Losing Faith (Surfers Way) (13 page)

“Ms Riley still busting balls, huh?”

He nods, his smile meeting his eyes. “Tell you what I will do, Ms Marone, is that I’ll give you a raincheck. I’ll kiss the eff out of you later.”

It’s almost hotter him saying ‘eff’ than if he’d said fuck. I take a step back, my eyes still trained on him. “Let me know when you’re ready and I’ll cash it in.”

“Deal,” he says. “It could be before you know it.” He winks and then heads back to his students, flashing me his tanned, toned calves with each step.

“’Kay. Guess I’d better get to work.”

“Later,” he says.

When I walk down the street towards The Strip, I smile and greet everyone who passes. I’m desperately in love with a beautiful man, and it’s a spectacular morning in the most beautiful place in the world. I’ve always loved Runaway Beach, but today it feels more alive than ever
. Quade Kelly has done that.

Can this day get any better?

---

I walk down The Strip past the real estate that specialises in holiday rentals, the grocery store, the bakery and Willow’s, the café that has been in business only a year. The locals and tourists rave about the coffee and gourmet food using organic ingredients, a lot of them sourced locally. I have to admit the coffee is to die for.

A squawk and a series of giggles comes from behind me.

“Well, if it isn’t Lacey Nosy-Fucker Marone,” a familiar bitch of a voice taunts.

The sound of her chewing a mouthful of gum has my hackles up within a split second.
Pia
. My day’s about to take a nosedive.

Play it cool. She’s just doing it to get a rise out of you. You’re better than this.

“Yeah, Nosy-Fucker,” Mindy mumbles behind her. Mindy and Rachel can barely hold my death stare. I guarantee they wouldn’t have the guts to even approach me if they didn’t have their head bitch with them. I’d hoped that one if not both of them would have got out of this stupid bitch triangle by now.

“You quit playing namby-pamby wannabe detective yet and finally woken up to yourself?” Pia says, chomping down on a giant ball of pink gum, the colour matching her painted pink lips that have grown in size since I saw her last. She looks like a thousand bees have descended on her mouth, but I know better.

“Nice to see you’re putting something else in your mouth these days, or is that just to mask the taste of c—”

“Everyone from our year hates you, you know?” she blurts out.

“Yeah,” the other girls pitch in symphony.

“At least I’m doing something worthwhile with my time. The only thing you look like you’ve been doing is getting more practiced with peroxide and lip filler. Oh, and I hear you’re doing awesome in the whole leg-spreading field.”

“Yeah, well at least I won’t die a virgin,” Pia says, and swings her jaw as she chews down on the gum ferociously.

I’m glad she doesn’t know the truth.

“At least I won’t die from an STD.”
Take that
.

She tilts her head to the side, and blinks and bats her fake lashes, her vacant stare revealing the obvious. She really is
that
dumb. “A what?”

“You don’t even know what it’s called? Wow. Here I was thinking you knew all about sexually transmitted diseases.”

“Well good luck even catching one, because you have no hope getting any boy in this town to touch you.”

Why don’t you tell me what you really think, bleach-head?
“You really should stop talking. I fear you’re growing dumber by the second. It’s pitiful to watch.” At this rate, she’ll forget where she lives.

Pia’s attention shifts to a figure that stands beside me.

“I didn’t think it’d take me too long to work out who the scrags were in town. You girls stand out like a fluoro sign in Kings Cross,” Lily says as she stands with her hands on her hips. She’s all attitude with a black cap backwards on her head and her long hair pulled into a side pony. Lily wears a black T-shirt with “Cereal killer” on the front with a skull formed out of milk and a bowl of cereal in the middle. Man, I love it so hard.

“Who the fuck are you?” Pia says with such disdain, looking Lily up and down and screwing up her face as if she’s covered head to toe in shit.

Lily takes a large step towards Pia. Bleach-head holds her ground in spite of Lily invading her personal space.

“A friend of Lacey’s, so watch your mouth,” Lily barks.

“Oh, yeah? Nice scar, bitch,” Pia taunts, tossing her hair back with a cackle.

She did not just go there.

Lily closes the gap between them so their feet are toe to toe, nose almost touching nose.

“Yeah, it is
nice
,” Lily says in a slow, controlled voice as she trails her index finger in a line down Pia’s cheek, mirroring her own scar. The intensity in her blue eyes is a little scary. “You should see the other chick. Not so pretty. Kind of like you?”

