Frankie and Joely Read online

  Chapter 35

  Mack wants to smash something or someone. First Frankie played him and now Thommo. He crashes through a group of kids younger than him. One of them swears as Mack knocks his beer to the ground. Mack whirls around ready to fight, until he sees that it’s just the kid who never gets a kick on Saturday at footy cos he’s so slow. He picks up the beer and keeps walking, looking for a better target. Then he sees her.

  ‘Anna.’ Mack steps close, smelling the perfume on her skin.

  ‘You look happy tonight, Mack,’ she says in her usual way.

  He takes in all the changes on her face. The new lipstick, the second piercing in her ear and the expression. He wishes he’d been better the first time around. Maybe it’s not too late. ‘Wanna go for a walk?’

  She laughs.

  ‘What’s so funny?’

  ‘You having girl trouble?’ She takes his beer and drinks some.

  He shakes his head. ‘Maybe I just miss you.’

  ‘Too late for that.’

  He snatches his beer back. ‘Why?’

  She smiles and he wants to kiss her so badly it hurts. ‘I’m hanging out with Rory.’

  He can feel fury surge through him again like electricity. ‘Bullshit,’ he says. ‘He’s been screwing Joely’s friend.’

  ‘I don’t believe you.’ Even in the dark, Mack can see how angry she is.

  ‘He’s been fucking her all week. So you don’t mean much, do you,’ he says, making it as cruel as he can, wanting to bring her down hard.

  ‘Fuck you, Mack. I wouldn’t take you back anyway.’

  He can’t stand it, this feeling, like he’s exploding inside. He storms past Anna, bashing into her shoulder, and bangs through the party, pushing people, searching for the face who is going to answer to all of this shit.

  Chapter 36

  As Joely slips in the darkness, she sees him. Her heart’s racing as she sneaks up. She reaches up and slides her hands over his eyes, then leans against his back, feeling the strength of his muscles through his shirt. He spins around and smiles, but not as brightly as she’d hoped. But then it’s hard to see properly in the dark.

  ‘What do you think of the party?’ says Rory.

  ‘It’s great. I’ve never been to a party like this,’ says Joely.

  ‘It’s not. It’s dull. It’s the same people, playing the same music, talking the same crap.’

  ‘Why do you come then?’

  ‘I was hoping you’d be here,’ Rory answers.

  ‘Oh,’ says Joely, bursting.

  He leans over and kisses her, sliding his hands onto her shoulders. Only half aware of the kiss, she worries about her blisters and hopes he doesn’t find them too disgusting. He pushes her onto the ground, kissing her neck. She hopes nobody is watching and wonders where Frankie is.

  Rory is half lying on her now. He starts undoing her bra, but it must catch because he can’t get it unclipped. Joely’s not sure about this. It’s too fast, too much. Then she feels her bra strap go loose and his hands are grabbing her boobs, and she wonders if it’s supposed to feel like this or better.

  Then he stops.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ says Joely.

  He sits up, moving away from her. She wants the moment back, but doesn’t know how to start it. She touches his arm gently. Instead of responding, he stands and starts walking away. ‘I’ll see you later, Joely.’

  ‘Later? As in on the road?’

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘After the party!’ she calls after him, but he doesn’t answer.

  Joely lies back. She doesn’t know what just happened. Maybe it was her blisters. Or maybe Frankie lied to her about the dress and she doesn’t look good in it at all. But Frankie wouldn’t do that. She might not reveal all her secrets, but she never lies about things like dresses. Frankie would know what to do if a boy she liked stopped kissing her and walked away. But she can’t very well ask Frankie because then she’d have to tell her about Rory, and she doesn’t want to upset her. She looks up at the stars, trying to remember which ones are the important ones. But they all bleed into one big constellation.

  Rory’s never felt like this. He’s never wanted a girl so bad. Never. He doesn’t understand what’s happening to him. He can’t even fool around with Joely because she’s not Frankie. Perhaps he should find Anna and see how that goes, but just the thought of being with her leaves him cold.

  ‘Macleod!’ Someone yells his name and he’s pretty sure he knows who it is. Fuck it. A fight might be just what he needs.

