Dare You

by Sue Lawson

  Hope he’s okay. He said he had gastro, but yesterday he hinted that his dad and Taj were fighting heaps. Instead of asking if everything was okay, I just nodded. Maybe I should have tried to talk to him about it, but I didn’t want to upset him, and I didn’t want him to think I was being like Lyndal—a gossip.

  If I was being honest, I’d also admit that I didn’t want to push Khaden away. Something has changed between us, but not in a bad way. We’re better friends than ever, only there’s more to it than that. He’s easy to talk to and he doesn’t whinge, not like Ruby. Khaden gets me.

  Great, Maddie and Eliza are fighting in the kitchen, and it sounds like a good one. Something shattered, probably a glass or plate. Now Eliza is wailing. Looks like it’s a job for super-slave…

  ARRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!

  As if my life wasn’t bad enough, now it’s completely down the toilet. Maddie and Eliza were fighting over milk—yes, milk—so I did the only sisterly thing I could. I cracked it with both of them. After they’d stormed off to their rooms, Grace and I walked up to the convenience store to buy more milk. Problem solved, or so I thought.

  When Grace and I returned with two litres of milk and a lollypop each, Maddie and Eliza were best buddies again, sitting on Eliza’s bed, laughing. At first I thought, cool—they’re over it, but then I saw what they were reading.

  Notice the fingerprints, the creased pages, the VIOLATION oozing off these pages?

  They were reading and laughing at MY JOURNAL, and that’s not the worst of it. They were laughing at the stuff I’d just written about Khaden.

  Guess who walked in the front door when I was going off my head? Yep, Mum. And would she listen to my explanation? No. She yelled at ME.

  ‘Sarah, I expect you to be more mature … It’s not like they broke anything … Blah, blah, blah.’

  Of all the sucky, awful things to happen, this is the suckiest. And it’s all Dad’s fault. If he hadn’t lied and stuffed everything up, I’d have told him about Khaden instead of writing it down.

  Since I chucked my own mental at Mum about privacy and violation of my rights, I’ve been out in the cubby, writing by torchlight. I’ve been out here for an hour and I’m still furious.

  No way am I going back in there until Eliza is asleep, though dead would be better.

  Just my luck I’ll get frostbite and my toes will drop off.

  IM Chat

  Sas: Want to hang out 2morrow?

  Ruby: What? No babysitting?

  Sas: Nah! Mum home today. FREE!

  Khaden: Gonna be hot. Pool?

  Ruby: Have to work til noon

  Sas: So, come after work

  Khaden: Yeah, suck it up, Ruby;) Come by yr place at 10, Sas?

  Sas: Cool!

  Ruby: K. C u after work

  Ruby

  After work I grabbed a roll at the bakery and rode to the pool. As I walked out of the change room and into the sunshine, the smell of chlorine and wet cement filled my nostrils. The aqua water rippled against the tiles and the orange lane-ropes running the length of the pool separating lap swimmers from squealing and splashing people.

  Sas was lying on her towel under an elm tree, laughing. Khaden lay on his side facing her, his back to me.

  ‘Hey guys,’ I said when I reached them. ‘Cool boardies, Sas.’

  For the first time in ages, she looked happy to see me. ‘Rubyred! Do you like them? Mum and I went to Chadstone last night and bought these, two new tops, a strapless dress and shorts. Actually, I’m not sure if they are long shorts or short pants. Anyway, they’re cool.’

  ‘No way would my mum take me clothes shopping this close to Christmas.’ I dumped my bag, shook out my towel and laid it on the grass beside her.

  ‘Dad sent money.’ Something about the way she spoke warned me not to ask about him.

  ‘So how was work, Ruby?’ asked Khaden.

  ‘Borrrrinnng. Jessie, “yes-Mr-Wu-no-Mr-Wu” Hyland worked the registers, so I had to polish and stack apples all morning. As fast as I stacked, some idiot would buy them and Mr Wu would do his restock-dance, stamping and flicking his hand. Makes me feel like a slave.’ I sighed. ‘I blame my idiot father.’ I slipped on my sunglasses and checked my tankini top was covering what it was meant to. Last year’s boardies looked dull compared to Sas’s new pair.

  ‘So it’s your dad’s fault people bought apples?’ asked Khaden.

  ‘No, stupid,’ said Sas, play-slapping Khaden’s arm. ‘Remember? He made Ruby take the job.’

  ‘And insisted I turn down the one at the cinema. Grrrr.’

