shouldnât be feeling so rotten.
âOh, dear, no,â says Barbara. âThat was the worst thing you could have done. Sheâll be back, tomorrow or the next day, with her hand out. Youâll see.â
âBut I had to give her something,â says Julie. âI promised.â
âIâm sure you didnât promise ,â says Barbara. âAnd itâs not as if you had anything in writing.â
âWell, no, but ââ Julie stops, because Barbara is clearly not interested in continuing the discussion, and sheâs learned from arguments with Caroline that thereâs no point in trying. She wonders how, when Barbara and Carolineâs ideas about the world are so different, she can manage to disagree with both of them . . .
âCome on,â says Ryan, and he, Julie and Nadine drift out through the kitchen to the sunny patch of concrete outside the back door. Koki is already there, sitting on the ground, shelling peas into a tin basin between her knees. Ryan steals a handful and she smacks his knuckles. Julie picks up some pea pods and starts to slit them open with her thumbnail.
âTenkyu ,â says Koki, and adds something in Pidgin about ungrateful, lazy children, which Julie can understand without knowing a word. She and Koki grin peacefully at each other.
Nadine stretches her legs into the sun. âLast year the Williamses were still here,â she says mournfully. âAnd the Spitellis. Weâd hang out with them every day . . . Now itâs just us.â
Silently Julie splits the pods, and thumbs the peas into the basin, aware of herself as a poor substitute for the missing Williams and Spitelli clans.
Nadine sighs. âWhat about Monopoly?â
Ryan ignores her. He nudges Julieâs foot with his own. âWant to go for a bike ride?â
âBut weâve only got two bikes,â says Nadine.
âJulie can ride yours. No one said you were invited, squirt. This excursion is for Julie and I.â
Julie and me , thinks Julie automatically. She says, âWe could go for a walk. That way Nads can come too.â Secretly she is quite happy to have Nadine along as a chaperone. She knows if they were alone, Ryan would try to kiss her again, even on bicycles, and while itâs pleasant to think that he wants to, sheâs not completely sure that she wants to. Julie shifts uncomfortably on her bottom. Itâs never like this in books . . .
âYeah, letâs go for a walk. We can bring Roxy!â says Nadine, brightening.
Ryan shrugs. âAll right. But if you bring the dog, you look after her, okay? If she gets off the lead, Iâm not chasing after her. If she ends up in someoneâs cooking pot, itâs your problem.â
âYouâre a pig, Ryan,â says Nadine. âNo, youâre not. Pigs are lovely. Youâre a â a warthog.â
Julie looks at Ryan. âThey donât really eat dogs?â
Ryan frowns and motions her to shush. From inside the house, through an open window, comes a muffled noise of banging drawers and slammed doors. âWhatâs Mum up to? Rearranging the furniture again?â
Nadine sits up, suddenly alert, like a rabbit who senses a hawk overhead.
The rapid clack-clack of Barbaraâs heels crosses the parquetry. Inside the kitchen, she calls, âKoki! Yu kam hariap! Can I speak to you for a minute, please?â
Koki rolls her eyes, climbs laboriously to her feet, and shuffles inside. The screen door bangs behind her. Julie pulls the basin closer and continues shelling the peas. From inside the kitchen comes the sound of Barbaraâs raised, querulous voice, and a low, protesting murmur from Koki. Julie sees Nadine and Ryan exchange a worried glance.
Nadine scrambles to her feet. âIâm going to find out whatâs going on ââ
Ryan lays a restraining hand on her arm. âHang on ââ
They all sit tensed, as if