  Chapter 37

  Joely walks back towards the dam, wondering if it’s nearly midnight and nearly the new year. She suddenly wishes she was with her best friend. And then it’s like Frankie just knows because, in the next second, Frankie grabs her hand.

  ‘There you are,’ says Frankie, smothering her with a hug. ‘Are you okay?’

  Joely doesn’t know how to answer. ‘Yes,’ she finally says. ‘Is it almost twelve?

  Before Frankie can answer, there’s a scream and a yell and a massive pack of bodies swarm towards them. It’s like a huddle of wild, bucking animals. Joely grabs Frankie’s hand and they move back, stopping at the fringes where the other people are watching.

  ‘Are they fighting?’ says Joely, feeling torn between watching and running. Her whole body is tense.

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘Why?’

  A girl shoots a look at Joely. ‘Mack started it.’

  ‘Can’t you stop him?’ says Joely, hating the idea that they’re all just watching and doing nothing.

  ‘Nah. If he wants to fight, let him,’ the girl says and laughs, turning back to her friends.

  Frankie is trying to see if she can spot Thommo as the bodies thump into each other, arms punching and legs kicking. She can hear someone yelling and grunting. It’s like watching bulls fight. She wonders how it will stop if they are all so close to each other, hanging on, pushing each other back and forth.

  Someone comes running across the paddock. It’s Thommo. Frankie hopes he’s running to her, but he passes them and keeps running, straight into the side of the pack. He smashes them with huge force, sending them all into the dam. One falls and then another. The girls edge nearer, waiting to see what happens next.

  ‘Is that Rory?’ Joely says and claps her hands over her mouth.

  ‘Dunno,’ says Frankie, not wanting to admit she knows who it is. She wonders if the fight is because of her.

  They watch as Rory and Mack walk out of the water, heads hanging, arms by their sides. They both look broken.

  Joely starts edging towards them. ‘I’m just going to check on Mack and Thommo.’

  ‘Nah. Leave it,’ says Frankie. ‘Just leave it.’

  Suddenly, there’s a loud crack and the sky explodes in tiny lights.

  ‘Fireworks!’ yells Frankie. Purple smoke fills the sky. There’s another crack and the sky ignites. ‘It’s beautiful!’

  Joely pulls her back, away from where the boys are lighting them on the ground. ‘You have to sit back here. They have no idea what they’re doing.’

  Frankie smiles and kisses Joely. ‘Happy New Year, my gorgeous friend!’ says Frankie feeling drunk even though she’s only had one and a half beers. It must be the hot air, the night, the fireworks.

  ‘You okay, Frank?’ says Joely.

  ‘I’m great! I’m just so glad I’m here! In Payne. With you!’

  ‘Me too!’ Joely yells back.

  Frankie jumps up and drags Joely with her, making her friend dance and swirl, as the sky erupts over and over, raining down shooting stars.

  Joely wants to tell Frankie about kissing Rory, but she has no way of saying it, even though she can feel the words forming in her mouth. She wishes he’d appear, grab her around the waist, and dance with her in front of her best friend, so Frankie c
ould see that Joely was wanted too.

  Then someone shouts, ‘Ten! Nine!’ and Frankie and Joely join in counting down the last precious seconds of the year. ‘Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! ONE!’

  ‘Happy New Year!’ Frankie screams to the people all around her jumping and hugging and kissing. Suddenly, there are so many people Frankie can’t find Joely.

  Then she sees Thommo walking towards her, and she starts to smile, but a girl grabs his hand, Maggie, the girl from the cinema, with her curls and her cute dress. Thommo looks through the crowd right at Frankie, and then kisses Maggie.

  Frankie turns away, upset, just as Rory comes out of nowhere and kisses her hard like the whole night is her fault. She pushes him away, not wanting his kiss to mean the beginning of her new year. And, as she looks up past him, worried that Thommo has seen them, instead, she sees Joely staring straight at her.

  Chapter 38

  It means nothing, says Joely over and over in her head as she runs through the shadows, her blisters rubbing raw in her thongs. It was just a kiss. A random New Year’s kiss. Frankie was in the right place at the right time. That’s all.