  ‘Oh yeah, I forgot,’ said Khaden.

  ‘That would have been the best job. All those hot guys.’ Sweat trickled down my spine. ‘I’m boiling after the ride over. Why isn’t there an outdoor pool closer to home?’

  ‘I blame the economy,’ said Khaden, in a newsreader voice. That’s when I noticed the purple bruise on his cheek.

  ‘Khaden … what happened?’

  ‘Make a fuss why don’t you,’ said Sas, scowling.

  ‘It’s okay, Sas.’ Khaden shrugged. ‘You know how I had gastro, Rube, well, I bolted to the toilet to spew, and I slipped. I landed face-first on the toilet.’

  ‘What part?’ I asked.

  ‘Does it matter?’ asked Sas.

  Khaden ignored her. ‘Bowl.’

  I pulled a face. ‘Ouch! Did you break anything? I mean, your cheek, not the toilet.’

  ‘Nah.’

  Sas stared at Khaden. ‘I thought you said your face hit the tank thing?’

  Khaden’s face turned pink. ‘Did I? I’m not sure, I might be concussed. Does it matter?’

  I felt bad for asking. ‘I just meant it looked sore.’

  ‘I’m fine,’ said Khaden.

  Sas studied his face. Khaden closed his eyes.

  To break the silence, I slipped my sunnies down my nose and scanned the crowd. ‘Anything hot?’

  ‘Other side of the pool, near the palm tree.’

  ‘That guy with the towel over his shoulders looks okay from the back,’ I said.

  Sas made a choking sound.

  ‘Keep watching,’ said Khaden.

  The guy turned and dropped his towel.

  ‘Gross!’ I squealed. ‘Man, he’s hairier than … anything.’ I pushed my sunnies back up my nose.

  ‘Not so loud,’ hissed Sas.

  ‘Yeah, gorillas have excellent hearing and are easily spooked,’ said Khaden.

  Sas and Khaden laughed.

  I shuddered. ‘That’s put me off men for life.’

  ‘Yeah, right! For the next two minutes, maybe,’ said Khaden.

  ‘You make me sound desperate.’

  ‘Hey,’ said Sas, sitting up. ‘Speaking of desperates, Mum has a new boyfriend.’

  ‘Who is he?’ My voice caught in my throat.

  Sas frowned. ‘What’s wrong, Ruby?’

  ‘Nothing.’ I crossed my legs.

  ‘Soooo…’ Khaden drew out the word. ‘Who is he?’

  ‘Don’t know.’ Sas pulled a face. ‘She just said it was serious, and that he had things to deal with before we met him.’

  I fiddled with the cord on my boardies.

  ‘Anyway, because she’s all happy—and weak—I’m increasing the pressure. Operation Own Room is on, in a big way. Sharing sucks.’

  ‘It can’t be that bad,’ said Khaden.

  ‘No, it’s worse. Last night…’

  I could hear them, but their voices were muffled, as though they were under water, not next to me. The air around me became thick and the world seemed to sway and shrink away from me.

  ‘Ruby?’ Sas grabbed my shoulder. ‘Ewww—you’re sweaty.’

  ‘I told you, I’m boiling after the ride over. Let’s talk in the pool.’

  I leapt to my feet and ran across the grass. After a quick scan of the water to make sure I didn’t land on a little kid, I dived in. The icy water took my breath away, but the distorted sounds and the blue were calming.
I’d have stayed there forever, cushioned from the world, but my lungs were about to explode. I pushed up to the surface and burst back into reality, popping up by the lane-ropes. Squealing, splashing and laughing mingled with the sound of the radio piped across the pool. The rhythmic strokes of the swimmers in the lap-lane were soothing. The air, the world, was normal again.

  ‘Better?’ asked Khaden, surfacing beside me.

  ‘Yeah.’ I stretched my arms along the ropes.

  Sas swam towards us, her stroke smooth and easy.

  ‘She should have kept going to squad,’ I said watching her.

  Khaden shrugged. ‘She had to look after her sisters.’

  For a second I felt sorry for Sas. She duck-dived and surfaced between us, sleek and smooth, her blonde hair as dark as mine. ‘So, as I was saying, I’m hatching a plan so I can have my own room, a plan so good Mum won’t be able to say no.’

  Seemed to me Sas had overlooked one thing—their house only had three bedrooms. What was Eliza supposed to do? Share with Grace and Madison or bunk in with her mum? But I didn’t say that. I let my toes float up to bob below the pool surface. ‘What’s the plan?’

