‘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.
Chapter 10
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 cafe. 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 cafe. An old-fashioned bicycle stood outside, with a basketful of flowers and a sign with the words CUPCAKE CAFE 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 Cafe 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?’
‘Go ahead, use whichever one you like. Will I wait a while before I serve your tea?’
‘Thanks, yeah, just need a few minutes,’ I said.
There was a long table by the wall with three white Macs sitting on it. I sat down in front of the one nearest the window.
I messaged Hannah, Sophie and Ross, letting them know that things were looking up in Avarna, but didn’t tell them about any of the weird episodes. I told them all about Nick and Colin and the others I’d met up in the forest. I didn’t mention the girl in the trees though. I had pushed that whole experience to the back of my mind. After I’d messaged them I messed around on the Internet for a bit. I read through a couple of blog posts. Then I typed Beth Cullen into the search box. Even though I didn’t like thinking about what had happened to her, I couldn’t help wanting to know more. The first result was an article from the
‘Hi, Jacki,’ said a voice from behind. I closed the tab and turned round. Emily was standing there, looking like a mini-rainbow in a polka-dot skirt, a stripy coloured T-shirt and purple Nikes.
‘One chocolate cupcake, please, Ali,’ she said, and then propped herself on the chair beside me.
‘What you up to?’ she asked, logging into the computer next to mine.
‘Nothing much,’ I said, clearing the search history with two swift clicks.
She looked even prettier in daylight. Her hair was a stunning dark red and she had a perfect button nose. She was smaller than me, maybe about five foot, and her nails were painted bright blue.
‘Anything interesting happen after we left last night?’ I said.
‘Nope, not really. I went home pretty soon afterwards.’ If she knew about my freak-out, she didn’t say anything.
‘Have you heard from Nick?’ I asked. I wondered how he was doing. And how long it would take him to get over Sarah…
‘No, I texted him, but he didn’t reply. Nobody’s heard from him yet. Poor guy. And he goes to the same school as her and everything. I’m so glad I go to an all-girls school. No fear of bumping into any ex-boyfriends.’
‘You go to St Mary’s?’ I said, noticing the transition-year pin on her bag.
‘Yep, I’m going into fifth year. Are you going there?’
‘Yeah, I’m going into transition year. I’m glad you’ll be there. At least now I’ll know one person.’ I was so relieved. Knowing just one person, even if they were in a different year to me, made the thought of the first day at school slightly less terrifying.
‘St Mary’s is actually an all-right place. I think you’ll like it. I’ll introduce you to lots of people, don’t worry. Put your number in there,’ said Emily, handing me her phone, which was decorated with purple diamante studs.
I put my name in, followed by a smiley face. I really was in a good mood now that school was a less intimidating prospect. I didn’t think I’d ever feel OK about the uniform though. Wine was so not my colour.
I noticed one new email. It was a friend request from Emily. I turned and smiled at her.
‘We’re officially friends now,’ she said jokingly.
Ali brought over the tea and cupcakes. We moved away from the computers and sat down at one of the tables. A few minutes later I noticed a dark-haired guy with glasses outside approaching the cafe door. He seemed to spot Emily and stepped back to check his reflection in the glass. When he saw me looking he stopped fixing his hair and opened the door.
‘David!’ said Emily. ‘You’re back!’ She got up and rushed over to the door to give him a hug. ‘How was your trip?’
‘Hi, Emily,’ he replied, blushing slightly from her embrace. ‘It was brilliant. Really cool.’
I remembered Nick and Colin had mentioned David at the table quiz. He had braces and was about a foot taller than Emily. From his reaction to her hug I guessed he was one of her many admirers.
