A Quiet Kind of Thunder(66)

‘So,’ I say. ‘Thoughts on Rhys?’

She smiles. ‘I’ve met him before. You already know my thoughts.’

‘Yeah, but now you’ve spent a whole day with him,’ I say. I prod her knee. ‘Go on.’

Tem pulls one of my pillows out from under the cover and plumps it underneath her bag, then rests against the headboard. ‘Well,’ she begins. ‘I think he is very, very . . .’

I wait. ‘Very what?’

She grins. ‘Very awesome. I like him a lot. Why wouldn’t I? He’s great.’

I grin back. ‘Yay. Isn’t he, though? You see why I love him, right?’

‘Obviously,’ she says, rolling her eyes. ‘You got a good one. I was thinking today, though . . . when I was watching you together. You know how your parents think he’s making your world smaller?’

My heart gives a twinge of anxiety. ‘Yeah . . . ?’

‘I don’t see it.’

And a whoosh of relief. ‘You don’t?’

‘No. I think he makes you bigger. In a good way, I mean. You’re so open with him, you know? Your face comes alive – your whole body comes alive.’

‘Because I’m translating for him?’

‘Maybe, but I don’t know if it’s just because of that. You’ve changed a lot these last few months. Is it just because of him?’

Tem is looking at me, her face open and unsuspicious, waiting for me to speak. This is the perfect time to tell her about the medication, but for some reason I don’t. Something about the thought of her knowing that all the good changes are down to something as mundane as medication bothers me. I’d rather she thought it was all down to a boy. Hormones over SSRIs. Love over science.

‘Maybe I’m just finally growing up,’ I say, smiling.

To my surprise, her face falls slightly. ‘Just don’t grow away from me, OK?’

I reach out and put both my arms round her neck, squeezing her into a hug. ‘Never.’ Life without Tem is unthinkable. ‘Hey, so, do you feel better?’

She frowns. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Are you still . . .’ I try to remember her exact phrasing. ‘Full of woe?’

‘Oh, that.’ Her face clears. She shrugs a little. ‘Well, I don’t think I’m suited for a career in sports science. I still might not pass the year. But I was talking to Ava about it, and she was really encouraging.’ Ava is Tem’s running coach. ‘She said, at the end of the day, grades don’t matter on the track. And I’ve always known that, you know? I just kind of . . . forgot it a little this year.’

‘Why?’

‘I don’t know, really. Going to college, maybe. Being with Karam. Education is so important to him, and it makes me feel a bit . . .’ she hesitates. ‘A bit dumb.’

‘You’re not –’

‘I know, I know. It’s a different kind of smart – that’s it, right? Yours is animals, mine is athletics.’

I nod. ‘Sounds about right.’

‘So, we’re seeing how it goes,’ she says. ‘But thanks for today. It was great.’

‘Maybe Karam can come next time,’ I suggest.

She smiles and looks away, rubbing her fingers through the ruff of Rita’s neck. ‘Yeah,’ she says. ‘Next time.’





Sunday evening

rhysespieces: i have an idea

stefstef: what kind of idea? ?

rhysespieces: an adventure idea stefstef: ooh!

rhysespieces: Whipsnade was great but we can do something bigger!

stefstef: YES! what’s the idea?

rhysespieces: have you ever been to Edinburgh?

stefstef: NO!!!

rhysespieces: would you . . . want to?

stefstef: YES!! ? ?

rhysespieces: i was thinking we could go and stay with my brother. he’s at uni there. we could visit him and he could show us round the university. then you could tell your parents that you’ve visited and know what to expect and stuff.

stefstef: AMAZING.

rhysespieces: fancy it?

stefstef: yes yes yes.

rhysespieces: awesome. i haven’t told you this before, but i know what you mean about your parents worrying about you being able to do things. mine are the same.

stefstef: really? why?

rhysespieces: . . .

stefstef: oh, the deaf thing

rhysespieces: yeah. the deaf thing. i’d like to be able to show them too. you and me, managing together, on our own. you know?

stefstef: I. KNOW.

rhysespieces: great. i’ll speak to Aled.

stefstef: oh hey . . . you could . . . not.

rhysespieces: ?

stefstef: how about we don’t tell anyone? that way they won’t all be worrying and trying to put us off. not just an adventure, but a SECRET adventure. i won’t even tell Tem! and then we’ll turn up on Aled’s doorstep like . . . HI! SURPRISE!

rhysespieces: hahaha. he would definitely be surprised.

stefstef: it’s a good idea, right?

rhysespieces: yes, if we could pull it off. we’d need money and alibis.

stefstef: it’s not a heist, Gold.

rhysespieces: still a mission, Bronze.

stefstef: Bronze and Gold Take On Scotland rhysespieces: Bronze and Gold and the Mystery of the Exploding Haggis stefstef: Bronze and Gold Play the Bagpipes rhysespieces: ANYWAY. i meant it about the money and alibis. when would we go? a weekend?