Free Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley Page B

skate park.’
    ‘Are you going now?’
    I nod. ‘You want to come?’ I don’t feel weird asking. I feel right.
    ‘I’d like to. I can’t now, though. Can I catch up with you later in the night?’
    ‘Yep. Definitely.’
    ‘Great. Where are you going after the skate park?’
    ‘Maybe Barry’s café.’
    ‘Okay. So if I want to find you it’s the old train yard, the skate park or Barry’s.’ He stands and holds out his hand. Then he pulls me up so I’m close to him. ‘In case I need it, can I have your mobile number?’
    I am all tingle as I give it to him and watch as he puts it into his phone. ‘I’m Lucy,’ I say so he can add my name with the number.
    ‘I’m Malcolm,’ he says. ‘Malcolm Dove.’
    Dove, I think. Birds trapped on a sky. It’s not out of the question that this could be Shadow. ‘Nice to meet you.’
    ‘Nice to meet you, too,’ he says. I watch him walk away, get into a car and leave. Lucky Ed takes a while coming back. I need a little time to unzing.
     

     
    ‘Would Shadow ever wear a suit?’ I ask on the way to the train station.
    ‘Not in a million years,’ Ed says.
    ‘You don’t know everything about him, though.’
    ‘I know that much.’
    It’s more awkward with Ed than when we had our eyes closed but it’s not as awkward as I thought it might be. I guess after you break a guy’s nose, semi-awkward isn’t too bad.
    ‘Where’s Beth tonight?’ I ask.
    ‘She has dinner with her family every Friday.’
    ‘And she won’t care that you’re out with me?’
    ‘Beth’s cool. And it’s not like you and me are on a date.’
    ‘No. Right. Of course.’ I look up to the sky in the hope that I’ll feel insignificant and get a little perspective on that moment of humiliation.
    ‘What are you looking at?’ Ed asks.
    Nothing that’s helping. ‘Did you know that we’re made up of the same matter as stars? We are nuclear energy exploding.’
    ‘You’re not like other girls, you know that, right?’ Ed asks.
    ‘I’ve been aware of the problem,’ I tell him. ‘But for the record, ten minutes ago you had your hand over my face while your best friend was dancing with a girl. You’re not exactly like the others, either.’
    ‘Fair point.’
    ‘I think it’s better to be different,’ I say. ‘Shadow is different.’
    ‘You’ve never met him. How would you know?’ Ed asks.
    ‘I’ve seen his paintings and art reveals a lot about a person. There’s this one of a girl with a road map on her and a guy with smoke pouring out of his car engine.’ Ed doesn’t say anything. ‘Don’t you get it? A broken-down car.’
    ‘I get it. Some girl dumped him and he’s crying over it.’
    ‘I don’t think he’s crying over it, but if he is there’s nothing wrong with being sensitive.’
    Ed rolls his eyes a few times.
    ‘Careful. You look like my mother.’
    He rolls his eyes again.
    ‘Okay, what?’ I ask.
    ‘How do you know he’s sensitive?’
    ‘Why are you being so snappy?’
    ‘I’m not. Forget it. Shadow is sensitive. Let’s talk about something else. We can walk to the train yard from the station.’
    Good idea. Subject dropped, mister. ‘My bike’s at Barry’s. We could ride there.’ I check my watch. Eleven-thirty.
    ‘What time do you have to get home?’ he asks.
    ‘My parents know I’ll be out all night. You?’
    ‘I’ve got till about two-thirty.’
    ‘What happens then?’
    He grins. ‘Beth.’
    ‘Oh. Right,’ I say, and look up at those stars again. Nope. No good. I can’t get no insignificance.
    So there’s truth to the rumour. Teenagers are having sex. If Shadow turns out to be the kind of guy I think he is, which he will, then maybe I’ll get to do more than read surveys about it. We’ll meet and click and sit up all night and everything will tip out of me and into him and the other way around and while we’re tipping the night will fade and the world will get pink and in that pinkness he’ll kiss me. We’ll keep