Friendship on Fire Page 8

  ‘Sure is. I wouldn’t be here at all if it wasn’t for you though… so apparently I have you to thank.’

  ‘I wouldn’t go that far,’ I replied casually.

  ‘I would. It takes guts to do what you did. You’re pretty awesome, Daisy,’ he said, eyes genuine.

  ‘You are. Seriously, your dad has these cars lying around for you to borrow? I’d think he’d have everything secured under lock and key.’

  ‘He kind of does,’ Nate said slyly. ‘But I know where he keeps all this stuff, so …’ He let me finish the sentence for myself.

  ‘You’re terrible,’ I accused, laughing. ‘Your poor dad.’

  ‘If only he knew half the things I got up to,’ he said cryptically. Then he changed his mind, ‘Nah, he deserves everything he gets. Don’t wave a red rag under a teenager’s nose and not expect them to charge it.’

  ‘I guess so. What would happen if you asked him to use it?’

  ‘What do you think he’d say?’

  ‘No?’

  ‘Yep. Definitely a no. Being rich and having nice things doesn’t mean you share them. It means you get tighter.’

  I frowned. ‘That’s almost illogical.’

  ‘Of course it is. But how do you think people get rich in the first place? They have to be tight at some point.’

  ‘So you don’t get an allowance of some sort? You don’t work, do you?’ I asked.

  ‘Nah I don’t work. I get an allowance. It’s a pretty decent one. You’d think it was, but compared to his fortune, it’s like giving me five cents to play with.’

  ‘Interesting,’ I said, mulling over his words.

  ‘Let’s talk about you.’ He changed the subject again.

  ‘What could you possibly want to know about me?’ I asked, amused.

  ‘Everything. Tell me anything,’ he challenged.

  I put my leg up under me and said the first thing that came into my head. ‘I want a cat. A kitten. I love them. But Mum doesn’t want one. They make her sneeze.’ I giggled behind my hand at the memory of Mum sneezing over and over and over after being around cats.

  ‘We have one. A cat though, not a kitten. You have to meet him, he’s hilarious.’

  ‘I’d love to. What else would you like to know? I don’t know what to tell you.’

  ‘Um. How many boyfriends have you had?’ His cheeky look told me he was half joking, but serious enough to ask.

  ‘A few … why?’ I answered hesitantly.

  ‘No reason. But I can tell you haven’t had many.’

  ‘OK …’ I self-consciously frowned down at my feet.

  ‘And I like it like that. You have a special look about you,’ he said, grabbing my hand.

  Relief flooded me. I was worried I wouldn’t be experienced enough for him. I couldn’t change who I was in a flash, and I was a useless pretender, as he now knew. I looked at the clock.

  ‘Nate, I should be getting you home soon. It’s late.’ I waited for his response.

  He checked the clock too. ‘Not for a while. I’m not tired, are you?’ He gave a hopeful look.

  ‘Sorta. Well not really, but we’ve both got homework …’ I started.

  ‘Don’t say that word. It’s still Saturday night, Daisy,’ he groaned.

  ‘Technically it’s Sunday morning. Very early. We need to get some proper sleep.’

  ‘Are you sure that’s the only reason you want to go? I won’t bite you know. Unless you ask me to.’

  I punched him in the leg but he grabbed my hand afterwards. ‘I reckon I could see you every day and not get sick of you. That’s saying a lot, for me.’ He gently placed my hand back on my leg and patted it there.

  ‘Thanks. It still won’t change the time, though,’ I teased.

  ‘Let’s go home then, nerd.’

  I turned the engine on and was still laughing when I took down the handbrake and eased my foot off the clutch. It was only after I heard a clunk that I realised I hadn’t put my foot on the brake.

  ‘Shit. What’d you do?’ Nate flashed his eyes at me with annoyance. I held my breath. Within a second he was out of the car, running to the back and assessing the damage. The language that was coming out of his mouth made me cringe with stupidity. I didn’t like to be told off, especially not by the person I’m trying to impress the most. I hoped the damage wasn’t bad so we could go back to being the way we were ten seconds ago.

  As soon as I felt that, another thought popped into my head. A part of me felt indignant. He was the one who practically dragged me to the car to drive him home, so why should I get all the blame for this?

