The Gaps by Leanne Hall

Author:Leanne Hall
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Text Publishing Company
Published: 2021-01-14T00:00:00+00:00

DAY 39

Liv’s hair sticks up in points, her eyes are pillow-puffy. I swing my school bag and gym bag onto the bench and sit down.

‘You just woke up.’

Liv massages the hollows of her cheeks, as if that can revive her. ‘Nah babe, I’ve been awake for hours.’

‘Liar.’

Liv is almost entirely nocturnal, possibly even a vampire.

I take off my school jumper, remove my tie, muss up my hair. As if I want to be in a hipster cafe in my dirty old man’s dream of a school uniform. Liv almost always makes me come to her. I wouldn’t take that from a friend, but she’s been lording it over me since I was a baby, so what hope do I have?

‘What’s in the bag?’

She’s better than a beagle at sniffing things out.

‘PE stuff.’

‘Doesn’t sound like it.’

‘Alright, Sherlock. Stuff for an art project, then.’ Both of these answers could be true, but neither are.

Liv orders coffees for us and smiles too long at the waitress. When our coffees come, she smiles again, in case the waitress missed it the first time. The waitress is petite and olive-skinned and has a Spanish accent, so exactly Liv’s type.

‘Wow.’ I stir two heaped sugars into my coffee, destroying the heart poured into the foam. ‘Did you notice how big that waitress’s nostrils are? I couldn’t stop looking at them. You could fit this whole biscotti up there.’

I can see doubt on Liv’s face as she regards the foxy little waitress, which means my work here is done. Even with the sugar this coffee tastes gross.

‘So, what’s the drama, Tal?’

I pull an innocent face.

‘You only message me when you’re upset.’

‘I don’t,’ I say, but I do and I have.

Even though the cafe is overheated and too noisy, even though the guy next to us deserves a punch in his face for his hipster glasses and porn moustache, it’s nice to see my sister across the table. To call her and know she will come running. Or allow me to go running to her.

She stares me out. We have the same eyes but her gaze lasts longer and I yield.

‘The police came to our house and interviewed Dad. At the house. Which they also searched.’

‘When?’ Liv is surprised enough to grab my arm. Venue stamps line the inside of her wrist.

‘Sunday.’ I pull free.

‘What did they want to know?’

‘Where he was on certain dates and certain times. They asked about his habits, I don’t know what else. Bear in mind that he wouldn’t tell me this himself, I had to pester Mum to tell me.’

I leave out Marley’s stuff about pyjamas and slippers, and all the other rumours that have been floating around school this week.

‘They asked Mum if he has any catchphrases and sayings, or funny nicknames for us. And then they asked her to run a list of creepy words by me.’

‘That’s disturbing.’ Liv’s fingers rip a napkin to shreds. ‘What were they?’

‘Like, I don’t know, honey-bunnies and slumber parties.’

‘Yuck.’ Liv pulls a face. ‘That is warped.

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