  ‘Not sure yet.’ Sas splashed water into my face. The lifeguard pacing on the other side of the pool set his evil sunglasses-stare on us. He motioned for me to move away from the lane rope.

  I floated towards Sas, wiping my eyes.

  ‘Good splash,’ said Khaden. ‘Can you bomb as well?’

  ‘Of course.’ Sas beamed. ‘My bombs are legendary. Want to see?’

  ‘Ummm.’ I nodded at the lifeguard, still watching us. Behind him, in serious black print, the sign read ‘No Running. No Pushing. No Bombing.’

  ‘You’re a chicken, Ruby.’

  Even though the water was cool, I could feel my skin flush. ‘Am not.’

  ‘Yeah, you are,’ said Khaden.

  ‘That’s not true. I—’

  Sas snorted and bobbed under the water. She slipped around us like a seal and surfaced where she started, water droplets clinging to her eyelashes.

  ‘I’m not chicken. Honest.’

  ‘Prove it,’ she said. ‘Duo bomb.’

  ‘Excellent idea,’ said Khaden. ‘Only made better if it’s a trio bomb.’

  Sas and Khaden high-fived each other. Water sprayed off their hands.

  ‘And if we get kicked out?’

  Khaden ignored me and fired directions. ‘Sas, bomb by that ladder and Ruby, you go opposite Sas. I’ll be at the deep end. We bomb on my signal, right?’

  ‘Okay, but—’

  ‘Stay under for as long as you can. It’ll make it tougher for them to catch us. Meet back at the towels,’ said Khaden.

  Before I could ask how we’d know it was safe to go back to the towels, Sas ducked-dived away. The water made her look shimmery.

  ‘Close your mouth, Ruby,’ said Khaden. ‘It’ll be fine.’

  ‘What’s the signal?’ I asked.

  ‘Just watch me.’ He swam towards the deep end.

  ‘Great! Just great.’ I dived under the lane-ropes, staying close to the bottom of the pool. Once I reached the other side, I climbed out, readjusted my top and boardies and looked around. On the path, wet kids lay stomach-down on the concrete, towels draped over their backs. Under the light pole, the gorilla and his mates laughed and sucked on energy drinks.

  I turned and stared across the water at Sas. She sat on the edge of the pool, squeezing water from her hair. She reminded me of a mermaid.

  To my right, Khaden heaved himself out of the water and onto the pool edge. He shook his head and banged his ear, the water-in-my-ear dance.

  I glanced at the lifeguard. He was chatting to a girl in a yellow one-piece that didn’t cover much more than a bikini would. The other lifeguards were by the kiosk, helping a little boy with a foot problem.

  Sas stretched and stood. She stepped off the deck to the path. I felt my muscles tense. She wasn’t taking a run up, was she?

  Khaden fiddled with the cord in his boardies and stepped off the pool deck too. His dark skin stood out against the white pump-building.

  Not him too. No way was I taking a run up.

  Khaden’s nod was more of a twitch. He and Sas burst into action, sprinting towards the pool. My heart was a drumbeat in my throat, ears and head. I tensed, ready to leap.

  Their feet hit the pool deck at the same time. As they tucked their knees to their chest, I jumped too.

  I heard their bodies smash the water a split-second before mine did. In my panic, I stuffed the bomb and did a massive bellywhacker. I sunk to the bottom of the pool, curled in a ball, burning pain shooting across my stomach. Voices gurgled and echoed through the water. A forest of legs surrounded me.

  I uncurled and rolled onto my back, blowing big silver bubbles at the shimmering surface, expecting a lifeguard to haul me from the water. My lungs burned and still no lifeguard, so I rolled back onto my stomach and kicked off the bottom. I swam under the lane rope and burst from the water, sucking in air.

  Above me, the speakers crackled. ‘Absolutely. No. Bombing.’ Each word was like a gun shot. ‘Bombers WILL be evicted.’

  I scanned the pool, water lapping at my shoulders and throat. Stern lifeguards stood on each corner, glaring. People in the water bobbed, squealed, chatted and dived as though nothing had happened. A kid about Archie’s age climbed up the ladder and stood on the pool deck, grinning.

  ‘Don’t even think about it,’ bellowed the lifeguard nearest me.

  The kid’s shoulders dropped. He slumped on the pool lip and slipped back into the water. His two mates, waiting in the pool, whistled and clapped.