  Later he said. Later, on the road. And then the kiss Frankie stole would be hers.

  Suddenly, she can smell the rotting kangaroo. She can hear the flies. She’s there.

  She climbs down into the ditch, scraping her legs on the branch that she laid across the body only days before. She feels around in the dark, the flies buzzing crazily as they feast. Her fingers skim across matted fur. She leans against the kangaroo. It moves. She screams. Heart racing, mouth dry, Joely starts to scramble out, but then she realises it’s just shifted under her weight.

  Joely leans back again. Now that she’s stopped she feels how tired she is. Everything hurts. Her head aches and spins, like it did when she first hit it on the bench. But she has to wait. He’ll come. She knows he will.

  Chapter 39

  Frankie’s searched everywhere and Joely’s not here. She even checked the dam, just in case her friend was swimming … or something. Frankie is worried. It’s not like Joely. She’s called her ten times, but there’s no answer. She’s texted and left messages, but still nothing. And she’s pretty sure it has something to do with that kiss Rory gave her, but she can’t work out what. Even if Joely was jealous or upset, it’s not like her to run off.

  She sees Mack with a bunch of his friends. She hasn’t been able to find Thommo, so Mack’ll have to do.

  ‘Mack can—’

  He whirls around and glares at her. ‘What do you want?’

  ‘Joely’s not here. I can’t find her anywhere,’ says Frankie.

  ‘You saying she’s in trouble?’

  ‘Yeah. I don’t know,’ says Frankie, not actually knowing what she’s saying.

  ‘It’s your fault.’

  ‘What?’ says Frankie hating him more each second.

  ‘You and Macleod. It’s your fault. She likes him. Don’t you know anything?’

  ‘She doesn’t even know him. That’s bullshit,’ shouts Frankie.

  ‘Is it? Why do you think I punched him? It wasn’t because of you.’

  Frankie backs away. She pulls out her phone and rings Joely, but it goes straight to voicemail again. She doesn’t understand. What’s this got to do with Rory?

  ‘Frankie?’

  She looks up. It’s Thommo. Concern is written all over his face.

  ‘Where have you been?’ she says.

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘Joely’s gone. I can’t find her anywhere.’

  ‘How long?’

  ‘Two hours, maybe more.’

  ‘Maybe she went home?’

  Frankie can’t believe she didn’t think of that. ‘I don’t know. Maybe. Should we go back and check?’

  Thommo nods. ‘Yeah. I’ll tell Mack to stay here in case she turns up. I’ll come with you.’

  ‘Okay.’ Frankie’s relieved that Thommo is taking over. She doesn’t want to look for her friend on her own. She hears someone yelling and sees a couple of guys who’ve stripped off wading into the mud. She wonders where Rory is. Maybe he’s with Joely?

  ‘Okay, let’s go,’ says Thommo.

  ‘Thanks, Thommo.’

  He shrugs and Frankie sees just how annoying it is when someone does it to her.

  It’s nearly four by the time they get back to the farm. Frankie creeps into the bedroom, but Joely’s not there. She can feel bile rise in her throat. It’s just like when her mum goes missing.

  ‘She’s not here,’ she whispers into the dark kitchen where Thommo is eating leftover potato salad with his fingers. ‘We have to wake your mum and dad.’

  ‘No way. They’ll kill us. Let’s go back to the party. Mack might have an idea where she is,’ says Thommo.

  Frankie desperately wants to wake Jill and Ged. She keeps thinking about Miranda in Picnic at Hanging Rock and how nobody ever found her.

  ‘What if …’ starts Frankie.

  But Thommo’s already putting the potato salad back in the fridge and getting ready to leave.

  ‘We’ll take Mack’s bike. Mine’s still not really working since we hit the kangaroo.’

  Thommo wheels the bike down to the road. He doesn’t want to start it until they’re far enough away from the farm so the noise doesn’t wake his parents.

  Frankie walks behind Thommo, not talking. She’s running bad thoughts through her head, imagining the worst.

  ‘Come on,’ he says, sitting on the bike.

  Frankie climbs on the back. She slips her arms around him and leans in close as Thommo kickstarts the engine, shattering the still night air.

