~ CATHERINE ~
I met up with Nicky outside the changing rooms. As we walked side by side through the school, I half listened to her chatting nonstop about how everything was working out with Stephen, and that he was now being real attentive to her.
“We’re going out to the movies tonight,” she said, happily.
“Your mother is letting you see a movie on a school night? How did you get away with that? Or are you sneaking out as usual?”
She grinned mischievously. “Nah, my family are away at a soccer tournament in Hamilton, and won’t be back ’til tomorrow. And you’re one to talk about being sneaky.” She poked me in the side.
I smacked her hand away. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Just be careful. Okay?”
“Stephen’s a perfect gentleman, so I’ll be fine,” Nicky replied, glowering at me as I burst out laughing.
“Gentleman?”
“Shut up, you!”
“Girls, wait up!” Stephen hollered from behind us. He pulled up alongside Nicky and slung an arm over her shoulder. His long blond hair was damp, the strands wetting his rugby jersey.
“Hey, gorgeous,” he said to Nicky, well, I hope it was to her, because the prick gave me a sly wink.
“Hi, Stephen!” she chirped, clearly oblivious. “Too bad you missed out on a placing for the breaststroke.”
“Maybe I just need more practice.” He grabbed one of her boobs, getting a squeal from Nicky.
She smacked his hand off. “Stephen! We’re at school,” she said, her face going bright red. A couple of boys close by sniggered. “Shut up, yous!” she shouted at them.
Stephen sniggered too, looking well pleased with himself, the guy definitely not a gentleman, Nicky crazy for calling him one.
I shook my head at him. “Do you always have to be such an arse?” I cut him off before he could say anything. “No need to reply, I already know the answer. Just tell me where Chris is.”
“His mum came and took him home straight after my race. She said something about Chris being needed for a family matter. By the way, his old man’s a right bastard for punching him like that. My old man would never raise a hand to me. I still can’t believe what shit Chris has to put up with. Looks like I got the good sibling as a parent and he got a right wanker.”
I nodded sadly. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Mum’s silver station wagon parked in the school car park. “My mum’s here. See you later, Nicky. And, Stephen, take good care of her tonight,” I said, pointing a finger at him. “Or I’ll snap, crackle, and pop your finger out of its joint again.” That earned a scowl, giving me a buzz, happy that I’d annoyed him.
He shook his head at me. “Of course I’ll take care of Nicky, she’s my girl.”
Nicky looked up at him with a dreamy expression.
“You’re a lost cause, Nicky, you really are,” I said.
She turned her head towards me, looking perplexed. “Why?”
“Your atrocious taste in guys. Anyhooo, sayonara, Tweedle-Dumb and Tweedle-Dumber.” I took off, laughing at Nicky’s loud, “Oi!” I slipped between the cars, heading for Mum’s wagon. Pulling the passenger door open, I hopped in, happy to see her.
“Hi, darling, how did swimming go?” Mum asked.
“Great, I won the freestyle race, plus the coach wants me to join the swim team. Though, I’m not doing the practice, I would have to get up at five-thirty for that. No way,” I said, refraining from mentioning that it was the time I usually snuck back in from my beach practices.
Mum leaned over, giving me a hug. “Well done, my girl,” she said, letting go. “I always did say you’d be good enough for swimming comps.”
I nodded, not willing to tell her just how good I was. I’d always been good at swimming, just not to the level I was at with the rosary.
***
Thursday the 29th of June, 1989
I didn’t see much of Christopher the following day. He came in late in the morning, and left straight after school with his mother. Looking at my plate of chicken macaroni, I wondered whether he was going to be at the bus stop tonight.
“Hurry up and finish your dinner, Catherine,” Mum said. “Nicky will be here soon.”
Taking a bite of the macaroni, I mumbled, “When’s Dad getting home?”
“He’s working late tonight,” she replied. “And don’t talk with your mouth full; it’s disgusting.” Picking up her empty plate and cutlery, she walked over to the kitchen and placed them in the sink.
