see her.
‘Is that all it means to you – fame?’ she asked.
Harrison didn’t answer.
‘So that’s it then.’ Jaddi nodded.
‘And, so what if it is? Lizzie’s happy. She’s in love with me. So what if at the end of all this I make a name for myself? I’m not cut out for office work. Just look at me. I’m meant for greatness. What’s so wrong with that? Lizzie won’t care, she’ll be dead.’
‘There’s so much you don’t understand.’ Jaddi clenched her fists until her nails dug into her palms. Just then she heard a clattering noise. She shone the torch further ahead and noticed the widening of the path. Another clang. The unmistakable sound of a saucepan.
CHAPTER 38
Samantha
Samantha shifted on the log bench, moving closer to the warmth of the fire and hugged her arms to her chest. She glanced at Ben, one ear covered by a headset, the concentration on his face scowl-like in the flicking orange firelight.
‘How long before Al calls—’
‘Shh,’ Ben cut her off, twisting away from the fire and staring into the darkness.
She jumped up and followed the direction of his gaze. ‘Have you seen something?’
Ben shook his head. ‘No, but I’ve picked up Jaddi’s microphone so they must be close.’
Samantha spun towards him, noticing the red dot glowing on the camera. ‘What are they say—’
‘Shh,’ he said again.
A minute passed but she continued to stand, scanning the darkness.
‘There.’ She pointed. ‘I can see a torch. It has to be them.’
A moment later, the torchlight grew brighter and the forms of two hikers walked towards them.
Samantha ran across the grass clearing, relief carrying her forward, her aching legs forgotten. ‘Jaddi.’ She pulled her friend into a tight embrace. ‘I’m so glad you’re OK. What happened to you guys? I was beginning to think something terrible had happened.’
‘You can’t get rid of me that easily.’ Jaddi walked over to the collection of logs and sat down with a long sigh.
‘We were just considering calling the Park Rangers and forming a search team,’ Al said, stepping out from one of the nearby tents. ‘Grub’s over there by the fire.’ He pointed to a red picnic box beside Ben.
‘Bonza,’ Harrison said, limping in the direction of the camp.
‘Seems to me, you veered to the left at some point,’ Al said, ‘if you ended up coming in from that direction. Probably added an extra couple of kilometres onto your day, but, hey, you’re here now. So have some food and get some rest. We’re setting off at seven tomorrow. I’ll be ringing the breakfast bell at six-thirty.’ With that, Al turned and strolled in the direction of his tent.
‘Where’s Lizzie?’ Jaddi asked.
‘She’s gone to lie down,’ Samantha said, sitting back onto the log. ‘She won’t admit it, but the hike has really taken it out of her. She practically fell asleep eating her dinner.’
‘Oh.’ Jaddi scanned the tents before glancing at Harrison, already barefoot and halfway through a plate of sausages and jacket potatoes. ‘I need to talk to her,’ she said, pulling herself up to standing. She pressed her hands against her lower back as she moved.
‘Jaddi, just leave it,’ Harrison mumbled through a mouth full of food.
Samantha’s eyes narrowed on Jaddi. ‘Leave what? What happened?’
Neither of them spoke.
‘Jaddi,’ Samantha said, ‘what happened?’
‘I’ll tell you later. I need to speak to Lizzie first,’ Jaddi replied.
‘No!’ Samantha snapped. ‘Tell me now. What have you done? Please tell me you haven’t—’ She watched the guilt crease Harrison’s face and shook her head, unable to finish her question. ‘I can’t believe you would do that.’
‘Sam,’ Jaddi spluttered, ‘I didn’t, but I need to speak to Lizzie. Which tent is she in?’
‘Why do you need to see her so badly if you’ve done nothing wrong?’ Samantha jumped up and stepped in front of Jaddi.
‘Yeah, come on, Jad,’ Harrison said, pausing to swallow a mouthful of food. ‘Nothing happened. You tried it on, I said no. I’m with Samantha on this, let’s move on. Telling Lizzie is only going to hurt her.’
‘What?’ Jaddi’s mouth dropped open.
