The Call of the Wild

by Julie Fison

  ‘Do you prefer being close to the screen or back further?’ Liam asked, assessing the crowd on the oval.

  ‘Don’t mind,’ I said, trying to sound calm. ‘Wherever we can squeeze in.’

  Friends, just friends, I said to myself as we headed towards the oval. I put my hands in my pockets so I didn’t accidentally brush against Liam. Even though I would have loved to be holding his hand, I knew I couldn’t.

  We found a spot on the edge of the crowd. He leant towards me. ‘This okay?’ he whispered, trying not to disturb the people around us.

  I nodded. ‘Great.’

  But as we settled on the small patch of grass, things started to get not-so-great. Liam sat down so close to me, I could feel the warmth of his arm.

  I turned my eyes to the big screen. But even though I tried to watch the movie, all I could think about was the guy sitting next to me.

  Friends, just friends, I kept saying to myself. But by then my heart was thumping and it felt like my legs had melted into the grass. My head felt like it was drifting away like a helium balloon.

  I tried to focus on the movie, pushing thoughts of Liam out of my mind. There was no point torturing myself with the fact I liked Liam. He was off limits – except as a friend.

  I can do this, I thought. But then Liam ruined everything. He slipped his hand on top of mine.

  I wriggled my fingers slightly, just in case it had been an accident. But his hand didn’t move. My whole body stiffened as I realised this was no accident. This was exactly what I had dreamt of, but it couldn’t happen in real life. I didn’t know what to do.

  Should I stay here and watch the movie with Liam? Or should I go back to the slushie stall, and make sure we stayed just friends?

  ‘Phoebs, what about Liam?’ Annabel asked again, staring at me.

  I glanced at Kimmi. She raised her eyebrows and nodded, urging me to tell Annabel about the text, but I didn’t want to make the night any worse, now that we were going to be side by side at the slushie stall.

  ‘What is it?’ Annabel asked again. ‘Something good, I hope?’

  ‘Of course,’ I replied, thinly. ‘I …just wanted to tell you what a nice guy he is.’

  Annabel frowned. ‘I know.’

  ‘Yeah, but did you know he was down at the cove last Saturday, cleaning up rubbish? He’s really sweet.’

  ‘Oh, yeah, tell Annabel about the cove,’ Kimmi encouraged me.

  ‘Why? What happened?’ asked Annabel. ‘Liam didn’t tell me about it.’

  ‘Oh, a funny story really. I was down there with him and I took some brownies.’

  ‘Hold on,’ Annabel interrupted. ‘Liam was at the skate park on Saturday.’

  I thought for a moment. ‘This was in the morning. Anyway, I took some brownies that Lulu made, and Liam ate one and he had to run off to throw up. Then I discovered that Lulu had put dog biscuits in them.’ I laughed. It seemed much funnier now.

  Kimmi smiled too. But Annabel’s mouth was set in a hard line. ‘Why were you at the cove with Liam, taking him brownies?’

  I stopped laughing and looked at Annabel. ‘He asked me to come down and –’

  ‘Like on a date,’ said Annabel.

  ‘No, no,’ I said. ‘I went to help clean up the beach. But we ended up building a sand mermaid with Lulu.’

  I watched Annabel’s face fall and her shoulders collapse. She looked really disappointed that I’d been hanging out with Liam. I hadn’t told her the story to make her feel bad. I was just trying to get out of a sticky situation, but things were getting even more awkward between us.

  ‘Then what happened?’

  I shrugged. ‘Nothing happened.’ At least that bit was true.

  ‘Really?’ she asked.

  ‘Yes, really.’

  Annabel drew a deep breath and then looked at Kimmi. ‘Really?’

  Kimmi threw her hands in the air. ‘Don’t look at me. It’s not my story.’

  I shuffled uncomfortably as Annabel sighed again. She seemed really upset.

  ‘Suppose we should get going,’ Kimmi said. ‘The guys will be expecting us to set up.’

  She packed up the banner that she and Jack had made. ‘Is everyone ready?’

  Annabel and I glanced at each other warily. I still didn’t know if Annabel had intentionally lied to Liam about me having a boyfriend or if there’d just been a mix up, but it hardly seemed to matter. She was clearly hooked on Liam and she was doing everything she could to get him. I was just getting in the way. Annabel was usually so bubbly and happy, but right now, she looked so sad I felt sorry for her. All the excitement I’d felt about helping on the slushie stall with Liam evaporated. I didn’t want to upset Annabel, and I didn’t want a guy coming between us. I dawdled behind my two friends as we headed for Kimmi’s mum’s car, trying to think of a way to get out of the movie night. I had to come up with an excuse.

