by Sue Lawson
‘Gonna spew,’ I muttered. That moved her. I sprinted down the corridor to the toilets.
Sas
Last night sucked. Really sucked. The doctor said me sticking Grace in the shower made a big difference. Wish that made me feel better. I can’t get Grace’s voice out of my head, or the look on Mum’s face when she rushed into the bathroom.
Mum’s with the plumber now. He’s changing the temperature of our hot water.
Dad’s in the lounge room playing monopoly with Maddie and Eliza, and Grace is snuggled on his lap. At least Dad didn’t bring Lee.
Khaden
Khaden heard the back door slam over the Arctic Monkey’s riff he was learning to play. He strained to recognise the footsteps. Taj or Dad?
‘Oi, KD.’
Khaden breathed out. ‘In my bedroom,’ he called, still playing the guitar.
Taj stood in the doorway. ‘Sounds good.’
‘Meh.’ Khaden stopped strumming and rested his chin on his guitar. ‘First time I’ve tried it.’
Taj walked across the room and sprawled on his brother’s bed, arms clasped behind his head. ‘Meyer rang this morning. What’s he, the vice-principal or something?’
Khaden tensed. ‘Year coordinator.’
Taj nodded and turned to look out the window.
‘So?’
‘So what?’
‘So, what did he want?’ Khaden’s palms felt sweaty.
‘Easy, tiger,’ said Taj.
‘Easy? If he speaks to Dad—’
‘Mate, if he’d spoken to Dad, you’d know about it by now.’
Khaden placed the guitar on the stand. ‘You don’t get it, Taj. Meyer asked me why I wasn’t at school yesterday, and if our stories—’
‘What did you tell him?’
Taj’s calm was driving Khaden nuts. ‘That I had gastro. Again.’
‘And that’s what I told him. ‘Course, when he said you’d been away a couple of days I had to carry on about how crook you were and how Dad had it too.’
‘Did he buy it?’
‘Of course he bought it. I am the master.’ Taj, sat up and leant towards Khaden. ‘Want to tell me why you’re ditching?’
‘Couldn’t turn up with this, could I?’ Khaden pointed to his bruised cheek. ‘Taj, thanks for … you know…’
‘Yeah, well, don’t make it a habit, okay? Dad will find out eventually. Anyway, you’re smart, KD. Smarter than me. Don’t waste that.’ Taj stood. ‘Up for a little competition?’
Khaden groaned.
‘You owe me, bud.’
‘Come on, Taj, not PlayStation. I’m over it.’
‘You can’t be over the brand new Guitar Hero Legends.’
‘Serious?’
Taj grinned. ‘Absolutely.’
Khaden jumped up. ‘Prepare to be owned!’
Ruby
Since assembly yesterday, I’d felt disjointed and fuzzy, like I was here, but not. Maybe there was something wrong with me, cancer, or my heart was stuffed. I’d seen on a reality TV medical show that teenagers could have heart attacks.
To make sure my heart wasn’t the problem, I kept checking my pulse in class—not that you could call what we’d been doing class. In Economics we watched two episodes of Lano and Woodley; for Art and Design, Arty Harty made us clean all the paint brushes in turps; and in English, we played Who Am I? Of course, all the people were characters from books. Ms Dimasi needs to get a life. Anyway, as far as I could tell, my pulse felt normal.
For the first time since we’d been at secondary school, I didn’t mind that Sas, Khaden and I were in different classes. When the lunch bell rang, I grabbed my lunch and rushed outside before they reached the lockers. I sat under the gum tree in the courtyard, eating a salad sandwich and watching the cool kids in my year throw water bombs at the geeks. The geeks were holding their own.
Lyndal copped a water bomb to the guts.
The Fink’s squeaky voice cut through the squeals and laughter.
‘Enough,’ she yelled as she thundered like a cartoon character down the path from the staff room.
‘Where have you been?’ I jumped at the sound of Sas’s voice.
‘We’ve been looking for you everywhere.’ Khaden dropped to the grass beside me. He held his backpack to his chest and grinned.
Sas, red in the face and puffing, sat beside him.
I slipped my sandwich back into the paper bag. ‘Didn’t see you guys in the locker room,’ I tried to sound brighter than I felt. ‘Figured I’d come out here and watch the show.’
The Fink had gathered the water bombers around her and was going off her head, pointing her finger and stamping her foot.
