Friday Brown by Vikki Wakefield Page B

all over.
    ‘Reconnaissance and retrieval mission.’ I shrugged. The boots sat there like an accusation.
    ‘You don’t have to be like the rest of us,’ Bree said in a serious tone.
    ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
    ‘Yes, you do.’ She lit another cigarette. ‘Welcome to the Dark Side.’
    I cupped my hands over my mouth and gave my best impression of Darth Vader breath.
    Bree smiled and cocked an eyebrow. ‘What’s that?’
    First Peter Pan, then Star Wars. Maybe my upbringing wasn’t as culturally barren as I thought.
    ‘Shut up or get out,’ Carrie grumbled and rolled over.
    Bree went downstairs first.
    I pulled on my jeans and a T-shirt and followed. The guilt and fear of the night before was still stuck to my skin. I could hear Arden laughing in the kitchen.
    ‘How did my boo…’ I started.
    It was obvious now that my boots didn’t get there by themselves.
    The guy was there. The bare-chested guy from the house. The bare-chested guy from the house I broke into, and stole from. He was so tall he made everything around him look like dollhouse furniture. Elbows and angles stuck out as if he’d only ever grown up, but not out. He was pale, dark-haired and unremarkable, sipping coffee from Arden’s mug like he belonged there.
    Arden was relaxed, sitting cross-legged on a crate.
    Bree was smiling a lot and refilled his coffee without being asked.
    Darcy sat on the floor with her knees up to her chest, one arm wrapped around them. For once, she kept her nasty looks to herself.
    ‘You’re a girl,’ the guy said and stared at me.
    I crossed my arms over my braless front, shoved my hands into my pockets, then folded them back over my chest. I didn’t know what to do with them. They felt like leftovers, or an untucked shirt. Had he called the police? Is that why he was there?
    ‘I was asking Arden who the boy in my room was last night. Except you’re not a boy.’
    ‘Obviously,’ I snapped.
    Arden laughed. There was something deeply satisfied about that laugh.
    ‘I didn’t think you’d be there,’ she said to him. There was no apology in her tone. ‘I didn’t know you were back.’
    He leaned forwards on his elbows. ‘How about you tell me next time you want to break in and I’ll save you the trouble by opening the front door,’ he said.
    They knew each other. My skin prickled. I covered my confusion by making myself a coffee and, when I’d recovered, I sat down at the table. ‘Who’s he?’ I blurted.
    ‘Wish,’ he said carefully. ‘Who are you?’
    ‘Friday,’ Bree answered for me. ‘She’s new.’
    ‘Wish. What kind of a name is that?’ I said.
    Wish smiled. His face changed from unremarkable to miraculous.
    I smiled back as if he’d tapped a reflex. He could have been a set mousetrap and I’d still have reached out and touched him to see how he felt. How do you go from ordinary to fascinating with one lopsided smile? Then he opened his mouth and I was annoyed all over again.
    ‘Friday. That’s a boy’s name, isn’t it?’
    ‘It’s good to see you,’ Arden interrupted. ‘I’ve missed you.’
    I looked around for Malik. There was an invisible, twanging cord between Wish and Arden. I wondered if Malik knew; he didn’t seem the type to share.
    ‘I’ve missed you, too,’ Darcy said. ‘Are you coming back or what?’
    ‘No, he’s not,’ Arden snapped. ‘He has a higher purpose now.’
    ‘I’m over eighteen,’ Wish said softly. ‘The rules have changed.’
    ‘Your rules or theirs?’ Arden said.
    ‘Both.’
    Arden nodded. She spread her fingers. ‘I know, I know.’
    I put my hand up. ‘I have some questions. Like, why did you ask me to break into his house when you could have knocked on the front door?’
    ‘That’s no fun,’ Arden said, laughing.
    Wish looked at me and leaned across the table. ‘I have a question for you, too,’ he said. ‘Did you ice this?’ Hetouched my split lip with his finger.
    In my head I was whispering, No,