SEVEN #4
“I’ll take the compliment,” I added, placing my hands in front of me. “But I’m sure he was just being nice.”
“Nice and the Kings of Northridge don’t share the same space. You should remember that.” I didn’t know if she was being funny, so I kept quiet until she shot to her feet and offered me her hand. As Halo pulled me to my feet, she added. “Let’s get away from the smoke.” Motioning towards the BBQ.
She then shepherded us towards the empty sun loungers where Kieran had been earlier. Lowering her body onto one of the beds, which was covered with a bright pink towel, she hooked her foot under another one and dragged it closer.
I slid my sandals off my feet and plopped down next to her. There were three other sunbeds with towels and bags on, and the area was strewn with empty bottles and crushed red cups.
Stretching her legs out, she side-eyed me. “Let’s start again,” she said, offering me a lopsided smile. “I’m Halo Dumas, and please believe me when I say I don't usually act like a rabbit boiler with people I just met.”
“Bunny boiler,” I corrected, tilting my head.
“Right.” She pointed a finger at me, her gaze lingering a second too long to be casual. “That.”
And then she started talking about school. Halo was also seventeen and had already started Y12. After that initial awkwardness caused by a boy, she was quite easy to talk to.
Eventually, Jessa appeared and lowered herself to perch on the edge of Halo’s bed. It was instantly apparent that they knew each other. She thanked the younger girl for looking after me and then apologised for ditching me for Jordan. She then called him every name under the sun.
After getting herself comfortable, Jessa tugged one of the bags that had been pushed under a small table and withdrew a large bottle of green liquid.
“Time for the good stuff. Tommo made me this last night.” She then grabbed some empty cups, which were stacked on the table and handed them around.
“What shall we drink to, ladies?” Jessa asked, the bottle neck clinking against the rims of our cups.
“Definitely not, boys,” Halo interjected, raising her drink with a grin.
“How about we drink to Amelie?” Jessa replied with her cup in the air. “A toast to your first party of the year. You’re going to tear this school apart, and I, for one, can’t wait to watch.”
I had no idea what tearing a school apart actually entailed, but I mirrored their gestures, a sudden warmth blooming in my chest. It suddenly felt real: like I had girlfriends—actual, proper friends.
After we all took a drink of the neon liquid, I coughed as it burned the back of my throat.
The girls exchanged an amused look, and then Halo started talking about school again.
“At Northridge Academy, you are who you date,” Halo pointed out, yanking a hoodie over her head.
Her voice muffled for a second before her face popped through, eyes sparking.
“And Aaron Blake was eye-fucking you earlier, Amelie. Trust me, life is a lot smoother when you’re on the arm of one of the popular boys. ”
Kieran’s face flashed in my mind—cold, etched in stone, and utterly devastating. I thought of the girl from earlier, the way she leaned into him, and that sharp, bitter twist in my gut returned.
“Absolutely not,” Jessa snapped. The sudden steel in her voice made me jump.
“Why not?” Halo tilted her head, sounding genuinely disappointed. “He’s single. They’d look cute together. Besides, Aaron needs a distraction after what happened to his sister.”
The air seemed to thin. What happened to his sister? My mouth opened to ask, but Jessa cut me off before I could breathe it out.
“Too much baggage,” Jessa said firmly, waving a hand as if dismissing Aaron entirely. “You don’t want a guy who’s all doom and gloom. If you want a boyfriend, I’ll find you one who isn’t an emotional wreck.”
“I think I’m just going to focus on surviving the first week,” I explained, taking another drink. “You know, school will be so new to me.”
Halo looked confused. Of course, she didn’t know the truth—that I hadn’t set foot in a classroom for years. Jessa just gave me a knowing, small smile before refilling our cups.
The liquid was like a radioactive green. It tasted like chemicals and sugar, but as the party swelled around us, I let myself sink into the plastic of my sunbed. I was already composing the message to Sophie in my head. She’d be so excited that I had been to a party. Adam would probably do his nut.
Shit, I thought, a sudden spike of adrenaline hitting me. Maybe I’ll even kiss someone tonight. Isn't that the point of parties?
Beside me, the girls had descended into gossip. “Marshall and Megan have been hooking up in the gym all summer,” Halo whispered. “And did you see Zak Driver? His shoulders got huge over the break.”
I lifted the cup to my lips, listening to them chatter about the forbidden subject of boys, but my drink suddenly tasted flat. I realised the only person I could actually imagine kissing me was the one person who looked at me like I was irrelevant.
Kieran Rook.