I shrugged. ‘He’s got me. He’s never needed loads of friends.’
‘He’s always had you. And then he met me.’ He paused, waiting for me to catch up. ‘So, what happens if we have each other? Or we end up hating each other?’
‘He’d take my side.’ I released a slow sigh. ‘And he’d lose you. His only actual friend.’
‘Back then, it was an obvious promise to make.’
‘But now you’ve broken it. What happens?’
Elliot took my other hand, his eyes fixed on mine in the twilight. ‘I’ll talk to him. Make him understand. If he knows how we – well, howI– feel, he’ll understand that keeping the promise will only cause more problems.’
My breath had got trapped behind my rapidly expanding heart. It was the kind of question I wouldn’t have dared to ask anyone apart from him. ‘Howdoyou feel?’
He laughed, ducked his head and took two eternally long breaths before looking up again. ‘I love you, Jessica Brown. So much it hurts.’
* * *
Once it grew cold, we wandered back inside, dropping hands so that no one would suspect anything before we’d had a chance to speak to Isaac. My brother, however, was nowhere to be seen. The crowd at the blackjack table told us that he’d gone to an afterparty with Brittney, yet another girl he’d dated once or twice. Elliot and I decided to walk home, stopping by the tandem to remove a bottle of screw-top wine from the trailer with the intention of drinking as we walked.
We drifted down the hill, entwined together, and it was close to midnight by the time we reached the junction at the bottom. There was a steady stream of cars going up and down the hill, picking people up, and every time we spotted headlights approaching we ducked into the undergrowth at the side of the road to avoid being seen.
‘There’s people there.’ Elliot came to an abrupt stop as the sound of voices floated around the last corner.
‘It’s Isaac,’ I whispered, heart pounding. I instinctively dropped Elliot’s hand and moved away. ‘It’s fine, we can say we couldn’t find him so you offered to walk me home. There’s nothing suspicious about that.’
‘Hey, Danny.’ Isaac’s voice was overloud, a sure sign he’d been drinking. ‘Have you seen my sister?’
‘Nah mate,’ Danny called back. ‘But Keisha saw her with some guy on the golf course. They were kind of busy, you know what I’m saying?’
In the midst of the jeers and whoops I heard Isaac demanding to know who it was, swearing with frustration when Keisha insisted she couldn’t tell in the darkness.
‘I’m going to find her.’ Isaac’s voice was rough with anger. ‘And him.’
Elliot grabbed my arm and we ran to the side of the lane, ducking behind a tree that in daylight would have been a comically bad hiding place, but in the darkness offered sufficient cover that a furious, alcohol-fuelled brother would storm straight past.
We waited another five minutes, but while some of the group ambled back up the hill after Isaac, others were happy to wait where they were. The general consensus was that he was going to go ballistic.
‘I have to go and find him.’
Elliot stepped away from me. ‘If any of them see us together, they’ll message Isaac straight away.’
I nodded. ‘I’ll go up the hill, you go down?’
‘I’m not leaving you on your own in the dark.’
I shook my head. ‘There are people everywhere. I’ll be fine.’
‘It’s the people I’m worried about.’
‘Don’t be silly. No one would dare touch Isaac Brown’s sister!’ I placed my hand on his chest and he grabbed it, a grin flashing across his face. ‘It’s a ten-minute walk without you distracting me every five steps. I’ve got my phone.’
‘Okay. Message me when you find him. And once you’re home. And in bed. And as soon as you wake up… while eating breakfast…’
‘I thought we were being discreet?’
Elliot’s smile disappeared. ‘Swear you won’t say anything, Jessie. Not until I’ve had a chance to speak to him.’
I nodded. ‘As long as you do it soon. I’m not good at keeping secrets from him.’
