“Was that Patrick kissing you?”
Mum’s voice behind me wakes me out of my thoughts, and I laugh. “Were you watching?”
She gives me a soft smile. “I might have been. It’s nice to see you happy. It’s been a long time coming.”
I hug her tight. “I’m going to bed.”
“Not going to stay up and tell us everything?”
Rolling my eyes, I let her go and head toward the stairs. “Goodnight.”
She laughs as I take the stairs two at a time, running until I reach my bedroom window. Patrick’s out of his car andstanding in the light of the front door as he looks up at my room. He waves and blows me a kiss.
I’m never going to get any sleep.
Patrick proved to me tonight that I can trust him with my feelings.
The only lingering doubt is what happens if Patrick’s friends don’t accept we’re together? He’s been with Vicki so long, and she’s a part of that clique.
I just hope that he sides with me if it comes to that.
5
PATRICK
Ican’t believe how dumb I’ve been.
Cassie was my everything at one point in my life. Granted, we were much younger, but how did I ever waver from that path?
She pulled away first. I’m not sure if she realised she was doing it. Once we started high school and the time I spent on other interests grew, she buried her nose in books. I don’t resent her—she was always the smarter one out of the two of us.
And at fifteen, I met Vicki. I mean, she was always there, at school, but when it was clear I was destined to be captain of the rugby team—the only thing that seemed to matter to the school as much as academic prowess—she showed interest in me.
For a while, I was lost in the long legs and blonde hair. But time showed me another side to Vicki. With me she wasbright, bubbly, friendly. The flip side to that was the bitchiness, the cliquey behaviour, the gossip.
I hated that. I just wanted to get on with school and sport.
It took me by surprise to find out that Cassie had a date with Dave. We were so distant at that point, we might as well have been in different countries. Vicki and I were supposed to go out that night but she told me she wasn’t feeling well, and I stayed in and watched a movie instead.
That was the first time we really fought.
Mum and Dad weren’t happy to find out I punched Dave until I told them what he’d done to Cassie. Mum always harboured dreams of us ending up together, but even then I couldn’t see how she’d ever agree to be friends after the way my other friends had treated her.
It wasn’t until I saw her that night at the dance, her long auburn hair flowing behind her in that cream-coloured dress that I realised just how badly I wanted to be back in her life. She looked free and unburdened of the stress she always seemed to carry around on her back—always working hard to achieve the results she wanted.
She was beautiful—is beautiful.
“You’re home early,” Mum says as I walk into the living room.
“The movie finished, so I’m home.” I shoot her the side eye, unsure why she thinks this. I’ve never been a big partygoer, and I took school seriously enough to be home reasonably early most nights.
“Yes, but you were on a date.”
“I know.”
She rolls her eyes at me, and Dad just chuckles.
“Want a coffee?” he asks.
