Angel Kiss (10 page)

‘Did you guys hear about Nick and Sarah?’ said Chris.

‘Yeah, what’s up with them?’ said Colin, abandoning the struggle, and brushing dirt off his denims. ‘They had a bit of a row in the pub. Nick seemed pretty mad.’

‘Well, he should be,’ said Emily. ‘She cheated on him.’

‘No way!’ said Colin.

It took a few seconds for what she had just said to register in my brain … No. Way.

Emily took out her phone and showed us a picture of what appeared to be Sarah attached to the face of some spiky-haired guy. ‘She ran into him at her cousin’s eighteenth in Dublin last week. Someone’s sister took this photo of them and sent it to Emma, who sent it to Carla’s cousin, who sent it to Carla, who sent it to me.’

‘So they’re finished then?’ I asked, maybe a little too eagerly. I felt bad for Nick, because I knew what it felt like to be cheated on. But I also felt unbelievably happy.

‘I reckon so,’ said Chris. This was shaping up to be the best night in a long time.

Chris handed me a can of cider and cracked one open for himself. I pulled Colin’s shirt tighter around me. I was cold but I didn’t care. Nick and Sarah were finished. And there was even a possibility that he might like me. I couldn’t believe my luck. And this was my first time out past midnight since we’d moved to Avarna. It was great just to be somewhere other than the caravan. Mum had a habit of going to bed annoyingly early, so
the past few weeks I’d only had my iPod for company after eleven. I loved just sitting here talking. We chatted about random things, our conversation spattered with shouts of disagreement and blasts of laughter.

‘Damn, you look good,’ Colin told his reflection in my owl-shaped pocket mirror.

‘Give me that!’ I said. My eyeliner had completely rubbed away and the spot on my forehead that I’d so carefully concealed earlier was starting to show again. I wanted to look my best, just in case Nick arrived.

‘Don’t worry, Jacki, you look great,’ said Colin, flipping the mirror closed and throwing it into my lap. ‘Sure you’ve already impressed Simon over there. What more could you want?’

Simon still couldn’t look me in the eye, and he went really red when I tried to make conversation with him. I gulped down the remainder of the can. I was starting to feel kind of nauseous after the vodka and Coke in Clancy’s. What was I thinking, mixing my drinks? That never ended well.

Chris lit a cigarette and offered me one.

‘No, thanks,’ I said.

‘Jacki doesn’t smoke – she’s a singer,’ explained Colin.

‘Wow, cool!’ said Emily. ‘I wish I could sing. I’ve never sung in front of anyone.’

‘I can sing,’ claimed Fitz. It was the first thing he’d said in about twenty minutes.

‘Ha, no, you can’t,’ said Simon with a snort.

Fitz took a deep breath, and then sang a few bars of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ impressively well.

‘Fitz, you legend,’ said Colin. ‘Apologize to the man, Simon.’

‘I stand corrected,’ admitted Simon.

‘
I
know,’ said Chris, ‘Let’s play I Never!’

‘What’s that?’ asked Emily, running her fingers through the pine needles beside me.

‘Well, basically you say something you’ve never done, like “Never have I ever … been caught by my parents getting stoned.” Then whoever has actually done the thing you said, has to drink. Like, if you had said that, Fitz would have drunk.’

‘Never have I ever … stolen something,’ said Chris. I’d never stolen anything ever. Nothing. Not even a jellybean when everyone else was stealing them from the sweet stand in the cinema. There was no way I could do it. Weird? Maybe.

Chris drank, Simon drank, Emily didn’t drink, Colin didn’t.

‘Never have I ever … got so drunk that I passed out,’ said Simon.

I didn’t drink. I’d never let myself go that far.

Colin drank, Chris drank, Emily didn’t.

‘Never have I ever had sex in the back of a car,’ said Fitz.

I didn’t drink for that one either. Not only had I never had sex in a car, I’d never had sex anywhere. Hopefully nobody would say that one.

Simon was the only one who took a mouthful from his can. I had a feeling he was bluffing.

‘Never have I ever kissed more than one person on the same night,’ offered Emily.

I drank. It was at a school disco when I was thirteen. I kissed my boyfriend at the time, then some random guy when my boyfriend went off with another girl. Those discos were never as good as we hyped them up to be.

Then it was my turn to think up something. ‘Never have I ever … had a crush on one of my teachers.’

