‘Nice to meet you, Eden,’ she said, without smiling.
I stared back at her. ‘Thanks for the lift.’
Ryan had already got the cool bag out of the boot. We said nothing as Cassie turned the car around and pulled away.
‘I’m really sorry about her,’ Ryan said.
‘She doesn’t like me.’
‘It’s not that. She’s just not good with people.’
I shrugged and reached for my bag. ‘I’ll carry it,’ Ryan said, throwing it over his shoulder.
We looked down over the beach from the cliff-top car park. Although it was only two in the afternoon, the sun had begun its descent, casting a deep bronze glow over the sand. It was easy to spot Amy and her friends at one end of the beach. There were about thirty of them gathered around a huge pile of wood. The rest of the beach was deserted. The sea was flat, so even the hardcore surfers had stayed away today.
As we walked across the sand, I could see them one by one turn and stare.
Amy spoke first. ‘Hi, Eden. You brought Ryan.’
‘Happy birthday. I hope you don’t mind me coming along,’ Ryan said. ‘Eden invited me.’
‘Did she?’ Amy said, the surprise clear in her voice. She glanced at me. ‘The more the merrier.’
I looked around. Connor and Megan were stretched out on a big, red blanket. Matt was bending over a cool box filled with bottles. Amy’s friends from drama were milling around the unlit bonfire, swigging from bottles and laughing. As though watching a slow-motion film sequence, I saw Amy’s girlfriends checking out Ryan. They whispered to each other and I could tell they were trying to work out why Ryan and I had arrived at the same time. Finally, one of them, a girl called Scarlett, made her way over to us.
‘Come and get a drink,’ she said, linking arms with Ryan and steering him towards Matt and the cool box.
I walked over to Connor and Megan and plonked myself on their blanket.
‘What’s going on?’ Megan whispered. ‘How the hell did you end up coming to Amy’s party with Ryan Westland?’
‘I’m not sure myself,’ I said. ‘Ryan gave me a lift home last night and I mentioned Amy’s party. He asked if he could come along.’
‘He gave you a lift home?’ Megan asked. ‘Explain that?’
I shrugged. ‘It would seem those rumours about him driving around town are true. He drove past me last night and he gave me a lift.’
‘Why would you, of all people, get in a car with an under-age driver?’ Connor asked, locking eyes with me.
I met his gaze. ‘Because I was cold and alone and the road was dark.’
‘Why didn’t you get the bus?’
‘Because I had to wait thirty minutes for the bus.’
He turned to Megan. ‘You left her alone at the bus stop?’
Megan looked at me uncomfortably. ‘Eden said she was OK.’
‘I was OK,’ I said. ‘Stop acting like you’re my dad, Connor.’
Connor shrugged. ‘No worries. You want to get in a car with an under-age driver from another country, you go ahead. It’s none of my business.’
I looked at Megan and she rolled her eyes. ‘Connor was just telling me about astronomy club,’ she said, clearly attempting to move the conversation on to safer ground.
‘Was it a good night?’ I asked.
Connor pushed his hair out of his eyes. ‘Different. Usually it’s just five of us and Mr Chinn. Yesterday, Westland showed up and eight Year Eleven girls also decided to join. Quite the coincidence.’
‘So what did you do?’ I asked.
‘We looked at Venus and Jupiter.’
‘That sounds good,’ I said. ‘I’d love to do that.’
Connor smirked. ‘Yeah, right.’
‘I would.’
‘That’s why you’ve always shown such an interest in the past.’ Connor lay back on his elbows. ‘To be fair, Westland was mostly interested in the telescope and talking to Mr Chinn. He more or less ignored his groupies. Chloe Mason was throwing herself at him all evening. He didn’t seem to notice. I think he paid more attention to me than any of the girls.’
‘Maybe he’s gay,’ said Megan.
Connor shook his head. ‘I don’t think he’s interested in boys or girls. He’s a science geek.’
Megan snorted. ‘He doesn’t look like a science geek.’
Connor pulled himself back up into a sitting position. ‘And what exactly does a science geek look like?’
‘It’s just that he’s pretty muscly,’ she said. ‘He looks as though he belongs on the rugby team, not in the astronomy club.’
‘So you can’t be muscular and into science? The two are mutually exclusive?’
‘Of course not,’ Megan sighed, rolling her eyes.
Ryan was making his way across the sand to us, swinging a full bottle of beer in one hand.
‘Hey, Ryan,’ said Connor. ‘Did you enjoy astronomy club last night?’
Ryan sat on the blanket next to me. He pushed the bottle of beer into the sand so that it stood upright. ‘Yeah. It was good.’
I nudged Ryan with my elbow. ‘According to Connor, the membership tripled yesterday.’
Ryan grinned and nudged me back. ‘You haven’t signed up.’
‘I don’t know anything about astronomy. The only object I can identify in the night sky is the moon.’
‘Maybe you should join then. You might learn something.’
Connor scowled. ‘Don’t waste your breath. Eden will never join. She thinks science is for geeks.’
‘I didn’t say that!’
‘It’s true though, isn’t it?’ said Connor.
‘Not at all,’ I said, beginning to get annoyed.
Megan stood up. ‘Come on, Connor. Let’s go and get a drink.’ She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him over to Matt and the cooler full of bottles. Ryan and I watched in silence.
‘So you and Connor have been friends for a long time,’ he said eventually.
I nodded. ‘I sat next to him in reception class. I’ve actually known him longer than anyone. Even longer than I’ve known Megan.’
‘He really likes you.’
It was a statement, not a question.
‘We’re close,’ I said, sifting the cold sand through my fingers. ‘We’re like brother and sister.’
Ryan smiled. ‘I’m not sure Connor thinks of you as a sister.’
‘Oh, he does,’ I said. ‘We know each other much too well for anything else.’
Ryan raised an eyebrow. ‘You’re very unperceptive.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘He has a huge crush on you. It’s so obvious. Just the way he looks at you.’
I shuddered involuntarily. ‘Eugh! Don’t say that. Connor is really great, but he’s like a brother to me. Anything more would be . . .’ I paused, trying to find a word that explained how I felt. ‘It would feel disgusting.’
Ryan laughed a short, strange laugh. ‘Poor guy. No wonder . . .’
‘What?’
Ryan was gazing out to sea, his eyes glazed, as if he were miles away. He spoke softly. ‘You are going to break his heart.’
‘Actually, I think Connor and Megan would be good together.’
He gave me the flicker of a smile. ‘If you say so.’
Matt came running over, kicking up sand in his wake. ‘Frisbee. Girls versus boys. No excuses, Eden.’
Ryan leapt to his feet and offered me a hand up.
‘You go ahead. I’ll just enjoy the view,’ I said.
I lay back on the blanket and shut my eyes. Although it was only the beginning of March, there was enough strength in the sun to warm me through my jeans and sweater. After a few minutes a shadow fell across my face and I heard someone sit down next to me.
‘Well, well,’ said a voice. I didn’t have to open my eyes to tell it was Connor. ‘It’s always the quiet ones.’
‘Get lost,’ I said, shoving him playfully.