and my jaw would be buzzing from his fist.
I walk over to him and sit down, my pulse hammering,
deciding it’s a wise idea to put as much distance between
me and Jessa as possible for the moment. I can still taste
her on my lips and I wonder if I should have gone for a
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Mila Gray
swim to cool off. Instead I rip off my T-shirt and lie back,
resting on my elbows, acting as casual as is possible,
though my heart is thumping loud enough to drown out
the sound of the surf.
‘So,’ Jo says, sitting up and looking at Didi and Jessa.
‘One more week of school, huh?’
‘I know!’ exclaims Didi. ‘I can’t wait. The last eleven
years of my life have been torture. My last school was
godawful, but this one is worse. I’m so over physical edu-
cation, detention and wearing uniform. Five more days
and my life is finally going to begin.’
Jo gives a small half-smile and looks away and I watch
Riley squeeze her arm. Jo works as a waitress in the day
and goes to night school. She wanted to go to college and
get a degree but her mom has MS, no husband and no
health insurance. Being the eldest of three, Jo had to get a
job the day she left school. She’s the sole breadwinner for
her family. Riley sends her money from his paycheck each
month and would send her more, but she won’t accept
it. I don’t know how she does it. I never really wanted to
go to college. I had a dream to join the marines and I fol-
lowed it. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have a
dream and not be able to pursue it.
‘Well, I plan on having a wild summer and then an
even more wild and crazy four years in college,’ Didi
announces.
‘Where are you going?’ I ask her.
‘USC,’ she answers with a smile before glancing to-
wards Jessa and biting her lip in a grimace.
Jessa gives a tight, bright smile which I don’t buy for a
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second. That’s gotta suck, knowing your best friend is
going to the college you want to go to.
‘What are you girls doing for prom?’ Jo asks.
‘When’s prom?’ I ask, sitting up.
‘Next Saturday,’ Jessa mumbles.
‘Who are you going with?’ Jo asks. ‘You got dates?’
‘No,’ Jessa says quickly. Was that for my benefit?
‘What about Peter?’ Jo asks.
‘Who?’ Didi says.
‘The guy you said you liked,’ Jo answers, giving her a
knowing smile. She then glances my way and I frown at
them both, confused. Who’s Peter?
‘You can’t go to prom on your own,’ Jo says. ‘No one
goes to prom alone. Not even the dorks and the dweebs
go on their own.’
Jessa shrugs.
‘Are you putting us lower down on the social ladder
than dorks and dweebs?’ Didi asks.
Jo laughs. ‘No, but come on, you girls telling me you
can’t find dates? I find that hard to believe.’
‘We go to an all girls’ school,’ Jessa says. I can see she’s
squirming a little at the interrogation, her cheeks going
red. I know it’s not just the fact she goes to an all girls’
school. I bet her father wouldn’t even let her go with a
date. I remember her telling me about her junior prom
disaster.
‘Well I think that’s tragic and we can’t let it happen.
Riley?’
‘Huh?’ Riley says, turning to Jo. He hasn’t been listen-
ing. He’s been watching the volleyball game going on
next to us.
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Mila Gray
‘Your sister and her best friend don’t have dates for
prom.’
Riley looks at her blankly, not knowing where she’s
going with this but instinctively aware it’s going some-
where he’s not going to like. Meanwhile I’m totally ahead
of him. I’ve figured out exactly what Jo’s going to say
next and I’m totally down with it. Especially if it means
getting this guy Peter out of the picture.
‘You guys need to take them.’ Jo looks at me as she
says it, nodding
I walk over to him and sit down, my pulse hammering,
deciding it’s a wise idea to put as much distance between
me and Jessa as possible for the moment. I can still taste
her on my lips and I wonder if I should have gone for a
89
PM426 – Come Back To Me.indd 89
29/05/2014 15:30
Mila Gray
swim to cool off. Instead I rip off my T-shirt and lie back,
resting on my elbows, acting as casual as is possible,
though my heart is thumping loud enough to drown out
the sound of the surf.
‘So,’ Jo says, sitting up and looking at Didi and Jessa.
‘One more week of school, huh?’
‘I know!’ exclaims Didi. ‘I can’t wait. The last eleven
years of my life have been torture. My last school was
godawful, but this one is worse. I’m so over physical edu-
cation, detention and wearing uniform. Five more days
and my life is finally going to begin.’
Jo gives a small half-smile and looks away and I watch
Riley squeeze her arm. Jo works as a waitress in the day
and goes to night school. She wanted to go to college and
get a degree but her mom has MS, no husband and no
health insurance. Being the eldest of three, Jo had to get a
job the day she left school. She’s the sole breadwinner for
her family. Riley sends her money from his paycheck each
month and would send her more, but she won’t accept
it. I don’t know how she does it. I never really wanted to
go to college. I had a dream to join the marines and I fol-
lowed it. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have a
dream and not be able to pursue it.
‘Well, I plan on having a wild summer and then an
even more wild and crazy four years in college,’ Didi
announces.
‘Where are you going?’ I ask her.
‘USC,’ she answers with a smile before glancing to-
wards Jessa and biting her lip in a grimace.
Jessa gives a tight, bright smile which I don’t buy for a
90
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COME BACK TO ME
second. That’s gotta suck, knowing your best friend is
going to the college you want to go to.
‘What are you girls doing for prom?’ Jo asks.
‘When’s prom?’ I ask, sitting up.
‘Next Saturday,’ Jessa mumbles.
‘Who are you going with?’ Jo asks. ‘You got dates?’
‘No,’ Jessa says quickly. Was that for my benefit?
‘What about Peter?’ Jo asks.
‘Who?’ Didi says.
‘The guy you said you liked,’ Jo answers, giving her a
knowing smile. She then glances my way and I frown at
them both, confused. Who’s Peter?
‘You can’t go to prom on your own,’ Jo says. ‘No one
goes to prom alone. Not even the dorks and the dweebs
go on their own.’
Jessa shrugs.
‘Are you putting us lower down on the social ladder
than dorks and dweebs?’ Didi asks.
Jo laughs. ‘No, but come on, you girls telling me you
can’t find dates? I find that hard to believe.’
‘We go to an all girls’ school,’ Jessa says. I can see she’s
squirming a little at the interrogation, her cheeks going
red. I know it’s not just the fact she goes to an all girls’
school. I bet her father wouldn’t even let her go with a
date. I remember her telling me about her junior prom
disaster.
‘Well I think that’s tragic and we can’t let it happen.
Riley?’
‘Huh?’ Riley says, turning to Jo. He hasn’t been listen-
ing. He’s been watching the volleyball game going on
next to us.
91
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Mila Gray
‘Your sister and her best friend don’t have dates for
prom.’
Riley looks at her blankly, not knowing where she’s
going with this but instinctively aware it’s going some-
where he’s not going to like. Meanwhile I’m totally ahead
of him. I’ve figured out exactly what Jo’s going to say
next and I’m totally down with it. Especially if it means
getting this guy Peter out of the picture.
‘You guys need to take them.’ Jo looks at me as she
says it, nodding
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