Saturday 28^th December

Yesterday I got delivered to the bach by Mum. Associating with the rowdy Murphy crowd got a mention several times on the way. That’s what comes of not having a car.

And having a Mum like mine. It was a relief when she left.

Monday 30^th December

I’ve been at the bach a few days now. We got up early and went to Hot Water Beach. We caught the sunrise and had a surf. Well, we dug in the sand and made hot pools, then waited for the waves to come. We lolled in the hot water until some tourists turned up then we decided the waves were just fine.

Denis hauled the bit of toast out of the toaster and juggled it.

“Toast, Zac?” He got a nod from me and lobbed it across the table to where I was sitting. We’d just got back from surfing, and the kitchen already looked like a bomb had hit it. Probably because Jess’s mum wasn’t up yet. But even when she’s up, the standards are pretty flexible. Mum would have a fit. But things just flow over Jess’s mum. She’s nice, real welcoming and caring.

Jess nodded at the toaster. “Make some for me.” She was standing by the door holding a towel, her hair caked with salt and sitting in little snakes around her face. She was on her way to the shower, all bare feet, damp T-shirt, bikini and long brown legs, with a huge red and black bruise on her thigh where the board hit her when she wiped out. Who would have thought Jess could surf?

She’s good. Laura is too, but she didn’t want to come to Hot Water Beach this time. She ignored us when we left in the dark.

I’ve never had a holiday like this before. We roll in packs. If someone suggests doing something, you do it if you want to, if you don’t no one cares. Some days, we go down to the Purangi to collect pipis, then light a fire, and find a sheet of corrugated iron to cook them on.

Or Jess’s dad takes us out in the boat fishing for the day. Her dad dives for the scallops, but me and Denis are going to do a dive course after New Year. My dad said he’d spring for the cost of the course and hiring the gear. Next year it will be us diving for the scallops, but now we just snorkel for paua and kina.

There’s no TV at the bach. Or computers. Even phones get frowned on. House rules.

I’ve had enough of playing Cheat and Black Bitch to last me a lifetime. But it’s all cool.

“Want to water-ski later?” Denis asked through toast crumbs.

“Thought the boat was dead.” I was talking through toast crumbs too.

“It’s going again. Dad got someone to look at it yesterday.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Jess came over to the table. She stood behind me, leaned her arms on my shoulders. “Come and have a shower with me,” she whispered in my ear.

She had to be kidding. The bedroom where the mum and dad sleep, comes off the lounge. Its right beside the bathroom. They were having a sleep in, but they seem to manage to keep an eye on anything that’s happening from there. And they made it clear when I turned up, I was in the sleepout with Denis and Alan with Laura and Jess in the other one, and that’s the way it would stay.

“House rules,” said her dad.

I didn’t mention to him the particular horse he was worried about had already left the stable. Anyway, I didn’t think showers together were on the menu either.

“I dare you.” Denis flicked his eyes past the lounge, to the shut bedroom door.

Jess slid round me and sat on my legs her knees each side of my hips, facing me, arms around my neck. Her tongue touched my cheek. “You’re all salty too. You need a shower.”

I put my arms around her and hitched her closer. At that moment Laura, sleep hair, pyjamas and jandals, wandered into the kitchen.

“Not again,” said Laura irritably when she saw me and Jess snuggling up. Typical of her. She’d been saying that sort of stuff all week, right from when I got here.

She’s not stupid, and it’s not that she’s even bad looking or anything. She looks a lot like Jess, same eyes, same height, but her hair’s a bit darker. She’s way curvier too, not fat, but she’s got breasts and hips. The other difference is Jess is nice, and Laura’s abrasive most of the time.

“What the hell’s wrong with her?” I muttered to Jess.

“She’s always like that. Don’t worry about it,” said Jess.

Laura wandered over to the toaster and snagged a bit of toast. “It’s bad enough I have to belong to this family without my sister hooking up with the weirdest kid in the school.”

I wrapped my arms further around Jess and pulled her closer, just to piss Laura off more than anything. She’s a bitch.

