Dismissed (6 page)

‘Bitchy? Shallow? Downright evil?’ Gabe suggested.

‘No! She’s had a few rough years with her dad leaving and starting a new family, so I think she struggles with that. She just wants to fit in like everyone else.’

‘Well I’m glad I risked facing the dragon to reach you.’

‘That’s cute, but please don’t call her a dragon again.’

‘OK, sorry.’

‘Do you know, I remember when you started at our school in Year Nine?’

‘Really?’ He smiled happily.

‘Yeah but only because you took off your shirt in P.E. and ran around the oval when you scored that soccer goal.’

He laughed. ‘So it was my body that caught your attention, huh?’

‘Yeah, I remember thinking how pale and skinny you were,’ she giggled.

‘Hey! But you did say the other day I’m hotter now, so I’m holding you to that.’

‘If you must.’

Lizzie had to admit that Gabe had definitely matured over the summer break. He was noticeably taller, and his skin was all tanned from his holiday in Hawaii. His body looked like it had filled out a bit too, in a really good way. All that surfing must have helped. But he still had that same cheeky face. Lizzie had always found him pleasant to look at, even back when he was a childish ninth grader.

‘Your hair looks good,’ she added. He had floppy brown hair that looked as if it had been professionally styled for a GQ photo shoot.

‘Thanks! My mum drags me to her hairdresser, so I just let them do what they want. I see this guy called Antonio De Luca. I think he’s pretty good at what he does.’

Lizzie gaped.

‘Antonio De Luca? He’s like one of the most famous hairdressers in Australia! I thought he lived in Sydney!’

‘Really? We just go to a salon on Queen Street. Maybe he splits his time between the two cities.’

Or maybe Gabe’s parents are so loaded that they personally request him to fly up to do the family’s hair, Lizzie thought.

‘You don’t seem the type to be interested in stuff like that,’ he said thoughtfully.

‘You mean keeping track of famous hairdressers? I’m not. But I somehow absorb random information through Taylor,’ she admitted.

Their meals arrived, and Lizzie started scoffing down a large plate of crispy skinned chicken drowned in satay sauce.

Gabe had ordered some rice paper rolls and a bean curd stir fry.

‘Are you vegetarian?’ she asked.

‘No. But I guess I don’t eat much meat. More for ethical and environmental reasons than anything else.’

‘Oh. Sorry to eat this huge plate of chicken in front of you then.’

‘Don’t be silly. I’m not going to judge you. I still eat a bit of white meat here and there anyway.’

‘That’s a relief.’

‘But you know what?’ he asked, suddenly serious.

‘What?’

‘I have one question for you, and if you answer it incorrectly, it might mean we have to break up.’

Lizzie laughed nervously. ‘Go ahead then.’

‘Are you a cat or a dog person?’

‘Ha, really? That’s your deal breaker question?’

‘Yep.’

‘But I didn’t see either at your house the other day. How can you be so passionate about a topic like that if you don’t even own one?’

‘How do you know it wasn’t at the vet? My little sister wasn’t home either, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t exist.’

‘So
do
you have one?’

‘Just answer the question.’

‘Fine. I’m a dog person.’

‘Correct. You have won the amazing prize of remaining my girlfriend!’

‘Ooh. Thank you. It’s just what I’ve always wanted,’ she said in a breathy voice. She took another bite of chicken. ‘So?’

‘What?’

‘Do you own one?’

‘Nope. But speaking of cats, do you want to invite me back to your place after this so I can check out your Hello Kitty obsession?’

‘Um, maybe.’ Lizzie wasn’t sure what Gabe was expecting from their relationship, but she wasn’t ready to sleep with him yet.

‘I promise I won’t try to get past second base.’

‘What
is
second base anyway?’

‘I don’t know. I don’t really follow baseball.’

She roared with laughter. ‘OK. You can come and check out my Hello Kitty collection. Wow, that sounded dirtier than it should have.’

Lizzie’s dad was working late that night, and he was going to the gym afterwards, so as long as Gabe left by ten, they’d be fine. Lizzie didn’t want to subject Gabe to a Robert White inquisition just yet.

‘Perfect. So are you ready to go?’ He started to stand up.

She looked down at her plate, which was still half full.

‘I’m kidding,’ he said, sitting back down. ‘Take your time. Or not.’

She shoved him gently across the table. ‘Careful pal, or you’ll be going straight back to your place alone.’

‘OK. I promise to be on my best behaviour for the rest of the night,’ he said, crossing his heart.

‘Thank you.’

‘But that doesn’t mean
you
have to be,’ he said, winking.

CHAPTER 6

Gabe texted Jacques to let him know they were ready to be picked up.

‘He’s not going to sit out the front of the house and wait for you, is he?’ Lizzie asked.

‘I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not. Sometimes he goes off to grab something to eat. I think he might even be part of some underground poker game.’

‘What if he needs to go to the bathroom while he’s waiting for you?’

‘Actually, I asked him once and he showed me this website that lists all the nearby public toilets.’

‘He doesn’t ever ask to use the one at the houses you visit?’

‘No. That would be weird.’

‘Why? It’s weird having a driver in the first place.’

