Page 22 of Yearning Difficulties

‘Good,’ said Killian. ‘She’s ecstatic for me.’

‘She doesn’t approve of Mystery Girl?’

He didn’t answer. Instead he took the pile of books I’d wanted to buy to the counter.

‘What’re you doing?’ I said, outraged.

‘Buying you the books you were looking at.’

‘How did you—’

‘You were smiling at the blurbs and frowning at the price,’ he said bluntly, then raised his voice: ‘Let me buy my girlfriend some books!’

George Brooks glanced up in interest, and Killian gave me a look, challenge in his eyes. I stared daggers at him before reluctantly accepting the tote bag of books from George.

‘I don’t like people paying for me,’ I said sharply.

Killian smiled. ‘I know. You’re proud. Come on, let me.’

I let the matter drop and moved to the window. ‘It’s stopped raining.’

Claire Monk was watching us both again. I hoped she bought our act and would spread the news all around town.

When we stepped out of Brooks Books, Lake Pristine was glistening in the aftermath of the downpour and Killian looked as though he was about to ask me something serious. Then a long, loud and sustained car horn caused both of us to jump.

Killian cursed. A cutesy pink convertible had cut off Old Man Majors in his beat-up truck for a parking space.

‘Lay off the horn!’ yelled the driver in the pink car. ‘You’ll wake the dead!’

‘Jesus,’ Killian said.

I frowned. ‘What’s wrong? Who is she?’

The driver of the pink car caught the two of us staring at her. She was curvy with long strawberry blonde hair and large oversized sunglasses. She also wore a massive fluffy faux-fur coat to match the car, as well as a pair of shiny hot pink go-go boots. She jerked her thumb towards the truck she’d cut off and climbed out of her convertible. ‘Kids, eh?’

Old Man Majors was fifty years out from being a kid and he looked about ready to kill this newcomer. But she ignored him completely.

‘So which one are you?’ the girl asked cheerfully, taking off her shades. ‘Killy or Chris?’

‘Zella,’ Killian said wearily, ‘this is Cherry. My cousin.’

Eight

Fake Dates, Real Friends

Today’s Track: ‘You Don’t Mess Around with Jim’ by Jim Croce

It was impossible to dislike Cherry Petrucci, as it turned out. She flung her arms around a horrified Killian and gave us both wet kisses on our chilled cheeks.

‘You’re my favourite of my cousins,’ she’d told him happily. ‘The snarky one. Amazing! Who’s this? You never have friends. Is this your girlfriend? She’s breath-taking.’

I had readied myself at first, convinced that the other girl was being facetious. However, when she looked into my face, her expression was open and joyous and I felt instantly guilty.

So many people our age were figuratively masked up. We were all going through enormous social changes, let alone biological ones, and it made everyone very cautious. I knew better than anyone that it took a lot of work to bring down people’s walls.

‘It’s a very new relationship,’ I said to Cherry. ‘I’m Zella.’

Cherry made a whooping sound of appreciation. ‘I fucking love that name.’