No, no, no, no, no.The words echo in my head, so loud I can’t think.
“Eve!” Ruby demands, grabbing my shoulder. “Answer me!”
“No!” I snap, “No, I didn’t, okay? Just — wait a moment — I need to talk to them.”
I gesture to the trio. I have to catch them before they disappear and spread the information. What if they already have?
“No.” Ruby’s eyes flash. “I can’t wait. You need to talk to me.”
I shake my head. They can’t say anything about Noah. “I’m sorry,” I say, taking a few steps back. “I’ll be right back.”
“Don’t leave me for them! Eve—”
I look at the set of Ruby’s jaw, the deep frown. If I leave her, she’s going to hold a week-long grudge. Maybe longer. If only she understood how important it is that I talk to the girls.
Maybe she knows because they mentioned Henry’s name. Ruby’s smart. In an hour she’ll recall the wordhookingand put the pieces together.
“I’m sorry,” I say, before whirling around and running after Tiana, Alison and Sana.
I look ridiculous, my school dress fluttering, my T-bars slamming against the grass, the glare of Ruby’s eyes on my back.
“Hey!” I shout after the girls when I’m close enough. “Hey!”
They slow their walking and turn around, lips curling at the sight of me.
“Here to beg?” Tiana asks.
My answer surprises them. “Yes.”
26
Noah: This Is Worse
Health is bearable, though Henry keeps me back from totally relaxing. I sit at a different table than usual, hoping to disrupt our seating order so Henry won’t sit next to me. He does so anyway. He talks to me throughout class. At lunch, he goes with me to the canteen and we purchase egg and bacon rolls, as we’ve done many times throughout the years.
It’s so easy for him to act normally, which proves how unaffected he is by Saturday night. Meanwhile, I’m still a wreck. My body is rigid and my voice lacks emotion. I pick at my roll, forcing myself to eat, before giving the half that remains to Henry.
Then I force myself to look away when he finishes it. Even mundane sights like him eating my food make me sad.
When Eve intercepts us on the way to the oval, I sigh in relief. Please, Eve, take me away. I’d be willing to go to the library to study if it meant I was away from him.
“Noah. Henry,” she says. Instead of the neat ponytail from this morning, flyaway hairs frame her face, as if she’s been running her hands through her hair.
“Hi, Knightly,” Henry says.
“I need to talk to you both. Right now.” Eve gestures towards the Year 11 locker area and walks away.
I leap to catch up with Eve. “What’s going on?” I mutter. “Why do you need to talk to Henry?”
“Something’s happened—” she says, glancing behind us. Henry’s a metre away.
“What are you going to say to Henry?” he doesn’t know that Eve knows about him. Before I can continue, Henry appears beside us.
“What’s up?” he asks.
“I’ll explain soon. Here,” Eve says, arriving at a Humanities classroom nearby the lockers, open during break times for people to study or escape the heat.
It’s empty. Once inside, the three of us stand in a circle nearby the first row of tables.
