Frankie and Joely by Nova Weetman Page B

hot. Apparently today is going to be a scorcher.’
    The word makes Frankie laugh. Not the word itself, but the way her friend says it, like she’s an authority on weather all of a sudden. ‘A scorcher, hey?’
    Joely laughs at Frankie. ‘Move over, will you,’ she says.
    Frankie wiggles across and Joely leaps in, making it look really easy.
    They’re wedged in tight, arms pressed together, shoulders locked, and legs bent so their knees touch. Frankie likes it. Feeling this close. She can smell the vanilla cream that Joely always puts on her skin to stop it from drying out. She reaches out her hand and squeezes Joely’s fingers, holding her freckles tightly so they can’t escape.
    Thommo’s sitting on the step, picking his way through eggs and bacon while watching the hammock, hoping that Mack or his dad don’t come along and ruin it. He knows the girls are there because he heard them talking earlier. Jasper circles, meowing, and Thommo slides the plate down for him to finish it.
    He walks past the hammock pretending he’s on his way to the shed. But then he realises they’re both asleep, holding hands.
    Embarrassed, he hides behind the tree. He can just see Frankie, her face turned towards Joely, her singlet strap hanging off one shoulder. He knows he shouldn’t be here. It feels wrong. But he can’t walk away, not until he watches her, imagining. He steps closer, moving around to Frankie’s side of the hammock. If he reaches out he could trace the curve of her mouth.
    â€˜Thommo!’ yells his dad from the back porch. ‘Time to do the paddock!’
    Thommo doesn’t move. If his dad finds him he’ll tease him forever. The wire door slams shut and he risks looking to see if his dad is still on the porch. Instead of his dad, he sees his brother and he knows he’s in trouble. Hopefully Mack hasn’t worked out the girls are in the hammock and he just thinks Thommo’s trying to avoid doing jobs. If he walks up to the house before Mack can get to him maybe he’ll never know. But as he starts to walk away, Frankie opens her eyes and sees him.
    â€˜Morning,’ she says, rubbing her eyes.
    â€˜Um, hi.’ He hopes she doesn’t ask him why he was watching her. Then his brother slams into him and he knows he’s been caught.
    â€˜Dad’s looking for you,’ says Mack, glancing from Frankie to Thommo. ‘Shoulda told him you were down here perving.’
    Frankie laughs. ‘Perving? Hardly. Thommo was telling me about the New Year’s Eve party. Apparently you get pissed every year,’ she says, staring straight at Mack.
    Thommo can’t believe she’s covering for him.
    â€˜Yeah well, that’s what New Year’s is for,’ says Mack, whacking his brother on the back.
    Thommo barely feels it because he’s too busy trying not to watch Frankie slip her finger under her singlet strap and drag it up onto her shoulder.
    Joely groans and opens her eyes, blinking in the sun and taking in her cousins. ‘What’s with the audience?’
    Frankie laughs. Thommo could listen to that sound all day.
    â€˜There you all are,’ booms Ged’s voice.
    Thommo looks around to see his dad walking over, carrying two kids’ BMX bikes.
    â€˜Morning, Ged,’ says Joely.
    â€˜Morning. I bought you girls a present,’ he says as he drops the bikes on the ground. ‘Thought this way you could get yourselves around. Go to the pool or the dam. Whatever you like.’
    â€˜Good one,’ says Mack on the verge of laughing. ‘Where’d you get them?’
    â€˜Tip shop. They were five bucks each,’ says Ged, sounding defensive.
    Mack laughs loudly and turns around, looking at Frankie as if he wants her to join in. ‘You got ripped off, Dad.’
    Thommo just wants to die. The bikes are shit and too small and all rusty. He can’t believe his dad would think a