22

Facing the Future

I knew when I went on the trip to Crater Lake that I was going to be homesick, but I didn’t realise how much.

It’s 8.37am. (I know that cos I got my phone back.) And I’m sitting on the sofa in the snug room at my house.

Katja and Chets both managed to call for help, and not long after my final showdown with Hoche, the police showed up, followed by ambulances, some official-looking guys in suits and all of our parents. They’d found Trent not far from the activity centre, crying on a tree stump. He’d used up all the oxygen, run out of snacks and got lost in the woods. They asked us some questions while we were there, and then let us go home to rest.

I’ve sat here a million times – this is my favourite room in the house. But this time, it’s different.

‘I can’t believe you kept this house hidden from us all this time,’ Chets says. ‘It’s like a mansion.’

‘And there was everyone thinking you were a tramp from the wrong side of the tracks.’ Mak shoves a whole burger into his mouth.

‘I never said we were poor,’ I say, and dunk a chip in some ketchup.

‘Well, now we can come here every weekend.’ Katja is lying at the other end of my sofa, yawning like she hasn’t slept for, well, two days and two nights. ‘You’ll still come, won’t you, Ade and Chets? Even though you’re going to Bing with the genius kids.’

‘I’m not going to Bing,’ Ade says.

‘What?’ Mak nearly chokes on his burger.

‘I never said I was going there. It’s not for me. I’m going to Latham with you guys.’

We all stare at her in surprise.

‘It’s like I told you at Crater Lake,’ she says. ‘People are always making assumptions.’

Our parents are all in the kitchen having some kind of crisis meeting, so we eat and chat and laugh together, until the tiredness starts to catch up with us.

Katja falls asleep first, curled up like a kitten.

Then Mak just passes out on the floor, with a pillow under his head. I guess he’s used to sleeping rough, so our carpet is probably pretty comfortable in comparison.

Adrianne lies on the other sofa, her face turned away, just like she slept with my CPAP at the centre.

‘You’re never coming to Bing, are you, Lance?’ Chets says.

‘No. I’d never get in there, and I’d hate it if I did.’

‘How will I get by without you?’

‘Chets,’ I say, looking over to where he’s made himself a nest on the floor. ‘Think about what you’ve been through over the past few days. You’re going to be just fine.’ And I believe that – I honestly do.

‘I don’t think Trent’s going to mess with me anymore,’ he says.

‘No chance. You were a bad-A.’

‘I was, wasn’t I?’ He’s grinning bigger and bolder than I’ve ever seen him grin before. ‘We’ll still be friends, though, right?’

‘Wherever we go, whatever we do, even if we don’t see each other for ages, I promise you that you will always, always be my friend.’

‘You too,’ he says. ‘My best friend. Night, Lance.’ And he lets his head fall onto the pillow. Within two minutes, he’s snoring gently, like a bear cub.

My eyes are so heavy, and my head is full of thoughts and feelings. I look around at my friends and wonder why I didn’t let them in sooner. Crater Lake has changed my life, in so many ways. And I know that no matter what lies ahead, I’ll deal with it. Actually, we’ll deal with it together.

 I turn on the CPAP and strap the mask to my face, listening to the comforting soft whirr of its pumps filling the tube with oxygen. Then I let my eyelids drop, and in a safe and happy place, with a full stomach and the people I love around me, I snuggle into a warm haze of contentment, and finally go to sleep.