“Isaac’s not weird. He’s nice.” Jess wiggled even closer. “I like him.”

By then, being able to move away from the table, or do anything in the next half hour, had way gone anyway even if it was allowed.

“I don’t see why the rest of us have to watch,” said Laura.

“Be nice, sis.” Denis got up and took the slice of toast. “You could have someone here too if you were nicer to people.” Laura mooched off to the lounge without any comeback for once. Denis put more bread in the toaster and pushed the lever down. “At least that shut her up.” He looked up through the lounge at the bedroom door.

“Incoming.” Then went back to the toast and slathered on the peanut butter. Jess slid off my thighs as her mum drifted through the lounge tying up her dressing gown.

“Good morning.” She wandered over to the kettle, filled it, and flicked it on. “Have you been out surfing already?” She gave a bit of a stretch and a yawn.

“Yeah.” Jess picked up the towel again. “We went early because Dad’s taking us water skiing later.”

“So,” he said, “are you going to the dive school to see about Isaac doing the course with you and Denis?” She got two mugs out of a cupboard and put them on the bench.

“We did it yesterday when we went into Whitianga.”

Her mother found the plunger and made coffee. She looked around the mess in the kitchen holding the coffee cups and the plunger.

“Tidy this up before you go anywhere else,” she said mildly then wandered back to the bedroom.

I just can’t imagine my mum doing any of that.

She’d be up and dressed.

She’d have rung the dive school herself.

And as for the state of the kitchen? It doesn’t bear thinking about.

We finished breakfast and tidied up a bit. By then Jess’s dad was up and three of Denis’s mates had arrived. They’re all in the same class as me and Denis. I can’t figure why Denis is friends with them, especially Logan. Logan’s built like a truck and started to make other kids life a misery at primary school by stealing their rubbers and pencils. He’d progressed since then. They were going to sleep in a tent and in Logan’s mum’s station wagon. I wasn’t too upset they wouldn’t be in the sleepout with us.

Anyway, Jess’s dad got the old tractor out of the garage, towed the boat between the sand hills, and launched off the beach.

Jess and I were standing waist deep in the water each side of the boat holding it steady, wet suits half on, rubber arms dangling in the water and swirling when we jumped with a wave. They were bloody hard to get on those wetsuits, all still wet from the surfing.

Denis wound up the cable, and Laura climbed in the boat with rubber arms like an extra pair of legs. She looked like a cockroach. But she’d been a bit nicer to everyone since Denis’s comment.

Another wave rose past us, and I saw Jess get smashed hard against the side of the boat as she jumped.

“You all right?” I asked.

“Yeah.” Jess rubbed her head.

“I could come around your side and help.” Another wave and the boat surged again, our feet left the bottom. We went about a metre closer to the shore, but the boat was still in no danger of getting beached.

“For fuck’s sake, there’s two of you. Hold onto it.” Laura sounded irritated for no apparent reason again.

I’d had enough of her. It was like she couldn’t even stand us talking to each other.

“Back off, Murphy.” It was the first time I’d called her Murphy.

“Up you, Coleman.” She sounded really shitty now. I might stick with the Murphy though. It looked like it pissed her off. “Just hold the bloody thing still.” She leaned over the side and clipped on the ski rope.

The cable was wound up, the tractor and trailer were parked above the high tideline, and Denis and his dad climbed into the boat. His dad started the motor. Me and Jess waded out of the water and up the sand. Our turn to ski after Laura and Denis had had a turn.

The dry sand was hot on bare feet, and we ran until we got to the grass.

Denis’s mates were sitting there. Jess flopped down. I sat with her.

“Coleman, haven’t seen you here before,” said Logan.

“Yeah.” Kyle turned to Jess. “Jess, why him, not me?”

“You can’t play the guitar,” said Logan. “Better dye your hair and put on some eyeliner so you look beautiful.” Logan screwed up his face and did this thing with his hand. It was meant to look like someone putting on mascara. I’d heard it all before and didn’t say anything.

“Neanderthals,” Jess said to them.