Blackfin Sky (6 page)

Assuming
I
lived the real version and I’m not dreaming now.

Sky kicked and fretted at her bed sheets as she tossed around possible answers, stifling despite the autumn air whispering through her window. After the nightmare Sky had had the previous night, she was dead tired and fighting to stay awake as much as she desperately wanted to sleep. But no matter what she wanted, her thoughts were awhirl, and not in any hurry to let her rest.

‘The best way to figure this out is to go back through what happened and pinpoint where your version of events first differs from everyone else’s.’

That was what Officer Vega had said to her before she left. Sky had been about to ask the police officer what she had meant about asking her mother what had happened on her birthday – after all, Sky hadn’t actually seen her mum that night after she left her at the party – but
their conversation had been cut short by the sound of Cam’s door opening upstairs. Through some silent communication, Officer Vega and Sky had agreed it would be best if they continued their conversation when they wouldn’t be overheard, even if Sky was probably going to tell Cam everything later, anyway.

But to pinpoint that first divergence – that was Sky’s first task. She thought back to that night, going through every tiny detail leading up to her birthday party, anxious not to miss something which might offer a simple explanation for what had happened. Taking a pen and flipping to the blank pages at the back of her chemistry workbook, Sky began to write.

My party started out exactly like Mum planned it…

Sky’s parents had rented the high school gym for ‘the Big Night’, as Lily Rousseau had taken to calling it. This had led to some heartfelt sighing on Sky’s part, and a good deal of silent eye-rolling on her father’s.

Fairy lights, balloons, glitterballs and streamers – it looked like the mardi gras rejects pile had landed at Blackfin High. The lights twinkled and swayed in a breeze which wasn’t there, but nobody commented on the movement. The Blackfin sky had obligingly darkened at precisely eight o’clock to show off Lily’s decorations, and no silly little thing like the wind was going to detract from the effect.

When Sky cursed her way in, aware of the dozens of eyes on her as she kicked at the long dress her mother had made her wear, she thought she might actually ditch her own party. Sky was sure that half the people from her class had only come because Blackfin was terminally lacking in entertainment. Others had probably been forced by their parents, many of whom shared Sky’s healthy fear of her mother. Everyone who frequented the diner knew from experience that if someone crossed Lily Rousseau, every item on the next day’s menu would have a distinctly bitter aftertaste.

No, ditching was not an option.

‘Your father and I will be back at midnight to get you kids in order, okay?’ Sky looked up at her mum, who was beaming at her in vicarious glee. She was beautiful when she smiled.

‘Thanks, Mum.’

And Lily left, leaving Sky to the party, and the one person she’d
really
hoped wouldn’t show up. But Randy – the creepiest boy in a town full of creepy boys – was right there, grinning at her like he was imagining things she would rather not know about.

‘Happy birthday, Skylar Rousseau. Dibs on the first dance with the birthday girl.’

His voice had a phlegmy quality that made her shudder. She tried to cover it with a smile before edging quickly past him.

‘I won’t forget!’

You should have just said no
.

Sky made a break through the crowd to where Bo and Cam stood waiting near the DJ booth.

‘What’s going on with Randy Skeeve-alert?’ Bo asked, jutting out her chin in Randy’s direction. Turning her back so she could pretend that Randy and most of the other partygoers weren’t boring holes in her with their eyes, Sky explained the situation with the dance.

Bo snorted, loud enough to be heard over the music. ‘Who the hell uses dibs for a dance? Does he think he’s Mister-Bloody-Darcy?’

‘I’d just stay out of his way, if I were you. I mean, you can’t actually
dance
with him,’ Cam shouted over the chirpy pop song which ended just as she added, ‘HE’S SUCH A MORON.’

Bo laughed her weird laugh in the brief silence that followed, which set Sky off, and soon she found that her party didn’t entirely suck. Someone graciously spiked the punch, and within an hour the three girls were happily mocking each other’s dance moves and rating the kissability of every boy in the room.

Every boy except Sean. Even though Sky kept shooting covert looks his way, she knew he was off-limits, being Cam’s brother. There were only eleven months between them, making Sean the oldest in their school year and Cam the youngest.

Sky watched Sean talking to some of the other boys on the football team, trying to lip-read as one of them teased him about something. Sean just rolled his eyes and smiled his cute, lopsided smile. And then he looked up and caught Sky smiling back at him, and she turned away guiltily.

‘I don’t know why you keep shooting him down,’ Bo’s voice pulled her attention back to her two best friends, and Sky saw that Cam had also noticed her watching Sean.

Sky blushed. ‘I don’t keep shooting him down! And it’s a moot point, anyway. Sean doesn’t think about me that way.’

Bo’s hand shot up. ‘I call bullshit.’

Cam made a show of being upset, even going so far as to stamp her foot. ‘But
I
was just about to call bullshit!’

Sky laughed in spite of herself. ‘Fine, he flirts with me a little, but he flirts with everyone.’ Incredulous looks settled on her best friends’ faces. ‘What? He does!’

‘He really doesn’t. And he joined the chess team, for God’s sake. Why the hell would he do that, if not to spend time with you?’

‘Maybe he likes chess.’

‘Nobody actually
likes
chess,’ Cam answered, then added before Sky could contradict her, ‘except you. And no offence, but that’s kind of the least cool thing about you.’

Bo laughed her usual hollow bray. Sky’s hand had somehow made its way to her hip, and she tried to make it appear casual. ‘But that doesn’t mean anything. So maybe Sean likes me a little – he’s never asked me out on a date or anything. Well, not seriously. And what about Bridget di Sola?’

