Girl Next Door by Alyssa Brugman

Author:Alyssa Brugman
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781864714586
Publisher: Random House Australia
Published: 2009-02-01T00:00:00+00:00

16

JENNA-BELLE

SHARES HER

MOTHER'S

VALUES

We're sitting in the formal lounge at Declan's house when Bryce Cole pulls in. I'm glad to see him because about five minutes after we finished moving our stuff, Declan's mum ushered us in here for a cool drink. Declan's dad disappeared into his study. I was going to run up to Declan's room, except Mum coat-hangered me. Our mums have been discussing weight loss programs for half an hour. They've pretty much exhausted that line of conversation, and we're all panicking about where to go next.

'There's your friend now,' Declan's mother says in her smooth voice. There's a red mark around her throat where she's been fidgeting with her necklace.

Bryce Cole stares at his stuff next to the letterbox. He stacks it in his boot, and then he stands there tossing his keys in his hand.

I rush outside and tell him what happened.

'Go get Will and your mum. I've got an idea.' He grins at me.

Bryce Cole drives us into the city. We pull into the driveway of a fancy hotel near Circular Quay. The concierge wears a top hat and white gloves. I ask him if he has a whole stack of them behind his desk, because no one could wear the same white gloves all day. I'm rabbiting on because normally we would have suitcases when we check into a hotel. Mine was pink, with those stickers on it from every country we've visited. I think we sold it at the second garage sale. I don't want the concierge to notice that there's only one decent bag between us – Mum's overnight bag. I've got my green shopping bag. Will hasn't brought a thing. If the concierge does notice, he doesn't say anything. He directs us to the reception desk in the lobby.

Bryce Cole checks us in to a suite. As we stand in the lift, Mum is looking a bit shell-shocked.

Our suite has three bedrooms and a view out over the Bridge. I'm not sure who's supposed to have which room, so I hang back, but we're all hanging back, until Will calls the main bedroom with the king-sized bed. Bryce Cole swiftly kicks him out of that one, so he goes for the next biggest bedroom. Mum and I plonk our stuff on two single beds in the other room.

I take out Albert Bear and lean him against the pillow.

Will checks out the mini bar. He cracks himself a beer, hands one to Bryce Cole, then flops on the lounge with his feet on the coffee table. Mum has a wine and I have a Coke.

It's dusk and the cars crossing the Bridge have their lights on, leaving a trail of red inside my eyelids when I blink. Ferries cross the harbour. Nobody says anything. All I can hear is my drink fizzing inside the can, and the low thrum of the train pulling out of the station under the Cahill Expressway below.

This is it. This is the rescue we were hoping for. I can see how living in a hotel is actually better than living in a house.

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