I’ve hit a nerve. “No,” I say. I look around the bedroom floor for my clothes. I find my boxers and pull them up. When I look up, Jasper’s watching me, an unreadable expression on his face.
“What?”
“Nothing.” He shakes his head. “Got any recommendations? Actually, forget I asked. I bet you have terrible taste.” He looks back at the TV.
“Oi,” I say. “I have great taste.”
“What’s your favourite movie, then?”
“The Lord of the Rings.” I find my pants and put them on.
“That’s three movies.” He double takes, brows drawn. “Lord of the Rings. You?”
“Yeah.” I sit on the edge of the bed to put my socks on.
“But they’re fantasy movies, with wizards and elves and stuff.”
“So what?”
“I would’ve thought your favourite movie would be, like,Fight CluborFast and Furious.”
I don’t know whether I should be offended. Jasper’s lips flatten at my expression.
“But, uh, fantasy movies are cool,” he adds.
Is he trying to be nice? I let out a little chuckle. “My dad and I watched all the fantasy movies when I was little, even the ones with the shoddiest special effects. I genuinely thought I was going to be a wizard when I grew up.” I find my shirt and pull it on. I think that’s all my clothes.
I’m about to tell Jasper I’m leaving when I catch him staring at me, mouth parted.
“What?” I ask.
“Just surprised, I guess. You leaving now?”
“Yeah,” I say. I pat my pockets to make sure I have my phone and keys to Senior’s house.
“Okay.”
I start to leave, but hesitate at the doorway. I glance back at Jasper. His eyes are firmly on the TV, but he looks at me when I’ve been lingering too long.
“Something wrong?” he asks.
“I…” I clear my throat. I’m just going to say it. “I’m sorry for getting on top of you and pinning you down when we were at the snow.”
His brow creases. “Oh.”
I bite back a frustrated growl. If he didn’t apologise on Saturday, I wouldn’t have to say this, I wouldn’t have to do the right thing. “It drives me crazy when people touch me without permission,” I explain. “But then I did it to you, so…I’m sorry. There. Now we don’t have to talk about it again. I’m going for real, this time.” I leave before he can respond.
18
Kieran: Single Bed
“…expect you to wear a new outfit for every party. And well, for me, money doesn’t grow on trees.” Zaina’s eyes flick up to meet mine with that last sentence.
I don’t think she thinks I live in government housing, despite what Jasper said at the start of term, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out I’m not rich like most students here. But since then, she sometimes mentions she doesn’t have much money either. I remember Trinity once mentioned Zaina won a full scholarship to this school, which I think is the only way she can afford to study here.
“Yeah,” I reply. “Definitely.”
“It’s going to be a good party, though,” Zaina continues. She’s talking about Imogen’s eighteenth, which will be held at the end of term. Every lunchtime Imogen has dominated our conversations by talking about how to make it stand out from all the run-of-the-mill eighteenth birthday parties. It’s going to be my first party in Easton, and I don’t know what counts as “run-of-the-mill”. In Sydney, we just had normal house parties with deafening music and BYO alcohol and drugs.
