"Promise me you'll try your best. Please?" Kennedy asks, her eyes big, pleading.
I stare at her for a moment. She's my best friend, and no matter how much I want to refuse, I can't. I can't let her down.
"Okay," I say. "I promise."
3
Curtis: Road Trip
I stand on the front porch of my house, watching the time ticking down on my watch — 9:58, 9:59, 10:00.
Nervous energy runs through me, and I shift from foot to foot. I hope Erin and Bonnie like me. I hope the drive to Lonsdale Bay won't be too long or awkwardly silent. I hope this holiday goes well.
A red car turns onto my street and parks in front of my house. I walk through my front garden and the front gate as the car doors open.
"Curtis!" Kennedy says, stepping out of the back. Behind her, Liam appears.
He's wearing a black t-shirt that makes his lean body look even slimmer and his dark jeans are ripped. A part of me hoped that everything he said yesterday about coming was a hallucination. Before I fell asleep, I imagined him getting sick so he wouldn't be able to come. Not deathly sick — I'm not a psycho. But a mild cold would be nice.
But no. He's here.
"Bonnie, Erin, this is my boyfriend, Curtis." Kennedy continues, bouncing up to me. "Curtis, Bonnie and Erin."
I wave at the cousins with one hand, my other clutching my heavy duffel bag. They're the same height, so I can only tell Erin's the older one since she got out of the driver's seat.
"It's so nice to meet you," Erin says as they walk over.
"Kennedy's told us so much about you," Bonnie adds, closing the passenger seat door behind her.
"Thank you for letting me come on your holiday." I stick my hand out, and Erin and Bonnie look at it in surprise before shaking it.
"That's Curtis for you. He's a hand-shaker kind of guy," says Liam.
Kennedy looks at him, and a second later, he smiles at me. Liam never smiles at me unless it's mocking, but this one looks almost genuine. What a weirdo.
"It's no trouble," Erin responds with a smile. "Come on, we'll put your stuff in the back."
Erin opens the trunk and I push my bag in amongst three suitcases and a small black trunk covered in stickers of anime characters. Guess which one belongs to Liam?
Afterwards, I get into the backseat with Kennedy in the middle and Liam on the other side of her. He catches me looking at him and shifts slightly away from Kennedy. I twist my lips. If he thinks that's going to throw me off his scent, he's mistaken.
"This is a pretty neighbourhood," Bonnie says, looking through the window. "It's got a nice name, doesn't it?"
"Victoria Boulevard," I say.
"I wouldn't mind living in Easton."
"That's because you've only seen the pretty parts," Kennedy says.
She's right. While Easton has wealthy areas and a nice private school, there are also crumbling suburbs with tiny houses and hunched over fences. On the outskirts are several factories and farms, and while there's nothing wrong with that, it doesn't align with the shiny image Easton projects. Besides, several people who work in the factories and on the farms are paid little for hard labour — many workers are backpackers or new immigrants.
My parents always try to keep me informed about people who are less privileged than me, and I've seen a lot through their work with the council. Kennedy always tells me about the local politics too. I appreciate it because living in the shiny parts of Easton can make you forget.
"What is living in the city like?" I ask.
"Hmm. It's hard to describe because we've lived there all our lives," Erin says. "Louder. Busier. More convenient because there are shops everywhere and public transport."
"There's always something to do," Bonnie agrees.
