Burning Bright (17 page)

‘No way,’ I said. ‘I mean why would he boast about that?’

‘He probably thinks nothing can touch him, now he’s in Ireland,’ Emmi said. ‘Face it, River, he’s a thug and a thief. He’s obviously stolen
loads
of
stuff.’

‘James didn’t think so,’ Grace said.

I turned to her.

‘What did James actually say?’ My voice sounded hoarse to my ears. I felt numb.

Grace’s eyes filled with tears again.

‘This page was open on his phone so I asked him what it was and he said “nothing” and I asked him if he’d looked at the girl in the bikini and he said of course he had
because he was looking at Flynn with all that money and wondering how he’d got it. And I asked him how long he’d looked at the girl and he said he hadn’t been counting and
I—’

‘Shut up, Grace.’ Emmi folded her arms. ‘The bikini pic’s the least of it. It’s the fact that Flynn’s boasting about his stupid “iPad
bank”.’

‘But Flynn
wouldn’t
,’ I said, desperate for a different interpretation of what looked like proof Flynn had stolen stuff and lied to all of us. Lied to
me
. I
turned to Grace. ‘James didn’t believe Flynn was a thief. You
said
so.’

‘James would
always
stick up for Flynn, whatever he’d done. You know that,’ Grace said gently. ‘He didn’t want me to show you this, but I had to say
something. I couldn’t know and not make sure you knew too.’

I said nothing. I just stared at her, still feeling numb.

‘River, listen,’ Emmi said briskly. ‘The reason we’ve told you is to help you carry on getting over Flynn. I mean, you’ve seemed better this week, so I figured if
you saw how he was moving on, then maybe
you’d
be able to move on as well.’

I barely heard her. ‘Thanks, Grace,’ I managed to say at last. ‘I’m sorry this caused a row between you and James.’

‘Are you all right, Riv?’ Grace said, her tear-stained face screwed up with concern.

‘Course,’ I said. But in that moment, the full horror of it swamped me. Flynn had stolen Alex’s iPad and others. He’d probably taken lots of other stuff too. He had loads
of money and no intention of coming to see me. No, he was more interested in some girl in a bikini than me. Everything we’d said and done was tainted.

Everything was lies and pain.

My legs crumpled beneath me and I sank down onto the end of Emmi’s bed. She was beside me in a second, her arms wrapped round me.

‘I’m sorry, Riv. I know it’s hard to hear like this, but it’s better to face reality than live in a dream.’ She paused. ‘I haven’t told Alex yet, but
he’s bound to see this and then Flynn will be in big trouble all over again. You’re better off out of it.’

A hot, fat tear trickled down my face. My plan to travel to Ireland to surprise him went through my head. How stupid was I?

Grace came over and knelt on the floor in front of me. She took my hand. ‘We did the right thing telling you, didn’t we? I mean you wanted to know, didn’t you?’

I nodded. ‘I ought to get home,’ I said. ‘Mum will have a fit if I don’t get back soon.’

‘No way.’ Emmi gave my shoulder a shake. ‘We’re going out. All three of us.’

I looked up at her. ‘Out where?’ I said, dully. ‘It’s Monday night and I’m in enough trouble at home as it is.’

‘Then a little more won’t hurt, will it?’ Emmi gave me a mischievous grin. ‘Let’s go to a club, just the three of us. Get all dressed up, yeah?’

‘Tonight?’ Grace looked scandalised. ‘I can’t, Emmi. I promised my parents I’d be home by nine.’

Emmi rolled her eyes. ‘You
have
to come, Grace.’

I wiped my eyes. ‘No she doesn’t.’

Grace threw me a grateful glance. She looked so miserable – and it was all because she’d gone against her boyfriend to tell me something she knew I’d want to know about. That
was real friendship. Just as Emmi’s offer to take us out was her way of showing she cared.

‘I don’t mind coming,’ Grace stammered. ‘It’s just there’s something I need to do . . .’

‘You want to speak to James?’ I said.

Grace nodded.

I took out my phone. ‘Let me talk to him first,’ I said. It seemed like the least I could do.

‘River?’ James answered on the first ring, his voice all cautious. ‘What’s up?’

‘Hi, James, I’m with Grace.’

Grace looked at me, her lip trembling.

‘She’s just been a really good friend to me – and she’s really upset because you guys had a row so I’m putting her on now so you can make up.’