‘Do you think I should take the bus instead?’

‘No, it’s just…’

‘It’s OK. It is a little weird. But if you knew my parents, you’d understand.’

‘Will you introduce me sometime?’

‘Only if absolutely necessary. And I’m saying that for your benefit.’

‘Okaaay.’

‘Trust me on this one. But one family member I
would
like you to meet one day is my Aunt Gayle. She’s awesome. She’s the only adult who gets me.’

‘Aw, that’s sweet. I hope I do get to meet her down the track.’

Jacques materialised out of nowhere and they jumped in the back of the car. Gabe leaned forward to whisper something to his driver. Lizzie couldn’t quite hear what he was saying.

‘No problem,’ Jacques said.

‘We’re just going to make a quick detour,’ Gabe explained.

‘To?’

‘You’ll see.’

It turned out that Gabe wanted to stop at Southbank so he could run into Max Brenner and order a peanut butter iced chocolate for Lizzie’s dessert.

She almost cried when he handed it to her.

‘This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me,’ she said, trying to swallow the lump in her throat.

‘Oh Lizzie. If this is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for you, then you can’t have been hanging around the right people.’

‘I guess my dad does nice stuff for me, but no one my own age does.’

‘Not even Taylor?’

‘Her idea of being thoughtful is letting me drive her around,’ Lizzie said sarcastically. She immediately regretted it. ‘Sorry, I didn’t really mean that.’

He laughed. ‘It’s OK. You’re not telling me anything I didn’t already suspect. You’re too nice to her.’

‘Actually, she can be really cool, but in a way I can’t quite explain. Like she includes you in her enthusiasm somehow, and you can’t help but get swept up in it. She makes me think that anything is possible.’

‘I like that. OK, I promise not to be too hard on her from now on.’

‘Lizzie sipped on her drink as they drove to Indooroopilly.

‘Do you have a curfew?’ she asked Gabe.

‘Not really. Not on Fridays anyway. You?’

‘Midnight on Friday and Saturday. Nine on school nights. Unless I’m working a late shift.’

‘I’ll bet you’re looking forward to next year so you can do what you like.’

‘Yes and no. I’m kind of freaked out by the unknown.’

‘From what I know of you so far babe, you’re going to be just fine. Probably more fine than anyone else I know.’

‘Thank you. I don’t agree, but I appreciate the sentiment.’

They arrived at Lizzie’s place, which was right at the back of Indooroopilly, bordering on Fig Tree Pocket. The house sat halfway down a gently sloping street.

Lizzie unlocked the front door and led Gabe up a short flight of stairs to the main living area.

‘This is nice,’ he said appreciatively.

‘Not as nice as your place,’ she countered.

‘Yeah, but my house isn’t as cosy.’

Lizzie did actually really like where she lived. It was a four bedroom house with three bedrooms on the main floor. Lizzie had one room, her dad had another, and they shared a study in the third. The last room was downstairs, and it was reserved for the occasional guest or extended family member who visited.

The whole interior was painted white, and there were polished floorboards beneath their feet. Bright artwork adorned the walls.

‘Take a seat,’ she said, gesturing to a beige couch in the corner.

‘Do you mind if I quickly use the bathroom?’ he asked.

‘Oh yes, of course. Right down the end on the left.’

Gabe disappeared, and Lizzie went to the fridge to get some water.

Just as she was putting some ice in a couple of glasses, she heard a beep. It hadn’t come from her phone, but she noticed that Gabe had left his on the coffee table. She filled up the glasses and carried them over.

The phone beeped again, and she couldn’t help but glance at the lit up message on the screen.

I hope you’re not out with that slut. When are you coming to see me?

Lizzie gasped. What the hell? There was no name on the message, just the initials CC.

She heard Gabe coming back, so she quickly sat down and tried to look natural.

He grinned.

‘That’s better.’ He plonked down beside her and picked up one of the glasses.

Lizzie’s head was spinning. Should she confront Gabe about it? She couldn’t exactly come straight out and say she had been spying on him, even if it
was
accidental. But she couldn’t just pretend she didn’t know anything either.

‘I think you got a text just now,’ she said lightly.

‘Oh right.’ He picked up the phone and looked at the screen. His face fell into a frown before he locked it again and shoved it in his pocket.

‘Everything alright?’ she prodded.

‘Yeah. Just Mum wondering where I am.’

Lizzie was pretty sure he was lying. Unless his mother had a habit of calling girls sluts. Which she supposed might not be entirely out of the question. Gabe did say he didn’t want her to meet his parents for her own good. Maybe she was really protective of her son. But Lizzie suspected the messenger was someone younger.

‘Shouldn’t you text her back?’

‘Nah. She can wait.’

Lizzie wasn’t sure what to think now. Why wouldn’t Gabe tell the truth? Unless he was cheating on her.

The thought made her feel sick.

He put his glass down and started massaging her shoulders.

‘How long until your dad gets home?’ he asked.

‘Um, actually, I thought he was going to be late, but he just texted to say he’s on his way,’ she fibbed.

He stopped rubbing.

‘Oh. That’s a shame.’

‘Sorry.’

‘Do you want me to stay so I can meet him?’

