An Innocent Betrayal

1. Unaccounted For

An impenetrable, untouchable clique. A hopeless band of misfits who had been friends long before anyone thought to tell them there are some things in life that your mother can’t fix, that love is the greatest weapon and that there are some people who you are just destined to lose.

Tobyn O’Reilly. Calleigh Nesbitt. Benjamin Walker. Damien Carswell. Olivia Jamieson. Theo Jackson.

Six names. It seemed people couldn’t think one without immediately thinking of the other five. Six people who were so inextricably linked they were often considered as a single entity. This was how my friends and I had existed for so long it was impossible to remember life without them.

Our final school year in Hamilton High had just come to end and we had every intention of spending the summer before university fitting in as many plans as possible. So, on a sunny afternoon late in June, we were meeting in the Ronnie’s, the local cafe.

As I walked in to meet the others, a bell chimed above the doorway setting off a chain reaction of eyes turning in my direction. As always, I was the last to arrive. A cheer rose up in the air from our table as I took the vacant seat between Theo and Olivia.

“Yeah yeah, I get it, I’m late,” I rolled my eyes, unable to stop the smile from spreading across my lips.

“We were beginning to think that you weren’t coming,” Damien joked, earning him a mock dirty look.

“Yeah, we were about to send out a search party,” Theo chimed in, the others laughing.

“Totally. Then we remembered who it was that was late...” Olivia teased with a good natured smile. 

“Aw, leave her alone, it takes time to look that good,” Calleigh winked theatrically from her seat across the table, Benji’s arm draped casually around her shoulders.

Calleigh and Benji had been together for three years; eventually caving to what I and the others knew to be inevitable. They were made for one another, like two pieces of the one puzzle: the same teasing sense of humour, the unconventional love for morbidity, the way Calleigh fit perfectly into the crook of Benji’s arm, even the same resplendent ultramarine eyes. The one glaring difference between the two was Calleigh’s champagne cascade of hair in comparison to Benji’s piceous mop, but the colours were in such beautiful contrast to one another it could almost be forgiven.

 “Well, we can’t all be as fabulous as you, honey,” I smouldered at her, pouting ridiculously and wiggling my eyebrows suggestively.

“Hey you vixen, keep your eyes off my woman!” Benji scolded me playfully, wrapping his arms around her protectively and pulling her more tightly towards him.

“She loves it,” I drawled, keeping up the pretence as long as I possibly could before my face broke into a ridiculous grin. “Anyway, what’s the plan?”

We spent the rest of the afternoon going over the things we wanted to do most and deciding which of them would be most feasible; agreeing on a boozy weekend in Newcastle but torn on a week’s holiday to Spain.

When we felt we’d attracted a sufficient number of disapproving looks in response to the constant stream of laughter coming from our table in the quiet cafe, Benji suggested that we head back to his. Settling the bill, we walked out into the late summer sunshine and lazily made the five minute walk from Ronnie’s to Benji’s house.

As 2am rolled around, I felt my eyes begin to droop where I lounged on the sofa, head rested on Calleigh’s shoulder. Feeling the change in weight as my body relaxed into sleep, she turned her head towards me.

“Are you tired baby?” she asked softly, running her fingers through my hair. I nodded, mumbling unintelligibly in reply.

“Okay, I guess it’s about time we got you home,” she replied, getting up sharply and letting me drop unceremoniously onto the couch.