Free The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl by Melissa Keil Page A

more than one head in the Valley. I suppose I should be a bit self-conscious that he’s blatantly checking me out, but hey, what can I say? I look kick-arse in this dress.
    ‘Wow,’ he says. ‘You look …’ His eyes are on me, but somehow they seem to be focusing elsewhere. And then he smiles, all cheek and cheer, and it’s so freaking familiar the TV-Daniel fizzes. Standing in his place is the person who was once one of my best friends in the universe, albeit he’s taller and shapelier and has shiny auburn boy-band hair replacing the crop his mum used to give him with her sewing scissors. ‘I could never picture you as anything other than a shortarse in overalls and that Harvey Birdman jumper, Alba.’ He grins. ‘You grew up nice, girl. Good job!’
    I give him a sweeping bow. Funny how going toe-to-toe with Daniel’s bluster is just like riding a bike. ‘I did my best. You look great yourself, though you know, you’re not nearly as tall in real life.’
    Daniel laughs. ‘Yeah, I get that a lot. Forget about the camera adding ten pounds – in my case, it also adds, like, two feet. But, man, it’s so good to see you guys again.’ He beams at Grady and me, and now I’m six years old again, giggling in the back of the classroom as Daniel attempts to break the Guinness record for the number of pencils shoved up a single human nostril.
    Eddie bumps me out of the way, his hulking shoulder suddenly in front of mine.
    Daniel’s eyes travel upwards. He takes the tiniest of steps backwards. ‘Hey man. I don’t think I remember you?’
    Eddie snorts. ‘Yeah, you wouldn’t. You didn’t spend a whole lotta time in the special class, or detention, as I recall.’
    I shuffle in front of Ed. ‘Daniel, this is Eddie. Eddie Palmer? He wasn’t in our year level, but you remember his parents from the dairy farm?’
    Daniel looks blankly at Eddie, but he holds a hand out anyway. ‘Sorry, I’m not always good with faces. But yeah, hey, nice to see you again?’
    Eddie doesn’t say anything, but he does clasp Daniel’s hand while eyeballing him with the intimidating stare-out he likes to use on new guys, until Pete pokes him in the side and pushes him out of the way.
    ‘This is wild, huh?’ Pete says. ‘Have you ever seen anything like this? You’ve probably seen heaps of cool stuff, parties and whatever, but this is awesome, right?’
    Daniel frowns at Petey. ‘Have we met?’
    ‘Nope, no, I moved here a couple of years ago, you were before my time, but –’ he sticks out a hand. ‘It’s Pete. Peter, but everyone just calls me Pete. Or Petey. But, yeah, Pete is fine. Or Petey. Whatever.’
    ‘My boyfriend loves your show,’ Tia says nervously. ‘Peter is a big fan.’
    Caroline snorts. ‘Yeah, you don’t own a tightrope outfit by any chance –’
    ‘So, this is insane,’ I say, hastily introducing Tia and Caroline, who were only on the margins of our little group before Daniel left. ‘I don’t think Eden Valley’s seen this much excitement since that time the Ridleys’ goat shed burnt down. Is all this is why you’re back?’
    Daniel’s ears turn red again. I’d totally forgotten that he blushes from the ears whenever he’s embarrassed. It’s the weirdest thing to remember, like a tiny fragment of his picture I’d erased from my memory has drawn itself back in the frame.
    ‘Yeah,’ he says sheepishly. ‘It was my manager’s idea. The publicity and everything. Being my home town and all, he figured it might be good to, you know … cash in on that a bit.’ He shrugs. ‘It was either this or spending Christmas doing Carols by Candlelight . No-one seems to care that I can’t sing for shit.’
    Grady sticks his hands in the pockets of his jeans. ‘Don’t ever remember that stopping you before?’ he says shyly.
    Daniel laughs. ‘But a gig in front of a couple of million people is a little different to Miss Beale’s grade-three talent show. Not sure my “Daydream Believer”