I stare intently at the dark stone walls and wonky gabled roofs of the houses lining the street.
“Whatever. We’re here to show Emma around, anyway,” says Tori, pointing to a shop window on our left. “That’s the Blue Room Café. Their cake is the best, and the scones are to die for. Which is hardly surprising because they get them fresh from Sinclair’s every day.”
“You mean Sinclair’s dad’s bakery?” I ask.
“Exactly. It’s down there,” says Tori, pointing along the cobbled street. “Everything’s half price after three o’clock. Sometimes Sinclair brings the leftovers into school too.”
“Is that where the bread for breakfast comes from?” I ask.
Tori nods. “Handy, isn’t it? This is the Second Chance, by the way. Sometimes they have amazing vintage stuff. Further along, there’s a pub, a florist, a tiny cinema, and then there’s the most important shop around here: Ebrington Tales bookshop! They don’t have the hugest selection, but last year they finally added an LGBTQIA+ shelf. I only had to ask four times and show them the pictures of Waterstones in Edinburgh for them to get it.”
“Shall we head over there on Friday?” Olive asks.
She’s looking at Tori, but Tori immediately glances at me. “To Edinburgh? Want to come, Emma?”
I avoid Olive’s gaze. “Yeah, I’d love to, but my mum’s coming for a visit.”
“Oh, that’s nice,” Tori replies. “Well, the weekend after then? We’re flexible, aren’t we, Livy?”
Olive just nods.
“We forgot Irvine’s,” says Tori, pointing across the road. “It’s everything rolled into one: supermarket, deli, chemist, and post office.”
“And they sell booze too,” adds Olive. “At least when Kit’s on the till.”
“Speak of the devil,” murmurs Tori, tugging me back by my jacket sleeve. It’s not until I peek down a narrow alleyway between the buildings that I realize who she means. It takes me a moment to recognize Tori’s brother, William, and Kit.
“No way...” whispers Olive, in disbelief, while Tori presses a finger to her lips. Will has his back to the wall while Kit’s arm is raised above his head, leaning on it too—and then Will pulls Kit to him and kisses him.
“William Belhaven-Wynford,” Tori breathes. “What on earth are you up to?”
Olive laughs. “How come they’ve got it together but you and Sinclair haven’t?”
“Shut up,” Tori mumbles as we walk on. “I’m not interested in Sinclair.”
“Yeah, right.”
“So how’s it going with Val?” I ask. Fortunately, Tori turns to me.
“Pretty good, I think. He’s superbusy with study and training, so we haven’t actually spoken yet.” Tori smiles, and perhaps I’m just imagining it, but I think she sounds a little disappointed.
“He’s sure to have time soon,” I say.
She nods. “I hope so.”
“Can we pop into Irvine’s?” asks Olive. “I need some toothpaste.”
I follow the pair of them into the shop, which really does seem to stock anything you can imagine. Tori piles a mountain of snacks into her basket, while Olive limits herself to a few toiletries. As we thread our way to the front of the shop, down the narrow aisles, we see a man at the counter. My pulse quickens as I spot the stick he’s leaning on. Mr.Ward... The bad feeling I had after that test today floods back into my mind. Has he started marking it already? He turns his head in our direction as the man behind the counter reaches into one of the pharmacy cabinets. Mr.Ward whips the little white packet off the counter and stashes it away in the inside pocket of his coat.
I keep quiet as Tori and Olive say hello to him.
“Shouldn’t you be in class?” Mr.Ward asks as he pays. I hold my breath as his eyes rake over me. “Or out for a run?” The disdainful way he says the word makes me shiver. Has he seen me and Henry running together? What if he has? What’s it to him anyway?
I can’t answer him, but fortunately, Tori speaks for all of us.
“No, sir, we’ve got a free afternoon,” she replies sugar-sweetly.
Mr.Ward’s expression darkens. “Well, make sure you’re all back in time for study hour.” He nods curtly to the pharmacist and turns away.
