“But he left us, Roxy. He left us.”
“You sound like the little girl fromJurassic Park,” she says, pushing her long hair from her face.
“Jurassic Park!” I snort, throwing my arm around Kit Connor’s neck. “You’re so funny, Roxy. Isn’t she funny, Kit?”
“You’re kind of stranglingmenow,” he says, also a joker it seems.
“Eliza, let go of Toby,” Roxy says.
She sounds mad.
“You sound mad,” I say over my shoulder as I pull Toby down the hallway. When I walk past Charlie Chamberlain, I absolutely don’t even look at him, especially his face. “Don’t be mad, Roxy. I’m having fun because you said to. You said let’s go to the party and have fun. F-U-N. Fun.”
We pile out of the front door and I trip down an outrageously uneven step, but my best friends, Kit Connor and Roxy, catch me by my elbows. Had I cracked my skull open, I could have reported this party for negligence.
“I didn’t spell it out like that,” Roxy says, making sure I’m vertical before she lets go of me.
“No, I know,” I say, tapping her cheek as we walk down the path. “You’re a terrible speller.”
“If I could just get my helmet I’d like to go back inside, if that’s OK? This is my first party,” says Kit, rubbing his forehead.
“What’s happening, nerds,” says a voice that isn’t mine or Roxy’s or Kit’s.
It’shis. Uh. He’s justeverywhere. Why does he have to be here too?
“Not cool, Charlie,” says Roxy.
“I’m just messing, Rox,” he says.
I feel like someone’s stuck their thumb over one of my heart valves, one of the thick, important ones. How can he still call her that? That’s what heusedto call her.
“Where’s your motorbike, Kit?” I say, refusing to look directlyat Charlie Chamberlain and his conventional perfect lips and Edward Cullen hair (shut up, I know you’ve read it).
“My moped is there, but—”
“Sorry, Toby, there’s no way she’s going home with you,” says Roxy.
“I don’twanther to go home with me,” groans Kit, playing hard to get. “My mum was right; I’m not ready for this yet.”
“Come on,” Roxy huffs. “Time for bed, Eliza.”
She’s so huffy tonight.
“You’re so huffy tonight, Roxy.”
I grab her hands and swing her round to cheer her up as she’s obviously fed up with something, but then I have to stop the swinging quite abruptly. I let go of her and blink at all three of them and . . . wait. When did the three of them become six of them, and when did they sprout twins? Blurry, floating twins.
I take a long breath through my nose and look up. The man in the moon is pointing and laughing.
“What are you laughing at?” I shout. “I didn’t even want to come to this party and now I’ve met Kit Connor and people and their cheekbones are all, like,hey. . .”
My mouth fills with saliva. Oh dear. That’s not very promising, not at all.
“Eliza?” says Roxy, putting her hands out to me.
I take another deep breath. Good. That’s good. Fresh air is good. Phew. I feel fine now. I would go as far as to say I feel . . . effervescent. Screw Charlie Chamberlain, I’m going home with Kit Connor.
“Vampire Fallsfor ever!” I declare, then double over and hurl into Kit’s helmet.