Nobody drank, except for Emily.

‘
What?
’ she said. ‘Am I the only one? We have a really hot English teacher!’

One can of cider later and I was way past my limit. Usually I didn’t drink much at all. I was talking too loudly, and stuff that wasn’t even remotely funny seemed absolutely hilarious.

Chris twisted the tab of his beer can until it came off, then he flicked it away. I watched as it landed beside my shoe. My mind was sort of spinning so I rested my head on Colin’s shoulder. At least I’d forgotten about my headaches and nightmares and about what the doctor had said. I hadn’t forgotten about Nick though. There was still no sign of him, but I couldn’t give up hope that he would turn up. I would have given anything to see him walking out from those trees.

Simon came over and sat between Emily and me. I guess he’d got over his earlier embarrassment. I was beginning to regret that I’d drunk so much as he was being really chatty, but all I could think about was how unwell I was feeling. Had I really had that much to drink?

‘Are you all right?’ he said, shifting away slightly.

‘Yes … I’m fine … Think I’ll just go for a little walk in the woods.’ I tried to sound casual. ‘I’ll be back in a minute,’ I said, making my way over to the trees.

Colin called after me but I kept going.

My vision was getting blurry, just like it had in the back garden, and there was a stale taste in my mouth. Then something moved over to my right. The trees rustled and I heard someone walking behind me.

‘I’m OK,’ I said. ‘I’ll be back in a minute.’

But the footsteps kept going, past me and then further into the trees.

‘Who’s that?’

There was still no reply. I followed the footsteps. I’m not sure why, but something told me to. I could see a grey figure moving quickly through the trees up ahead. It would vanish for a second and then re-emerge, weaving in and out between the tree trunks. It moved very fast. Unnaturally fast. I quickened my pace, jogging in the same direction. After a few moments it slowed down and stood still. I was getting closer to it. Part of me said turn back, but another part said to keep on running. As I got closer I could make out the frame of a woman – slim and tall with long black hair, but I couldn’t distinguish her features. She was close but I just couldn’t focus on her face. I stopped maybe a metre away, squinting through the darkness.

‘Who’s that? I asked. ‘Who’s there? Who are you?’

She didn’t stay still for long. She came towards me and sped past. I jumped back and stumbled on a root, landing hard on the ground.

‘Are you OK?’ said Colin. I looked up to see him and Simon standing behind me.

‘Yes, I was just … the girl.’ I looked around, but couldn’t see her. I couldn’t understand how somebody could move that quickly.

‘We were worried there for a second. We thought we heard a scream.’ I didn’t remember a scream. Maybe I’d cried out when I’d hit the ground. My arm was grazed, but I was so confused I didn’t feel the pain.

‘Where’s she gone?’ I said. I looked around again, but she wasn’t there any more.

‘Who?’ said Colin.

‘There was a girl here. I … I saw a girl.’

Simon leaned over and looked into my eyes. ‘What did you take?’ he said. Great, I was acting so weird he thought I was on something. But I knew I’d definitely seen her.

‘She didn’t take anything!’ said Colin, pushing Simon away. ‘She just had too much to drink. Maybe she’s not used to it. I’ll take her home.’

‘Right so. Whatever,’ said Simon, heading back to the group.

‘There was a girl here, I swear!’ I didn’t understand why neither of them would believe me.

‘OK, Jacki, just take it easy. We’re going home now.’ He helped me to my feet.

I shivered as we walked along the path, the chill seeping through my skin. I had tried to explain to Colin that I wasn’t out of it, that I had seen a girl in the trees, but he was having none of it. The night had got even darker, a half-moon offering the only light from a starless sky. I pulled the baggy shirt tightly around me. Colin noticed and immediately offered me his jacket.

‘No, I can’t be taking all your clothes.’

‘I insist.’

I put on his jacket and instantly warmed up. Even though I was freaked out by what had just happened, I felt safe with Colin. He seemed to know every pothole and every protruding branch on that path. I stayed close behind him, mirroring his every move, so I wouldn’t trip over.

‘Tonight was fun. Thanks for inviting me up to the forest,’
I said, trying to forget about the girl. Was she just some strange hallucination? She had looked very real. Maybe I’d just had one drink too many as Colin thought. But Dr Cahill’s words kept coming into my mind:
something supernatural
.