Tension prickles in the air and goosebumps ravage my skin. If there wasn’t a caked layer of foundation and blush on Pia’s skin, I guarantee we’d see the colour drained from her painted face.

Pia slaps Lily’s hand away from her. “Don’t touch me with your filthy hands,” she says, circling her fingers over her cheek as if she’s trying to rid herself of germs.

“Don’t talk shit to my friend—don’t so much as walk on the same side of the street as her. I’ll drop you and your plastic crew to the ground before you get a chance to blink those fucked up lashes.” Lily pushes her chest out and widens her eyes. “Well?” she spits out.

Pia pulls her drawn on brows together and wipes her cheek.

“You gettin’ the fuck out of here or what?” Lily says with a wave of one hand, close enough to Pia’s face that her hair moves with the breeze.

Pia takes a step back, bumping into her crew. Rachel yelps as Pia tramples her toes. The pack retreats, whining as they rush off down The Strip.

What the hell just happened here? Have I got myself a wingwoman now?

I turn to Lily who still watches their retreating forms. I place my hand on her shoulder, drawing her gaze.

“Oh my God, I think I love you,” I tell her as a giggle bubbles up my throat.

She wraps her arm around my shoulders and we walk towards the Palace. “I fuckin’ hate bullies. I’ve got no time or patience for them. Don’t even get me started on pretenders like them either. They would’ve been eaten alive on the inside.”

What a minute
… “Inside?” I squeak.

“
Inside
school. ’Cause it’s like a jail, right?” She nods as if she’s willing me to agree with her. I’m not sure I buy it.

“Your school must have been some kind of hell, then,” I say with a laugh.

“You have no idea.”

---

After an hour, Lily and I are sweating our butts off. It’s not that we’re any busier than usual for a Monday lunchtime, more the combination of the warmer temperature outside and the raging wood-fire oven. Lily’s done well with the phone orders today. Of course her language is much more proper than it was earlier this morning.
Ha
. I still can’t believe she attacked those bitches on my behalf. It feels good to have someone else in my corner.
Been a little quiet there for a while.

I turn towards the back of the shop to find Dad washing his hands in the basin. Sweat beads cling to his brow, and from the slump of his narrow shoulders I can tell he’s tired. I keep telling him he’s getting old. When will he start believing me?

“Go take a break, Dad,” I order. I don’t ask because he’d just say no.
I learnt that from my mother.

He lets out a heavy sigh. “Okay, Peppi. Might ’ead down to Willow’s for an espresso. I’ll take my phone just in case.”

“No rush. Lily and I have got this,” I assure him.

He looks to Lily, who writes down an order and then says “Thanks, we’ll see you soon,” and hangs up the phone. She rips a page from the notepad and hands it to me. “We’ve got this, Mr Marone,” she says with a killer smile for him.

“I keep telling you, child. It’s Enzo,” he says and matches her grin. He collects his wallet and phone and strolls out the front door.

Ten minutes later, I’m surprised he’s not back. Is this a test?

Using the wooden peel I place a margarita pizza into the oven. I take out the order for Carter and slide it into a pizza box, and then cut it into eighths. Is it the Carter I’m thinking of?

Mack’s mum waltzes into the shop and walks up to the register. Her faded brown hair is tied up in a loose bun on top of her head and she’s wearing white overalls over the top of a navy shirt which fits tight around her well rounded hips and gumboots. I wonder how their business on the farm is going. More importantly, I need to know what on earth has happened to Mack.

“Can I help you?” Lily asks.

“Yes, order for Carter, please.”

“Mrs Carter. Hey,” I say, and wave to get her attention.

“Lacey. I haven’t seen you in a while. How are you?”

I swallow down my nerves. I don’t want to talk about me. “I’m good. How’s Mack?”

Her thin brows pull together. “You know what? She’s finally doing better. She had a rough time earlier this week, but I went down to see her. She has some great friends in Sydney. In fact, did you know she’s dating Byron Leckie, the professional surfer?” Mrs Carter says as she hands cash over to Lily.

Say what? Mack is dating Byron?
Faith’s
Byron?

“I heard that he was from around here,” Lily says, as she passes Mrs Carter her change. “I saw him on the cover of a surfing magazine.” My friend turns to me and mouths
hot
.

