Frankie and Joely (15 page)

Chapter 32

The kitchen table has been moved outside under the trees; it's so hot that everyone voted to eat outside. Jill's gone overboard. She cooked all afternoon and the kitchen is so humid that each time Frankie grabs something else to bring outside, she has to drink a glass of water.

‘It's just that one left, Frankie,' says Jill, manoeuvring her to the huge bowl of potato salad.

‘Wow! How many people are coming?'

‘It's just us for a special New Year's Eve dinner.' Jill smiles. ‘I like your dress, by the way.'

Frankie looks down. She's wearing a fifties ball gown that she found in an op shop. It's black and strapless and short because she cut the bottom off.

‘Thanks. It was five bucks,' says Frankie, smoothing down the skirt.

‘Well, it looks more than that on you,' says Jill.

Frankie laughs and reaches for the potato salad, but before she can pick it up, Jill stops her. ‘Just go easy on Thommo,' says Jill quietly. ‘He's got a sweet heart.' She moves away so Frankie can take the bowl.

Frankie doesn't know what to say. She feels torn.
She understands Jill worries about her son, but he's fourteen, and Frankie's done nothing other than be nice to him. She decides not to say anything and carries the bowl outside where it's dark and the stars are out.

Thommo rushes over and tries to help her. She imagines Jill inside watching, so she smiles as broadly as she can.

‘Can you make some space? Your mum's gone crazy!'

Thommo starts moving things so Frankie can put the bowl down. As she does, her bare arm brushes his. She takes in his ironed shirt and wonders how red he'd blush if she reached up and undid the top two buttons. She's almost tempted, but then Jill comes out with Ged and the others, and the moment is broken.

‘Can I sit here?' says Frankie, pointing to a seat next to where Thommo's standing.

‘Um … yeah, sure,' he says.

Frankie sits down and Thommo hurries to sit next to her. His knee bumps against hers under the table. She leaves hers there, liking the feeling.

‘You look gorgeous, Joely,' says Jill as Joely sits down opposite Frankie.

‘If you don't look too closely,' says Joely.

‘In this light it looks like a suntan,' says Ged with a smile.

Frankie is still angry with Joely, but it's New Year's Eve and she wants everything to be right. She catches her friend's eye and smiles. ‘I think you look beautiful too. That dress is perfect.'

Joely smiles back. ‘Thanks.'

‘Potato salad?' Jill spoons three huge mounds onto Frankie's plate before she can say no.

‘Sure,' says Frankie, dreading the idea of actually having to eat it all.

‘So where's this party then?' says Ged, helping himself to a pile of barbecued meat.

‘At the dam,' says Mack.

Ged frowns. ‘There's not going to be a bonfire is there? I don't want a call out at three in the morning because some stupid kid has lit a fire.' Ged looks at Mack.

‘Nah. There's no fire. It's just a party. Everyone's coming.' Mack stares at Frankie across the table and she wants to flick potato salad right into his face. He's punishing her by making little comments.

‘So how are you all getting there?' says Jill. ‘Sorry we can't drive you. Ged and I are having our own little party,' she smiles at her husband, ‘and buses won't be running. Not tonight.'

Frankie can't help herself. She laughs at the idea that buses aren't running
because
it's New Year's Eve.

‘What?' says Mack.

‘Nothing. Sorry. It's just that in the city, trams run all night.' Frankie wishes she hadn't laughed.

‘Yeah, well this isn't the city,' says Mack.

‘I think she knows that,' says Thommo.

Frankie knocks her leg against his in thanks. He looks at her and she sees he's blushing. She seems to be making everything worse all over again. ‘So, are we walking?' Frankie slaps a mosquito on her arm.

‘I'll be right back.' Ged gets up and walks towards the house. Frankie wonders where he's going.

‘I can't walk!' moans Joely.

‘Yeah, you can. It'll be fine. We'll go slow,' says Frankie.

The conversation dies, and everyone listens to everyone else eating. Ged comes back with three mosquito coils and plonks them on the table.

‘Ergh,' says Mack, waving away the smell. ‘That stuff stinks!'

‘It's better than getting eaten by mozzies,' says Ged.

