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We wade through the crowded stairs to find the girls bunched together in a dark corner right up the back. It’s a small table in a perfect location for a romantic couple wanting to avoid the spotlight, but …

Leah notices my grimacing look. ‘Don’t you like it?’

‘It’s a table with chairs – what’s not to like?’ I say, not wanting to offend her. I wonder how on earth I’m going to find my mystery boy from up here.

Leah goes down to buy drinks. Leaving Ivy and Bec to chat about their clothes, I tug on Amber’s sleeve and whisper, ‘Come on; let’s get out of this corner.’

Standing at the top of the stairs, we spot a few people we know and a few we’d rather not, like the group of loud-mouths from town who are always taking shots at us because we’re into horses.

Amber rests a hand on the balcony railing but doesn’t look over into the club’s interior.

‘Um, Amber, why are you staring at me?’

‘Oh,
I’m
the one staring?’

I hate it when she answers my question with one of her own. ‘I’m staring,’ I explain, ‘because I don’t get out often and it’s all so amazing, especially the chandelier. You know, it has a hundred and forty-five little bulbs. Imagine the energy it uses when it’s fully turned on.’ I glance at her and smile. ‘You don’t have to say it – I’m pathetic.’

She laughs. ‘Ebony, that line’s not going to work with me. I know what you’re doing.’

‘Yeah? What?’

‘You’re looking for a cute guy who walks with a limp.’

I turn back to scanning the room, keeping an eye on everyone as they first walk in. ‘I suppose he’s not here because he had to seek urgent medical treatment. I knew I shouldn’t have worn your heels.’

She laughs. ‘Blame the shoes, why don’t you?’ She lifts her eyebrows. ‘He didn’t look too injured when he held your hand against his chest. You should have seen your face!’

‘I’m glad I didn’t,’ I mumble under my breath.

‘The way that guy looked at you, there’s no doubt
he
will track
you
down before this night is over. Hon, I guarantee it.’

‘Do you really think so?’ I try to sound as if I don’t care either way, but it doesn’t work. I need to see him again.

‘He goes to our school, you know,’ Amber remarks casually.

My eyes swing to hers. ‘He does?’

‘Yeah, his name is Jordan Blake. He’s the guy that always heads for the back row and never makes eye contact. And it’s not because he’s shy.’ She adds this last part softly, but before I can ask her about it Leah’s back with our drinks and we return to the table, where we plan a riding day together during the first week of our break.

Every so often I check the faces around me, hoping to catch sight of the boy named Jordan.

Leah and Ivy get up to dance as soon as the band starts playing. It’s a great idea. Anything to get a better vantage point, so we head downstairs to the dance floor, where I have so much fun I don’t realise how much time is passing.

Taking a break, Amber and I go to the restroom. When we come out to wash our hands and freshen up, I glance into the mirror and point out that her theory seems to be flawed. ‘I’m going to find him before anything else distracts me.’

‘I’ll come with you.’

‘You don’t have to, you know. The band will be back soon.’

She shrugs. ‘I’m all danced out.’

We walk to the door and I pull it open. ‘What about the others?’

She pulls out her mobile phone. ‘I’ll text Leah and tell her where we’ll be.’

We wander over to the bar and I ask a barman if he’s seen a boy with blue eyes, brown hair, about my height and wearing a brown suede jacket. ‘He might be walking with a limp,’ I add.

‘Sorry,’ he says, shrugging.

But while standing there a group of five or six girls rushes past. ‘What’s down there?’ I ask the one hanging back a little.

The blonde glances up from texting. ‘The rear exit.’

And the moment she says it I know Jordan Blake has passed this way. I turn and tell Amber, ‘He’s outside.’

‘How do you know?’

I have no answer. I just feel it. ‘Instinct, I suppose.’

‘You want to go out in the dark on a hunch, looking for a boy you only just met?’

‘Um … yes. I need to check on his injury,’ I answer with a nervous giggle.

‘All right, I’m game.’

OK, who am I kidding? I quietly admit as we head for the exit. It might be the stupidest idea I’ve had in a while, but there’s something as strong as it is strange between this boy and me, and I need to know what it is.

We bumped into Sophie Hunt at the door about an hour earlier, a beautiful girl with blonde hair and blue eyes and bad taste in men. She was alone – and upset – so we decided to keep her company even though we’ve exchanged no more than a few words since she moved to Cedar Oakes at the start of this school year. She told us she had problems with her boyfriend, Adam Skinner – see, bad taste. Danny let slip I had history with the guy, and she started pounding me for info, trying to figure out why he has suddenly become so unpredictable.

