“Well, I’m glad Mr. Marsden liked our last articles,” Willow told Rune as she closed her locker.
He snorted. “That was the most inoffensive piece of fluff I’ve ever written, accurate as it was. If he’d had a problem with them, I’d have considered getting shut down by him a badge of honour.”
“At least he’ll be less on us now,” Willow replied. “I think he was looking for a reason to shut us down after the pep rally.”
Rune chuckled. “Yeah, but it was totally worth it.”
The sound of footsteps approaching drew their attention. Expression flickering briefly, Ed stopped in front of them. Willow frowned, eyeing her cousin. “Do I need to remind you of my willingness to beat you into the ground?”
Ed crossed his arms. “No. I’m not here to talk about that. I take it you’ve heard about the bush party this weekend,” he said.
Willow nodded while Rune studied her cousin. “Who hasn’t? Jesse’s parents are out of town, so he’s getting everyone over to the dunes across from his place. I think half the school’s planning on showing up. Why?”
“I was going to go, to keep an eye on any of the cousins who showed up, make sure they don’t get in over their heads, that kind of thing,” he said, glancing at Rune briefly. “But I have to work.”
She sighed. “Let me guess, you want me to go instead?”
“Someone has to.”
“Can’t Darby do it?”
“She’s got work early Sunday morning so she’s out too.”
Willow rolled her eyes. “Are any of the younger ones even going?”
“I asked already. Carol, Nathan, and Francis are all planning on going. I don’t know about the grade nines yet. Please Willow?”
She sighed again. “Fine. But you owe me for this.”
Ed smiled. “Gotcha. I’ll let the others know, so they know who to come if they run into any problems. I’ll see you.”
Willow raised her hand in a half wave, watching her cousin disappear around the corner. Then she turned to Rune. “Sorry. Looks like hiking’s off this weekend.”
He shrugged. “That’s fine. Hey, would you mind if I tagged along with you to the party?”
“Mind? You’d be a lifesaver! At least I’d have someone to talk to who’s capable of intelligent conversation. The last party I went to, everyone ended up sloppy drunk within an hour, and I was stuck sitting awkwardly in a corner. I didn’t think you’d want to go, or I’d have asked.”
“I’ve never been to a WASS party before. I’d like to see how they’re different.”
Willow shook her head. “I doubt they are any different. But hey, tell me what you drink and I’ll bring it as a thank-you for enduring the party with me.”
Rune blinked. “You drink?”
“Yeah. When you have as many older cousins as I do, it’s wicked easy to get booze, especially when they’ve all been in the same boat you have. And what with how close together the family lives, more than a few of us drink. As long as we’re careful, the adults don’t really care. So what’s your poison?”
“Beer’s fine.”
“Any preference for type?”
He shrugged. “I don’t drink often enough to really know.”
Willow smiled. “Alright then, I’ll just get Felicia or Dean to pick up enough for both of us. They’re probably the most chill of those legal and still at home. I can probably con one of them into giving us a ride out there too, but we’ll probably have to cab it back. When do you want to head out?”
“I heard it’s supposed to start at eight or nine.”
“Then I guess we can head out at like nine thirty. By the time we get there, it’ll be closer to ten, which will still be early, but I know Ed wants me to be there pretty much the whole time in case the cousins get into trouble.”
Rune shook his head, smiling. “Your whole family’s pretty protective, isn’t it?”
“I guess. Oh, I forgot to ask, your mom’s going to be okay with you going out to this party, right?”
He laughed. “If you only knew how many times she’s been on me to be ‘more social’ as she puts it. She’ll probably thank you for getting me out of the house.”
“That’s good. I’d hate to get you trouble.”
Rune nodded, his lips twitching. “Good. I was pretty sure it was my job to get us both into trouble.”
YOU ARE READING
Silver Bound Girl
FantasyWillow's a Byron and they aren't just your average family. Not just because there are so many of them, but because they have secrets and traditions far outside the norm. Like spending as much time outside as in, and doing everything to keep rumours...