Frankie quite likes the smell. It reminds her of the incense her mum used to burn.

‘Thanks, Ged,' says Frankie. ‘Mozzies love me and I end up looking like I've got chickenpox or something.'

‘Everything loves you,' says Mack under his breath, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

Frankie stares at him, waiting for him to look up, but he doesn't. He just pushes his food around in circles with his fork, making Frankie furious.

‘Does anyone mind if I leave the table?' says Frankie. ‘I'm going to try Mum.'

‘Sure,' says Ged, sounding like the only normal person at the table.

Joely watches Frankie walk towards the house, hitching her dress up and nearly showing her undies. She's pleased neither of her cousins look, and checks to make sure Ged isn't either, but he's concentrating hard on his pile of meat. Joely loves Frankie, but having her here isn't as easy as she thought it would be. Mack's shitty with her about something and Frankie's been weird all afternoon since they had that argument about Thommo. Even putting makeup on didn't seem to fix things properly.

But she can't let that distract her tonight. She'll be seeing Rory soon and, hopefully, with all the makeup Frankie's plastered on, she'll look okay in the dark.

As soon as Frankie makes it inside, she starts to cry. Everything feels wrong. Her dress, her hair, the mozzie bites already swelling on her arms, the heat and this place. She walks into the bedroom and slams the door, hoping they all hear it outside, hoping Mack knows it's for him.

‘Hello Mum?'

‘Frank,' comes her mum's voice.

The sound of it makes Frankie want to rush home for a crappy hug.

‘You okay, Mum?' Frankie says, wiping away her tears because she never cries around her mum.

‘Where are you, Frank? Haven't seen you for ages.'

As Frankie begins to explain again, she hears her mum laugh and knows she's not even listening. Frankie hangs up and buries her phone back in the drawer. It was a mistake ringing her mum, especially when she needed her.

Frankie carefully paints her lips pink, shakes out her hair and takes the green leather coat from the cupboard where it's been hanging since she brought it home. She knows it's too hot to wear, but she needs armour, so she slides herself into it anyway. She pulls the belt tight and instantly feels better. Mack wouldn't dare try anything now.

Chapter 33

There are no clouds. The night is still except for the wild singing of the cicadas having their own party. The girls walk on one side, the boys on the other. No one is talking.

Mack wishes Joely would say something, and Thommo wishes his brother would crack one of his awful jokes to start the evening off. But Frankie and Joely don't notice the silence. Both are too distracted by their own thoughts.

‘Aren't you hot?' says Mack to Frankie.

She smiles at him, knowing he'd never understand why she was wearing a coat on a night like this. ‘Maybe I've got nothing underneath.' She grins, amused as the thought plays across Mack's face then disappears in an embarrassed growl.

They walk past the ditch with the dead kangaroo, and Thommo looks over at Joely to see if she remembers. She must. Thommo can smell the rotting flesh even from the other side of the road, and he wonders why nobody mentions it. But Joely looks straight ahead and doesn't seem to be aware of it at all. He wants her to notice, to say something and mourn it all over again, so he can appear sensitive in front of Frankie. He wants the chance to be more than he is and he feels angry with his cousin for not giving him the cue. He almost calls out to her, but he can't say anything without appearing callous. He has no real reason to mention it. He could pretend it was bothering him and he needed to check if it was still there. But if the carcass was swarming with flies, it might make Frankie sick and he doesn't want to hurt her. He just wants the chance to show her how much he cares.

He sneaks a look at Frankie, hoping his brother doesn't see. She's looking at him and she smiles, then looks away. Thommo can't believe it. He knows it doesn't mean much, not really. But still, it's a smile, and that will carry him through the rest of the night.

Someone farts. It's a cracking pop that echoes loudly in the still night. Joely laughs. Then Frankie. Then Mack, too.

‘Fuck, Thommo. That stinks,' says Mack.

Thommo is suddenly standing alone. Mack has used the moment to cross the road and group himself with the girls.

‘It wasn't me,' says Thommo.

‘Yeah, right.'

‘It wasn't.'

Joely and Frankie are still laughing.

‘It fucking wasn't,' says Thommo.