‘I’m not sure you want to do that,’ she said with a small smile. ‘He can be pretty tough.’

‘I can take it. But perhaps tonight isn’t the best time to do the official intro. How about we arrange to meet up another day? Next weekend or something?’

‘Sounds good,’ she said weakly.

He got up and started heading towards the door, peeking through the front curtain on the way.

‘It looks like Jacques is still here, so I guess I’ll go.’

‘OK.’

‘Are you alright?’

‘Yeah, sorry. I think I’m just a bit tired. It’s been a big week.’

‘But it’s been a great one,’ he said earnestly, and leaned in to kiss her.

She returned the kiss, but with more restraint than she intended.

He pulled back, confusion in his eyes.

‘Are you sure everything’s alright?’

‘Yes.’ Lizzie wondered if she was just being silly about the whole text message thing. She grabbed him by the head and kissed him again, this time more enthusiastically.

‘That’s more like it,’ he laughed afterwards. ‘I’ll talk to you over the weekend.’

‘I look forward to it,’ she said, smiling.

But as he left, the doubts resurfaced.

Who was CC? And how did she fit into Gabe’s life?

***

Lizzie heard her dad come in just after ten. She didn’t feel like talking, so she pretended to be asleep when he knocked on the door.

Normally she wouldn’t be able to get away with something like that because he knew she never slept, but since she’d discovered Brandon’s music, she’d been turning in earlier and earlier. And every night, she had fallen asleep almost immediately, before waking refreshed the next morning at seven. It was amazing. She’d told her dad that she’d been practicing some new kind of meditation, instead of trying to explain the truth. She couldn’t imagine what he might think if she said her new English teacher’s voice was so soothing that it achieved what nothing else ever had.

When she heard him turn on the shower, she switched her lamp back on and lay staring at the ceiling.

She tried to remember if there were any girls at school with the initials CC. She couldn’t think of any, so she dug out last year’s school magazine and pored over the class photos, looking for a possible match. She even examined the girls in the year below, but didn’t find anyone with a name that fit. Then she noticed there was a guy called Chris Collins in Year Ten. Well, he’d be in Year Eleven this year. But that didn’t make any sense. Unless… no. Gabe wouldn’t ask her to be his girlfriend if he was really interested in guys, would he?

She almost laughed out loud. CC must be someone else. But she might mention Chris’ name in passing next time she saw Gabe, just to gauge his reaction.

She set up her iPod and headphones with Orion’s Head and turned off the light. Lizzie’s favourite song was called
Interstellar
, which was about a guy wishing he could experience a fledgling relationship in outer space with his new lover, away from prying eyes and other peoples’ judgement.

Lizzie liked to pretend he’d written it about her, even though the song was two years old. She wondered if it was based on an actual past experience.

She listened to the song, and waited for sleep to come.

It only took a couple of minutes, and then she was out.

***

The roar of the lawnmower woke her up. Lizzie still found it strange that she now didn’t open her eyes before seven. She wondered if the neighbours would appreciate her father getting an early start in the garden.

She pulled on a faded pink t-shirt and a pair of grey running shorts, and headed out into the back yard.

Robert temporarily turned off the mower.

‘Hey sweetie. Early night last night?’

‘Yeah. I was a bit wiped out from the week.’

‘Weren’t you going out with some boy?’

‘We had dinner, but he dropped me home around nine.’

‘I like him already. When are you going to introduce me?’

‘Next weekend maybe?’

‘Sounds good. Are you still free to help me out here this morning?’

‘Yes, of course.’

‘Great. How about you grab some breakfast and then we can tackle the weeding together after I’m done with the grass?’

‘Cool.’

Robert turned back to the mower. Lizzie went inside to make herself a coffee and a piece of toast with peanut butter.

She’d become addicted to caffeine at fourteen when her dad had given up trying to ban it. Since she was sleeping so well these days, she found she didn’t really need it during the day anymore, but it was such a comfortable habit that she didn’t see any point in quitting.

She put a heaped teaspoon of instant and a large serving of sugar into a mug, and then topped it up with boiling water. She didn’t like polluting her drinks with milk, so she gulped it down black, burning her tongue and throat in the process.

She carried her piece of toast out into the garden and watched as her dad finished up with the lawn. She looked around at the plants. Her gaze was drawn as always, to the frangipani tree. It was in full bloom right now, and its flowers emitted a lovely tropical perfume. Robert told Lizzie that her mum had been a huge fan of frangipanis and had helped plant that exact tree. So every year when the first buds appeared, Lizzie pretended it was her mum saying hello. She knew it was cheesy, but it was her way of maintaining a connection.

Jenny White had died from ovarian cancer at the age of thirty. Lizzie’s dad didn’t talk about it very often, but he was always willing to answer questions about their life together and all the memories they shared. This helped Lizzie build a picture of the woman who had given birth to her.

She knew that her mum had loved movies, and that her favourites were
Pretty Woman
and
Titanic
. She had listened to a lot of eighties music, but she also had a thing for R & B and boy bands. And she enjoyed playing video games, especially near the end of her illness when she was always tired. Her favourite game was
Donkey Kong Country
.