The now familiar honking of Nicky’s Mini sounded out front. I looked up from my plate in surprise. “She’s early,” I said, dropping my fork.
“No, you just took forever to eat,” Mum replied. “So go, I’ll do the dishes.”
“Thanks, Mum.”
I jumped up from my seat and rushed out, grabbing my karate bag along the way. I was outside within seconds, glaring through the window of Nicky’s Mini at Stephen. He was sitting in the front passenger seat, looking smug enough to punch. He pushed the door open and stepped out of the car, sliding the seat forward for me to get in. I climbed into the back and clipped on my seatbelt.
“What’s he doing here?” I grilled Nicky. “This was not part of the plan.”
“I wanted some alone time with my main man,” she said, smiling at Stephen as he got back in.
“You mean make out time? And you should be wary of necking in dark, secluded places. Haven’t you seen that movie where the young couple are kissing in the car and the roof gets ripped off, then the couple gets ripped apart? The car is like a can, while you’re the sardines. Munch, munch, munch.”
“Catherine!” Nicky yelled. “That’s a horrible thing to say.”
“I’m not saying it to be mean, I’m saying it because I care,” I said, noticing Stephen was looking at me dead serious. I focused on him, wondering whether he was falling for my bullshit. “Have you seen The Lost Boys, Stephen?”
He shook his head.
“It’s a documentary, warning teens about necking in dark reserves. The couple in it got mutilated, totally ripped to shreds.”
“Really?” Stephen asked, looking worried.
“No!” Nicky snapped. “She’s lying!”
I burst out laughing. “He’s even dumber than I thought!”
His face fell. “You are such a bitch.”
I continued laughing, no longer sour he was here, the guy pure comedy.
Nicky shook her head at me. “You’re a lost cause, Catherine. A lost freaking cause.” Still shaking her head, she reversed out of my driveway, grating the gears as usual.
“How many times do I have to tell you not to do that,” Stephen growled.
“I know, I know,” Nicky complained, doing it again to move forward. “I can’t help it.”
As they continued their conversation, or more accurately, Stephen schooled Nicky in the art of treating a car right, I looked out the window, watching the familiar landscape pass by.
It wasn’t long before we arrived at the bus shed, Christopher leaning against it. He jerked his chin up in acknowledgement of Stephen, who got out for him. Squeezing into the tight space next to me, Christopher extended an arm around my shoulders. His smile turned into a scowl as Stephen pushed the front seat back into his legs.
“Be careful,” Christopher said. “Don’t damage the legs. I need them for football.”
“You play footy?” I asked, surprised.
“No,” Stephen cut in. “He means soccer, not rugby.”
“I didn’t know you played soccer, Chris.” I smiled, loving the game.
“Sì, unlike the loser in the front.” He kicked the back of Stephen’s seat.
“Why would I want to play that girl’s game when I can play a man’s game?” Stephen retorted.
“At least in football, we don’t stick our heads between male butt.”
“Well, you should, since you twats look like girls prancing about out there.”
Christopher kicked the seat again, snapping at Stephen in Italian, whatever he’d said sounding harsh. Stephen retaliated by pushing the seat back fully, setting Christopher off even more. He started shoving the seat like a lunatic, the guy’s temper out of control.
“Stop doing that!” Nicky yelled. “You’ll make me crash.”
Thankfully, Christopher did stop, though he continued to curse Stephen the rest of the way to Buckland’s Reserve. To Stephen’s credit, he didn’t react, well, not much. He just shook his head and mumbled something under his breath. Regardless, he looked relieved when Nicky finally pulled over to park. He was out of the car before I could blink, sliding the seat forward to let me and Christopher out, obviously wanting us gone. We both climbed out, Christopher stretching his long legs, no longer paying Stephen any attention.
“Are you two staying here or going somewhere else?” I asked Stephen.