  That’s when Sas’s boardies caught my eye. She was in the lap-lane, her stroke smooth and powerful. She tumble-turned at the deep end and swam back towards me. Calm, cool.

  Khaden was back at our towels, doing his water-in-the-ear-dance again.

  The lifeguards focused on the group of three younger boys.

  I grinned and waded to the ladder. This time, my heart raced with excitement, not fear. We did it! A triple bomb. And we got away with it. Best of all, that bubbly, excited feeling made the air clearer and the voices around me sharper. Instead of shrinking away from the world, I was part of it again, and it felt good.

  Sas

  Dear Angelo,

  Mum says I have to write to you to say thanks for the new clothes, but she didn’t say I had to POST it, so I’m writing the letter in my journal. Technically, I’m still doing what Mum asked, so that should shut her up for a while.

  So, thanks, I guess, but don’t think for a minute the money or new clothes changes anything. I still don’t want to talk to you, especially not after tonight.

  This is stupid. Beyond stupid. Mum can stick her letter, and so can Dad.

  Why should I write a thank you letter? He was trying to buy me, couldn’t Mum see that?

  On the way home after the pool, I felt fantastic, as though the whole world was perfect. Before Ruby arrived, Khaden and I had just hung out. We mucked around in the water and lay side-by-side on the concrete, holding hands. I’d been worried maybe Khaden didn’t feel the same way that I did, and that being alone with him would feel weird, but it just felt right. Being with Khaden is easy. And fun.

  Then Ruby arrived all uptight about her dad, work, the heat, everything. I did what friends are supposed to do, I listened, but right in the middle of me telling her about my plan for my own room—which may not be a big deal to her, but it is for me—she went all white and sweaty and bolted for the pool. What’s that about?

  I’m over her and her stupid moods. She’s annoying, paranoid and scared, all the time. I couldn’t believe her face when I dared her to do a bomb. You’d think I’d dared her to detonate a bomb, not do one!

  But even with Ruby being a complete idiot, our triple bomb ruled.

  I swum laps to avoid being caught by that hot, no HOT, lifeguard. Man, I miss swimming. Not competing, just swimming lap after lap. No noise, no
responsibility no nagging sisters or mother, and no lying father.

  But I digress, to quote Ms Dimasi. I was about to explain why my life sucks.

  While I was at the pool, Mum failed to supervise Eliza and Grace. They found the Napoleon Perdis nail polish set Dad gave me last Christmas and somehow spilt pink, red and yellow nail polish over the matching doona covers Mum bought only a couple of weeks ago. I yelled, which summoned Mum, who went ballistic.

  And guess who she went off at? Me! And when I asked how it could be my fault, she yelled even louder because I should have kept the nail polish out of the girls’ reach. Is she for real? The stuff was hidden in the back of my knickers’ drawer—what right did they have to go in there?

  Anyway, I cracked it and sulked.

  And did Mum care? She giggled and flirted on the phone to the new mystery man for HOURS, like a twelve-year-old. I could hear her from my room. Disgusting! Bet he has red arm hair.

  Dad isn’t the only one with changes on the love-front.

  Khaden

  Taj and Khaden lounged on the sofa watching The Matrix. The black tarp covering the broken window crackled and snapped in the night breeze.

  ‘Hey, push pause,’ said Taj. ‘Wanna grab a drink.’

  The screen froze on Trinity’s stern face. Something about the arch of her eyebrow made Khaden think of Anika. His mother.

  Taj handed him a can of Coke and flopped back in the sofa, cracking open a beer. The pungent smell filled Khaden’s nostrils. It reminded him of his father.

  Taj wiped his mouth after taking a swig. ‘Did you want a beer?’

  ‘Nah.’

  Taj nodded at the frozen screen. ‘Well come on, push play.

  Khaden lifted the remote, but then lowered it again. ‘Taj, can I ask you something?’

  ‘Yeah.’ It was more a sigh than a word.

  ‘It’s about…’ Khaden shifted in his seat, trying to find the right words. ‘Do you remember…’ He glanced at Taj, who frowned. Khaden closed his eyes. ‘Do you remember her?’

  ‘Who? Trinity? Are you serious? We’ve watched this about a billion times. Like I’d ever forget Trinity.’

  ‘Not Trinity. Anika.’ Khaden whispered her name as though the sound of it would cause the room, the house, to crumble around them. He stared at the condensation on his can, wishing he could take the word back.