Spiralling Out of the Shadow (The Spiralling Trilogy) by Michelle Dennis Evans Page B

my forehead on the window.
    ‘ Just people watching.’
    ‘ When are you going to get a boyfriend, sis?’
    ‘ They’re way too much trouble. I’ll just dream about the ‘one day when’ of having one for a while longer.’ I smiled as an image of Danny flashed in my mind. With a few rapid blinks, I cleared it away. ‘What’s happening with Phoebe anyway?’             
    ‘ I don’t know. We want different things.’
    ‘Does she want to get married?’
    ‘ Yeah.’ Peter shook his head.
    ‘ And you don’t?’
    ‘ Nah, no way. Not yet.’
    ‘ But what if she was the one?’ I closed my book.
    ‘ I’m way too young to even think about it.’
    ‘ Guess she is too, then.’
    ‘ Yeah.’ Peter looked away with glassy eyes.
    ‘ You love her though, don’t you?’
    ‘ Yeah, I do. It’s hard to stop loving someone.’
    ‘So what’s the problem?’
    ‘I know we shouldn’t be together.’ Peter lay on his bed. ‘She doesn’t want to go to uni, or come with me to Melbourne next year. Best we call it off now. Who knows, maybe after a break we’ll work it out again.’
    ‘ Why don’t you have a long distance relationship? Stephanie and Jason are staying together while he’s overseas and then—’
    ‘ Long distance relationships just don’t work.’
    ‘ Why not?’
    ‘ You’ll understand in a few years.’ He shrugged and pulled out his phone. 
    Maybe he was right. But why was Jason okay with distance instead of taking a break and Peter wasn ’t? Relationships were way too confusing. Staying single was best for me.
    Day two : after breakfast, the beach was calling me again. The wind hadn’t picked up and from the balcony, the sun reflected off the sand, showing sure signs of the day being a scorcher. I slipped out the door before Mum could plaster me with sunscreen. This time I decided a jog before a swim would be more fun. That way I could check out the surfer boys further up the beach.
    I took my time to jog a fair distance, concentrating on keeping my ankle from rolling, until my heart pounded and sweat dripped down my back. Then I paddled around in the ocean to cool off. There were some fine-looking boys out on boards. Possibly a little old for me, but none the less, they were enough to get me dreaming about the ‘one day when’ I’d meet Mr Wonderful. 
    I spread my towel out and pulled out my novel. The sun warmed my brain into a groggy haze, urging me to close my eyes. Soon after I drifted off, dreaming about my ‘one day when’ Mr Wonderful, who looked a lot like Mr Biceps but even more like Danny. He swept me off my feet and took me off into the sunset to live an incredibly wonderful, expansive and luxurious life.
    ‘ Tabbie!’ Peter’s voice woke me. ‘Tabbie, you’ve been down here for hours.’
    ‘ Oh ... must have fallen asleep.’
    ‘ Your back,’ he gasped.
    ‘ Is it bad?’ I didn’t need to ask. It stung as I rolled over.
    ‘ You’ll need some aloe vera on that tonight.’
    ‘ Ice, I think I need some ice right now.’ Major pain shot through my body every time I moved.
    Mum and Dad told me off me as I walked into our apartment. That night, I tossed and turned, pulling the sheet up then throwing it off again. My skin must have been burned to the third degree. My clothes clung to all the sorest spots.
    Day three : I asked Peter to turn the air conditioning on. I didn’t want to get out of bed. I had no intention to leave the apartment until my sunburn had calmed down.
    After lunch , I was bored out of my brain and rang Stephanie. She still hadn’t told me whether or not she was going to move back to Sydney. I was sick of waiting and wondering what she was up to.
    ‘ Look, do you want to move back or not?’ I probably could have at least spent some time on the niceties.
    ‘ I thought you were going away this week?’
    ‘ We are. I’m on the mobile, on the balcony overlooking the beach …’ A group of boys distracted me. ‘Just checking out