Libby Lawrence is Good at Pretending by Jodi McAlister

Author:Jodi McAlister
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: book, YFM, YAF052020
ISBN: 9781743059326
Publisher: Wakefield Press
Published: 2022-05-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Libby had been up for three hours and had edited two essays from her ProofItLibby inbox when Ella emerged the next day. ‘Hey,’ she said croakily, red hair messy against the pink fleece of her dressing gown. ‘Have we got any Panadol?’

‘I ran out and got some this morning,’ Libby said, getting up from the table. ‘Gatorade, too. I’ll get them for you. Sit down.’

Ella sat. ‘My head is killing me.’

Libby popped two tablets out of the packet onto the table. Ella stared at them.

‘Want me to make you breakfast?’ Libby asked, putting the Gatorade next to the pills. ‘It might help soak up all the alcohol.’

‘No. If I eat anything, I’m going to throw up.’ Ella groaned and buried her head in her hands. ‘I’m really sorry. I know you probably didn’t want to spend your night looking after me.’

‘Ella, I’ll look after you any time, any place. It’s in the best friend contract. I read the fine print when we exchanged those necklaces when we were seven. Now take your pills and drink your Gatorade.’

Ella obeyed. ‘God, that’s disgusting,’ she said, making a face. ‘What’s it made out of, lollies infused in sweat?’

‘Full of electrolytes,’ Libby said. ‘It’ll make you feel better.’

‘Where’d you hear that?’

‘Nightingale used to swear by it. You could tell when he’d had a big night, because he’d swan into rehearsal drinking it by the bucket.’

‘Ugh. Gross.’

Ella took another swig. ‘But it’s what I deserve, I guess,’ she said. ‘I’m never drinking again. Ever. Ever ever ever.’

‘Do you want to talk about it?’

‘What’s there to talk about?’ Ella said. ‘Alcohol is the devil. End of story.’

‘You know that’s not what I mean.’

Ella let her head thunk onto the table. ‘I definitely don’t want to talk about it.’

‘We can, though, if you need to,’ Libby said. ‘It must be super weird, your ex-boyfriend having a baby with someone else.’

‘Lots of people’s ex-boyfriends have babies with someone else,’ Ella said, forehead still on the table. ‘They survive just fine.’

‘I know, but—’

‘It’s not like I’ve been pining away for him or anything. Even if I was, there’s no chance in hell he’s ever going to leave Wimeena, and no chance in hell I’m ever going back.’

‘You loved him, though,’ Libby said, desperately shoving the immense relief she felt at no chance in hell I’m ever going back down into the recesses of her brain for later. ‘It must be weird.’

Ella sighed and lifted her head. ‘Yeah. It’s weird. It’s really, really weird.’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘Don’t be,’ Ella said. ‘It’s a good thing, probably. Maybe there was a tiny part of me still … like, clinging onto him. Can’t do that now. Clean break, and all that.’ She snipped the air with her fingers.

‘That doesn’t mean it’s easy.’

Ella groaned again and let her head fall back onto the table. ‘Why can’t I be more like you, Libby?’

‘You don’t want to be like me,’ Libby said. ‘Trust me, you don’t want to be anything like me.’

‘Hmmm, let me think. Who do

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