Page 12 of Vying Girls

‘There you are. We got kicked the fuck out.’ Haz grins, heedless of the rain. ‘Home time now I think, lads.’

I wait for Tilda to move but she doesn’t. There’s defiance back in her face, a scowl trying so hard to be fierce when really she’s one more drink away from being laid out.

‘Wanna move?’ I say, echoing her words from before.

‘Not until you tell me.’

Oh, I’m gonna tell her alright. I peer into her green eyes, shouting it all in my mind, willing her to get it because time’s running out.

‘Tilda, baby, wanna put her down?’ Haz touches her arm, finding humour in this whole thing.

‘No. I want her to tell me. All night—she’s made it shit.’ She glares at Haz. ‘You’ve made it shit. Everything’s justshit.’

‘Hey, babe, come on.’ Elly’s here now, soothing her from the other side. I roll my eyes to the sky. Fucking get me out of here. ‘Let’s do this when we get back. You’re freezing.’

‘Get off, Elly. I want this asshole to answer me.’

I’m saved from saying anything when someone starts bleating from a megaphone. There’re students all around us now, cowering in the rain. Club’s been kicked out and the police are here to walk us home.

‘Final ferry departs in twenty-five minutes,’ they bellow. ‘Twenty-five minutes will be the last ferry of the night. Make your way to the terminal now. Last ferry in twenty-five minutes.’

‘Fucking party poopers.’ Haz glares at them. ‘Let’s go then. Takes about that much to get there.’

I look down, grabbing Tilda’s belt loop on instinct. She was about to leave but now she hovers, uncertain. If she wants answers, she’ll have to fucking well stay for them.

‘You guys go,’ she says quietly, meeting my eyes again.

Elly reaches out. ‘Tilda—’

‘We’ll catch you up, just go!’

‘Oh, just fucking leave them,’ Haz spits, finally done with us. ‘I’m not missing the boat. I need a shower. I fucking reek of foam.’

‘Guys…’ Elly looks at me almost pleadingly. Tilda’s too gone to be swayed at this point. Yeah, well, me too. I’m fused to the wall, pinned by this hellcat.

‘Elly!’ Haz shouts irritably, joining the swell of other students.

Elly gives us one last look before sighing. ‘Look the hell after her, Nic.’

She joins Haz who pushes her along. ‘Just fuck, you’ll feel better!’ she shouts to us.

I look down at Tilda. Haz doesn’t know how far off the mark she is with that one.

There’s not much to do but wait out the rain. It reaches its peak, so clamorous Tilda wouldn’t even hear a word I said anyway.

She’s not looking at it. She’s still pressed against me. Think she’s using me for body heat at this point. Don’t know if she’s even aware of it.

There’s no scowl on her face now, but something equally as conflicting. I wait it out, wanting to hear whatever spills from her mouth without her usual walls up.

‘You’re not even ugly,’ she says eventually.

My eyebrow twitches. I try not to smile. ‘Neither are you.’

She pushes me gently. ‘You hurt me.’

‘What?’

‘Earlier.’ She frowns down at her arm. ‘Look, I have a literal bruise.’