Scarlett - Cathy Cassidy [39]
‘I do, sometimes,’ I grin. ‘It’s just that you never tickle my palm while you’re eating them.’
‘Could be arranged!’ Kian makes a dive for my hand, and I swat him away, laughing. Seconds later, he’s tickling my face, my neck, my ear, and I’m glad I lied to the dark-haired men this morning, because I need Kian to be here now, with me.
He leans so close to my ear I can feel his breath on my neck, and I know that he’s just a heartbeat away from touching me, kissing me. My hair falls across my eyes, but when I shake my head and turn to Kian, he’s stopped laughing, his face suddenly distant, distracted. He’s looking towards the wishing tree, where the red scarf from this morning flutters out in the breeze.
‘My dad,’ Kian says slowly. ‘My dad’s been here.’
Out in the centre of the lough, the little paper boat has sunk without trace.
It’s after tea when I hear a muffled yowl of pain from Holly’s room. I run through and find her sitting in the middle of the pink quilt with a bag of frozen peas held against her nose. She’s shivering and whimpering and chewing her lip.
Then I see the badge, its pin open and bent back at an unnatural angle. One of my old gold studs lies on the quilt, the butterfly clip beside it. I realize that Holly’s threats and jokes about piercing her nose were deadly serious.
‘What are you doing?’ I demand, horrified. ‘Holly, this is a bad, bad idea!’
‘Why?’ Holly says through chattering teeth. ‘I’ve got guts, OK? I can do it. It hurts, though – and this is just the ice-pack bit!’
‘Holly, can’t we talk about this?’ I say. ‘You’re nine. You can’t have a pierced nose. And there’s no way you can do it yourself! It’s crazy!’
‘Your friend did it,’ Holly points out.
‘She was older, and it was ears, not nose,’ I argue. ‘She was also nuts. I was there, remember? She swore like crazy, and there was a load of blood. Seriously, Holly, bad idea!’
‘This will be easier.’ Holly grins wickedly. ‘Only one piercing to make. You’ve seen it done – you’ll help me, won’t you?’
‘No way,’ I protest. ‘Dad and Clare would go crazy.’
Holly lets the packet of frozen peas drop down on to the bed. ‘Suppose so,’ she says. ‘We should be more honest with them, right? We shouldn’t have secrets. No piercings, no sneaking out to the lough to meet strange lads…’
‘Holly!’ I say warningly. ‘You promised not to tell!’
‘Did I?’ she says with a shrug. ‘Can’t remember. No, I think you’re right. We shouldn’t have secrets from Mum and Chris.’
‘Holly, don’t do this,’ I whisper.
‘I want my nose pierced,’ she says coolly. ‘Are you going to help, or shall I do it myself?’
I have never been blackmailed by a nine-year-old before. I pick up the bag of frozen peas and clamp it against Holly’s nose, then test the badge pin for sharpness. A bead of bright blood appears at my fingertip. It’s sharp, all right.
‘Are you sure –’ I begin.
‘Sure,’ Holly snaps. ‘Get on with it, before my face gets frostbite.’
I remove the frozen peas and position the badge pin at the side of Holly’s nose. It’s a cute, tip-tilted, little-girl nose, with just the right amount of freckles scattered across it. I can’t imagine it with a stud or a gold ring. It feels wrong.
‘Go on!’ Holly prompts.
I push the badge pin and she yelps and jumps across the bed, a trickle of red trailing across her top lip. ‘Yow!’ she shrieks. ‘That’s sore! Is it done?’
‘No – it was just a nick. Come here – and stay still!’
Holly screws her eyes shut and stuffs a corner of the pink quilt into her mouth. I feel bad, like I’m preparing to amputate a leg without anaesthetic.
‘Do it!’ Holly says from behind the quilt. ‘Please, Scarlett!’
So I do. I push the badge pin into her skin, but she jumps again and the badge pin slips and skids down to her top lip, where it slides through the soft skin like a knife through butter.
I have pierced my stepsister’s top lip. A thick pool of crimson wells up round the stab wound and snakes down over my shaking hand. I pull the pin out quickly, but by then, Holly is screaming.
‘It hurts!’ she yells. ‘Oh, oh, it hurts!