Tigerfish by David Metzenthen

Author:David Metzenthen [Metzenthen, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781742536545
Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia
Published: 2014-01-14T05:00:00+00:00

It seems the Evan–Larkin fight, with its extra onstage appearance by Ryan Lanyon, is more famous for its level of teacher involvement than anything else. Personally, I don’t want to talk about it, and when I go back to school I say nothing, hoping to bring the temperature down before Evan and Elmore turn up.

I look around for Eden; if she changes her mind I’ll walk into Johnny James’s dogbox office right now, and try and get things sorted. But I don’t see her, can’t imagine seeing her, and get the feeling she’s not even close to the place.

This information about Eden’s little brother goes a long way to explaining why Elmore’s on a razor’s edge. You don’t suddenly wake one morning and something like that goes away. If people are blaming you, blaming your sister, then it’s no wonder you’re a nutter. But this information is classified. I can’t tell Evan – or I shouldn’t. A promise is a promise. But if a promise had to be broken to avoid a war . . .

I walk through the day, and although the absent-Elmore effect results in all classes running smoothly, I can’t concentrate on anything but Eden’s situation. I feel sorry for both of them, but I’d have to feel a lot sorrier to forgive Elmore for what he said to Evan.

When the bell goes I take off, deciding to swing by Sky Point to see Ariel. My Brew card has earned me a free hot chocolate, so now I can afford to buy her one. Hey, big spender!

We sit in a booth at Brew, and let everything that’s going on go away for a while. This is Sky Point mall magic at its best. Who would’ve thought that a concrete space of air-conned air, seventy-five shops and one crappy fountain would feel like a truly peaceful place to be? Man, I must be getting old!

But it is good. We sit next to each other, worries about the past and future pretty much banned by centre management.

‘That Elmore guy comes through here,’ Ariel says, throwing a crowbar into the works. ‘Occasionally.’

Instinctively I look around. There’s no sign of the big dope, thankfully. His name does enough to rattle me as it is.

‘What’s he say?’ I watch the people passing, drifting in and out of shops as if they’re on a tide. ‘What’s he do?’

Ariel is calm, her fingers lightly crossed. She wears a light-brown and white dress that makes her skin look golden. To that she’s added cheap, flat, white sneakers and jewellery from the Indian shop – creating another award-winning combination, as far as I’m concerned.

‘He doesn’t say anything,’ she says. ‘He looks like he might, then he doesn’t. He just leaves.’

Man, if I have to deal with this, whatever this is, I will.

‘Does he follow you or anythin’? Does he wait for you outside the shop?’

‘No.’ Ariel turns her cup around, as if it might help to look at things from a different angle. ‘He just passes through, pretty much.

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