‘You know, Sophie, perhaps you should start by asking Adam to explain what happened that day at the mine.’

‘Don’t you think I’ve tried? No one mentions Seth around him. Even Josh and Damien told me to leave it alone.’ Her voice drops so low I strain to hear it and move my right ear closer to her mouth. ‘Josh thinks Adam is worried about losing me.’ She looks at me then, her big blue eyes swimming with tears.

Adam Skinner is worried about Sophie’s feelings, worried she might leave him. This isn’t the Skinner I know. It surprises me.

I close my eyes for a second and finally give in. But deep inside I just know that somehow, at some time, I’m going to regret this.

She gives a barman some cash and he slides two beers under the counter, then we slip outside on our own and sit on the bottom step of a small concrete deck. By the time I finish relating what happened, she’s sniffing back tears and swabbing her eyes.

Leaning forward on to her knees, Sophie cups her chin in her hands and stares straight ahead into the dark alley, where the only other sound is a cat scratching at a black garbage bag.

‘Are you OK?’ I ask.

‘No, I’m a horrible person, pressuring you into telling me this story on his brother’s birthday.’ She hiccups.

‘You didn’t know it was Seth’s birthday. And at least now you understand where Adam is coming from.’

‘How can you stick up for him after all he’s put you through? Danny told me how, in that first year, he turned every person in this school against you, including the teachers.’

‘Well, that was three years ago, and I put up with the crap he dishes out because …’

She squeezes my forearm. ‘Don’t say, because of what you did to his brother. It was an accident, Jordan. A dreadful tragedy, but it wasn’t your fault.’

She’s silent a moment before she says softly, ‘Why couldn’t he tell me himself? I would have understood. I could have been there for him instead of …’ She glances down the dark lane with tears welling again, her tissue shredded in her hands, ‘Jordan, I was so awful to him last night. I said some horrible things. He’s never going to forgive me.’

‘Forgiveness isn’t exactly Adam’s strong point. A few days’ space around certain days of the year is probably good to remember.’

She starts to cry again and wipes her eyes with the last of her tissue. ‘I dumped him last night.’

‘The fight was that bad, eh?’

She nods.

‘I’ve seen you two at school together. He doesn’t let you out of his sight. He’ll come back.’

She slides her hand in mine and gives it a friendly squeeze. ‘Do you think so?’ She glances up at me with her big blue eyes half obscured behind her blonde fringe. ‘If only I’d met
you
on my first day.’

Her hand in mine grows uncomfortable suddenly, as if we’re crossing a line. She’ll be sorry she said that by tomorrow. Obviously Sophie has some thinking to do. She’s hurting and vulnerable. I glance at my watch. I’ve been outside too long, but at least there’s still time to find the girl with the violet eyes.

Sophie gets to her feet. ‘I’ve kept you out here long enough. You should go back inside and enjoy what’s left of the night.’ Taking my hand again, she hauls me up. ‘Besides, I realise now I have somewhere else I need to be.’

A dark figure fills the space behind her. The figure moves and two more step out of the shadows. It’s Skinner with his mates Josh and Damien. The hairs on the back of my neck bristle at the look on Skinner’s face.

Quickly I drop Sophie’s hand. ‘What is it?’ she whispers, and spins around. ‘Adam! It’s you. Geez, you freaked me ou—’ Her voice fades as she takes in his dark eyes and hostile expression.

‘Yes, it’s
Adam
’, he mocks, glaring at her.

She goes from relieved to confused and then terrified in the space of one beat. ‘What’s wrong, babe?’

Skinner takes her arm and flings her to Josh as if he were discarding a rotting carcass. Josh plays football for the region. I’ve known him since we were kids. He was one of the many who stopped associating with me after the accident. It’s his loyalty that has him here now being a moron.

‘Don’t let her go, Josh. I’ll get back to her after I deal with this scumbag.’

‘Listen, mate, you’re jumping to the wrong conclusion. You should trust your girlfriend. She cares for you, and that’s not something you should take for granted.’

Whack!
His right fist smashes into my jaw, knocking me to my knees.

Man, I didn’t see that coming.

‘
Adam!
’ Sophie screams. ‘What are you doing?’ She struggles to escape Josh’s arms but they’re braced like iron bands around her waist. ‘Let me go, Josh!’ He doesn’t respond. ‘What’s the matter with you? Let me go!’