“Staying here,” Stephen replied, hopping back into his seat. “Got some Sex ED homework to do.” He winked at me, then leaned over Nicky to switch off the car’s headlights, leaving me and Christopher standing in the dark.
“Well, since he’s here I can’t use the rosary,” Christopher whispered.
With only the light from the moon to lead our way, he took hold of my hand, directing me through the trees and along the field to the spot from Tuesday. He sat down on the damp grass, pulling me on top of him. He wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on my shoulder, warming me up instantly.
“You really went off at Stephen,” I said, concerned by his behaviour. “He might be a dickhead, but even he didn’t deserve that.”
He sighed. “I know. I’m finding it hard to control my temper. Even little things are setting it off now.”
“Because of your family?”
“Sì.”
“What happened on Wednesday, after your mum picked you up?”
He sighed again. “She tried to get me to work things out with my father and grandfather.”
“Did you?”
“I pretended to, lied through my teeth, though I felt sick doing it. I can’t even look at them now without wanting to punch the smug looks off their faces. They’re evil sonofabitches, especially my grandfather. I still can’t get over what he said about possessing me. He hasn’t even done it, yet I feel violated. I can’t imagine what his cousin is going through. The guy got free for a short time and all he wanted was to die. Imagine having someone merge with you, taking over your body for close to a century. I couldn’t handle seconds, let alone as long as my grandfather’s cousin has. Now I understand why he wanted to die.”
I nodded, agreeing with him.
He ran a hand over my hair, smoothing it down. “Anyway, I don’t want to talk about him. Let’s just pretend we have no worries in the world and enjoy our time tonight.”
“What do you want to talk about?”
He shrugged. “My birthday’s coming up.”
“Ha! You’re older than me. I’m not eighteen for another couple of months.”
“I’m eighteen now.”
“What?”
“I’m turning nineteen.”
My eyebrows shot up. “You serious?”
“Sì, I had to repeat a year of school due to the demon attack. I almost died. It took a while to heal from my injuries, both physically and mentally.”
“That’s totally understandable. Still, wow! I’m dating an older man.”
He laughed, the sound so lovely I wanted to cry. What he’d been through, and what he was going through now, it was just so unfair.
“We should do something special for your birthday,” I said, wanting to make it the best day ever for him. “When is it?”
“Monday.”
“Damn, a school day. Though, we could still go to the mall,” I said, a second later realising that I might be dead by then. And by the way he tensed, he’d sensed it too. I quickly barrelled on, refusing to believe that I wouldn’t be around. “I want to spend all of my savings on you, which means you’re only getting an ice cream.”
No response.
I continued, trying my hardest to cheer him up. “Just kidding! I’ve got enough to buy you the best present ever, minus the best and ever parts.”
He cracked a smile.
“So, what would you like?” I asked, feeling encouraged.
He gave me another squeeze. “Just you.”
“Wrapped or unwrapped?” I said, using anything to perk him up.
He let out a little laugh. “Did you really just say that?”
“Yeah,” I chuckled. “Or maybe you can be in your birthday suit.” I tickled him under his arm.
He squirmed. “Don’t! I’m ticklish.”
I didn’t stop, desperately needing to break the tension. And it worked. He started wiggling about and laughing, trying to avoid my fingers. Still laughing, he rolled me onto my back, the two of us playfully wrestling. Christopher clearly came out as the winner, gloating as he pinned my hands down. I tried my hardest to get out of his grip, but couldn’t budge him.
“Come on, Chris, get off me!” I said, giggling. “You’re squishing me.”
“Not until you say that I’m the ultimate champion of the world!” he emphasized, like a pro-wrestler on television.
“Never!”
“Then I’ll have to kiss you until you surrender!” He started planting sloppy kisses all over my face, while I squirmed underneath him.
“Stop it!” I yelled, trying to avoid them.
He stopped and gave me a smile, instantly stilling me. I watched, transfixed as he leaned down, placing a tender kiss on my lips. No longer playing, he rolled me over so that I was lying on top of him. Threading my fingers through his hair, I passionately returned his kiss, excitement welling up as he grew hard. I ground against him, causing a groan to escape his lips.
