Deity

‘Rusty’s right. There’ll be other times,’ said Kyle. ‘When I’ve. .’ He hesitated, then smiled sadly. ‘But thanks, Ade.’

Adele’s face hardened. ‘Suit yourself,’ she replied. ‘You can sit in the corner fondling your Morrissey posters and feeling sorry for yourself. But I’m coming round at seven with your present and you damn well better be there, Faggot.’

Kyle’s mouth fell open and there was shock and surprise around the table. Adele raised an eyebrow and glared at Kyle and he glared back. A second later Kyle’s mouth curved into a huge grin as Adele started to chuckle. ‘You saucy bitch,’ he screamed at her in his campest voice. ‘You’re so un-PC, girlfriend.’

‘That’s a date then.’ Adele laughed and everyone joined in. Even Rusty managed a thin smile.

Kyle looked around the table. ‘And you guys are all invited.’

‘Going Bournemouth,’ repeated Fern.

Becky looked at her sternly. ‘Yeah, leave me dangling, ho — that’s dread.’ She turned reluctantly to face Kyle. ‘I normally wouldn’t waste a Friday on you, Faggot, I want that understood, but if Fern’s dumping me then I’m sure I can find an hour for you — as long as we’re not listening to the fucking Smiths all night.’

Kyle smiled at her. ‘Great. I’ll lay on some booze. Uncle Len can afford it. What about you, Geek Boy? You gonna come?’

Rusty looked at him, puzzled. ‘Me?’

‘Yes, you.’ Kyle nodded.

Rusty was still confused. ‘You mean come to your party? As a guest?’

‘No, as a waiter, you sherm. Yes, as a guest.’

It took him a little time for the penny to drop. Then his face lit up. ‘I could film it for you,’ he said. ‘You’ll be the stars. And I promise I won’t get in the way.’

‘We’ll let you know if you do.’

‘And I could bring another DVD,’ he said excitedly. ‘Have you seen Badlands?’

‘Is it as good as Picnic at Hanging Rock?’ asked Adele.

‘You liked that?’ asked Rusty.

‘It was wicked,’ said Kyle. ‘Wondrous.’

‘Pretty good,’ conceded Becky.

Fern looked less certain but nodded in agreement. If Becks liked it, she liked it.

Rusty managed to lift his head towards Adele. Her eyes were still red from the tears. ‘What about you? Ade?’

Adele stared off into the distance. ‘Haunting,’ she said finally.

Rusty smiled and looked briefly at each in turn, before returning his eyes to the floor.

Becky held her hands open. ‘Just one thing, Geek Boy. What happened to the three girls in the film?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, where did they go?’

‘They disappeared. They walked up Hanging Rock and were never seen again.’

Becky pulled a face. ‘I know that. But it’s a film — what happened to them in real life?’

‘You’re missing the point, Becks,’ said Kyle.

‘I’m missing the point? Cheeky fucker.’

‘But you are,’ said Kyle. ‘See, it doesn’t matter what happened to them.’

‘It matters to me.’

‘Kyle’s right,’ said Adele. ‘What matters is they left of their own accord, on their own terms.’ She looked over at Kyle, who held her gaze for a second.

‘Oh, is that what matters?’ said Becky. ‘Well, that’s not what matters to me, Ade. I want to know if they really died. I mean, they must have found out what happened. Three girls can’t just vanish like that, can they?’

‘One of them was found a week later, remember,’ said Rusty. ‘But she had no memory of what had happened.’

‘D’uh!’ said Becky. ‘I’m not a mong. I saw the film.’

‘Yes, you did. And you should already know the most important thing,’ said Kyle. ‘They left their pain behind them for everyone else to bear.’

‘Yeah, okay, they left their pain behind. Boo hoo! But what actually happened to them?’ she insisted. ‘I can’t write a five-hundred-word review on just that. Three girls climb a rock and disappear. End of.’

‘It’s a mystery,’ said Rusty, risking another smile.

‘Stop grinning at me, Geek Boy, or you’ll be wearing your teeth as a necklace.’

‘He fancies you.’ Fern laughed, leering at her friend. Rusty looked away, suddenly flushed.

Becky sidled round to him and put a hand up to stroke his cleanshaven cheek. ‘Course he does. He’s got eyes, hasn’t he?’ She remembered a line from the film. “Am I your Botticelli Angel?” ’ She giggled at Fern then turned back to Rusty and kissed him on the same cheek. ‘Mmm, you’ve got quite the manly stubble, haven’t you, Geek Boy?’ She laughed.

‘Don’t be dread, Becks,’ said Adele.

‘What?’ Becky held her hands open to underscore her innocence.

Rusty didn’t move, a faint smile fixed on his face. He pulled the camcorder up to hide his reddening features and began filming her.

Becky’s expression betrayed an objection but she didn’t voice it. ‘Stop hiding behind that thing, Geek Boy. Tell me.’ Rusty kept filming so Becky gave in and pouted at the lens, fluffing up her curly blond hair with her hands and striking several poses. ‘I mean, if it’s based on a true story, where did they go?’ she said as she looked at the camera with a startled expression.

‘Here’s a theory even somebody shallow and superficial can understand,’ said Adele, an icy edge to her voice. Becky narrowed her eyes. ‘Without doing a day’s work in their lives, those girls became famous. They were frozen in beauty and time forever and here we are talking about them over a hundred years later. Jealous?’

Rusty put the camcorder down and smiled hesitantly at Adele. ‘That’s very clever, Ade.’

‘Jealous? Me?’ sneered Becky. ‘You mental bitch.’

‘When I go that’s what I want,’ said Fern. ‘People everywhere talking about me, missing me. It’ll be so sad. Like Romeo + Juliet.’

‘Kylie’s the jealous one,’ continued Becky. ‘He’d have loved going to a girls’ school, wouldn’t you, sweetie?’ She directed her laughter towards Fern, who cackled her approval.

‘All those gorgeous dresses to wear,’ Fern answered.

Kyle managed a good-humoured middle finger.

‘Never mind, Geek, I can guess what happened,’ replied Becky, sitting back down. ‘I’ll bet those blokes raped and murdered them. Only sensible solution. Men are only interested in one thing. Isn’t that right, Kyle?’

Kyle squirmed under her accusing gaze but this time didn’t react. The limelight shifted quicker that way.

‘No answer from Faggot.’ Becky downed her drink and stood to leave. Fern followed suit. ‘Well, I’ll see you all at Sad Bastard Central tomorrow night. And you better not tell any cool people I’m coming to your party, Kylie.’

‘I don’t know any,’ quipped Kyle.

Becky glared at him but decided not to challenge. She stalked away as if on a catwalk, Fern trailing in her wake.

Rusty stood to film them as they walked away. ‘Poor Becky.’

‘What do you mean?’ asked Kyle.

Rusty stared at the table. ‘To be so ugly inside.’

Adele gazed at him, a thin smile forming around her mouth. ‘Maybe it’s a cry for help, Rusty.’

Rusty turned the camera on Adele but lowered it when she became uneasy. He looked into her dark eyes briefly.

‘Do they really not know what happened to those girls on the Hanging Rock?’ asked Kyle.

‘No, though there are lots of theories,’ said Rusty, finishing his drink. ‘The favourite is that they were buried under a rock fall somewhere near the summit. Me? I prefer not to know. That way they do live forever.’