Fracture

‘Bollocks.’ Allie ducked down low behind the legs of the statue. ‘Why is she looking for me?’

‘Well, she’s a prefect, so she might need you for prefect… ness,’ Rachel reasoned. ‘Or maybe she wants to beat you up for kissing her boyfriend.’

Allie swung at her but couldn’t reach her.

‘Steady,’ Rachel said, and a fit of giggles threatened to overtake them both.

‘Is she close?’ Allie hissed, trying to stay calm.

Rachel pressed her fingers against her lips. Covering her mouth with both hands, Allie watched as Rachel peeked again around the statue’s flared jacket. At that precise moment, Jules appeared in front of her, trying to see past her into the nook.

‘Oh, Rachel.’ Her tone was officious. ‘Have you seen Allie?’

Allie knew how much Rachel longed to lie at this moment – she could see it in the set of her shoulders, sense it in the way she gathered herself as she prepared to speak. She also knew Rachel was a terrible liar.

‘I’m right here.’ She stood up, looking at the prefect over Rachel’s shoulder. ‘What’s up?’

For a long second, Jules held her gaze. It was a challenging look; a warning. Maybe even a threat.

But all she said was: ‘Isabelle wants you in her office.’

Allie nodded then turned to give Rachel a meaningful look. ‘Take notes or something for me. When you see the others.’

‘Will do. Good luck.’ Behind Jules’ back, Rachel saluted her sympathetically.

Staying a step or two behind, Allie followed Jules out on to the grand landing. Around them, the white statues caught the late afternoon light and glowed like angels preparing to fly.

With each step, Jules’ Uggs made an annoying scuffing sound on the polished oak floors. Allie tried to work out which she hated more – the sheepskin boots or the fact that Jules got to wear her own shoes as a perk of being prefect.

‘How’s the gardening going?’ Jules asked suddenly.

‘Um… what?’ The question caught Allie by surprise. ‘You mean detention?’

Never breaking her stride, Jules nodded.

‘Fine, I guess,’ Allie said. ‘I mean, it’s stupid and pointless; I’m learning a valuable lesson… yadda yadda yadda…’

They walked in silence for a long time after that, the only sound the shushing of Jules’ shoes. Then: ‘And Carter’s still doing it too?’

Scuff, scuff, scuff…

Her eyes lowered, Allie tried to figure out what Jules was getting at. Surely she knew her own boyfriend still had early morning detention?

‘Yes, Carter too.’

Without warning, Jules rounded on her. ‘Why?’

Her aggressive tone caught Allie off guard; she stepped back, stumbling over her own feet. ‘Why… what?’

‘Why is he still gardening with you?’

Allie hoped her expression conveyed her belief that the prefect was losing her mind.

‘Because he’s got detention, Jules. Why else would anybody be out in the freezing cold at the crack of bleeding dawn three times a week?’

At that moment, to Allie’s astonishment, all the fight left the prefect. Her eyes filling, she turned away.

‘See, that’s my question, too,’ Jules said. ‘Carter hasn’t got detention. He hasn’t had it once this term.’

Allie stared at her blankly. ‘That’s crazy, Jules. He must do. You’ve got your information wrong…’

‘Oh please. I’m a prefect, remember?’ Jules’ tone was withering. ‘I get the detention list every day. He’s not on it. But he still goes out there with you…’

Allie’s stomach twisted. ‘I don’t… understand…’ she said faintly.

‘Don’t you?’ Jules didn’t look like she believed her. ‘Well, let me make it clearer for you. My boyfriend pretends to have detention at the same time as you when he doesn’t. He joins some imaginary gang and does God knows what every night. Again, with you.’ Jules wiped her eyes with the back of her hands. ‘He hardly talks to me any more but I see him talking to you all the time and he looks so… interested.’ She took a shuddering breath, then held Allie’s gaze with her wounded eyes. ‘Tell me the truth. Are you two together again? Behind my back… is he with you?’

Allie found herself utterly lost for words.

Carter had been out in the cold and the rain with her, day after day. Had he endured all that just so she wouldn’t be alone?

For just a second she wondered. Then she reminded herself of the look on Carter’s face when he talked about Jules and how much she meant to him.

This is what friends do for each other, she told herself. This is what a true friend does.

When she replied, she was surprised by how calm she sounded.

‘No, Jules. Carter and I are not together behind your back. I know for a fact he cares for you very much and would never cheat on you. You’re one of the people he cares most about in the world.’

Jules searched her eyes for any hint of deception but Allie didn’t flinch.

‘Then why is he doing these things?’ Jules’ lips trembled. A tear, crystalline as spring water, escaped from the dark blue pool of her eyes and tumbled down her cheek. ‘I just don’t understand him sometimes.’

Seeing imperious, unflappable Jules weeping was extraordinary. If she’d been anyone else Allie might have hugged her. But she was… Jules.

‘I know Carter is my ex-boyfriend but he’s also my friend. Our break-up really sucked. And then other horrible things… happened.’ In fact, at that moment, Allie longed for nothing so much as to tell Jo about this conversation, and the knowledge that it could never happen was so overwhelming it shook her. She tightened her hands into fists to steady herself. ‘I didn’t know Carter didn’t have detention. But I guess he’s been worried about me because… I’ve been through so much. It was a really nice thing to do. And I didn’t even…’ She took a ragged breath. ‘He’s a good guy, Jules. He really is. Probably one of the best guys I’ve ever known. You’re lucky to have him.’

Jules twisted her hands. ‘I just… I wish he’d be honest with me. He keeps things from me. Secrets.’

Allie tried to think of something soothing to say but this was Jules. And Allie had been St Allie of Cimmeria long enough for one afternoon.

‘I wish I knew,’ she said, taking a step away. ‘You should really… you know…’ another step ‘– talk to him. Listen, Isabelle is waiting for me.’ Making an apologetic face, she turned and walked away a little faster than was seemly.

As soon as she rounded the corner she broke into a run. With each step she felt lighter. Despite everything she’d just said her heart lifted at the thought that Carter had gone to such lengths to look out for her. To be her friend.

She skidded to a stop in front of Isabelle’s office and rapped impatiently on the carved oak door. ‘It’s Allie.’

‘Come in,’ a voice called.

Her thoughts still tangled up in Carter and Jules, Allie didn’t really pay attention to the sound of that voice. She turned the heavy brass handle. The door swung open.

Sitting comfortably in Isabelle’s chair, Lucinda Meldrum looked at Allie with eyes the exact same shade of grey as her own.

‘Hello, Allie,’ her grandmother said. ‘Tea?’

TWENTY-EIGHT

As Lucinda poured steaming tea into a bone china cup with the Cimmeria crest emblazoned on the side in dark blue, Allie sat across from her in a deep leather chair, watching her with hungry eyes, trying to memorise the