Mack sniffs the air loudly. ‘I reckon that's one hundred per cent pure, Thommo.'

‘Fuck off, Mack.'

Mack pulls a face. ‘Calm down. Everyone farts. There's no shame in it.'

But Thommo can't calm down. He won't let it go. ‘It wasn't me.' Thommo watches his brother turn to the girls and close in, using his denial as a tool. He realises this is what Mack does; he plays people, twisting situations to his advantage, even if it means laying others out to dry.

Thommo crosses the road and hits Mack across the back
of his head. ‘It was your fucking fart, Mack.'

Mack reels around and laughs, but his eyes burn. Thommo knows Mack's fists are ready, but he's trying to keep them down because of Frankie and Joely.

‘It's okay, Thommo. We all still love you, even though your arse stinks.'

Mack is trying to lighten it, but all Thommo hears is his brother taunting him. He hates him then, hates him for ruining the precious smile that was sent to him only minutes ago. Thommo wants to hit Mack again, harder this time, but he doesn't because he knows his brother will wipe him out with one punch. Instead, he tries to smile, aware of Frankie and Joely watching.

‘But you have to walk on that side.' Mack grins. ‘Away from us.'

Frankie steps forward, links her arm through Thommo's and starts dragging him down the road. Thommo trips, his feet slower than his brain. He steadies himself. He can feel her long hair tickling his elbow, and it's almost too much to have her so close. He is too aware of her, and he wishes she'd release his arm and just let him walk alone. But then he thinks of Mack behind them, and he grips her arm a little tighter, hoping his brother can see in the dark just how close they are.

Mack is replaying the fart scene over in his head, trying to work out where it all went wrong. He walks faster as he thinks, desperate not to let Frankie and Thommo out of his sight. Joely is walking beside him, but he can't be bothered talking to her, not now that the real audience is off in the distance, probably whispering about him with Thommo. He lets off a stream of farts. They are quieter, but he doesn't care if his cousin hears them. He wishes he'd never invited the girls to this party now. He should have been more careful, found ways to talk to Frankie alone. He hopes that Frankie is just feeling sorry for Thommo, and doesn't really prefer his company, but then, Thommo has grown, a lot, and they are almost the same size. Mack doesn't know what to think. Then he laughs to himself. Frankie would never consider Thommo because she's already hooked up with Macleod.

‘My feet hurt,' says Joely.

Mack turns and sees his cousin sitting on the ground.

‘It's all the blisters. And the sunburn,' she says, sounding pathetic.

‘Take off your thongs then.'

‘It's not the thongs. It's my skin. It keeps pulling when I walk. It really hurts.'

‘What do you want to do?'

‘Maybe I should go home.'

‘But we're almost there,' says Mack, knowing there's no way he's going to take his cousin home now.

‘I don't know.'

Mack looks back down the road. Thommo and Frankie have disappeared into the night. He wants to chase after them, keep an eye on them, just in case. But now he's stuck with Joely and her sunburn.

Mack walks over to her and picks her up. She weighs nothing, less than a new calf, he thinks as he arranges her on his back.

Joely laughs. ‘What are you doing?' she says.

‘Carrying you,' says Mack.

‘No way,' yells Joely.

‘Yeah.'

He holds her arms around his neck and takes off down the road. She bumps along on his back.

‘You're just like carrying a dead animal, Joely.'

‘Great. Thanks.'

‘Don't you eat?'

‘Yes. Salad.'

They reach the dam paddock. Mack can't see Thommo or Frankie anywhere. He walks as fast as he can. Joely fidgets on his shoulders. He can hear the noise of the party: the people, the music. He stops at the edge of the paddock, looking at all the silhouettes. For a second he wants to run in the other direction, escape the faces he's known all his life. But then he sees Anna dancing with their friends to a song that he loves, and someone yells his name, and he remembers that this is his town and that this is how it felt before Frankie. He drops Joely onto the ground.

‘You going to be right?' says Mack, determined not to have to look after Joely all night.

‘Yes. Thanks.'

‘I'll find you later.'

Joely watches him climb the fence and walk towards the dam. He's surrounded in seconds, shaking hands, hugging, laughing. And then he's gone.