The Call of the Wild by Julie Fison

day to hang out with Liam again , I kept thinking. And who knows what might happen then!

Liam’s hurt expression stayed with me the whole time as Kimmi’s mum drove us to Ryan’s party. Beside me, Annabel was bursting with excitement, but I just felt rotten about letting down my friends in the Wild Club. To make things worse, I’d rushed off so quickly, I hadn’t even wished them good luck.
    ‘Stop moping,’ Annabel said, noticing my mood. ‘You’re going to have an amazing time. Forget Liam and start thinking about Saia.’
    ‘Right,’ I nodded, trying to push Liam’s face out of my mind. ‘Saia.’ I pulled out my phone and re-read his text, and his adorable smile came back to me.
    ‘See?’ Annabel said. ‘You’re smiling already.’
    Kimmi turned around in the front seat to look back at me. ‘You can still be friends with Liam, even if things work out with Saia.’
    I nodded, but I wasn’t so sure. Liam might be mad at me for a very long time. I was still thinking about the slushie stall as the car pulled up at Ryan’s. But then I saw the house. Looming ahead of me was a grand, stone building, three storeys high and all lit up like electricity was free. ‘Wow,’ I said, climbing out of the car. ‘Are you sure this is the right place?’
    ‘Uh huh,’ Annabel said, getting out behind me. ‘Pretty impressive, huh?’
    ‘Oh my god,’ Kimmi sighed, as she joined us on the street and her mum drove away. ‘It’s like a hotel or something.’
    ‘I think it’s bigger,’ I said.
    ‘Shh,’ Annabel hissed. ‘You sound like a pair of hillbillies who’ve never been out of your sleepy li’l town .’
    ‘Or a pair of Westway girls who’ve never been to a party at a harbour-side mansion before,’ I said. ‘What if I trip on a Persian rug and smash into an antique or something?’
    ‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Annabel said. ‘Ryan’s not going to have a party in a room full of antiques.’
    ‘Guess not,’ I laughed, but the house was so imposing, it was hard not to feel a little intimidated.
    Annabel put her arm through mine, grabbed Kimmi with the other, and we headed for the house, where two big iron gates and one very large security guard stood between us and the party.

    ‘Names, please,’ the guard said.
    Annabel spoke for all of us and the guy ran his finger down a list, ticking off Annabel and then Kimmi. My heart thumped as he scanned the list for my name, and I wondered for a moment if I’d really been invited.
    ‘Right. There you are,’ he said, finally finding me. ‘Straight up the driveway and turn left. Just follow the music.’
    The security guard pressed a button and the gates creaked open, letting us in.
    Kimmi giggled as we hurried up the driveway. ‘Oh my god. I knew we were on a guest list but I didn’t think there’d be a security guard with an actual list. It’s like we’re going to an exclusive nightclub!’
    Annabel nudged her. ‘If you want to fit in, don’t act so surprised about everything.’
    ‘Right,’ Kimmi nodded.
    Then Annabel looked at me. ‘And stop fiddling with your dress. You look gorgeous.’
    ‘Oh, okay,’ I said. I hadn’t even noticed I was fiddling. I wasn’t worried about my dress either, until I saw the other girls standing at the top of the driveway. They were all beautiful – their dresses looked expensive, their hair shone and their faces glowed.
    I tugged at my dress. I’d loved it a minute ago, but now it felt cheap. And so did I. I wasn’t wearing make-up, and I probably still had paint in my hair. I looked at my flats. The other girls were all in heels. Why hadn’t I spent more time getting ready?
    ‘Those are the girls we saw at the rugby game,’ Kimmi mumbled as we passed them. ‘What are they doing here?’
    ‘Relax,’ Annabel said. ‘Stop stressing about everything. Come on.’
    We followed the noise and a trickle of guys to the back of the house and through a set of double doors into a huge room. It was like a