While the outside of Paul and Thom’s place looks like a gingerbread house from a fairytale, the inside most definitely does not. The cottage is a disaster-zone. Someone has been sleeping on the couch, and another bed has been made from two chairs and a door. There’s a laptop and printer on a sideboard, along with a whole bunch of other stuff: textas, badges, t-shirts. An old-fashioned writing desk is covered with takeaway containers and LPs. One set of curtains has been ripped almost off the rod, and the room smells strongly of boy.
‘So much for security,’ says Wolfboy, shutting the front door and switching on an overhead light that doesn’t work. He turns on a table lamp with a colourful glass shade instead.
‘What kind of house is this?’
‘It used to be a historical museum; you know—come see how the old-timers lived. But when the Darkness happened everyone forgot about it until Paul and Thom adopted it as their bachelor pad. Funny, huh?’
‘Yeah.’
That explains the odd mix of antiques and boy arte-facts. I spot a pair of jocks stuffed in a milk jug. Gross.
‘They’re definitely not home.’ Wolfboy taps out a quick message on his phone. ‘At least we can clean up.’
‘Is that your polite way of telling me I look like shit?’ ‘You look great,’ he lies. ‘But there’s a basin around that corner if you need it.’
I cringe when I see my reflection in the mirror above the basin. My glamour turban doesn’t hide my frizzy hair and I have panda eyes. The rest of my make-up has worn away. I take the jumper off and wear the sequined jacket over my Wildgirl shirt. The eyeliner dissolves with water. I consider using one of the toothbrushes balanced on the basin and then decide I must be temporarily insane. Toothpaste and a rinse will have to do. I test my breath by holding my hand in front of my mouth. Sweet cheeses. I’m glad Wolfboy ate the same kebab as me.
When I return to the main room Wolfboy is sitting in a rocking chair, hoeing into a chocolate bar. The plastic bag full of herbs is in his lap and the room smells of pizza. Wolfboy’s cheeks are all chipmunky with chocolate and caramel. He holds out his phone so I can read the screen: i’m in LOVE capital letter love Wolfboy grins. ‘What you have to understand is that Paul falls in love at least once a week. But he won’t be coming home soon. He and Thom have gone to a party in the bush.’
I can’t take my eyes off the bag in Wolfboy’s lap. We’ve had chocolate all this time. How could I not know this? My stomach gurgles. ‘Have you got any more of those?’
‘Oh, sorry.’ Wolfboy offers me the bag. He holds my gaze a second too long and then looks down. I wonder if he’s feeling what I’m feeling, that we are alone in a house together. It’s not like when we were at Wolfboy’s. Thank god Paul and Thom are undomesticated. Imagine if there was a giant double bed in the middle of the room. Now that would be awkward.
I fish around in the bag until I find a bar, tear the wrapper off, and cram the chocolate in. My mouth floods with sweetness. Small flecks of oregano have invaded my mouthful but I don’t care. So. Good.
Wolfboy gets up to use the basin.
‘I just realised we left Blake’s bike by the fence,’ I say to his back. ‘Yours too.’
His voice floats around the corner. ‘I’ll get the bikes another time. If someone’s pinched them then I’ll get Blake another. I never ride mine anyway.’
I cram another bar in and find Wolfboy’s bag lying near the front door. I lay the borrowed jumper flat and put my things in the middle. Wallet, phone, keys, lip balm, the coaster I nabbed from Little Death. My phone is still off. Shit.
My mum.
Without a doubt I’m out past curfew, by hours.
She’ll have no idea where I am. I’ve stayed out before, but usually after we’ve had a fight, and never all night. I always let her know where I am: it’s part of the deal we have. I bundle my things in the jumper, but keep my phone out.
I sit on the couch and wait for my phone to power up. Wolfboy wanders back into the room with no shirt on, drying under his arms with a handtowel. His chest isn’t as hairy as I thought it would be. I had my face right up close to his, my lips on his lips, less than an hour ago. My phone beeps once.
Twice.
Three times.
Four.
‘Your mum?’ asks Wolfboy. I have four messages— two voicemails and two texts. Oh god. I can’t listen to the voicemail, not now. I scroll down to the text messages.
Baby, let me know you’re safe. That’s all.
My mum is the only person I know who uses correct punctuation in a text message, and refuses to abbreviate a single word.
And the second: PS. I’m not mad. Stay where you are, but let me know you’re safe.
I’m not mad. Why wouldn’t she be mad? She should be. Unless…I wonder if someone’s told her about what happened at school. I can’t think of anyone who would. I’m the only person in the Commons who goes to Southside. There’s no way she could find out. Unless a teacher…?
When I look up from my phone Wolfboy has put on a different shirt and is looking at me, concerned.
‘Who was that?’
‘My mum.’
He sits in front of me, on the packing case that Paul and Thom use for a table. ‘Is she going to ground you for life?’
‘No. She wants to know where I am. Well, she doesn’t even want to know that. She just wants to know I’m safe.’
‘You’ve got a pretty cool mum, then?’
‘Yeah. No. I don’t know.’
I reach forward and grab his arm, feeling the muscle move under his shirt and skin. If Mum knows what happened, she’ll go in to bat for me at school and probably make things worse. If she believes that it’s not me in the photo, that is. My throat closes up. ‘I haven’t come clean with you about everything.’
Wolfboy instantly looks worried.
‘I’m in the shit at school. That’s why I came out tonight, and that’s why I was drinking like a fish. When I found the card I thought it was the answer to my problems: I could just run away.’
‘Did you get suspended or something?’
‘No, nothing like that.’ If I tell him more will he start to see my faults too? I take a deep breath. Wolfboy’s told me the worst things about his life. I can do this.
‘It’s just that everyone hates me at school.’
‘Everyone? Every single person in the school?’
‘Seems like it. I can’t figure out what I did. I know I’m not the easiest person to be around sometimes, but still…’
‘Did you get into a fight?’
‘Not really, not a physical one. It might be easier if we did just slap each other and get it over with. It’s mostly this one group of girls, but they have sway in my year level. The government should probably hire them for their expertise in psychological warfare.’
Wolfboy shakes his head. ‘I haven’t known you for very long, but one thing I do know is that you’re a good person. I can’t imagine why anyone would hate you. Look at the way you got along straightaway with Paul—he’s the world’s most awkward person—and how you charmed the pirates and that guy in the elevator. Who could hate you?’
I rest my head on Wolfboy’s arm. His kindness puts me in danger of crying again. I can’t tell him any more. Everything at home is still waiting for me. The thought makes me feel exhausted to my core. I’ve got to go back. ‘Can we rest for a little while?’
‘Sure. I’m not tired, but why don’t you lie back and I’ll wake you in a bit?’
Wolfboy ruffles my hair. He looks like he’s going to lean in and kiss me on the cheek, but maybe I flinch or have a strange expression on my face because he stands up and moves away. He makes himself comfortable in the rocking chair again and picks up a comic.
I take off my boots and sink into the couch. I’ll just close my eyes for a few minutes.