I clear my throat and turn to Mrs Carter. “I just hope she’s happy, you know?” That’s all I’ve ever wished for her. But dating Byron? How did that come about?

Mrs Carter walks towards the front of the shop. “I think she’s happy. That’s all a mother can hope for.”

“Please tell her I miss her, ’kay?”
I leave the part out where I feel like slapping her silly for deserting me.

“I will.”

Then she’s gone.

I place my hand over my thumping heart. Mack’s with Byron. It’s kind of weird, considering we were all so close, but I guess it’s been a long time since Faith left us. Maybe they’ve been there for each other since it happened. They’ve supported one another. Even though it comes as a bit of a shock, I tell myself it’s a good thing. I’m happy for both of them. They’re good people, it’s just hard hearing the news from someone other than my BFF. I would have loved to share a giant bowl of popcorn with Mack over that conversation.
Damn I miss her.

I use the peel to take one of the far pizzas out now that the crust is a dark golden brown. I shovel it onto a pizza box, slice it and tuck in the cardboard at the corners.

The front door chimes, but my back is to it. I look to the register to see Lily bright-eyed and ready to take another order.

“What can I get you?” Lily says.

“I’m here to see
Peppi
,” a male voice barks.

Who the hell comes in our shop calling me that in such a tone? Only a few get the privilege of calling me Peppi.

I swing my head around to see Mr Unreliable with his arms crossed, wearing a nasty scowl.
Fuck.

What in the hell is Pete Fairfield doing here? I don’t see him for years and I run into him twice in so many days? And more to the point, why is the world throwing jerks at me today? It’s like the ghosts of my past have been stirred up by some cosmic storm. Are we due for a full moon?
Seriously
.

I tuck the corresponding docket into the pizza box and hand it to Lily to call out the customer’s name.

“What can I do for you, Pete?” I say in a polite tone, as I would to any customer.

“I need to talk to you. Alone,” he says, louder this time.

Oh no.

I take off my apron and nod in the direction of the end of the counter, where we might have a little privacy. Well, that’s if he keeps his voice down.

“I’m listening,” I say softly. If I yell, I’ll only aggravate him further. Whatever has his cheeks flushed and him huffing and puffing needs to be gotten off his chest.

“You broke my brother’s heart, you know.”

Huh? I did? When I’d left the morning after and I’d asked him to keep what happened between us, he’d basically ignored me and rolled over. That was the last I’d heard from him. I thought we had an understanding. I found out months later that he’d gone travelling. I had no idea where he was or what he was doing. Frankly, I didn’t care. I’d had other things to focus on and twenty-four hours of my life I’d wanted to forget.

“I’m sorry to hear that. I had no idea,” I say with a shrug.

“Well you wouldn’t, would you, because he basically packed up and went overseas and joined this bloody volunteer program. They’ve brainwashed him. He’s given up on his dream of playing representative soccer, thanks to you. He had such potential.”

“Is he okay?”

“No, he’s not. He’d crushed on you for years and you screwed him and screwed with his head. He still talks about you like you were the one that got away, how he should have told you how he felt. He’s still fucking hung up on you even though you treated him like dirt.”

The phone rings, the door chimes, and Lily calls my name as the register beeps repeatedly at her.
Gah!

“That’s n-not how it happened.”

“That you, Pete?” a familiar voice says from behind us. Pete doesn’t budge, continuing to drill me with his penetrating gaze as if he wished he had lasers for eyes.

Oh my God. Kill me now.

Quade slips his arm around my waist, moving so that he can get a closer look at the man holding my attention. The hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention and acid rises up my throat. Pete’s stare hardens.
Don’t do it, Pete.

“Hey bud, it is you,” Quade says, slapping him on the shoulder and then turning his blue eyes to me. “I’m here to tell you that you can cash in, Lace, and I’m also here to pick up lunch. Order under Kelly?”

Of course an order for a Peppi Special under the name Kelly would be him. Here I’d been thinking it was a girl named Kelly.
Face-palm moment
.

“Pizza’s ready,” Lily chimes.

“Does Quade know?” Pete asks, venom in his tone. Pete glances at Quade, glares at me, and then shifts his focus back to his friend.

Quade looks at me. I swallow the lump in my throat.

“Does Quade know what?” Quade probes. “Fill me in, guys.”