  It’s strange having Frankie sitting so close, having her arms wrapped around his waist and her knees nudging his legs whenever they hit a bump. He knows he should be worried about Joely, but he isn’t. He would ride around with Frankie like this all the time, even if it meant Joely being lost forever.

  Chapter 40

  Joely hears the motorbike on the gravel. For a second, the old city fears flare up and threaten to grab her. But then she remembers Rory and why she’s here, waiting in the dark. And she knows it’s him. He’s come to find her.

  She tries to climb out, but her head hurts and her legs are sore and they keep buckling and she falls back onto the kangaroo. The motorbike will pass soon and then he’ll be gone. So she reaches up again, grabs the tree branch and pulls her body slowly out of the ditch. Two streams of light flick across her as the motorbike thunders down the road.

  She stands up slowly, her body shaking, and waves one arm in the air to tell him she’s here. And then her legs give way and she’s down, and all she can see is black.

  Thommo slides his bike as he stops in a hurry. He jumps off and runs. ‘Joely,’ he yells. He grabs her arms and starts pulling her up. He hears Frankie screaming and calling out Joely’s name.

  Joely starts moving. She’s being carried. It’s Rory. He’s come for her after all. She collapses onto the back of a motorbike, smiling.

  Frankie grabs her friend’s face and holds it up screaming, ‘Joely? Can you hear me? Joel!?’

  Chapter 41

  Frankie and Thommo sit silently on the back step. Since they came home with Joely they’ve barely spoken. Jill took Joely straight inside and Ged called the doctor. And Frankie and Thommo just sat where they stopped.

  The sun’s coming up now and Frankie thinks how different the farm looks from when she arrived on the bus with her best friend last Monday. She wishes it looked the same: full of promise and hope. But now all she can see is the dead grass and the hungry cows and the odd dying tree.

  Mack kicks open the wire door and sits down next to his brother. Thommo shifts beside Frankie and sighs.

  Frankie wants to say something to end the quiet waiting. ‘She’ll be okay.’

 
‘Yeah,’ says Thommo.

  Mack leans forward and stares straight at her. He’s so angry that Frankie looks away. Then she glares back at him, furious that he thinks he can treat her like this. ‘What’s your problem, Mack?’

  She wonders if he’ll even bother answering. If he doesn’t, she knows she won’t be able to stop herself from crying. She hates people ignoring her. It’s what her mother always does, and she would much rather someone just yell at her. Then she could yell back. And it would be finished.

  ‘I think Joely really likes him, you know,’ says Mack.

  ‘Rory?’ says Frankie.

  Mack looks at her like she’s stupid and she wants to spit at him. Then Thommo moves closer, holding out his hand and touching her arm. It’s so gentle, so unexpected that she almost cries anyway.

  ‘It’s okay, Frankie.’

  ‘No, it’s not fucking okay, Thommo,’ growls Mack. ‘Joely’s broken.’

  ‘It’s not Frankie’s fault,’ says Thommo. ‘It’s Rory’s. I bet Frankie didn’t even know what he was doing.’

  And suddenly she does. She realises what they are saying. That he was playing them, going from her to her friend. That Joely was with him and she was, too, and neither of them knew. She laughs. She doesn’t mean to, doesn’t want to, but that’s what comes out of her; a choking laugh that makes Mack turn away and Thommo loosen his grip on her arm.

  She stands up and walks down the stairs. She reaches the shed before she starts to cry. It all just comes out. Her mother and father are in the middle of it all. And Rory who is just another cheater in the pack. She doesn’t care about him. He’s left her head already.

  All she sees is Joely, lying sunburnt and crumpled beside a ditch with a dead kangaroo. And her times with Joely flash up between the tears, like photographic prints dropping out of a photo booth.

  Joely is laid out on her bed on the yellow cotton sheet like she’s dead when Frankie walks up to the doorway. Jill is sitting beside Joely, rubbing her face with ice. Frankie hangs back, waiting for someone to let her in. Finally, Jill looks up and smiles. And it makes Frankie want to burst into tears all over again. At least Jill isn’t blaming her.