‘Coming?’ asked Sas. Her eyes twinkled. She looked like the old Sas.
‘Where are we going?’
‘More to the point, what are we doing?’ Sas winked.
Khaden beamed. ‘Time for another “adventure”, Ruby.’
A mixture of excitement and fear bubbled through me.
‘We broke into the cooking room,’ whispered Sas.
‘What?’ I screeched.
Sas frowned. ‘Keep your voice down! It’s no big deal. Someone left the door open, so we just walked in.’
‘Yeah, but we had to climb through that weird window above the pantry door to get into there,’ added Khaden.
‘The pantry? Did you steal Ms Grey-Jones’ red frogs?’ Our Food Technology teacher used either red frogs or mini chocolate bars to bribe us to clean up the room.
‘No, better than that.’ Khaden unzipped his bag.
I peered inside. ‘Is that…’ I realised I was yelling, stopped and adjusted my volume. ‘Is that cling wrap?’
Sas nodded. ‘Yep, industrial-kitchen-sized rolls.’ She stood up. ‘Come on, while everyone’s distracted.’
‘But what are we going to do?’ I asked.
Khaden reached out and heaved me to my feet. ‘Wrap a Christmas present for The Fink.’
Khaden
The staff car park was down the side of the school,
behind the classrooms and out of bounds.
Khaden glanced at the empty rooms. ‘We have fifteen minutes before the bell.’ He tossed a roll of cling wrap at Ruby and handed one to Sas. ‘So we need to move.’
Sas ripped open the box. ‘I’ll do the front.’
‘Cool, I’ll do the middle. Ruby, the boot’s yours.’ Ruby’s terrified face made Khaden laugh. ‘Bloody hell, Ruby, we’re not setting fire to the thing, we’re just wrapping it. We won’t scratch or dint it.’
‘Yeah, but…’
Sas rolled her eyes. ‘The Fink will take it as a joke. Won’t she, Khaden?’
Khaden slid under the car. ‘Yep. Anyway, she’s not going to know who did it.’
Sas and Khaden worked quickly. Ruby dithered around the back.
Sas finished draping plastic around the driver’s-side wheel. ‘Front’s done.’
Khaden slid out from under the car. ‘I’m done too.’
They glanced at Ruby.
‘We’ll help you finish, chicken.’ Khaden started on the bumper bar.
‘I’m not chicken. I’m just not using much, you know, for the environment.’
‘Yeah right, that’s what she’s worried about.’ Sas laughed as she wrapped the back wheels.
Ruby opened her mouth, shut it again and stepped back from the car. ‘So, how does The Fink get in?’
‘Who cares?’ said Sas. ‘How good does it look?’
‘Awesome,’ said Khaden. He did a lap of the car and stood beside Ruby, arms folded.
‘I guess it does look good.’ Ruby, looked over her shoulder at the classrooms. ‘Hey, that was Lyndal, I swear. Lyndal was at my homeroom window. I saw her!’
Khaden patted her shoulder. ‘Easy, Ruby. The classrooms are locked until the bell, remember?
‘But, it was—’
The bell echoed off the school building.
Ruby was just about tied in a knot. ‘Lyndal … hon
est…’
‘Come on.’ Khaden dragged her by the arm.
Sas grinned. ‘Let’s dump the evidence and go enjoy the show!’
‘Shove it in my backpack,’ said Khaden. ‘I’ll dump it on the way home.’
Ruby
Dad slammed the driver’s door and Mum buckled her seatbelt. I stared out the window.
In the station wagon beside us, Lou’s mouth was moving in a silent tirade at a bored-looking Sas. Past Sas, I could see Mike’s stony face as he reversed out of the car park. Gravel sprayed as he sped down the school drive. Some people sweat, but these days, Mike gave off something else.
‘What the hell were you thinking?’ Dad’s voice broke into my thoughts.
Mum sighed. ‘Stuart, this can wait until we are at home.’
I rested my head against the cool window.
‘Sit up,’ snapped Dad. ‘And don’t pull that face.’
‘What face?’ I asked.
‘Stuart, please, let’s discuss this at home.’ Mum shifted in her seat, craning her neck to look at the windows facing the visitors’ car park.
‘Yeah, so we don’t make a scene,’ I said, my voice flat.
