Page 51 of Now and Again

Riley prickled. ‘What do you mean?’

‘He never says what’s bothering him either.’

‘Ididtell you. I am telling you.’

‘That she broke your heart?’

‘Amanda! I’m begging you. Please stop it.’

But Amanda had no mercy. ‘So it didn’t work out ten years ago? Things change.’

Riley took a deep breath. She’d had enough. ‘No, they don’t. Because if you’re chasing someone you liked ten years ago while you’re back living with your dad, thennothinghas changed, has it? And maybe she’s forgotten why she rejected me, but I’m not giving her the chance to remember. I’m not letting her do it again. I have to grow up!’

Riley hung up the phone, upset. Straight away, she knew that hanging up the phone on her stepmother while claiming she needed to grow up was not a great start to the process. She quickly tapped out a text.

I’m sorry about that.

That’s alright. I shouldn’t push. It’s just, you two, I have this feeling. But I’ll back off.

That would be appreciated.

Anyway. It’s Mia’s birthday in two weeks. The big three. Will you come to the party?

Riley groaned loudly. There was no relief, was there? You couldn’t just be allowed to crawl into a little hole in the ground and die quietly of your issues. Someone always came along to exhume your damn corpse.

Of course I’ll come. For Mia.

Twenty-Three

Juliet was getting her hair styled by Mia in the back garden, sat next to a table that was being gradually filled with plates of food by a catering crew, as well as Amanda, who was outpacing everyone else. It was always so obvious to Juliet that Amanda wasn’t fully comfortable with the wealth she now lived in. Juliet would have been just the same in her position. Unable to leave things to ‘Staff.’

She felt another clump of her hair being yanked into a hairband in addition to the other four bunches sticking out of her head. Mia wasn’t being gentle about it either. But Juliet didn’t like to stifle Mia’s creative instincts, so she bit down the screams and let her have at it.

‘There,’ Mia said, satisfied with her work, handing Juliet a small hand mirror with a picture of a panda on the back. Juliet looked at her reflection. ‘Beautiful,’ she lied. Mia took the mirror and put it away. ‘Now you can come to my party.’

Juliet laughed. ‘Oh, thank you.’ Hairstyle or no, she’d be in attendance. Though Amanda had made it clear, she wasn’t working. She said she just wanted Juliet there for her birthday because Amanda wanted all the people who were important to Mia present. Juliet was happy to be counted amongst their number. Even if it meant socialising with a few people who displayed a range of feelings toward her that swept from lukewarm to ice-cold.

Amanda ran out again, holding a really big jelly in the shape of a rabbit. She plonked it down, moving it around to find its best position. ‘Wobbly jelly,’ Mia observed as the jelly was shuffled.

‘Hey, is Riley coming today?’ Juliet asked Amanda, trying to sound blasé.

‘Yes, she’s coming,’ Amanda said. ‘Don’t worry.’

Juliet didn’t know quite what to say to that. She wasn’tworried. Not worried at all. It didn’t make any difference if Riley came today. If she came, she likely wouldn’t speak to Juliet anyhow. Their last conversation had been weeks ago, as Riley blew the popcorn stand. That brief exchange, plus the silence since, added up to one simple, painful truth. Juliet had fucked up. She’d shown her hand one too many times, and Riley wasn’t comfortable with knowing how Juliet felt. She wanted no more to do with Juliet than she had when they were eighteen. She was moving on.Juliet could only accept it or go mad; she hadn’t definitely decided.

‘Ouch!’ Juliet screamed, unable to contain the yell this time. Mia had apparently decided there were finishing touches she needed to apply and was trying to pull about five single hairs into another bobble. She’d ripped them all out. ‘Mia, perhaps my hair is done now?’ she asked, trying to sound chill as she rubbed her scalp, checking for a hole. Mia had already lost interest, going over to examine the jelly on the snack table, poking it to watch it jiggle. Juliet tried not to worry about the sanitary implications of her grubby little fingers touching the food.

‘Hey, what time are people getting here?’ Juliet asked Amanda.

Amanda checked her watch. ‘Err, nowish?’

‘What?!’ Juliet said, jumping to her feet. ‘I thought it was at three!’

‘No, it’s two thirty. Don’t worry, you’ll have time to sort your hair out before I let anyone in. Unless…’

The rest of that sentence was said as a set of feet pounded toward them through the kitchen. ‘She still has her keys,’ Amanda said as Riley was suddenly among them. Juliet was horror-struck.

‘Hi. Like your hair,’ Riley said, looking at Juliet’s ridiculous do.

---