The Weekend Escape by Rakie Bennett

Author:Rakie Bennett [Bennett, Rakie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780008486952
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Chapter Nineteen

SATURDAY

2:30pm

At the top of the hill that led down to the bunkhouse, Juliet stopped. ‘I can’t do this,’ she said.

‘What?’ Lyndsey asked. ‘What can’t you do?’

‘I can’t go back in there. Val and Amanda are going to ask how we got on and we … we’ll have to tell them we screwed up.’ There were tears in Juliet’s eyes.

‘Jules—’

‘I should’ve had a better plan. This is all my fault.’

Lyndsey glanced back at Sonia, who was trailing some distance behind them, visibly pissed off. ‘None of this is your fault, Jules.’

‘It is. It was my stupid idea to come here in the first place. I’ve been pushing the plan for years. Why couldn’t I have picked a different venue? Literally anywhere that didn’t leave us stranded on a goddamn rock. My parents took me to loads of safe holiday spots when I was a kid. Why is this the one I got hung up on? We could’ve been, I don’t know, camping in Wales right now, or halfway up the Cairngorms.’

Juliet wiped her face with the back of her hand. It was difficult to tell if she was crying or if the rain was running into her eyes.

‘I’m meant to be in charge,’ she said. Her voice wavered. ‘I’m meant to be looking out for everyone. I can’t believe I didn’t even realise Bobbie was missing.’

Lyndsey nudged her to start walking again. She was just as upset as Juliet, but it was freezing cold out there and the rain was lashing at her face. They could talk about this when they weren’t in the middle of a storm. ‘No one put you in charge,’ Lyndsey said. ‘Why do you think you have to be responsible for us all the time?’

‘A team needs a leader,’ Juliet said stubbornly. ‘I tried my best to be that person. In case you’ve forgotten, our group almost fell apart when Cherry went to university. We need someone who’ll be responsible.’

‘Maybe we did when we were seventeen. But we’re all adults now. We don’t need babysitting.’

‘Is that so? If I hadn’t needled you into coming on this weekend, what would you be doing instead? Sitting on the sofa, drinking?’

Lyndsey winced. That was, in fact, a fairly accurate summation of her usual weekend. ‘I can live my life however I want,’ she said, in a voice that sounded calmer than she felt.

‘Even if it’s killing you? I know about your drinking, Lyndsey. It’s out of control.’

‘Whoa, now. I’m not—’

‘Your rucksack is full of bottles. It’s a wonder you had room for spare socks. Why on earth did you think you’d need so much alcohol for one weekend?’

Lyndsey felt her ears going red. ‘To be sociable. We always have a few drinks when we’re together. I brought a couple of spare bottles in case anyone ran out.’

‘That’s just an excuse,’ Juliet said. ‘You’ve got a problem and you know it. This weekend should’ve been a real opportunity for you. You could’ve used it to tackle your issues. But no.

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