Em.”
“Don’t leave me.”
“The boys are over on the flats. The girls are down near the water.”
Emmy looked around noticing the segregation. Girls sun -baked in a group, lolling about like seals. The guys stood around an open field, all eyes on a makeshift pitch waiting for a ball to come their way. “It looks boring.”
Sebastian tugged her hand off his shirt.
“I can’t go with you. I’m going to play cricket, Em.”
Libby led her away, as Sebastian strolled off. “See? He knows what he’s doing. Come meet the girls.”
Sebastian tugged on the brim of his cap and winked at her. He was so happy, it made her want to make him unhappy. Maybe he was right. Maybe everything had been about her. She just wished he wasn’t enjoying it all so much.
Emmy hung back, letting her hair fall in her face like a shield, pretending to be focused on the uneven ground. As they approached the group of girls, she noticed Libby’s walk change to a swagger. The scent of coconut sunscreen laced the air.
“Hey,” Libby said, with a grin and a wave.
“Hey ,” came a chorus of voices.
“Everyone , this is Emmy,” Libby said, pulling Emmy out from behind her. “I told you I’d get her here someday.”
Emmy smiled and gave a flutter with her fingers in a half wave.
Libby shook out a towel and spread it at the edge of the group. Emmy dropped her folded towel beside Libby’s and sat on it. Mindful of the short tight skirt she had agreed to wear, she tried to keep her knees together. The skirts she usually wore were flowing. They fell past her knees and allowed her to sit any way she pleased.
A redhead leant forward and caught Emmy’s eye . “Hey, how are you?”
“That’s Teagan,” Libby said.
Emmy nodded and smiled, her throat was constricted and she felt tears spring to her eyes. Air swirled inside her chest, making it hard to talk. She could tell by looking into Teagan’s eyes that she saw her discomfort. Teagan pulled back a bit with a tighter smile and looked away.
“And this is Jen, Mia, Leisl, Nerida, Hope and Dee. And over there is Lea, Tina and Beth.” More girls glanced curiously over at her, but they weren’t a part of Libby’s group.
Emmy gave a stiff wave. “Hi,” she mumbled. As she fidgeted, she was sure she heard one of the girls giggle. Their names were a blur.
“So how did you get her here finally, Lib?” one of them asked. It could have been Nerida.
Libby tapped Emmy’s leg. “Isn’t it cool? I’ve been wanting to bring her down here forever.”
The words in Emmy’s mind were Define forever . She didn’t say them. She didn’t see what point they served to the conversation. There wasn’t a lot Emmy wanted to say.
“She’s nervous,” Libby said.
“I would be too,” Teagan said. “Meeting all of us would be overwhelming.”
“We just had a family meeting and it was decided that it was time for me to come down here,” Emmy said, answering the girl ’s question from before. “And Sebastian too.”
“Mm, yes, Sebastian,” one of the girls drawled.
Several others laughed.
Libby smiled too as though she was in on the joke. Emmy didn’t get it.
“Gotta love those family meetings,” someone threw in.
“Yes,” Emmy said, though she was hating them lately.
Libby melded into the group. The girls spoke the same, giggled when someone else did and primped and preened their bodies. She saw them grab at fleshy thighs and grimace. They painted lip gloss on plump lips like artists and smothered lotion on their bodies until their skin shone. Emmy felt more and more conscious of the blonde hairs on her legs glinting in the sunlight. But the longer she sat there, the more accustomed she became to their curiosity. She leant back on her arms and finally stretched out lazily under the sun. Closing her eyes, closed out the world, until the sound of thunder rattled underground.
Emmy jerked upright.
Some of the boys charged down the hillside, kicking up grass and dirt. One
“Don’t leave me.”
“The boys are over on the flats. The girls are down near the water.”
Emmy looked around noticing the segregation. Girls sun -baked in a group, lolling about like seals. The guys stood around an open field, all eyes on a makeshift pitch waiting for a ball to come their way. “It looks boring.”
Sebastian tugged her hand off his shirt.
“I can’t go with you. I’m going to play cricket, Em.”
Libby led her away, as Sebastian strolled off. “See? He knows what he’s doing. Come meet the girls.”
Sebastian tugged on the brim of his cap and winked at her. He was so happy, it made her want to make him unhappy. Maybe he was right. Maybe everything had been about her. She just wished he wasn’t enjoying it all so much.
Emmy hung back, letting her hair fall in her face like a shield, pretending to be focused on the uneven ground. As they approached the group of girls, she noticed Libby’s walk change to a swagger. The scent of coconut sunscreen laced the air.
“Hey,” Libby said, with a grin and a wave.
“Hey ,” came a chorus of voices.
“Everyone , this is Emmy,” Libby said, pulling Emmy out from behind her. “I told you I’d get her here someday.”
Emmy smiled and gave a flutter with her fingers in a half wave.
Libby shook out a towel and spread it at the edge of the group. Emmy dropped her folded towel beside Libby’s and sat on it. Mindful of the short tight skirt she had agreed to wear, she tried to keep her knees together. The skirts she usually wore were flowing. They fell past her knees and allowed her to sit any way she pleased.
A redhead leant forward and caught Emmy’s eye . “Hey, how are you?”
“That’s Teagan,” Libby said.
Emmy nodded and smiled, her throat was constricted and she felt tears spring to her eyes. Air swirled inside her chest, making it hard to talk. She could tell by looking into Teagan’s eyes that she saw her discomfort. Teagan pulled back a bit with a tighter smile and looked away.
“And this is Jen, Mia, Leisl, Nerida, Hope and Dee. And over there is Lea, Tina and Beth.” More girls glanced curiously over at her, but they weren’t a part of Libby’s group.
Emmy gave a stiff wave. “Hi,” she mumbled. As she fidgeted, she was sure she heard one of the girls giggle. Their names were a blur.
“So how did you get her here finally, Lib?” one of them asked. It could have been Nerida.
Libby tapped Emmy’s leg. “Isn’t it cool? I’ve been wanting to bring her down here forever.”
The words in Emmy’s mind were Define forever . She didn’t say them. She didn’t see what point they served to the conversation. There wasn’t a lot Emmy wanted to say.
“She’s nervous,” Libby said.
“I would be too,” Teagan said. “Meeting all of us would be overwhelming.”
“We just had a family meeting and it was decided that it was time for me to come down here,” Emmy said, answering the girl ’s question from before. “And Sebastian too.”
“Mm, yes, Sebastian,” one of the girls drawled.
Several others laughed.
Libby smiled too as though she was in on the joke. Emmy didn’t get it.
“Gotta love those family meetings,” someone threw in.
“Yes,” Emmy said, though she was hating them lately.
Libby melded into the group. The girls spoke the same, giggled when someone else did and primped and preened their bodies. She saw them grab at fleshy thighs and grimace. They painted lip gloss on plump lips like artists and smothered lotion on their bodies until their skin shone. Emmy felt more and more conscious of the blonde hairs on her legs glinting in the sunlight. But the longer she sat there, the more accustomed she became to their curiosity. She leant back on her arms and finally stretched out lazily under the sun. Closing her eyes, closed out the world, until the sound of thunder rattled underground.
Emmy jerked upright.
Some of the boys charged down the hillside, kicking up grass and dirt. One
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