  He yelled at me to get out and have a look. I opened the car door and gingerly trotted to the back of the car with my hands holding the back of my head. I bent over to have a look under the car. I had hit a medium sized rock that was randomly in the middle of the car park. It had now been dragged under the car so far that we couldn’t reach in and pull it out.

  The plan was to go forward again and hope it didn’t scratch more on the way out. By now Nate had taken off his good black shirt and was using it as a rag to try to rub some of the dust off the number plate and see exactly how much was scratched under it. He was grunting and cursing as he worked.

  Although I knew full well it wasn’t a good time to perve on his body for the first time, I couldn’t take my eyes off his bare torso. It was almost shimmering in the moonlight, like an oil painting. How badly I wanted to touch it, study it, until my eyes gladly hurt. He eventually brushed his hands off and looked up at me, completely catching my eyes on his body.

  I blushed.

  ‘Like what you see, then?’ he laughed, and stood up. Closing the distance between us, I felt the familiar sensation of jelly knees and fidgety hands.

  ‘You’ve done a good one,’ he breathed. ‘Hopefully Dad won’t notice. We’re lucky.’ He kissed my forehead, and added, ‘Sorry if I was a bit pissed off before. You surprised me. I don’t take surprises well.’

  ‘Yeah I didn’t see it coming either. Remember, you asked me to drive. You wear the consequences.’ I put my hands in my jean pockets sheepishly and looked down. ‘And I didn’t like it that you snapped at me.’

  ‘I’m sorry. I told you I had some bad habits. My sharp tongue is one of them; I’m still trying to refine it.’

  He gazed down at me with genuine remorse. I stared back at him. His eyes smouldered with liquid chocolate that was impossible to resist.

  ‘I know how it feels. Having a temper isn’t much fun. Guess that makes us even, then?’ I asked.

  I was glad he forgave me quickly. I don’t think I could stand him to be mad at me. I liked peace and harmony around me. In this case, I didn’t want peace purely because I was attracted to him and everything was new, but that was a large factor, I must admit.

  ‘For sure. How about you get back into the car and try to drive forward real slow, so we can get away from this rock.’ He got closer to the ground again ready to guide the rock out.

  I turned the car back on and tried to remember all the steps before I took off. Hand brake on to not kill hot boy near car — check. Car in first gear with clutch in — check. Slowly ease clutch out and rev accelerator until car engages — check. Hold on to steering wheel firmly and check rear vision mirror — check. Everything had to be perfect.

  ‘This year sometime, Daisy,’ Nate teased me from under the car.

  ‘Shut up, or I’ll back into you,’ I yelled back.

  With a little jolt I moved forward and heard the scratching sounds of the rock trying to dislodge from under the car.

  ‘Nearly there,’ Nate called. I held my breath, trying not to jump forward or roll back on to him.

  ‘Got it. Stop.’

  I watched him in the rear view mirror pick up the rock and run with it to the edge of the car park. He threw it into the bushes, dusted off his hands, and ran back to the car. Putting his seatbelt on breathlessly, he said, ‘Let’s go home.’

  ‘How thoughtful of you.’ I nod
ded toward the rock now in the bushes.

  ‘Well I wouldn’t want it to happen to some other poor guy. It is a bit of a mood killer,’ he winked at me, and I laughed.

  ‘And you thought you’d get anything else? No chance.’

  He shrugged. ‘Plenty of time for that.’

  Fifteen minutes later, I was instructed to pull into his street and turn the headlights off. A few houses away from his home, Nate pulled me close to him and kissed me until I questioned my ability to drive home. I pushed his shoulder away and leant back into the seat.

  ‘Stop,’ I squeaked.

  ‘Told you that you couldn’t handle me,’ he said, and got out of the car. He put his head back in through the window and whispered, ‘I’ll need to prank you when it’s a good time to bring the car home. That means you have to give me your number.’

  ‘Oh, nice one. How about I drop it back early, say at around five-thirty, and if you get caught, your problem?’ I grinned.

  ‘Or we could do it your way.’ He put on a disappointed look. ‘And I’ll be grounded for the rest of my life and you won’t get to see me again. Is that what you want?’

  ‘Maybe. Give me your phone.’ I held out my hand for it and entered my number.

  ‘See you in a few hours babe.’ He walked to his lawn whistling, black shirt still in one hand.