‘What the hell is wrong with you?’ snarled Dad. ‘You’re a nightmare. Rude, smart-mouthed—’
‘Like you’d notice.’ I couldn’t look at him. ‘You’re never at home. You’re always at meetings or playing golf.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ His voice made the hairs on my arm stand on end.
Mum gripped Dad’s forearm. ‘Stuart, drive. Now.’
He jingled his keys before starting the car. Every time I glanced up, Dad’s eyes were staring at me in the rear view mirror. By the time we turned into our street, a thick soup of tension filled the car.
Dad wrenched the handbrake. ‘Inside. Now.’ He hadn’t sounded so angry since Mrs Kozaris, Harrison’s best friend’s mum, brought Harrison home blind-drunk on goon.
I dawdled inside and leant against the kitchen bench.
Dad sat at the head of the table. Mum sat beside him and pulled out a chair for me.
I slipped into the chair opposite.
‘What on earth were you thinking, Ruby?’ asked Mum. Her hair was lank and her eyes didn’t sparkle.
‘I don’t know. I wasn’t thinking about anything.’
‘As usual,’ muttered Dad.
Mum ignored him. ‘Was it worth it? You, Sas and Khaden are suspended and will miss out on the last day of school tomorrow—the trip to Torquay, surfing and—’
‘I heard Bergman,’ I said, interrupting her.
‘Do you realise how serious this is, Ruby?’ asked Dad.
‘It was just a joke, okay? It’s not like we damaged The Fink’s car or anything.’
Dad’s lips were tight lines.
‘You’re lucky she didn’t press criminal charges.’
‘Right,’ I leant back and folded my arms. ‘Crimes against plastic cling wrap and baby-blue Volvos.’
Dad slapped the table with his open hand. ‘This is not funny.’
‘Nothing’s funny.’ I stared at the nectarine tree in the back yard and noticed that hard green fruit had replaced the blossoms. When we were in primary school, Mum used to go off at Harrison and me for picking the unripe nectarines and chucking them over the fence at the neighbour’s cat.
‘Ruby, something is obviously upsetting you,’ said Mum, leaning towards me. ‘Talk to us.’
I bit my bottom lip.
Dad scoffed. ‘This is pointless, Ginny. It’s time Ruby took responsibility for her actions.’
‘Like you do.’
Dad flinched, his eyes wide. ‘You, young lady, are grounded.’
‘But that’s not fair,’ I yelled. ‘School has already punished me.’
‘And now you’re punished at home, too. As well as being grounded, there will be extra jobs around here. Starting with the washing.’
‘Oh, come on. That’s Harrison’s job. That’s so—’
‘Tough luck,’ snapped Dad.
My heart thundered in my head. I fought the urge to punch Dad in his smug face and tell him what I knew. I had to get out of there. ‘Fine I’m grounded. Whatever.’ I ran up stairs, two at a time, and threw myself on my bed.
Sas
Dad left this morning, after driving Eliza and Maddie to school. He offered me a lift too, but I told him I had to meet Khaden and Ruby to talk about the trip to Torquay. It wasn’t a total lie. I did walk to school with Khaden, but we didn’t talk about the school trip. We talked about Ruby. At least, Khaden talked. I listened or I tried to, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Dad.
I don’t understand why he stayed at our place last night. Grace was out of hospital, and apart from the bandages, was back to her chirpy self. Mum and I had everything covered, just as we have since he left. If he really felt he had to be around, why didn’t he stay at Nona’s or Aunty Leta’s like he usually did?
At least he came on his own, I guess. It would have been awkward for Mum, for all of us, if he hadn’t.
The closest I came to talking to Dad was when he was making Milo last night. I formed the sentences in my mind, but the words just wouldn’t come out. Then Eliza burst in and started crapping on and the moment was gone.
Before he left to go back to Anglesea, Dad put up the curtains and moved my bed against the feature wall. Instead of glad, that just made me feel bad. I had enough crappy feelings filling me after Grace and the thing with Ruby, without Dad piling more on me.
Ruby’s driving me insane and I don’t know why. Sure, the way she whinges all the time is annoying, but it’s more than that. Every time she speaks, laughs, moves or breathes, I pick at her. But why?
Yesterday at school I couldn’t stop myself from blaming her for everything that happened to Grace, and that was just cruel, and wrong. I know Khaden was the thirsty one, and I didn’t have to go to the supermarket with them.
