dead in my
tracks as she pointed an accusatory finger at me.
As much practice as I had had through my younger years of
hanging with Miranda, and the many juvenile shenanigans we would pull, there
was one thing that was always so abundantly clear. I was a pretty crap liar and
Amy knew it.
“Look, girly, if you’re going to play it that way then you’re
going to have to appear way more convincing than that.”
Oh my God, was I that bad?
I bit my lip.
“Ha! See, don’t ever do that. Don’t ever bite your lip—unless
of course you’re meaning it to be sexy for a boy—but right now you just look
guilty.”
“Guilty?”
Amy clasped her hand over her heart, battering her
eyelashes. “Of love in the first degree.”
“Shut up!” I scoffed, pushing past her. “Isn’t that a
Bananarama song?” I called over my shoulder as I stormed off.
“Don’t change the subject,” she said, chasing after me in
order to block my path again, grabbing my arms.
“Seriously, Mel. Do you want him?” she asked. Her eyes bore
into mine as if she was trying to hypnotise me. She asked the question as if I
wanted to purchase a puppy or something. “You know he’s single, right?”
Okay, so I didn’t know that, and I also didn’t know that
such information would be such a bloody relief. Oh God, I had it bad, nothing
had changed. I cursed Max Henry, cursed Amy and her nosey intuition, I cursed
Dad for leaving me here, but most of all I cursed myself.
Amy let go of my upper arms. “Tut-tut-tut, you have got it
bad,” she said, shaking her head. “I knew it the second you turned crimson last
night at the mere mention of his name. I’m afraid we are going to have to call
in reinforcements for this one.”
“What?”
Oh no-no-no-no … this was exactly what I didn’t want.
“You can’t tell anyone, promise me you won’t,” I said a bit
too quickly.
Amy grinned from ear to ear, as if she had me where she
wanted me. If it was a plan of entrapment, she never let on. Instead, she
snaked her arm through mine and we started to walk again.
“Relax, Mel, your secret is safe, trust me.”
“Ha! Trust you, I don’t even know you.”
“Well, after today we are going to be fast friends, and
after the week is out you are going to be eternally grateful for my help,” she
said, lifting her chin to the sky.
Somehow I wasn’t so sure.
Chapter
Eighteen
Max
So Melanie Sheehan didn’t have a boyfriend.
That was pretty obvious with her drunken slip-up last night.
She had lied. How interesting.
A small smile lined my lips and it was an unexpected thing
to feel, a certain smugness, thinking that she had created an illusion. For
what purpose I couldn’t be sure, but it sure did open up a fascinating
possibility.
From all reports Amy and Mel went out conveniently just
before my shift began. A shame really. I would have enjoyed a little dig; Chris
said she was hung like a wet towel. Served her bloody right—take my yes for her
for one night and what does she do? Writes herself off. She better not have
been sick in my room. I glanced at the wall clock, thinking that the two would
be back any minute to begin their shift. I felt myself watching the clock more
often these days, always waiting or on the watch. I had tried to give Mel the
benefit of the doubt, entrust the fact that Amy had taken her under her wing
and give her some space, but after last night’s antics and the lies she seemed
to so effortlessly come out with, it was just a bit too unnerving. If I was to
do anything of note for Bluey, snapping her out of her lying ways would be a
community service. If there was one thing that didn’t sit well with me was
people lying. My sister was the biggest liar of all and Mel was turning into a
close second. The fact I had listened in on their kitchen conversations didn’t
count, I told myself. I was just watching out for Bluey, that’s all.
I lifted the tray of freshly cleaned pot glasses from the
washer,
tracks as she pointed an accusatory finger at me.
As much practice as I had had through my younger years of
hanging with Miranda, and the many juvenile shenanigans we would pull, there
was one thing that was always so abundantly clear. I was a pretty crap liar and
Amy knew it.
“Look, girly, if you’re going to play it that way then you’re
going to have to appear way more convincing than that.”
Oh my God, was I that bad?
I bit my lip.
“Ha! See, don’t ever do that. Don’t ever bite your lip—unless
of course you’re meaning it to be sexy for a boy—but right now you just look
guilty.”
“Guilty?”
Amy clasped her hand over her heart, battering her
eyelashes. “Of love in the first degree.”
“Shut up!” I scoffed, pushing past her. “Isn’t that a
Bananarama song?” I called over my shoulder as I stormed off.
“Don’t change the subject,” she said, chasing after me in
order to block my path again, grabbing my arms.
“Seriously, Mel. Do you want him?” she asked. Her eyes bore
into mine as if she was trying to hypnotise me. She asked the question as if I
wanted to purchase a puppy or something. “You know he’s single, right?”
Okay, so I didn’t know that, and I also didn’t know that
such information would be such a bloody relief. Oh God, I had it bad, nothing
had changed. I cursed Max Henry, cursed Amy and her nosey intuition, I cursed
Dad for leaving me here, but most of all I cursed myself.
Amy let go of my upper arms. “Tut-tut-tut, you have got it
bad,” she said, shaking her head. “I knew it the second you turned crimson last
night at the mere mention of his name. I’m afraid we are going to have to call
in reinforcements for this one.”
“What?”
Oh no-no-no-no … this was exactly what I didn’t want.
“You can’t tell anyone, promise me you won’t,” I said a bit
too quickly.
Amy grinned from ear to ear, as if she had me where she
wanted me. If it was a plan of entrapment, she never let on. Instead, she
snaked her arm through mine and we started to walk again.
“Relax, Mel, your secret is safe, trust me.”
“Ha! Trust you, I don’t even know you.”
“Well, after today we are going to be fast friends, and
after the week is out you are going to be eternally grateful for my help,” she
said, lifting her chin to the sky.
Somehow I wasn’t so sure.
Chapter
Eighteen
Max
So Melanie Sheehan didn’t have a boyfriend.
That was pretty obvious with her drunken slip-up last night.
She had lied. How interesting.
A small smile lined my lips and it was an unexpected thing
to feel, a certain smugness, thinking that she had created an illusion. For
what purpose I couldn’t be sure, but it sure did open up a fascinating
possibility.
From all reports Amy and Mel went out conveniently just
before my shift began. A shame really. I would have enjoyed a little dig; Chris
said she was hung like a wet towel. Served her bloody right—take my yes for her
for one night and what does she do? Writes herself off. She better not have
been sick in my room. I glanced at the wall clock, thinking that the two would
be back any minute to begin their shift. I felt myself watching the clock more
often these days, always waiting or on the watch. I had tried to give Mel the
benefit of the doubt, entrust the fact that Amy had taken her under her wing
and give her some space, but after last night’s antics and the lies she seemed
to so effortlessly come out with, it was just a bit too unnerving. If I was to
do anything of note for Bluey, snapping her out of her lying ways would be a
community service. If there was one thing that didn’t sit well with me was
people lying. My sister was the biggest liar of all and Mel was turning into a
close second. The fact I had listened in on their kitchen conversations didn’t
count, I told myself. I was just watching out for Bluey, that’s all.
I lifted the tray of freshly cleaned pot glasses from the
washer,
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