Page 31 of Now and Again

Juliet pushed through her mortification. ‘Everyone did, didn’t they?’

Paul laughed. ‘Actually… I think Jenny said...’ He thought hard. ‘Shit, what did she say?’ he frowned, and Juliet felt like she could smell burning as Paul tried to dredge up the memory. She was certain this was the end of the conversation, but then Paul got excited. ‘Hold up, I’ve got it in a text! Let me check.’ He got his phone out. ‘Right, she says…Paul, you absolute…’ Paul looked up from his phone. ‘You don’t need to hear that bit.’ He looked back down at the phone. ‘Are you telling me you don’t remember that the poor girl’s top came down after you shoved her in the pool? Lucky for her, I was blocking everyone’s view. But I know YOU got an eyeful! You were pointing your dirty little eyeballs right at her, and then you started talking about naked parties!’Paul looked up, re-embarrassed. ‘I swear, I don’t remember that bit. But does that help?’

‘It really does,’ she assured him and walked back into the school, floating on air. The sanctity of her chest was intact. No one was laughing at her. Jenny didn’t sound like she’d be spreading around Juliet’s exposure, either. Which also meant… Oh god. She took out her phone and reread that text from Riley.

Hey Juliet. It was nice to see you at the party. I hope to see more of you soon.

It was just a nice message.

Fourteen

Riley was sitting down to family dinner, despite deep reservations. She’d been living in the house for a few months now, but she’d done a pretty good job ducking her dad thus far. She had his schedule well memorised, which helped. It also helped that she knew the sound of his footsteps in the house, clomping and urgent, as though he were always dashing to somewhere that needed him right this second.

But tonight, there was no avoiding her destiny. Amanda had begged her to come down because it was Juliet’s first night and she wanted to make a thing of it. Riley couldn’t wriggle out of it.

‘Riley, could you give Juliet a shout?’ Amanda said, putting a large pot of something on the table. ‘Tell her it’s chicken.’

Riley got up and went to the stairs. ‘Juliet?’ she yelled up. No answer. She went up and knocked on the door. ‘Juliet, you are cordially invited to eat downstairs right now,’ she called through the door.

The door swung open. ‘What? I’m invited to family dinner?’ Juliet exclaimed.

Riley raised an eyebrow. ‘Did you not realise you’d been adopted by Amanda when you moved in? You’re part of the pack, as much as I am. Maybe more, since you actually help, and I just suck up oxygen. Which means you get the dinner invite.’

‘Butyounever go to dinner,’ Juliet observed.

‘How do you know that?’ Riley asked.

‘Amanda might have mentioned it,’ Juliet admitted.

‘Yeah, well, she went to pains to get me down tonight. I guess she wants everyone to make an effort for your first night.’

‘Oh god,’ Juliet moaned. ‘Really?’

‘Yeah. She pretty much lives in some sort of TV show from the fifties,’ Riley said with a snort. She dropped her smile quickly. ‘I didn’t mean that to sound cruel,’ she added.

‘I know you didn’t,’ Juliet said with a warm smile. ‘You don’t have to explain every joke.’

Riley felt a feeling that she didn’t recognise right away. It wasn’t very familiar. It was the feeling of being understood. ‘So, er, you coming?’ Riley asked quickly.

‘How can I not?’ Juliet said. ‘Just give me a second to get myself together.’

‘Don’t be silly. You look great,’ Riley said. Juliet very obviously blushed. ‘Oh. Well. If you think so…’ she said quietly and walked out of her room, closing the door behind her.

They walked downstairs together. Riley’s dad was now in situ, at the head of the table, like a macho twat. Riley wondered if she was being meanspirited, and perhaps he’d just happened to sit there by accident, that it had nothing to do with status. But then Amanda put a cooked bird down on the table, and he immediately went for the carving knife. This house existed in a different time—one Riley didn’t have any nostalgia for. Thank god Juliet was here. She might go mad otherwise.

Juliet sat down, and despite several seating options, Riley sat beside her. The second her cheeks hit the seat, she thought,What the hell am I doing?But it was too late, places were taken, and Amanda was serving up. Mia was parked up on the other side, raised on a booster chair. The seating arrangement was set.

‘Have you settled yourself in?’ Amanda asked Juliet, taking off the apron and sitting down.

It took Juliet a second to register that the question was meant for her. ‘Oh? Me?’

Mike made a gruff noise that Riley recognised as his laugh. ‘No one else moved in today, did they? I mean, we’re not taking in anymorestrays?’

‘She’s hardly astray, Dad,’ Riley said, instantly sending him a warning look. They weren’t even eating yet, and he was already off.

Amanda put a hand on her husband’s arm and said, ‘He’s just kidding. She’s very welcome.’

‘Thank you,’ Juliet jumped in, sounding unbothered by the rudeness. Or at least, able to ignore it with great skill. ‘Yes, I’m settling in. It’s a lovely room. It’s bigger than my old one, actually.’

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