  ‘Oh, no,’ I cried suddenly, staring at a message on my phone. ‘There’s been an emergency at home. I have to go.’

  The girls both turned to look at me. I waved my phone at Annabel and Kimmi, hoping they didn’t look too closely. It was just an old message from Mum that I was showing them.

  ‘What kind of emergency?’ Kimmi asked.

  ‘Not sure. Mum just said: Come home now. I can’t believe it. What timing!’ I huffed, pretending to be really disappointed about having to leave.

  ‘Do you need a lift home?’ Kimmi asked.

  ‘No need,’ I said. ‘I’ll walk back.’

  ‘Do you think you’ll miss the whole night?’ Annabel asked.

  ‘Hope not, but I might have to,’ I sighed.

  ‘Oh, that’s a shame.’ Annabel sighed too, but I could tell she was faking, just like me. She must have been happy to see me going.

  ‘Have fun!’ I called as I raced off home. I didn’t want to miss the movie night, but I didn’t want Annabel hating me because she thought I was interfering. After a week of being jealous and bitter, I just wanted to be a good friend. If Annabel changed her mind about Liam, then I might do something about my feelings for him, but for now it was better to just go home.

  I hadn’t even reached my front door when Kimmi started texting me.

  What are you doing? If you’re not going to ask Annabel what’s going on, I will.

  No! I replied. I’m over Liam. I want things to work out for Annabel. Have fun and I want a full report on you and Jack at the end of the night!

  Are you sure? Kimmi replied.

  Yes! I texted back.

  OK. I hope I have something to report!

  Lulu was already in her pyjamas and ready for bed when I got home. She looked very cute in her pink spotted top and pants.

  ‘You look yummy enough to eat,’ I said, sweeping her up and giving her a squeeze.

  ‘Phoebe!’ she said, giggling. ‘You can get an ice-cream if you’re hungry.’

  ‘I’m not hungry,’ I said. ‘How about I tuck you into bed and we can read a book.’ Reading to Lulu was always a great way to get over boy troubles.

  ‘I’m not going to bed. I’m going for an ice-cream!’ she cried.

  ‘Phoebe, is that you?’ came a voice from the kitchen.

  ‘No it’s a burglar,’ I called back. Lucky for everyone I wasn’t. I could have walked right inside and taken anything.

  ‘Back early?’ Dad asked.

  ‘Change of plans,’ I said.

  ‘Oh, that’s a shame. We were just coming down to see you.’

  ‘What – at the movie night?’ I asked, feeling horrified.

  Dad nodded. ‘I was going to take Lulu to get an ice-cream from your stall.’

  A surge of red-hot embarrassment rippled through me. ‘Dad, why would you do that to me?’

  ‘To help the orangutans,’ he said.

  I shook my head. Dad could be so clueless. ‘No way! First, it’s a slushie stall. And second, you’re wearing a dressing gown!’

  ‘It’s a house coat,’ Dad corrected me, as if
there was a difference.

  ‘It’s ugly, whatever it is.’

  ‘I want a slushie!’ Lulu said excitedly.

  ‘Sorry, Lulu,’ I said. ‘Not tonight.’

  She looked at me and screwed up her face like she was going to cry. But I knew what was coming. Lulu opened her mouth and screamed.

  The movie had already begun when I arrived on the oval with a large blanket, my sister, and her favourite teddy. As I knew very well, there was no point trying to negotiate with a four-year-old. I endured her screaming for about thirty seconds before I gave in and agreed to take her for a slushie. Thankfully Dad had just dropped us off and not humiliated me by coming along to the movie night.

  ‘This looks like a nice spot,’ I said, putting Lulu down. She had insisted on being piggybacked from the car, because she was wearing slippers.

  I spread out the blanket and sat down with Lulu. ‘Okay, are you going to lie down and watch the film?’

  ‘Can I have a slushie, please?’

  ‘Lovely manners, Lulu,’ I said, smoothing out the blanket. ‘But the queue is very long right now. We’ll go soon.’