Today when we were at The Fink’s car, Ruby was so jumpy you’d think we were stealing the car, not wrapping it in plastic. I wanted to whack her over the head with the cling wrap roll.
I can’t work out if she’s always been like this or if it’s new, caused by what’s happening with Khaden and me. It’s so confusing it makes my head hurt.
Grrrrr.
The good thing is we’ve been suspended, so no lame excursion to Torquay for us. It’s way too close to Anglesea for me.
IM Chat
Sas: OMG!! Got a message from Lyndal. ‘Pity someone saw u wrap Mrs Finkle’s car. Will think of u @ Torquay.’ Grrrrrrr!
Khaden: Ha! She sent me—‘Should have dumped the wrap in the bin. Loser’
Ruby: She saw us. I knew it!
Sas: For sure!
Khaden: Sorry Ruby
Sas: Yeah x
Ruby: S’ok
Sas: Meet at park near my place, 2morrow—10?
KD: Cool. C u there
Ruby: Grounded :(
KD: Ha ha ha—Serious?
Ruby: Yeah, hilarious. And have JOBS!
Sas: Aren’t your ’rents at work?
Ruby: So?
KD: Don’t be thick, Ruby
Sas: Exactly! Do your jobs and meet us
Ruby: C u there
Ruby
Mum was grabbing her handbag from the bench and munching on toast when I staggered into the kitchen. I wiped sleep from my eyes.
‘What are you doing up so early?’ she asked.
‘Should have been up an hour ago if I’m going to finish all the jobs you and Dad expect me to do. It’s so not fair that I have to do Archie and Harrison’s jobs.’ I flung open the fridge and grabbed the orange juice and a tub of yoghurt.
‘Life isn’t fair, Ruby,’ said Mum, taking her car keys from the bowl by the back door. ‘Oh, can you make Archie’s lunch too, please?’
I stopped pouring juice. ‘Serious? I’m not a slave.’
‘Ruby—do the crime, serve the time.’ I didn’t hear Dad come up the hall to the ki
tchen.
‘See you tonight.’ Mum blew me a kiss.
Dad looked up from rummaging in his brief case. ‘Oh, Ginny, I might be late.’
‘Meeting?’ I said.
‘Mind your tone, Ruby,’ said Mum. ‘Text me when you know for sure.’
While I ate my muesli and yoghurt in silence, Dad slapped avocado onto the salad sandwich he was making for his lunch. I tried to remember if he’d made his lunch the morning of my Economics excursion.
If he did make it, did he chuck it out at work? Give it to one of those homeless guys in the city begging for money? Or did he eat it and still go out for ‘lunch’ anyway?
‘What are you frowning at?’ asked Dad.
My face flushed. ‘Nothing. Just wondering what to make Archie for lunch.’
Dad slipped his sandwich in a brown paper bag and into his brief case. ‘Doesn’t he always have Vegemite and cheese?’
‘Guess so.’
‘You could always make him something different—everyone needs a change.’
‘Yeah. You’d know.’ As soon as I said it I regretted how bitchy it sounded.
Dad sighed. ‘Ruby, it’s clear you don’t like me much at the minute. Want to tell me why?’
‘No.’ I rolled an almond with my spoon to avoid Dad’s stare.
‘So you don’t deny you don’t like me much.’
Here was my chance to tell him what I saw, what I knew—but I couldn’t. I picked up my bowl and stalked to the sink.
‘Can we just drop it?’
‘Make sure those jobs are done before I get home,’ said Dad, snatching his keys from the bowl.
I sucked in my cheeks to stop myself from making another smart comment.
As I reached the park entrance, separated from the footpath by a low log fence, the ground trembled, a train horn blasted and the roar of steel filled the air. I stood by the banksia bush, watching the train’s silver roof flash towards the city.
After it passed, I spotted Sas and Khaden on the climbing equipment. Their heads were close together and Khaden’s knee rested against Sas’s. A feeling of loneliness filled me.
Khaden looked up and waved. ‘Hey, Ruby—up here.’
Sas wriggled back a fraction and smoothed her hair. ‘Thought the “mountain” of jobs would take you all day.’
‘Hey, I’ve done more than a day’s work already. I washed the downstairs windows—inside and outside—vacuumed the family room, which is supposed to be Archie’s job, put three loads of washing on and hung them on the line, normally Harrison’s job, made Archie’s lunch, because he’s a spastic, AND I cleaned up after everyone else’s breakfast.’