The next morning Brianne and Richa chatter together on our walk to Just Jive. Listening to them makes me worry less about Maryam and Scarlett waiting to pounce on Richa the moment we arrive, but I do feel a bit forgotten. My sister has got lots of friends, she doesn’t need mine.
‘I would’ve brought Patchy,’ says Brianne, her flip-flops slapping away on her heels, ‘but it’s boiling already. We can’t walk him until about eight or nine at night because the hot pavements scald his paws.’
‘Can I walk him with you both?’ Richa asks, sidestepping in a skip to keep up with Brianne’s big strides.
‘If your mum says it’s OK then yeah, but it’s probably a bit late.’
‘If Leo goes then so can I. We’re the same age. It’s only fair,’ Richa says. She looks over her shoulder at me and smiles. I manage to smile back, because walking Patch would be more fun if Richa is there too, as long as the two of them don’t talk all the time and leave me out. Brianne can sit on the bench and look at her phone while we play ball with Patch. He’s excellent at fetch and only stops to have a long drink from the pond in the park.
‘He’s such a lovely dog. You’re so lucky.’
‘Might not think that if you had to clear up his hair every day. It gets everywhere.’
‘Wouldn’t bother me,’ Richa says with a shrug. ‘When I grow up I want to be DogGirl from Gaggle Gangs.’
‘You don’t like that rubbish TV show too, do you?’
‘Gaggle Gangs is the ultimate,’ says Richa. ‘Isn’t it Leo?’
I nod and feel better because I’d forgotten how much Brianne hates that show.
Brianne laughs. ‘It’s like Leo’s dream friend just moved in next door.’
Richa really is a wish come true. Even if it doesn’t last, I’m making the most of the time I’ve got. Last night we bounced on our trampolines again making each other laugh. When we got too hot and tired Richa came over. We crawled underneath my trampoline with Patchy and sucked on ice-cubes. It was double shady under there and Patch laid down between us so that we could each pet one of his ears. Richa chatted and I listened. She told me all about the last place she lived and the place before that and how she was glad that they’d stopped moving about. It was nice sitting and listening to her talking and for a while I even forgot about the letter I wrote her.
‘Our mum got the dog for Lion,’ Brianne tells Richa now. ‘You’ve always been able to talk to Patch, haven’t you?’ my sister says to me and I nod. ‘I think it’s because Patch can’t say anything back.’
Brianne is wrong – Patch says lots of things back, just not with words. I can’t put my sister right but I think about how people who speak can make up truth or lies and there’s nothing I can do about it.
‘They were puppies together,’ Brianne says, and she smiles at me. ‘Leo used to come downstairs to curl up next to Patch in his dog bed. So cute. Now the dog goes upstairs and lies on Leo’s bed. He still does it, even in this heat.’
‘You’re so lucky, Leo,’ says Richa. ‘I’d do anything for a dog. Stupid Aahan. I’ll just have to practise my DogGirl powers on Patch.’ And even though it’s too hot, Richa loops an arm through mine.
The feel of her skin makes my quick, little steps light. It’s like we’re dancing before the lesson has even begun. I really don’t want Richa to be temporary.
‘I’m so glad you two are friends. It was my idea for Leo to write the letter,’ Brianne brags.
‘Oh yeah, the letter,’ says Richa and I feel her arm tense up. She looks at her feet as we walk. Why the sudden change? It can only mean something she’s remembered that I wrote in the letter. I wonder if she has it in her dance bag again like she did yesterday. Why is she carrying it around?
‘Am I supposed to write back?’ Richa asks at last.
That can’t be all she’s worried about. It has to be to do with my SM, something Richa read that she’s not happy about.
Brianne laughs. ‘Not really. Leo sometimes uses a pad and pen at school and in public places so that he can talk but not out loud. While he’s getting used to being your friend he might write things down for you that he wants to say but can’t. Then he might be able to move onto whispering in your ear. That’s right, isn’t it Lion? Have I got that right?’
I nod and break my arm link with Richa so I can wriggle out of my backpack. We stop for a minute for me to show Richa the pad and pen Brianne is talking about. I thought Richa would be happy that there’s a way I can talk to her, but she looks more worried than anything. I want to ask her what the matter is, and think about writing the question down, but Brianne is striding away as usual. Richa gives a little apologetic shrug and hurries after her, leaving me behind to cook in the morning sun.
‘Come on, Lion, nearly there,’ Brianne calls over her shoulder.
Adding Richa’s reaction to my list of things to worry about it, I put the pad and pen away and hurry to catch up.
When we get to the dance studios, Richa revolves three full rotations in the door. Each time she passes me stood on the outside, she says, ‘Come on, Leo.’ Brianne waits inside. Her smile gets less wide after each turn. On the fourth circuit I jump in even though Richa is still turning the door. She squeal-laughs, as if she has just squirted me with a water pistol and I’ve done it back, and pushes the door even faster.
‘Don’t break it,’ yells Brianne on the sixth turn, but we’re laughing so much and the door is whooshing noisily around making it hard to hear her. Then I see Scarlett arriving with her mum and suddenly it’s not funny anymore. I duck out of the door to stand close to my sister.
‘Aw, Leo, why did you stop?’ Richa says, ‘We’d almost created a vortex.’
‘Nice use of physics terminology, Richa,’ says Brianne. Richa stares blankly at her.
Brianne sighs, ‘Never mind. Come on.’ She strides off towards the studios.
Richa starts to follow my sister but then Scarlett is suddenly there, with her mum, standing right in front of us.
‘Hello Richa,’ Scarlett says, completely ignoring me.
‘Richa, that’s a nice name,’ purrs Scarlett’s mum, also completely ignoring me. She’s wearing a heavy-smelling perfume. It fills the air around us all with its sickly sweetness. ‘You dance really well. I saw you yesterday.’
‘Thanks,’ says Richa. ‘But Leo is better.’
Richa smiles at me and I’m grateful for her all over again.
I feel Scarlett’s mum’s eyes glance at me, but she doesn’t say anything. She knows I won’t be able to talk back so there’s no point. Like Scarlett, all she cares about is Richa.
‘Scarlett tells me you’re starting at Lakeside in September?’
Richa’s face falls. A sharp, dramatic change. She does a quick little nod.
‘Might be a good idea to dance with Scarlett and Maryam today then?’
Richa shrugs and I shuffle my feet about, fighting the urge to run away.
‘Be good to make some other schoolfriends. Don’t you think?’ Scarlett’s mum pushes.
This means friends who can talk. Friends who aren’t me.
Richa opens her mouth but for once she has nothing to say.
Scarlett’s mum seems confident she has made her point. She waves goodbye, blows a kiss to her daughter and floats back out into the heatwave, leaving her perfume behind like the bus’ exhaust fumes yesterday. I watch her through the glass putting her sunglasses on and decide that I don’t like her very much.
‘Come on, let’s go find Maryam,’ Scarlett says, trying to take hold of Richa’s hand.
Richa snatches her hand back. ‘I told you yesterday,’ Richa says firmly. ‘I’m dancing with Leo. Either we all dance together, or you and Maryam are on your own.’
‘Suit yourself,’ Scarlett says and she turns so sharply to storm off that her ponytail flicks over her shoulder.
We follow slowly behind and part of me wants to ask Richa if she’s sure. Being friends with Scarlett and Maryam would be a lot easier than with a boy who can’t talk. But there’s a bigger part of me that’s glad I can’t ask her. It feels like our temporary friendship has just been extended.