encouragingly.
Riley pulls a face. ‘What?’ he asks.
‘Why not?’ Jo says. ‘Girls, what do you think? How
about Riley and Kit take you? They could be your dates.’
‘Seriously?’ asks Didi, glancing at us both. ‘That would
be awesome.’ She elbows Jessa in the ribs. ‘Wouldn’t it?’
Jessa frowns. She looks down at the sand, digging into
it with her heel. ‘Um, I’m not sure my dad will allow it.’
‘Why not?’ Jo asks. ‘He can’t object to Riley taking you
to prom.’
‘Riley?’ she asks, her head flying up.
‘Yeah,’ Jo says. ‘And Kit can take Didi.’ She turns and
winks at me and in that same second I realize with horror
that Jo’s gotten the wrong idea. She thinks I have a thing
for Didi. I’m not sure how she got the idea and I almost
blurt something to set her straight, but before I can, Jessa
speaks up.
‘OK, that could work,’ she says. She looks at me. ‘I
mean, if Kit’s OK with that.’
She gives me a small smile and instantly I see what
she’s doing. This might be the best way of us getting to
prom together.
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COME BACK TO ME
‘Sure,’ I say, acting non-committal. ‘I guess.’
Jo claps her hands together in delight, figuring her little
match-making effort has worked perfectly.
The girls all start chatting about dresses and whatever
and I zone out. Somehow I’m taking Jessa to her high
school prom. Sweet.
‘Dude.’
I turn my head. Riley’s leaning over, trying to catch my
attention. ‘Didi?’ he asks, pulling a surprised expression.
‘Isn’t she a little young for you?’
I raise my eyebrows at him. If he thinks Didi is too
young for me, what about his sister? ‘She’s eighteen,’ I
whisper. ‘How’s that too young?’
‘Bro,’ Riley says, his expression darkening. ‘She’s my
sister’s best friend. You are not allowed to go there.’
‘Cut me some slack, OK?’ I answer, riled. I have no
intention of going there but I can’t admit that to Riley or
I’ll blow our cover. But at the same time I’m thinking if
this is how he reacts to the thought of me making a move
on Didi, what the hell would he do if he knew I’d already
made a move on his sister?
‘I mean it,’ Riley says, getting to his feet. He stares
down at me, a hard stare, and he looks like he’s about
to say something else before he thinks twice and stomps
off.I watch him go. Shit. I dig my fingers into the sand.
Maybe I should just back away now, tell Jessa we can’t
see each other any more. But then I glance in her direc-
tion. She’s laughing at something Didi’s saying and then
she looks my way and my breath catches in my chest like
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Mila Gray
a fishing hook just snagged in my lungs. Walking away
has always been so easy − I’ve never had to think twice
before. But with Jessa walking away feels impossible.
94
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Jessa
The warning signs are all there. When I get home from
the beach a heavy silence shrouds the house. The atmos-
phere is so thick with tension that even opening the front
door is like pushing against wet sand. All the happiness
buzzing through me drains the instant I set foot inside the
house. Riley is driving Jo home and I look at the clock in
the hall, praying that he makes it back on time for dinner.
As I tiptoe towards the stairs I realize I’m holding my
breath. I glance at the door to my dad’s study. I don’t
know how I know he’s in there, I just do. If he wasn’t at
home then the house wouldn’t feel this way.
The smell of roast chicken wafts from the kitchen but
the radio is off, another sure sign. My mom always likes
to listen to the radio while she’s cooking, except on the
days when my dad is in one of his moods. It’s the signal
flare I’ve come to watch for. Since Riley has been gone
things have been calmer and there
Riley pulls a face. ‘What?’ he asks.
‘Why not?’ Jo says. ‘Girls, what do you think? How
about Riley and Kit take you? They could be your dates.’
‘Seriously?’ asks Didi, glancing at us both. ‘That would
be awesome.’ She elbows Jessa in the ribs. ‘Wouldn’t it?’
Jessa frowns. She looks down at the sand, digging into
it with her heel. ‘Um, I’m not sure my dad will allow it.’
‘Why not?’ Jo asks. ‘He can’t object to Riley taking you
to prom.’
‘Riley?’ she asks, her head flying up.
‘Yeah,’ Jo says. ‘And Kit can take Didi.’ She turns and
winks at me and in that same second I realize with horror
that Jo’s gotten the wrong idea. She thinks I have a thing
for Didi. I’m not sure how she got the idea and I almost
blurt something to set her straight, but before I can, Jessa
speaks up.
‘OK, that could work,’ she says. She looks at me. ‘I
mean, if Kit’s OK with that.’
She gives me a small smile and instantly I see what
she’s doing. This might be the best way of us getting to
prom together.
92
PM426 – Come Back To Me.indd 92
29/05/2014 15:30
COME BACK TO ME
‘Sure,’ I say, acting non-committal. ‘I guess.’
Jo claps her hands together in delight, figuring her little
match-making effort has worked perfectly.
The girls all start chatting about dresses and whatever
and I zone out. Somehow I’m taking Jessa to her high
school prom. Sweet.
‘Dude.’
I turn my head. Riley’s leaning over, trying to catch my
attention. ‘Didi?’ he asks, pulling a surprised expression.
‘Isn’t she a little young for you?’
I raise my eyebrows at him. If he thinks Didi is too
young for me, what about his sister? ‘She’s eighteen,’ I
whisper. ‘How’s that too young?’
‘Bro,’ Riley says, his expression darkening. ‘She’s my
sister’s best friend. You are not allowed to go there.’
‘Cut me some slack, OK?’ I answer, riled. I have no
intention of going there but I can’t admit that to Riley or
I’ll blow our cover. But at the same time I’m thinking if
this is how he reacts to the thought of me making a move
on Didi, what the hell would he do if he knew I’d already
made a move on his sister?
‘I mean it,’ Riley says, getting to his feet. He stares
down at me, a hard stare, and he looks like he’s about
to say something else before he thinks twice and stomps
off.I watch him go. Shit. I dig my fingers into the sand.
Maybe I should just back away now, tell Jessa we can’t
see each other any more. But then I glance in her direc-
tion. She’s laughing at something Didi’s saying and then
she looks my way and my breath catches in my chest like
93
PM426 – Come Back To Me.indd 93
29/05/2014 15:30
Mila Gray
a fishing hook just snagged in my lungs. Walking away
has always been so easy − I’ve never had to think twice
before. But with Jessa walking away feels impossible.
94
PM426 – Come Back To Me.indd 94
29/05/2014 15:30
Jessa
The warning signs are all there. When I get home from
the beach a heavy silence shrouds the house. The atmos-
phere is so thick with tension that even opening the front
door is like pushing against wet sand. All the happiness
buzzing through me drains the instant I set foot inside the
house. Riley is driving Jo home and I look at the clock in
the hall, praying that he makes it back on time for dinner.
As I tiptoe towards the stairs I realize I’m holding my
breath. I glance at the door to my dad’s study. I don’t
know how I know he’s in there, I just do. If he wasn’t at
home then the house wouldn’t feel this way.
The smell of roast chicken wafts from the kitchen but
the radio is off, another sure sign. My mom always likes
to listen to the radio while she’s cooking, except on the
days when my dad is in one of his moods. It’s the signal
flare I’ve come to watch for. Since Riley has been gone
things have been calmer and there
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