CHAPTER 39
Jaddi
The humming had started again. Outrage, hurt and fury rooted Jaddi to the spot. After everything she’d done for Lizzie and Samantha, after everything she’d done to get them here, did her friends not know her at all?
‘Noooo.’ Samantha shook her head again and covered her mouth with her hands. ‘You wouldn’t.’ Despite the words, there was doubt in Samantha’s tone.
Jaddi felt like she was going to explode – something tight within her finally snapped. ‘Not that it’s any of your business,’ she half shouted, glaring at Harrison, ‘and beside from the fact that Lizzie is one of my best friends, I’m in a committed relationship. Actually, do you know what, I’m in love, and I have been for years, and there’s no way I’d risk losing that for someone like you.’
‘What?’ Samantha dropped her hands. Confusion crossed her face. ‘No, you’re not.’
‘Yes, I am,’ Jaddi said.
The creaking of insects and the hooting call of a nearby animal filled the silence.
‘How can you be?’ Samantha’s tone softened. ‘Why have you never said anything before?’
‘I’m saying something now,’ Jaddi said, wishing already that she hadn’t. At least the camera was off, she conceded.
‘What’s his name?’
Jaddi didn’t reply.
‘Ja—’
‘Suk,’ Jaddi cut in.
‘I … I can’t believe you’ve never said anything.’
Samantha threw up her arms and dropped down next to Jaddi on the log. ‘We just assumed you were off with other guys. You let us assume.’
‘It’s difficult with … our parents,’ Jaddi replied, her stomach turning a little at Samantha’s comment and choosing her own words carefully. ‘We thought it would be better to keep it quiet until we were sure.’
‘But …’ Samantha shook her head. ‘How long have you been seeing each other? I still can’t believe I didn’t know.’
Jaddi dropped her gaze to her hands and felt the hole she’d dug for herself deepen. ‘Quite a while.’
‘You’re not going to believe her, are ya?’ Harrison said. ‘She’s lying. She’s making up some mystery guy to disguise the fact that she made a pass at me.’
Ben cleared his throat. He twisted the camera towards them and unplugged the headphone cable. A second later, Harrison’s muffled voice carried in the air.
‘You can stop pretending. I’m not going to tell Lizzie.’
‘Harrison, GET OFF ME.’
‘This is my favourite bit,’ Ben said, skipping the footage forward.
‘Is that all it means to you – fame? So that’s it then.’
‘And, so what if it is? Lizzie’s happy. She’s in love with me. So what if at the end of all this I make a name for myself? I
’m not cut out for office work. Just look at me. I’m meant for greatness. What’s so wrong with that? Lizzie won’t care, she’ll be dead.’
Harrison jumped up. ‘What the …? Mate?’ Harrison’s eyes widened as his gaze moved from the camera to Ben. ‘I’ll tell Lizzie you cut it to sound different. She’ll still believe me.’
Just then a torch flicked on and a figure stepped out of the darkness. ‘Are you sure about that?’ Lizzie asked.
‘Lizzie! I … I can explain,’ Harrison spluttered, dropping his plate to the ground.
‘Go on then,’ she replied, stepping over to Jaddi and sitting next to her. ‘I’m glad you’re OK, but why on earth didn’t you tell us about your boyfriend?’
‘Sorry,’ Jaddi said, guilt and relief curdling together inside her. ‘It’s difficult to talk about. It’s not something we’ve shared with our families.’
‘Lizzie.’ Harrison limped towards her.
‘I thought you wanted to explain,’ Lizzie said, putting an arm around Jaddi. ‘We’re waiting.’
‘Can we go somewhere private?’ He mumbled, glancing between them.
Lizzie sighed and stood up. She turned back to Jaddi. ‘Have something to eat, OK?’
Jaddi nodded.
Lizzie strode away to a nearby clearing, with Harrison limping after her.
Ben waited a moment before standing up. He nodded towards the darkness. ‘I’d better go and film this.’
‘Thank you, Ben,’ Jaddi said.
One Endless Summer Page 18