  With any luck my little sister would lie down, be soothed by the movie and fall asleep within seconds. Then there’d be no need to embarrass myself by going to the slushie stall at all. I crossed my legs and stretched out my arms.

  ‘Come on, Lulu, you can sit with me.’

  Lulu smiled and snuggled in. For three or four lovely seconds she settled against my chest. Then she jumped up again. ‘I think the queue is short now.’

  I pulled her back into my arms and whispered a rhyme as I stroked her hair. Before long I could feel her bouncy little body relax and then her breathing got deeper and finally I could see her eyes close. I settled back to watch the movie.

  Lulu stirred every time the crowd laughed, but it was only in the intermission, when people started talking and moving around, that Lulu fully came back to life. She immediately jumped to her feet and demanded a slushie. I knew if I tried to put her off again she’d throw a tantrum. So I got to my feet, grabbed Lulu’s hand and reluctantly headed for the slushie trailer.

  I could see only Liam and Jack in the slushie trailer as Lulu and I joined the queue. I had hoped to avoid talking to Liam, but that wasn’t going to be possible.

  ‘Hey, Phoebe,’ Liam said, when I reached the front of the queue. ‘I thought you had a family emergency.’

  I picked up Lulu so he could see her over the counter.

  ‘A rainbow slushie, please,’ she said.

  ‘Oh,’ Liam laughed. ‘There’s your emergency. One rainbow slushie coming up.’

  ‘What happened to you?’ I asked as Liam turned to pour the slushie. ‘Looks like you’ve had a fight with a slushie machine.’ Liam’s shirt was covered in bright green syrup and his hair seemed to have a strange orange tinge to it.

  ‘Ah,’ he smiled coyly, handing over Lulu’s slushie and taking my money. ‘An accident.’

  ‘So, where are Annabel and Kimmi?’ I asked, looking around. Jack was busy serving another customer but there was no sign of the girls.

  ‘I think they’re still in the bathroom.’

  ‘Oh, being lazy are they?’ I laughed.

  Liam rolled his eyes. Before I had a chance to ask any more, I was jostled aside.

  ‘Five Blue Lagoons,’ came a voice from beside me.

  ‘See you later!’ I called to Liam.

  I left Liam to get back to work and led Lulu away with her slushie, towards the toilets. Something about the way Liam had rolled his eyes made me want to find Annabel and Kimmi.

  I waited until Lulu had slurped down the last of her slushie and then poked my head inside the toilets. There was a handful of girls at the mirror. At the far end of the room, Kimmi was standing outside a cubicle, whispering at the door.

  ‘Annabel, please,’ I could hear her say.

  I gave her a wave and she rushed over to meet me. ‘Phoebs!’ she said, giving me a hug. Then she noticed Lulu. ‘Oh, you weren’t lying about the family thing. Hey, Lulu.’

  ‘Long story,’ I said. ‘What’s up with Annabel?’

  ‘Liam said something to her,’ she whispered. ‘She got mad, and threw a slushie over him.’

  I put my hand over my mouth, trying to stifle a smirk. No wonder Liam looked like he’d been in a fight with a slushie machine. ‘What did he do to deserve that?’

  ‘I don’t know. She ran off without telling me. Now she won’t come out of the cubicle.’

  ‘Poor Annabel,’ I whispered. ‘He must have said something horrible.’

  I wondered if I’d misjudged Liam. He didn’t seem like the type to insult people. But maybe I didn’t know him as well as I thought.

  ‘Give me a few minutes. I’ll see if I can talk her out of there.’

  I left Lulu with Kimmi and went to the cubicle where Annabel was holed up.

  ‘Annabel,’ I whispered, gently knocking on the toilet door. ‘What’s up?’

  ‘Why are you here?’ she huffed.

  ‘I brought Lulu to get a slushie,’ I said. ‘You want to come out and talk?’

  I waited for a few minutes before I knocked again. ‘You can’t stay there all night.’

  ‘I can,’ she snapped.

  ‘I’ve got a blanket on the oval. We can go and sit together and watch the end of the movie.’

  ‘No, I’m going to stay here.’

  I sighed, turned around and leant my back on the door. ‘How about I pour another slushie on Liam’s head for you. Will that help?’

  ‘Maybe,’ Annabel replied.

  ‘Or I could make him another batch of brownies. This time I could put curry powder in them.’

  ‘Yeah, that’d be good,’ Annabel replied.

