Free The Shattering by Karen Healey

pulled the door closed behind them, then smiled at them all. ‘I’ll look in on you later,’ he promised Sione.
    â€˜Aren’t you lucky,’ Janna whispered as they went down the hall toward the lift. ‘Your own personal spy.’
    â€˜Lucky, lucky me,’ Sione agreed, trying not to react to the laughter in her voice. Parents.

CHAPTER SIX
    JANNA
    Janna was in love with the entire world .
    The Beach Bash! Vikings to the Left were going to play at the Beach Bash!
    She skipped down the hallway ahead of Sione and Keri. The Bash was televised and webcast, and if the right person saw Vikings to the Left, they were made . That was how Caramel Fudge from Christchurch had got their deal, and now they were living in L A with a single that had placed on Billboard! And that country-singing girl from Gore, Terry something, who’d gone all the way to the Grand Ole Opry with songs about cows or whatever.
    â€˜You guys, you guys!’ she half sang, smacking the liftft button in time to the riff from ‘Elephant in the Bath.’ ‘Do you know what this could mean ?’
    â€˜Does it mean you’re going to be like this all day?’ Keri wondered.
    The lift dinged. ‘Maybe!’ Janna said, and whirled as the doors opened. ‘But it also means . . .’
    Takeshi Hoshino stood back from the door, looking surprised and then pleased.
    â€˜That this is the best day ever ,’ Janna decided, and pranced into the lift, feeling her smile stretch her face even wider. ‘Hi!’
    Skinny, ginger-headed Aroha was there, too. ‘Wow,’ she said. ‘I like your T-shirt.’
    â€˜Thanks! Oh, Keri, this is Aroha, whose dad kinda totalled the Corolla, but he’s really nice and didn’t argue about the blame or anything, and this is Takeshi. Takeshi’s from Hiroshima!’ Keri nodded at both of them. Janna hoped she wouldn’t say anything too bitchy. ‘And you guys remember Sione?’ she added. Sione’s expression was closed off, and she didn’t really feel like interpreting it.
    â€˜Yes,’ Aroha said, smiling shyly. ‘Wasn’t that awful? Is your car okay, Janna?’
    Janna shrugged. ‘I’ll find out after Christmas. The mechanic is kinda busy right now, and I’m low-priority. So! Are you heading out for lunch?’
    â€˜Yes,’ Takeshi said, doing this completely adorable thing with his eyelashes sweeping up and down. ‘We could eat lunch together, maybe.’
    â€˜That is an excellent idea,’ Janna told him. ‘We know all the best places, don’t we, Keri?’
    â€˜Sure,’ said Keri, looking amused. Amused with Janna, probably.
    But Janna had never minded being obvious. What was the point in playing games? If she liked someone — or the opposite — better to make it clear so everyone knew where they stood. Okay, so she’d kind of made a fool of herself with Matthew, and hooking up with Sione instead was something she still felt a bit ashamed about, but that had been a year ago, and everyone made mistakes.
    The lift door opened again.
    â€˜I think sandwiches,’ she said, linking arms with Aroha on one side and Takeshi on the other. ‘Do you like sandwiches?’ Takeshi was wearing a black cotton jacket, surprisingly soft against her bare arm.
    â€˜My favourite food is sandwiches,’ he told Janna, and stepped closer to her to make the linking easier.
    Good sign.

    Lunch was at Mimi’s Muffins, where the tiny, curvy booth was free, its red vinyl bench sticking to Janna’s bare legs while they ate sandwiches and cake. It turned out that Takeshi had chosen to come to New Zealand because he was a rugby player, which made Keri straighten up and start talking. And Aroha played drums and sang. She wasn’t actually in a group, but her taste wasn’t totally lacking, and she was suitably impressed by Janna’s new Beach Bash credentials. Janna