He continues to stare straight ahead.

‘Josh? Josh!’ She catches my eye and shakes her head. She can’t explain what’s going on any more than I can. She tries again, ‘Think about what you’re doing, Josh.’

Josh tries not to look at Sophie’s big pleading eyes staring up at him.

‘Josh,’ she pleads, ‘we’re friends, aren’t we? I made you a chocolate cake for your birthday.’

Finally she gets through to him. ‘I’m sorry, Soph, but I saw you two with my own eyes.’

‘Saw
what
exactly? Jordan and I have been out here talking, that’s all.’

When he doesn’t answer, I yell at him, ‘You saw nothing cos there was nothing to see.’

‘Go on, Josh,’ Skinner pipes up, keeping his eyes fixed on me as I inch my way into a better position. ‘Tell her how we saw the two of them meet up at the front desk like they obviously planned, then cosy up together every chance they got. And when that wasn’t enough, they came out here for privacy!’

‘I came on my own!’ Sophie protests. ‘Jordan came with Danny Webber. They just happened to walk in at the same time as me. Adam, we didn’t plan to meet, I swear!’

‘Danny was your cover. And you know how I know that? You couldn’t wait to sneak out the back without him.’

Sophie groans. ‘It wasn’t like that! I can explain everything. We’ll go somewhere quiet, just the two of us. Tell this brute to let me go. And if you don’t take me seriously, I’ll report this to the cops.’

‘Shut up, Sophie! I saw all I needed with my own eyes. Evidence doesn’t come better than that.’

‘But, Adam …’ Sophie’s voice softens. ‘I know what happened to Seth.’

Everyone freezes. Even the cat picking at the hole in the garbage bag suddenly stops. Realising she’s made a mistake, she reaches out to Skinner’s other pal, Damien Hall, with her eyes, but there’s no help there. He knows mentioning Skinner’s brother is a forbidden topic, especially today of all days.

‘You know
nothing
about my brother,’ Skinner hisses, and
pointing at me says, ‘You dumped me for
him
? If it were anyone else, maybe we could talk, but
him
? From now on you are nothing to me. You’re dust!’

Sophie gasps. She’s never seen this side to her boyfriend before and it’s clearly scaring her half to death. ‘How can you dismiss me as if I’m nothing after these last three months?’

He turns slowly as if he’s listening, but then he raises his hand and sucks air in loudly, making a torrid hissing sound through the gap in his front teeth. ‘You cheated on me with the person who destroyed my family.’

Whack!
He slaps Sophie in the face with the open palm of his hand.

It shocks everyone.

Sophie whimpers in disbelief, ‘You hit me.’ She lifts a trembling hand to her cheek.

Stunned, Josh loosens his hold. Sophie breaks free and charges at Skinner with both fists flailing. ‘Don’t you ever! Don’t you
ever
raise a hand to me again!’

Josh and Damien pull her off, leaving Skinner completely open to me for the first time and, those two momentarily occupied, I ball my right fist and jab him across the bridge of his nose.

Enraged and in pain, he grabs my arm and twists it behind my back. ‘Think you can get away with that, do you? You’re a weakling, a girl, a weak little girl!’ He continues to yank and twist my arm. Over the top of my head he yells at Sophie, ‘I don’t understand why you would pick this loser.’

‘Adam,
stop
! What does it take to get through to you?’

‘You’re a moron, Skinner,’ I yell. ‘Do you think Sophie will stick with you now? You just lost the best thing you’ve ever had when you hit her. She’s not going back to you now, not ever, man.’

‘Shut up, Blake!’

When this doesn’t work, I try to reason with Adam’s mates. ‘You guys want to risk going to jail all over a misunderstanding? You’re dumber than I thought!’

‘Shut up!’ Skinner bellows, dragging me to the brick wall, where he starts punching me in the gut and yelling at Damien to give him a hand. Damien rushes over and hauls me to my feet. Glaring at me, Skinner knees me in the back, then kicks me with his left boot.

After a few more minutes of this, Damien releases me, steps back and says to Skinner, ‘Mate, I can’t do this.’

I slide to the ground.

The kicking doesn’t stop.

Meanwhile, Sophie is screaming. She breaks free from Josh, hollering accusations at the two friends. ‘You should be stopping him before he ends up doing time for this!’ They stand back but do nothing. ‘You’re both pathetic.’