‘So, do you like Simon?’ said Colin.

‘Oh … no. He’s all right, I guess. But he’s not …’

‘Not Nick?’ he suggested.

‘What? How did you –’

‘Doesn’t take a genius to work that one out. Just be careful Jacki, he can be a bit of a dickhead.’

‘What do you mean?’ Part of me didn’t want to know what he’d done in the past.

‘He’s just not very dependable. That’s all. I suppose he’s all right though, if you like the brooding handsome type.’ Nick was kind of quiet, and I guess that could come across as moody, but I found it strangely attractive for some reason. Colin was probably just looking out for me, not wanting me to get my hopes up. But it was too late for that.

When we reached the top of my lane I began to take off Colin’s jacket.

‘Keep it for tonight,’ he said.

‘There’s no need, honestly, sure I’m home now,’ I said, nodding in the direction of the caravan.

‘Well, OK. I’ll see you tomorrow, if you’re up to it.’ He smiled at me as he put his jacket back on.

‘Colin, I’m not even that drunk!’

‘OK. And I’m not even that gay,’ he replied, then turned and headed back down the lane.

I stood there until Colin had been absorbed into the darkness, and I could no longer hear his footsteps. I sat down on
the strip of grass beside our hedge and rested my head in my hands. Great, now most of my new friends thought I was on drugs, and Colin thought I was a complete lightweight. Probably every one of them thought I was very strange. I didn’t want to go inside. I didn’t want Mum to ask me how my night went. I didn’t want to lie down. I didn’t want to go to sleep. A song circled round in my head. The rhyme I’d heard the little girl singing in the hall earlier.

I slept in late the next morning – Mum had already left to meet the kitchen guy. I didn’t feel well at all. I made an empty promise to myself never to drink again, then put on some make-up. My eyes still looked tired. The recurring nightmare had become such a guaranteed part of my routine that I wasn’t even surprised when I’d woken up with a jolt, shaking and sweating. The nightmare was so strange. It was such a relief to wake up.

I ate a bowl of cereal and put on the least creased outfit from my suitcase – a short vintage floral dress and blue cardigan. Every time I opened the suitcase I felt guilty. I knew Alf’s open letter was hidden in my shoebox. I tried not to feel too bad though. It wasn’t like it was important … I’m sure he could do without a creepy note telling him to keep his mouth shut. But then I remembered reading somewhere that it was an actual crime to open someone else’s post. And if Mum found out she’d freak; she was really particular about that sort of stuff. I rummaged beneath the clothes and took the letter out. I was going to tear it up. I held it in my hands, and prepared to rip. But then something told me not to. It’s hard to describe, but I just had this feeling that something bad might happen if I did.
So I put it back underneath the clothes and snapped the suitcase shut.

Mum had left a pink Post-it note on the fridge saying she wouldn’t be back until late. I didn’t feel like spending the afternoon alone, so I grabbed my bag and headed for the café. I still felt kind of sleepy as I walked along, listening to Thin Lizzy on my iPod. But there was a nice breeze in the air, so I’d completely woken up by the time I reached the café. An old-fashioned bicycle stood outside, with a basketful of flowers and a sign with the words
CUPCAKE CAFÉ
in bold pink lettering. I peered in the window. A woman was busy arranging a display of cupcakes on the counter. She spotted me, unlocked the door and ushered me inside.

‘Hello,’ she said. ‘Lovely day, isn’t it?’ She wore a badge with the name ali attached to her apron with a little daisy pin. I guessed she was about fifty. She had a pretty oval face and her hair was tied up in a messy bun.

‘So you’re open again?’ I said.

‘We are indeed,’ replied Ali, placing the final cupcake on to the stand. The little cakes had icing in assorted pastel colours; some had sprinkles and some had little edible butterflies on top. The Cupcake Café was one of the cutest places I’d ever seen. The walls were covered with pale pink polka dots, there were white tables with pretty placemats and chairs with pink cushions. Fairy lights were draped around the pillars at the counter and jam jars with little candles were scattered around the place.

I picked up a menu and read through it.

‘What can I get you?’ Ali asked. ‘We have a nice selection of teas and smoothies and pastries. And of course our famous cupcakes.’

‘I’ll have a strawberry tea. And a pink cupcake,’ I said. ‘And can I use a computer?’