Best Served Fake

forty-seven // kill a fifteen-year-old

Canberra was a shithole, but I usually didn't mind spending two weeks in November with Mum's cousin Carlos and his two adorable kids. Unfortunately, this year was different. Because all I really wanted to do was spend the time with Kai.

It felt as if I'd been robbed of time. We'd spent all night doing anything but talking, and instead of spending the morning wrapped in the afterglow, we'd been rudely awakened by Isabelle banging on the door, yelling something about being picked up in like fifteen minutes. So, instead of whispering sweet nothings for the rest of the morning, we scrambled out of bed and threw on the first outfits we could find, with only a minute to spare to try and disguise any evidence of the night before. Given that Will rolled his eyes when we arrived in the kitchen, breathless from our efforts, we clearly hadn't done a particularly good job.

So, when I saw Mum's car pull into Zac's driveway, I was a little bit disgruntled to be forced to say goodbye to Will and the three Delaney siblings, though I hoped I hid it well. I gave Zac a perfunctory wave and thanked him for his hospitality and quickly hugged Will and Isabelle.

When I got to Kai, who'd walked me out to the front decking to meet the car, I could do nothing under the watchful eyes of my mother except shoot him a secret knowing smile that spoke volumes to what we had spent all of the previous night, and this morning, doing, before pulling him into a tight embrace.

His arms were warm around me, strong enough to hold me up, and the stir of his breath in my hair made me so unwilling to leave I wanted to pitch a fit.

"I'll miss you," he whispered into my ear.

"Call me," I murmured back.

"Try stop me."

I pulled back to meet his eyes. "Now, why would I do that?"

"Hurry up, lovebird," my mother yelled out of the window. "We can't wait forever."

We?

It was in that moment that I realised I couldn't possibly go to Canberra. I was going to cling to Kai's leg, and if Mum wanted me to go, she would have to physically force me. Her incomprehensible texts from this morning suddenly made vicious, evil sense.

(7:23AM)

Mum: don't be bitch pls

Mum: you can have AUX if you cooperate

Mum: making friends with everyone is a critical part of life

Valerie: what

Valerie: why are you sending me random advice

Valerie: did you read a handbook

Mum: pls don't hate me u are my favourite daughter

Valerie: ??

Valerie: I am ur only daughter

Because this year, there was a girl installed in the passenger seat of Mum's car.

"Kill me," I muttered to Kai when I caught sight of the blonde girl sitting in my seat. "Fast. Please."

Sophie was sitting upright in the passenger seat, looking the perfect picture of boredom and vexation, as if waiting five minutes for me to say my goodbyes was some great suffering she was forced to piously endure. Unfortunately, the look quite suited her. Sophie Mansfield was unfairly pretty, and she knew it. Big blue eyes and ice blonde hair, she looked like a Nordic princess, or an additional member of the Plastics.

Sophie was Carlos' ex-stepdaughter, but he was nice enough to maintain contact with her despite the decade that had passed since the divorce. And the fact that Sophie was a vicious bitch. I would have taken any opportunity to avoid prolonged contact.