Page 8 of Now and Again

‘Um, quite hard, I think?’ Riley said quietly. India only laughed. ‘You take things way too seriously, Ri.’

‘Probably,’ Riley conceded.

Juliet could put the book back now she was out of India’s visual range. But before she closed it, she looked to see what she’d been hiding behind. It turned out to bea rather detailed anatomy book. She realised with a shock that she was looking right down the barrel of a vagina. She managed to control her slight alarm long enough to place it quietly back on the shelf. She made a beeline for the shelf she’d been headed for before India had walked in. Horror. She loved a good spooking.

Juliet perused the limited library stock, looking for something she hadn’t read. She found a few options on the lowest shelf and was knelt down - trying to choose between Anne Rice and Shirley Jackson - when a shadow fell across her.

‘I’d go with Jackson if I were you,’ said a mellifluous voice.

Juliet tilted her head up to see Riley Powell looking down at her. She was tall anyway, but she seemed to loom more than ever. ‘Am I in your way?’ Juliet asked automatically.

Riley laughed softly. ‘Nope. I’ve done the bottom shelf. Working my way through the middle.’

Juliet heard herself laughing a bit too loudly at that. Riley gave her a quick smile and turned to the shelf. Juliet grabbed the Shirley Jackson book,The Haunting of Hill House,and stood. She was about to walk away. But for some reason, she stopped and turned back. ‘Umm, I didn’t realise you were a horror fan.’

Riley turned to her. ‘I like a lot of genres, but I’m kind of on a horror kick at the moment.’

Juliet was surprised at the fullness of the response. So you could just ask someone like Riley Powell a question and they would, just, like, answer it? It couldn’t possibly be that easy.

It got even better, though. ‘So, you’re taking my recommendation, I see,’ Riley said with a nod at Juliet’s hands. Juliet looked down at the book she was holding. ‘I guess so.’

‘I think she’s much better than Anne Rice. Though I guess it depends on your taste. I’ve never been big into vampires.’

‘No, me neither.Twilightkind of ruined them. Once I started picturing them sparkly, they got a lot less scary.’

Riley chuckled. ‘Yeah, that’s probably it.’

Juliet couldn’t believe the success she was having talking to Riley. It was going so well, the only thing to do was leave immediately before she ruined it. ‘Well, see ya.’

‘Yeah.’ Riley turned back to the books.

Juliet dashed away, riding high. One minute of interaction. She could scarcely believe it. It was like watching someone on TV for years and have them suddenly pop out of the screen for a chat. Riley breathed different air than Juliet. She was the full package, smart, beautiful, rich as shit. Juliet could only imagine what it would be to be her. Even for five minutes. To look in the mirror to see those deep-set dark amber eyes, not her boring green bland ones. That tawny glowing skin, not her chalky pallor. And all those lustrous, corkscrewing dark waves of hair that fell down her back like a gorgeous ocean you could be content to drown to death in, given half the chance.

Yep, all in all, Riley Powell had it. Juliet didn’t have anything.

But the interaction could only be a novelty. Juliet was pretty sure that would be the last real conversation they ever had.

***

Juliet was eating a very rubbish cheese sandwich in the cafeteria a few days later with her friends, Haley and Meera. Friends was a loose term, though. They were just people she sat adjacent to at lunchtime so as not to look like a loner. Loners got bullied. Haley and Meera were a social beard, and for that purpose, they were fine, if dull. They talked about boys—a lot. Juliet was fairly sure they talked about them so much because they were getting zero action. Though she was one to talk. She’d barely been kissed. She thought she might be bisexual, but she wasn’t sure. How could she be? She didn’t have any field experience.

She never bothered mentioning her sexuality to Haley and Meera. She thought they’d be alright about it, but they were simple, boy-loving creatures and wouldn’t have anything useful to say on the subject, so why bother telling them?

‘So, anyway, I’m going to Jackstone Uni because I heard it was one and a half men to every girl.Raises my odds,’ Haley said.

‘Yeah, it’s even better at Glede. Two and three quarters!’ Meera said.

Privately, Juliet thought if getting a boyfriend involved having to stack your odds, it wasn’t worth having one. But of course, she said nothing.

‘So, you decided where you’re going?’ Meera asked Juliet, picking the crust off her sandwich.

‘I’m not going to uni. I’m just gonna do a year at a local college, get my childcare qualification,’ Juliet said quietly.

‘Oh,’ Meera said. ‘That’s it?’

‘Yeah, isn’t that a bit…’ Haley began.

‘What?’ asked Juliet. She knew what was coming though.

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