Without waiting for his response I handed the mobile to Grace. Her eyes widened but she took the phone and left Emmi’s bedroom.

I looked around. Emmi was already fishing clothes out of her wardrobe.

‘Whether Grace comes or not, we’re definitely going, Riv,’ she said. She took a low-cut black top off a hanger and shoved it towards me.

‘You’ll look great in this.’

I held up the top. It was pretty, but very revealing, and I could see already that it would make my boobs look huge.

‘I don’t know,’ I began.

‘Yes,’ Emmi insisted. ‘You
do
know. You’re going to wear the top. We’re going to get out of here. We’re going to have fun. Okay?’

I stared at her. Maybe she was right. Maybe this was just what I needed.

In the end, Grace did come with us – and so did James.

Emmi wasn’t best pleased. She’d wanted this to be a girls’ night out – but Grace looked so happy that everything was all right between her and James that it was
impossible to be cross with her.

We got dressed up then sneaked out of Emmi’s house. I switched off my phone. It was reckless of me to antagonise Mum like this, but right then I didn’t care. Emmi bought some booze
at the local shop that never asks for ID and we walked to the bus stop where James was already waiting.

He and Grace huddled together in the corner of the bus shelter, talking in smiles and low voices.

‘James looks like one of those dogs with its tongue hanging out,’ Emmi whispered.

I grinned. James, with his squishy, comfortable face and easy smile,
was
a bit like a dog. A golden retriever, maybe, or some kind of oversized spaniel. Anyway, he was clearly delighted
to be making up with Grace.

I was happy for both of them. I tried not to think about Flynn. For a moment, as we got on the bus, I missed him so badly I could hardly breathe. Then I pushed it away. Tonight was about
forgetting.

Tonight was about not thinking – just being.

We got into the club without any problem, mostly thanks to Emmi’s highly flirtatious manner with the guy on the door. I’d been drinking all the way there –
trying to get Flynn off my mind – so I felt quite light-headed by the time we arrived. It was still early in nightclub terms, not even ten-thirty, though I was aware Mum would have started
freaking out an hour ago when I hadn’t come home. At least when she tried to get hold of me at Emmi’s she would discover both of us had run off, so hopefully she wouldn’t think
anything really bad had happened.

I pushed these thoughts out of my head with a final swig from Emmi’s vodka bottle. I didn’t want to think about Mum any more than I wanted to think about Flynn.

James bought a round of drinks then he and Grace snuck away into a corner booth. Emmi and I hung around the bar, chatting. After a few minutes one of the guys there bought us each a second
drink. We knocked them back then the three of us headed for the dance floor. Normally I feel self-conscious when I dance, but not that night.

I let myself go, moving with the music, not thinking, just being.

A few minutes later Emmi went to the Ladies and I went back the bar. The guy who’d bought our drinks followed me. As he ordered another round, I watched the flashing lights strobing across
the dancers. The club was just starting to fill up. James and Grace were out of sight, snuggled in their corner. Emmi was still in the Ladies. The music was loud and insistent, the strong bass line
vibrating through my feet and up my legs.

A long glass of coloured liquid appeared beside me. I took a sip. It was stronger than the last drink – some kind of cocktail – not really my thing. The guy who’d bought it
placed another cocktail, for Emmi, on the counter, then swigged at his own beer.

‘You never told me your name.’ He smiled – a leering, sleazy kind of smile. ‘I’m Ben.’

I looked him up and down.

On the plus side he was quite good-looking. A bit pudgy maybe, but tall and well-built, with a strong chin and a great haircut. On the downside, he had cold eyes which had already snatched two
long looks at my chest.

‘Your name?’ Ben asked again.

‘Natalia,’ I said.

Ben moved a little closer to me. ‘I guess people call you Nat for short?’

I stifled a giggle.
Was that his idea of a chat-up line?
Flynn would eat this guy for breakfast.

A painful sob rose up inside me. I forced myself not to cry. I wasn’t going to think about Flynn.

‘Actually,’ I said huskily, ‘my friends call me Talia.’

‘I see.’ Ben nodded sagely, as if I’d just told him how to end world poverty. ‘Another drink?’

I glanced down at the glass in my hand. It was nearly empty. I must have been drinking faster than I realised.

Keeping my eyes on Ben’s face, I took a long swig, finishing the glass. ‘Yes, please,’ I said. ‘I want to get off my face.’