“Catherine,” he rasped. “I won’t be able to stop myself if you keep doing that.”
I instantly froze. I’d gotten so carried away with the moment that I hadn’t thought about what I was doing, my body sabotaging my brain.
“Are you all right?” he asked, looking up at me.
I shook my head, feeling so overwhelmed. “I think I’m losing my mind over you,” I finally said, the boy driving me crazy.
“Likewise, cara.” He brushed my hair back, his hand lingering on my cheek. “I really want to make love to you.”
My cheeks lit up at his words, at his touch. “I...” I closed my eyes for a moment, wanting that too, but too scared to follow through. “It’s too soon,” I replied, sure he could feel my heart pounding against his chest.
He ran his hands down my back. “We should live for the moment, because we might not have much time left.”
I groaned, so tempted, but still not ready. “Just believe that things will work out.”
He rolled me onto my side and sat up, what I’d said obviously upsetting him, his mood changing in an instant. “It’s hard to do that when I dream about you dying every night,” he said, pushing his hands through his hair.
I sat up beside him. “Is it a repetitive dream?” I asked, praying it wasn’t a premonition.
He shook his head.
“Then they’re just dreams, nothing more. A collage of fears.”
“I still think there’s truth in them,” he replied, levelling me with a stare so intense I found it hard to hold. “I feel our time is running out.”
A loud honk came from the direction of the Mini, jolting the both of us.
Christopher whipped his head around to peer across the field. “What the hell? That wasn’t even half an hour.”
“They must be bored,” I replied, grateful for the interruption. I wanted to hug Nicky right now, because I couldn’t handle this, couldn’t handle the constant reminder that my time could be up. “Or it could be premature ejaculation,” I added, desperate to break the tension between us.
“What?” he asked, looking unsure if he’d heard me right.
I pressed on, my words light, but my heart heavy. “Stephen probably came too early. You know...” Using my hands, I indicated an explosion, adding some sound effects to it.
Christopher burst out laughing. “That’s a good one.”
I smiled, relieved I’d lightened the mood. “Who said I was joking?”
He instantly stopped laughing. “You and Stephen didn’t—”
My eyes went wide. “Good God, no!” I shouted, only just realising how that sounded.
He exhaled. “Thank Dio! I couldn’t handle it if you two had sex.”
“Me neither! I don’t want gonorrhoea.”
He snorted out a laugh. “Merges can’t get human diseases.”
“I’m sure Stephen will find a way.”
He sniggered, jolting as Nicky blasted the horn again. “Maybe she’s accidentally pressing on it. I don’t know how you could have sex in a Mini.”
“Uncomfortably.”
“Still, we should go.” Pushing up, he wiped the grass off his clothes, then held out his hand, pulling me up off the ground.
Once we’d gotten back to the car, I smirked at Nicky’s and Stephen’s messy appearance. “I’m guessing that you guys had fun—all sixty seconds of it.”
Stephen’s grin dropped. “I lasted ages!” He hopped out of the car and held the door open for us to climb in.
I looked inquisitively at Nicky as I slipped into the backseat, noticing she was a touch sombre. “You all right, Nicky?” I asked.
She didn’t reply, her eyes not leaving Stephen. Christopher was apologising to him for his earlier behaviour, Stephen appearing surprised, but happy with the apology.
“Nicky?”
She looked back at me, her green eyes shiny under the dashboard light. She whispered, “I love him so much.”
I nodded, fully aware of that, just wishing it wasn’t so, because it couldn’t last between them, humans and Merges not made for one another. I’d read a number of sad and tragic stories about Merge and human couplings, none of them ending well.
As soon as the boys were back in the car, we left Buckland’s Reserve. After a short drive, Nicky pulled the Mini over to the kerb, letting Christopher out. I waved at him as he walked away, knowing our relationship was even more doomed than Nicky’s and Stephen’s.