Ignite

Chapter 23

"FORE!"

Emmy's scream echoes around the oval before she hits the golf ball off her tee with a decided thwack. Aleisha and I follow its journey with our eyes, watching as it lands just past the one hundred and fifty metre mark.

"Well done, Emmy!" Coach Zion yells from the other side of the field and Emmy turns back to us, a shit-eating grin dominating her face.

"Golf is clearly my calling. Who knew?"

"Not the D you're currently getting for P.E., that's for sure," I say.

Emmy rolls her eyes and sits down next to me as Aleisha gets up for her turn.

"Don't be ridiculous," Emmy says. "I'm Korean. I'm not allowed to get a D in anything."

It's Thursday afternoon, late summer and stiflingly warm, and for P.E. today, Zion had decided we practice a more stationary sport.

As always, Aleisha, Emmy and I had headed to the oval's far corner and claimed the shade of a lone gumtree.

Usually, being this close to the boy's fence gave me mild anxiety because Lewis has P.E. on the same line as us. But today, I find my gaze drifting, scanning the oval on the other side with more anticipation than usual.

"What are you up to this weekend?" Emmy asks. "Wanna head down to the beach? My family's going and they said I could bring you and Aleisha along."

My stomach spasms at the mention of the weekend and I tear my gaze from the boy's oval, watching Aleisha line up her shot. I hadn't told Emmy and Aleisha about Ravenhall, and I certainty wasn't planning to unless it was absolutely necessary.

"I don't think I can. Jake and I already have plans."

Emmy scoffs. "Plans that are better than lying in the sun and getting a tan?"

"No, but I can't get out of them."

Emmy catches the iron in my voice and she sighs.

"Fine. Help me decide which bikini I should wear, though. I don't know if I should go with my red one, which is super sexy but leaves strange tan lines, or my white one. It's not as nice, but it's strapless so I get a more even tan. What do you—"

Emmy's voice fades away, disappearing to nothing, and I squint at her.

She's looking at the ground suddenly, her shoulders tense. I'm about to ask what's wrong, but then I notice Heather hovering behind us.

Heather's face is twisted with embarrassment, her step paused midway, and I realise Emmy must've seen her walking towards us and trailed off, turning her back.

"Hi Claudia," Heather says, her voice forcefully cheery. "I was just wondering if you guys could fit another person in your group?"

"Oh. Yeah, su—"

"We're full, sorry."

Emmy's words come quick, slicing through mine, and I blink at her. She's still turned away from Heather, head down, refusing to look up.

For a moment, I'm completely unsure what to do, and I simply sit there, mute, as Heather's eyes flash with hurt.

"Not a problem. I'm sure I can fit somewhere else."

She continues past, moving to the group beside us and correcting their posture with more vehemence than usual.

I turn back to Emmy.

"What was that?"

Emmy blinks up at me.

"What was what?"

I gesture between her and Heather, my eyes wide. "That."

"Oh. Nothing. I just don't feel like talking to Heather today. So, anyway, what do you think? Sexy red bikini or plain white?"

She's looking at me expectantly, jumping back to our old conversation as if Heather hadn't appeared at all, and I want to just recommend a bikini and be done with it but I find myself irrationally angry with her.

"Why were you so rude just then? I thought you guys were friends?"

Emmy's eyes widen in surprise, her face flushing.

"We're not... I mean, I wouldn't call her a friend."

"What would you call her then?"

Something in my tone makes Emmy flush brighter.

"I dunno. Why does it matter?"

I frown at her, wishing I could tell her that I know, that we all do.

"Come on, Emmy. I'm not an idiot. What's going on with you two?"

Emmy shoots me a glare so fast I almost recoil.

"Just drop it, Claude, okay? Nothing's going on. Heather doesn't matter to me and I don't treat her any differently to anyone else."

I'm still staring at her when Aleisha appears at my side, oblivious to our conversation.

"Your turn, Claude," she says, holding out the golf club to me.

I grab it and stand up, slightly dazed by what's just happened.

"You're coming to the beach with me on Saturday, right Aleisha?" Emmy asks. "Claude says she can't."

"Yeah, I'll be there."

"Great. Maybe I'll invite Harper too."

Aleisha frowns at her and Emmy sighs.

"Come on, he's not that bad."

"No, I know. Harper's lovely. I just thought you'd invite Heather or someone like that."

Aleisha says this just as I'm turning away, about to walk up to the tee, but her words make me spin back around and Emmy and I lock eyes.

"I'm not inviting Heather," she says, more to me than Aleisha.

"That's a shame," I say. "If you were, I'd recommend the red bikini. She'd definitely appreciate it."

From the way Emmy's eyes widen, I know she understands what I've meant. The full, terrifying extent of it.

And I also know she's about to scream at me.

So, I turn and walk up to the tee, smashing a ball down the field the moment I get there. 

...

Next chapter out in a week :)

- Skylar xx