Ben’s cold eyes practically glinted. He handed me Emmi’s cocktail. ‘Looks like your friend has got her own drink.’ I followed his gaze to where Emmi, fresh glass in hand,
was chatting with a tall, good-looking guy I’d never seen before on the edge of the dance floor.

‘D’you want to sit down for a moment?’ Ben said.

‘Sure.’ Was I slurring? How embarrassing. Maybe it would be good to sit down for a bit. Ben led me over to an empty booth then squeezed in beside me.

The music was still loud, but it was easier to hear each other.

‘You seen that new horror movie?’ Ben said, looking sideways at my chest again. ‘I can’t remember the name, but it’s the one with the headless zombies –
ZombieTown
or
ZombieWorld
. . . something like that . . .’

I shook my head, wondering vaguely why looking at my boobs was making him think about zombies. Ben proceeded to describe a battle scene from the movie in some detail. I tuned out totally after
about ten seconds, concentrating only on my drink.

‘Sounds great,’ I said when he stopped to draw breath. I looked across the room. Grace and James were still deep in conversation. Emmi was still talking to the good-looking guy. He
was leaning over her and she was smiling up at him.

Well, if Emmi could flirt with other people when she was going out with Alex, why shouldn’t I flirt with Ben? After all, Flynn had lied to me. He didn’t care about me.

Stop thinking about him.

I focused on Ben’s face again. ‘Thanks for the drinks,’ I said.

‘No problem.’ A lustful smile curled across Ben’s lips.

I wanted to tell him my boyfriend was really clever. Smart and witty and the most amazingly talented actor I’d ever met.

Except how could Flynn be my boyfriend anymore? Whatever he said, what could justify him gloating about stealing iPads? What could excuse that wad of money and the girl in the bikini? I fingered
the silver bracelet around my wrist, feeling for the tiny heart that dangled from the chain. How ironic that it was still whole . . . while my real heart inside me was broken. No. How ironic that
my real heart inside me was still beating, while—

‘You feeling all right, Talia?’ Ben said.

Who?
Then I remembered my fake name and giggled. The room was spinning slightly. Ben’s face loomed closer. There was a dark drink stain in the corner of his mouth. I stared at it,
transfixed.

And then his mouth lunged at my face.

Contact. His lips were all full and fleshy. He started gnawing away at my face. It was so bad, it was almost funny. I pushed him away.

Ben drew back, looking confused. ‘What’s up, Talia?’

I giggled again. ‘Just too much to drink,’ I said.

I really wanted to go now. I started edging round the side of the booth Ben had pushed me into. But he followed me round.

‘Don’t go,’ he said.

Before I could stop him his mouth was clamped over my lips again. I opened my mouth to say ‘no’, trying to push him away with my hands, but Ben simply kissed me harder. His tongue
pushed inside my mouth.

Ugh.
It was all thick and slimy, like a slug.

I gagged, which unfortunately Ben seemed to interpret as me getting into the kiss. He ran his hands up my top, groping roughly at me.

Now I thought I really
was
going to be sick. It was disgusting.
He
was disgusting. This time I managed to push him away and wriggle out of the booth. Ben grabbed at my hand, but I
shook him off and headed for James and Grace.

The floor seemed to sway underneath me. I was staggering as I walked.

I was suddenly reminded of the evening when I’d got drunk and Flynn had seen me be sick. I’d wanted him to kiss me and he hadn’t, but he’d rubbed my arms to warm them in
the cold night air.

Tears started streaming down my face. I heard Ben’s voice behind me. ‘What’s going on?’

‘Go away,’ I said. ‘Please.’

‘Right.’ His voice hardened. ‘Just after the drinks, were you?’

I turned around. ‘No,’ I said. ‘I don’t know.’ I really was slurring now. ‘I’m sorry but I’m not interested.’

‘Yeah? Why’s that? Cos you’ve had enough now?’

No. It’s cos you’re stupid and you’ve got a tongue like a slug. And . . . and you’re not him.

Ben swore loudly then stomped away. I slid to the floor, my body racked with sobs. Why had Flynn lied to me? I didn’t care what he’d done, but I couldn’t bear the thought that
he didn’t love me.

‘River?’

I looked up.

James was leaning over me, looking concerned. ‘Are you okay?’ He frowned. ‘Did that guy upset you?’

I got up, wiping my tears furiously.

‘I’m fine.’ I took an extremely unsteady step past him then nearly fell again. James grabbed my arm. Someone else caught me round the waist.