Rochelle yelps. ‘I’ve just cut myself, Paige. My finger’s bleeding a bit. I’ve got to find some antiseptic lotion and a bandaid. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.’
Jed is not too busy to talk. In fact, that’s all he wants to do.
‘The snow was amazing,’ he says when I call him. ‘Fresh powder every morning. I was up before the sun and even before the lifts opened. I was the first to carve my way down the mountain each day. You should have seen me, Paige. I started out doing the green runs, they’re for the beginners, but by the end of the month I was skiing the black diamonds!’
‘That’s great,’ I say. ‘Jed——’
‘I even went out the back a couple of times with one of the local guys, looking for fresh powder,’ Jed goes on. ‘The mountain out there was scary. The trees weren’t cleared and you never knew if there was a huge boulder under each mound of snow. But that’s what made it so awesome!’
He finally stopped to draw breath, but I didn’t have the heart to spoil his good mood with my bad news. So I just said I was glad he’d had a great time, and that I was looking forward to seeing him at school tomorrow. Then we both said goodbye and hung up.
Dad called us last night, too. I hadn’t spoken to him for a couple of days, since learning about his girlfriend. I haven’t mentioned the woman to Felicity or to Mum. I can’t bear to talk about it.
‘Hello, Possum,’ Dad had said.
‘Hi, Dad.’
There was silence then. I didn’t know what to say and I suppose Dad didn’t either. I guess leaving us and getting a new girlfriend was the change he was talking about before Christmas. He didn’t sound very happy though.
‘So, did you have a good last few days of your holiday?’
‘Yes.’ Who’s your new girlfriend? I wanted to ask.
‘You didn’t call me in the last couple of days,’ he said.
‘I … I …’ I lost Mum’s phone charger. I hurt my ankle and couldn’t climb up to the hilltop. I am not very good at lying. I haven’t had much practice. ‘Shelly and I went snorkelling and swimming and exploring and——’
‘That’s great, love. I’m glad you had a good time.’ He sounded hurt, like I’d found a new best friend, and left him out. Well, maybe that’s how I felt too, since he got a girlfriend.
‘I’ll come around and see you tomorrow night,’ he said. ‘You can tell me all about your first day at high school.’
I’d handed the phone to Felicity and she was soon telling him all about Jack.
Mum spoke to Dad as well, but she went into the spare room to do it.
It took me ages to fall asleep. My bedroom seemed huge after the tiny caravan. And it was too quiet. I missed the sound of Felicity’s breathing, the creaking of the van as one of us rolled over, and the flapping of the annexe walls in the wind. I kept thinking about Shelly, and how much I was going to miss her. As I drifted off to sleep I realised I had barely thought about my first day of high school.
But now here it is. When my alarm sounds I jump out of bed and head for the bathroom. I had been too exhausted from the long drive and all the phone calls last night to shower. As the water pours over me, I realise I am washing the last remnants of Bloodstone Beach from my body.
I turn the water off and step out of the shower. As I walk past the mirror, a strange figure leaps out at me. I stare at her. She is deeply tanned and her legs are toned. The strangest thing about this figure, aside from the fact that she’s missing rolls of puppy fat from around her waist, is that she’s me .
I get my brand-new uniform out of my closet. I put the shirt on first and button it up. It feels roomier than I remember when Mum and I bought it at the end of last year.
I then step into the skirt and zip it up. It drops to the floor.
‘Mum!’ I wail.
Felicity pops her head through the door. She takes one look at me with my school skirt around my ankles and laughs. ‘Not to worry,’ she says. She
Jed is not too busy to talk. In fact, that’s all he wants to do.
‘The snow was amazing,’ he says when I call him. ‘Fresh powder every morning. I was up before the sun and even before the lifts opened. I was the first to carve my way down the mountain each day. You should have seen me, Paige. I started out doing the green runs, they’re for the beginners, but by the end of the month I was skiing the black diamonds!’
‘That’s great,’ I say. ‘Jed——’
‘I even went out the back a couple of times with one of the local guys, looking for fresh powder,’ Jed goes on. ‘The mountain out there was scary. The trees weren’t cleared and you never knew if there was a huge boulder under each mound of snow. But that’s what made it so awesome!’
He finally stopped to draw breath, but I didn’t have the heart to spoil his good mood with my bad news. So I just said I was glad he’d had a great time, and that I was looking forward to seeing him at school tomorrow. Then we both said goodbye and hung up.
Dad called us last night, too. I hadn’t spoken to him for a couple of days, since learning about his girlfriend. I haven’t mentioned the woman to Felicity or to Mum. I can’t bear to talk about it.
‘Hello, Possum,’ Dad had said.
‘Hi, Dad.’
There was silence then. I didn’t know what to say and I suppose Dad didn’t either. I guess leaving us and getting a new girlfriend was the change he was talking about before Christmas. He didn’t sound very happy though.
‘So, did you have a good last few days of your holiday?’
‘Yes.’ Who’s your new girlfriend? I wanted to ask.
‘You didn’t call me in the last couple of days,’ he said.
‘I … I …’ I lost Mum’s phone charger. I hurt my ankle and couldn’t climb up to the hilltop. I am not very good at lying. I haven’t had much practice. ‘Shelly and I went snorkelling and swimming and exploring and——’
‘That’s great, love. I’m glad you had a good time.’ He sounded hurt, like I’d found a new best friend, and left him out. Well, maybe that’s how I felt too, since he got a girlfriend.
‘I’ll come around and see you tomorrow night,’ he said. ‘You can tell me all about your first day at high school.’
I’d handed the phone to Felicity and she was soon telling him all about Jack.
Mum spoke to Dad as well, but she went into the spare room to do it.
It took me ages to fall asleep. My bedroom seemed huge after the tiny caravan. And it was too quiet. I missed the sound of Felicity’s breathing, the creaking of the van as one of us rolled over, and the flapping of the annexe walls in the wind. I kept thinking about Shelly, and how much I was going to miss her. As I drifted off to sleep I realised I had barely thought about my first day of high school.
But now here it is. When my alarm sounds I jump out of bed and head for the bathroom. I had been too exhausted from the long drive and all the phone calls last night to shower. As the water pours over me, I realise I am washing the last remnants of Bloodstone Beach from my body.
I turn the water off and step out of the shower. As I walk past the mirror, a strange figure leaps out at me. I stare at her. She is deeply tanned and her legs are toned. The strangest thing about this figure, aside from the fact that she’s missing rolls of puppy fat from around her waist, is that she’s me .
I get my brand-new uniform out of my closet. I put the shirt on first and button it up. It feels roomier than I remember when Mum and I bought it at the end of last year.
I then step into the skirt and zip it up. It drops to the floor.
‘Mum!’ I wail.
Felicity pops her head through the door. She takes one look at me with my school skirt around my ankles and laughs. ‘Not to worry,’ she says. She
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