Silence (Silence #1)(40)

“Oakley?” I frowned and pressed my face into my pillow to ignore Mum calling me. Why couldn’t she let me sleep? “Oakley,” she repeated. Sighing in defeat, I rolled over. She wasn’t going to go away until she spoke to me, so I decided to get it over with.

“Morning, honey. Sorry to wake you but I just wanted to let you know what Auntie Ali’s going away for the night, so Lizzie’s staying with us. She’ll be here soon, so you need to make some room in your wardrobe for her things, okay. Apparently she’s packed a lot and wants to hang a few things up.”

No, it is not okay! I tried hard not to show the disappointment, but I couldn’t keep a frown from passing across my face.

“Oh, she’s not that bad! Come on, up. Dad’s making pancakes for breakfast.” As if that made it better…

Mum left me to get up, and I flopped back in bed. Lizzie for a whole day and night. Groaning in frustration, I jumped up and stomped around. The second I got downstairs; she walked in the front door. I didn’t even have time to have a hot chocolate and mentally prepare myself.

“Oh I can’t wait for your birthday party, Oakley!” Lizzie gushed and fluffed her hair. Hello to you too. “Your mum’s practically invited your whole year!”

I was suddenly filled with dread. Did that mean she’d invited Julian? I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t want to have to face my classmates until I absolutely had to – on the first day back at school. Not a second sooner.

“Pancakes, girls,” Dad announced, poking his head around the kitchen door.

I followed Lizzie to the kitchen table and sat down. Twenty-four hours, Oakley, you can survive that, I told myself.

“Hey, look who I found,” Mum said as she walked into the room. Cole smiled, but it quickly faded when he saw Lizzie.

“Hi, Cole,” Lizzie purred.

He frowned and sat beside me.

“Look what I have, sweetheart.” Mum handed me a folder. An A4 piece of paper was taped to the front with typed letters saying, ‘Oakley’s sweet sixteenth’.

Oh God, please say this isn’t happening. I flipped the folder open, and died a little inside. The first page was a list of guests. I slapped it shut, not wanting to know. I would just smile and spend the evening with Cole. I could get through one party to make my mum feel like she had a normal daughter for one evening. I owed her that much.

“I was also thinking we could get one of those chocolate fountains, what do you think?” Mum asked, and held up a magazine cut-out of a giant white chocolate fountain. How many people did she think would come? I would love it if no one turned up. I nodded along with her idea and dug my fork into my cherry pancakes.

“Great,” she said, grabbing her phone and looking at the scrap of paper for the number to call.

“Ice cream?” Cole offered. I knew it was just to get me out of there while Mum was in full party mode, and away from Lizzie. Nodding gratefully, I stood up and took our plates to put in the dishwasher.

“Take Lizzie too,” Mum instructed. I narrowed my eyes at Mum. Cole’s expression mirrored mine.

“Ooo, one minute,” Lizzie sang as she ran off up the stairs to get ready.

“A minute? More like an hour,” Cole grumbled as we sat in the car waiting for her. I shrugged and lay back in the seat. Get comfortable, you could be waiting a while. Finally, ten minutes later, she strutted out of the house wearing a very short denim dress.



We drove in silence, well Cole, and I did. Lizzie sang along with the radio. Her voice wasn’t the worst in the world, but it certainly wasn’t made for the higher notes.

“We’re here,” Cole announced loudly, forcing her to stop singing. My ears were ringing.

“Here?” Lizzie scrunched her nose up as she looked at the quaint little diner style café. What did she expect? We were two teenagers with very little money.

I rolled my eyes and got out of the car. Lizzie followed behind, her heels clicking against the tile floor.

“Do they do low fat milkshakes?” she asked, briefly looking around in bewilderment at the quiet café.

“Yeah, all their milk comes from skinny cows,” Cole said seriously. I bit my lip and pretended to look at the menu.

“Really? I didn’t know they put cows on diets,” she said, her eyes wide in amazement. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see his jaw was clenched tightly shut where he was trying not to laugh.

“I’ll have a banana milkshake then,” she said happily

Cole walked over to the counter to order,, and Lizzie didn’t waste any time in digging for information on him the second he was gone.

“Is he seeing anyone?” she asked.

I picked up a plastic coffee stirrer and debated whether I could get away with ramming it into her eye. If I said nodded would she ask me, or him, who it was? However, if I said no, she might try something on with him. I nodded quickly, hoping that would make her stop looking at him as if she wanted to eat him.

“Course he does,” she grumbled and slumped back in her chair.

Cole reappeared, holding a tray with our milkshakes and ice creams.

“So, Cole, what’s your girlfriend like?” Lizzie purred.

“Girlfriend?”

“Yeah, Oakley said you were seeing someone.”

I watched as a knowing smile swept across his face.