  I did my best pink panther impersonation and tiptoed into the house barefoot. It was dark and quiet. Congratulating myself on my effort, I snuck into my room and shut the door, turning my lamp on next to my bed. Within seconds, Shane was at my door, sticking his head in. He made me jump with fright.

  ‘Oi. Party girl. Where’d you lift the M3 from?’ he whispered eagerly.

  ‘It’s …’ I rubbed my forehead. No point trying to think up an elaborate lie. ‘It’s Nate’s dad’s car.’

  ‘Nate, hey. Nate, Nate.’ He let the name roll around on his tongue. What a space cadet. ‘The rich boy? Same boy who came ‘round the other night to hang with Tres and went into your room?’ he asked directly.

  I nodded.

  ‘You two are a thing?’ He leant against the doorway now.

  ‘I think so,’ I replied. We hadn’t had a chance to talk about it ourselves, mind you.

  ‘You kiss him?’

  ‘Yep,’ I replied.

  ‘You shag him?’ he asked more seriously. I laughed at how far left field his question came from.

  ‘No. Not on the first night, Shane.’ I blushed and scowled at him.

  ‘Good,’ he said, relief evident in his eyes. Then he frowned, ‘But you’re planning to, then?’

  ‘I hadn’t … thought about it yet,’ I answered diplomatically. ‘Why?’

  ‘You said not on the first night. But, maybe the second. Or is it the third date these days. I usually try by the third date. They are pretty much used to me by then.’ His nosey rambling gave me a headache. I sat down hard on my bed and watched him with bleary eyes. He stopped. ‘Sorry. I’m crapping on aren’t I?’

  ‘A little.’

  His eyes suddenly turned serious. ‘Dais, be careful. He’s a rich boy with flash cars to burn. No doubt he’s been taught how to win people over and drop ‘em like a sack of potatoes when he’s done with ‘em, too.’

  I was falling asleep. ‘Thanks for the hint.’

  ‘Don’t make me have the sex talk with you, either,’ he warned, pointing a finger at me. ‘Dad already hit me up for it. But I said, Why me? There are five of us who could do it.’ He folded his arms stubbornly.

  ‘Um. I’m pretty sure I don’t need it. I’m nearly eighteen. You can tell Dad that too, in case he’s forgotten I’m not ten years old anymore. What are you doing up anyway?’ He shuffled his feet a little.

  ‘Nothing,’ he said quickly. ‘Well, maybe chatting up a girl… more importantly, waiting for my little sister to come home safely,’ he added, nodding to himself.

  ‘Aww, thanks Shane,’ I said, and got up off my bed to give him a hug.

  ‘None of that,’ he half-heartedly pushed me away, ‘Go to bed. Leave the keys on your dresser.’

  ‘Trust me, I’m going to. I mean, no. I’m going to bed and you aren’t taking the car for a drive.’

  He laughed quietly, but he was dead serious. I threw the keys under my pillow, where they would hopefully be safe until I could drive the car back to Nate. Without getting changed, I fell into bed and slept dreamlessly for a solid four hours. At about six-fifteen am, I heard the last few seconds of my ring tone and reached out to turn my phone off.

  The light on the screen flashed with an unknown number. Adrenaline kicked in as I remembered our agreement. My head groaned at me, but I answered and tried not to sound like I was half dead.

  ‘Yeah.’ It came out like a croak.

  ‘Daisy, where have you been? I’ve tried to call you about sixteen times.’ Nate’s voice was impatient.

  ‘Hang on.’ I took the phone from my ear and checked my menu. There were ten missed calls from his number, starting from five-thirty.

  ‘Sorry. Didn’t hear it.’ It always took me a while to wake up.

  ‘Can you bring the car over now? Dad will be up within forty-five minutes I reckon, and the car has to be here.’ He sounded as tired as me.

  ‘Righto. See you soon,’ I said.

  And I fell back asleep.

  Fifteen minutes later, my phone rang again.

  ‘Yo.’ I yawned into the phone without checking who it was.

  ‘Daisy. Wake up . ‘ I shot out of bed and realised what I hadn’t done.

  ‘Yep, on to it,’ I giggled quietly.

  ‘I’ll get you back for this.’ He couldn’t help but laugh with me.

