I Had Such Friends by Meg Gatland-Veness

Author:Meg Gatland-Veness
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pantera Press

13.

It was Saturday morning. I woke up to the kookaburras. I felt great. I had managed to go out with the prettiest girl in the school and not make a complete and total fool of myself. I’d survived my first ever date.

Plus, I had a whole day without any homework to do. Being grounded sure helped me get things finished quicker. I’d never been so far ahead in my life. And that was saying something.

I sat around for a while on the veranda thinking about maybe reading a book before I decided it was the perfect weather to go to the beach. I called Peter’s home phone but there was no answer. So, I grabbed my towel, doused myself in suncream and left my parents a note to say I was going to the beach, by myself. As far as I knew, I was no longer grounded, seeing as they’d let me go on my date. And technically I was going to the beach by myself. I didn’t need to mention the fact that I was hoping to bump into Peter Bridges along the way. I felt kind of bad about dogging him the night before so I hoped I’d see him there. Also, it was simply too hot to do anything but swim. It was almost too hot to do that. You know those days when it’s too hot to go to the beach unless you’re actually in the water? It was one of those days.

On my way to the beach, I walked past the quarry and I saw Peter lugging around bags that looked like they weighed as much as his car. He was breathing heavily and sweat was pouring off him like a waterfall. He looked hotter than me. And by hotter, I mean temperature wise.

I waved at him through the fence. He saw me but he didn’t wave back. I wondered if maybe he was mad at me for ditching him. Then I realised why. Charlie was Peter’s best friend. Of course he was mad at me for dating his recently widowed girlfriend, he was probably mad at her too, for disgracing Charlie’s memory so soon after his death. It then crossed my mind that perhaps he was worried that I might end up just like Charlie. That I might die too. But I didn’t entertain that thought for very long. It was too ridiculous.

So I sat down with my back against the fence and waited for him to talk to me. It was bloody hot. About ten minutes later, I felt the fence shake and I looked up to see him standing beside me.

“So,” he said. “Beach?”

His face looked awful. Worse than the last time. He had cuts around one eye and bruises on the other cheek. But he was smiling.

“Sure,” I said, uncertain.

“Well get in the car, then.”

I did as I was told. I sat down and put my seatbelt on. I threw my towel on the floor. It got covered in sand straight away.

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