Bo sighed dramatically. ‘They went on one date. Besides, you can’t expect him to stay celibate on the off-chance that you’ll figure out he
has
been serious the zillion times he’s asked you out.’ Sky felt like she’d been sucker-punched, but Bo just laughed. ‘Oh, relax. I’m not saying he shagged Bridget di Sola. I mean, he
might
have – she’s pretty much hot to death – but that’s not what I’m saying.’

Cam rolled her eyes as she leaned in to shout-whisper over the music, ‘There was no shagging involved, Sky, trust me. He’s not like that.’

Still, Sky’s stomach was a churning mess. It didn’t help that she looked up and caught sight of Sean across the gymnasium. The awkwardness was slightly diffused as he appeared to be trying to teach Charlie Volante, Sky’s regular partner in the school chess club, how to pop-n-lock. ‘So, you mean…? I mean, would you mind if…? No, no, it would be too weird…’

Cam shrugged, smiling as she watched Sean, who was trying not to laugh at Charlie popping a dubious set of moves in time with the music. ‘He’s my brother. Seeing him with anyone is weird. But I’ll get over it, especially if it’s you.’

Sky’s heart thudded out of step with the loud throbbing of the speakers as she lifted her eyes and caught Sean looking at her.

‘I dunno. Let’s just leave it for tonight, okay?’

‘Fine, golden girl. I’m going outside for a smoke.’ Bo didn’t wait for a response before turning on her spiked heels and heading out of the gym.

Cam squeezed her arm. ‘I really don’t mind, Sky. But whatever, that’s cool.’

Sky tried to put on a convincing smile. She and Cam half-danced to another track, but Sky could see Cam watching the door, probably wishing Bo would hurry up and come back.

‘Uh, I’m just going to run to the bathroom. I’ll be two minutes, I promise!’

Sky pulled a face. She didn’t want to be left standing on her own like a loser at her own party. But Cam made the universal sign of needing to pee, so Sky waved her off.

She didn’t get the chance to dwell on her misfortune before a hand tugged on Sky’s arm, spilling the punch she’d been holding. Black eyes met hers as Randy Swiveller yanked her arm again.

‘Come on.’

‘What are you doing?’ Sky tried to twist her arm free, but it was like trying to escape the grip of a hungry squid. A sickly feeling rolled over her as she wondered whether Randy did, in fact, have suckers on his fingers. ‘Randy, you’re hurting me!’

Sky felt Sean standing behind her.

‘Randy, get off her.’

‘This is none of your—’

‘And then you can apologise. Do it now.’

Sky tensed as she waited for Randy’s response. Sean wasn’t a big guy, and she’d never known him to get into a fight in the three years he’d lived in Blackfin, but Randy wasn’t usually the confrontational type either. He generally kept his creepiness to dark corners.

Randy slackened his grip on her arm enough that she could tug herself free, but he was still far too close for comfort. A look at his face told her how much he did not appreciate Sean’s interference.

‘You’re not one of us, Vega. Skylar’s not for you!’ His words were uncomfortably close to those her mother had used –
you should stick to your own kind –
and Sky felt the need to scrub her skin where he had touched it. ‘But we can talk about this outside if the message isn’t getting through your thick head.’

Sky was almost afraid to look at Sean, not sure how she’d feel if he backed down, and not sure how she’d feel if he didn’t
.

‘Let’s do that.’

Sky stood shell-shocked for a moment as the two stormed out through the gymnasium’s side door. Once her brain had rebooted, she followed them outside.

They hadn’t gone far. She saw them outlined in the clear August moonlight, grappling clumsily with one another, throwing awkward punches and staggering as they landed. It was only as Sky came within a few feet that she was sure which outline was which, as neither seemed to have the upper hand in particular.

‘Randy! Stop it!’ Sky finally reached him, grabbing his arm to pull him away from Sean. Her hand yanked away clutching a torn piece of Randy’s sleeve, which he looked down at with nostrils flaring – one nostril oozing blood over his lips – before shoving her, hard. Sky, unprepared and a good head shorter than the eldest and gangliest of the Swiveller brothers, tripped on the hem of her skirt and landed on the tarmac.

Before she could recover, there was a wet
thwacking
sound, then a high-pitched wail like a rocket about to go off.

The rocket was Randy. Not quite screaming, but certainly making a noise outside the manly spectrum as he clutched his nose with both hands.

‘You … you hit me!’

Sky got back to her feet in time to see Sean shrug. ‘We
were
having a fight.’ Randy’s keening rose in pitch and volume, and Sky took an uncertain step toward him.

‘Stay away from me, you … you frigid whore!’

Randy shoved her again, and she and Sean both went sprawling. Randy fled, his footsteps and staccato sobs fading long after he’d disappeared from view. Sky was too busy trying to extricate herself from Sean to be particularly bothered about where Randy was going.

‘Sean, are you okay?’ He nodded once, eyes still focused on the spot where Randy had stood as though he couldn’t quite believe what had just happened. ‘Why did you do that? You didn’t need to fight him.’

‘Seemed like the right thing to do.’ He gave Sky a half-grin, but it turned into a grimace as it pulled at his split lip. Sky used the piece of Randy’s shirt she was still clutching to dab at it, then froze when Sean’s hand closed over hers.

It would have been the perfect moment to kiss him. When Sky would relive the moment in her dream later that night, she would actually go ahead and lean in, but in reality, Sky hesitated. And the moment vanished with them pulling apart and muttering apologies over nothing.

That was how Sky remembered it, except in the dream she’d taken a chance and leaned in to kiss Sean. And the dream had ended with her running, crying like a total fool, to Blackfin Pier.
That
seemed to be the reality everyone Sky had seen over the last three days remembered.

But there was only one person who could confirm what exactly had happened that night outside the school gymnasium.

Sky set down her pen and sighed. She would have to ask Sean.