  I changed my clothes and poked my head around the doorway to check if anyone was awake. All clear. I staggered to the front door and out into the sunrise. The M3 sat where I had parked it on the curb, shining with class. Was last night a dream? I was about to wake the whole neighbourhood up with the sound of a 4L V8 purring to life. What if my dad woke up?

  Crap. Did I remember how to get to Nate’s place from mine? I’d never gone that way before. Anxiety gripped me, on top of lack of sleep. I called Nate back.

  ‘Uh. A little help please? How do I get to your place from here?’ I asked sheepishly.

  If he could have rolled his eyes on the phone I’m sure I could hear it. After five minutes of directions and no traffic, thank God, I rolled into line with the curb of his house. I hadn’t noticed in the darkness of a few hours ago how nice his house really was. It pretty much spewed class and money.

  The beige rendering was perfectly unmarked and the whole two storeys shone like a really expensive flare compared to other houses in the street. There were water fountains amid the detailed rock landscaping and rose bushes lined the front, acting as a concrete wall. Nate bounded out of the house wearing only a pair of basketball shorts, his hair ruffled by sleep.

  ‘Well this is deja vu,’ he grinned cheerfully and kissed me good morning, not for the first time today.

  I smiled back sleepily. ‘Sure is. Your folks up yet?’

  He frowned. ‘Well it’s me and Dad at the moment. Mum kind of left with Amelie last night. I found out before I went to bed this morning. I saw the note in the kitchen, but I don’t know what’s happening.’

  I was shocked. ‘What? I had no idea. Why didn’t you tell me things were so bad?’

  He shrugged. ‘It’s not something you tell someone you’ve just met. Or are trying to impress,’ he said, trying to tone it down.

  ‘Yeah, but you can trust me. You harped on last week about how I need to trust you; doesn’t it go both ways?’ I asked indignantly.

  ‘I know. I guess we are still getting used to each other. I find it hard to trust people. It’s so easy to fake it.’

  ‘But I’m not fake,’ I said in a quiet voice.

  ‘And that’s why I like you. You’re good for me. No games.’ And he took my hand and kissed it.

  I couldn’t possibly know how to play
the games he was thinking of, but I kept that thought to myself.

  ‘Anyway, I’d better be getting back inside in case Dad wakes up. From all the beer bottles around the house, I wouldn’t be surprised if he slept for the rest of the year, though.’ He pursed his lips.

  I wasn’t going to remind him that I didn’t have a magic chariot to ride home in. He seemed stressed out enough without having to drive me home and get back in time. I opened the door.

  ‘Oh crap I’ve gotta drive you home.’ He started getting out of the passenger side of the car.

  ‘Nah don’t worry about it. I’ll walk home. I need the fresh air anyway. Clear my head,’ I assured him.

  ‘Are you sure? I don’t mind.’ But he looked cautious.

  ‘Yep, positive. See you later.’ I gave him a quick peck on the lips and got out.

  I turned back and waved as he went into the house. Fresh air was a great idea as long as I didn’t get lost trying to pursue it. I rounded the first bend and recognised the next street. This was going well.

  The morning sun was well up now and the tail end of the summer weather was warming the sky. Twin Rocks was renowned for humid, windy weather, which to me seemed like a paradox. The wind helped with the sweat factor, but on a day like today where the wind hadn’t picked up yet, it was humid. I took my jacket off and put it round my waist, heading for the shady side of the street. My head throbbed from being up so late, but my heart pounded solidly with the memory of last night. Did this mean I had a boyfriend?

  It had been a while since a guy took an interest in me. I was never real keen on dating guys from school; they were more of the ‘school boys’ and anyone else outside our fish bowl was more interesting, even if they were still in school themselves. And besides, I didn’t like the idea of everyone seeing and knowing all about our relationship, as tended to happen when people dated each other from school. The ‘no touching your partner’ rule was also a bit of a tease. It encouraged us to find other, more creative ways to vent our attraction on each other.

  My last boyfriend, Ryder, moved interstate last year after we were dating for only six months. We were pretty cut at losing each other and tried long distance for a while. The phone bills sky-rocketed and letters, emails and text messages went back and forth, but there were no guarantees if and when we would see each other again. After about two months we let it go. We had to; it was driving us insane. We weren’t heaps serious, but it was an unfair way to end a good relationship.