  ‘Or I could be really mean and make them with whole chillies. That’ll teach him for upsetting you.’

  Annabel sniggered.

  ‘So, you want to come out?’

  ‘No,’ Annabel replied.

  ‘Any luck?’ Kimmi asked, as she and Lulu came to join me.

  I shook my head. ‘I don’t know what to do,’ I sighed.

  Then I noticed Lulu was down on the floor, poking her head under the door.

  ‘Lulu,’ I hissed. But she just ignored me.

  ‘Annabel, are you sad?’ Lulu asked in her unmistakable style. ‘I like to sing when I’m sad. Would you like me to sing to you?’

  Before Annabel had a chance to answer, Lulu had begun a lively rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

  A few moments later the door opened and Annabel finally emerged, with Lulu still singing. Lulu sure knew how to create a problem but, every now and then, she also managed to solve one. Annabel looked at Kimmi and me, then smiled as Lulu grabbed her hand and led her to the basins.

  ‘Don’t forget to wash your hands,’ Lulu instructed.

  ‘All right, Little Miss Bossy,’ Annabel laughed.

  Outside the bathrooms, we all gave Annabel a hug and then sat down. Lulu curled up on my lap.

  ‘What did Liam say to you? I really thought he was a sweet guy. I can’t believe he’s upset you like this.’

  Annabel looked at me and sighed. ‘He didn’t say anything.’

  I shook my head, confused. ‘So why did you throw a slushie at him?’

  ‘I thought he was going to ask me out or something,’ she huffed. ‘But he was just mucking around with Jack all night. He hardly paid me any attention at all.’

  ‘So you thought throwing a slushie at him would get you noticed?’ Kimmi asked.

  ‘No, I was just mad at him.’

  ‘And then you locked yourself in the toilet because…?’

  Annabel looked at me forlornly. ‘Because I was mad at myself. I’ve been so stupid. Liam likes you. Not me.’

  ‘What?’ I said, totally confused. ‘But I thought you said it was going really well with Liam.’

  ‘I made it up,’ Annabel said. ‘I wanted it to be true, but it’s not.’

  I
frowned. It didn’t make any sense.

  ‘I also kind of hinted that you had a boyfriend.’

  ‘Why?’ I asked, getting mad.

  Annabel stared at the ground. ‘You said you only wanted to be friends with him. And I really liked him, and I wanted him to like me too.’

  I could feel my blood boiling as she admitted lying to Liam. How could she have done that to me?

  ‘But I really like Liam!’ I said.

  Annabel looked at me, her mouth hanging open. ‘You told me you were just friends. You said you’d never be more than that.’

  ‘I didn’t say that,’ I said.

  ‘Er, yes, you did,’ said Kimmi.

  I stared at Kimmi. Whose side was she on? Annabel had been totally out of line, telling Liam that I had a boyfriend so he wouldn’t be interested in me. That was just nasty.

  ‘Can we build a sand mermaid tomorrow?’ came a little voice from my lap.

  I looked down. ‘Sure,’ I said, stroking Lulu’s hair. ‘We can go to the cove in the morning.’

  ‘And Kimmi can come?’ she asked.

  I nodded.

  ‘And Annabel?’ Lulu went on.

  I looked at Annabel. I wasn’t sure I was ready to spend the morning with her.

  Then I noticed tears welling in her eyes. ‘I’m sorry, Phoebs,’ she said. ‘I’ve been so stupid. I really didn’t know you liked him.’

  ‘I know you didn’t,’ I said, but I still felt hurt.

  Kimmi nudged me. ‘You know, Annabel kind of did you a favour. You really like Liam and he likes you. Neither of you would know that if Annabel hadn’t got in between you.’

  I sighed. Kimmi had a point. I’d had no idea how much I liked Liam until Annabel had joined the Wild Club. And then I realised something else: I was a victim of my own lies as much as Annabel’s. If I’d told her the truth about my feelings last weekend, things might have turned out differently.

  I squeezed Lulu’s hand. ‘Of course Annabel can come to the cove, if she wants to.’

  Annabel nodded. ‘Sounds cool.’

  ‘No more secrets,’ Kimmi said, looking from Annabel to me. ‘Promise?’

  We both nodded.

  ‘You need to put a magic spell on it, if you want your promise to last,’ Lulu said, sitting up. She got to her feet and made us all join hands.