Free Cruel Summer by James Dawson Page A

a bit of a reach but, once you get to know her, she’s really lovely.’
    Alisha bit her tongue long enough to consider the fact that for a long time she and Roxanne had been as thick as thieves. Roxanne had this thing, this
spotlight
, and when she turned it
on you, you felt like a star – invincible and special. But then Rox had worked her magic on Callum . . . God, when would she stop being angry about that?
    Erin didn’t seem convinced. ‘I don’t know, Katie. I mean, that was all a bit dramatic, wasn’t it? The big entrance and all that.’
    ‘That’s pretty much her style. I guess she’s a little . . . high maintenance.’
    ‘You can say that again.’ Alisha grimaced.
    Katie sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing Alisha’s calf in a comforting way. Erin perched on the chair, saying nothing more, but lending moral support.
    ‘You really need to have a word with your guilt complex, Grant.’ Alisha sat up, rubbing her eyes.
    ‘I know, I’m an idiot!’ Katie laughed. ‘Do you really think I would have deliberately put you two in the same room?’
    Alisha managed a half-smile. ‘No. God, I could kill you, though. I’ll kill her,
then
you!’
    ‘What did she do?’ Erin asked the inevitable question.
    ‘She stole my boyfriend!’ Alisha blurted out, well aware of how ridiculous that sounded.
    ‘Alisha Cole . . .’ Katie warned.
    ‘OK, whatever. My boyfriend, Callum, dumped me and then, about twenty minutes later, he was with her.’
    Erin nodded sagely. ‘Oh, I see.’
    ‘Yeah, pretty suspicious, right?’
    Katie gave her a surprisingly good shoulder rub, massaging the Roxanne-shaped knot under her collar bone. ‘We don’t know if there was any overlap, Alisha. Rox swears there
wasn’t.’
    ‘I don’t care,’ Alisha said. ‘It’s like there are rules – you don’t wear red and purple together; eyes or lips; tits out or legs out;
you
don’t sleep with your mates’ exes
!’
    ‘They
are
very simple rules,’ agreed Erin.
    Katie moved on to her neck, massaging the space under her ears. It was bliss. ‘Alisha, I am going to say something, and you have to promise not to punch me, OK?’
    Alisha frowned. ‘I’m not promising.’
    ‘Callum is hardly blameless in all this. He knew you and Rox were friends. Let’s have just a little female solidarity, please.’
    Alisha sighed. She had read
How To Be a Woman
twice, but girls like Rox Dent made sisterhood hard. ‘You know what it is? You know why I really wanna rip her eyes out?’
    ‘I really didn’t need that image, but go on,’ Katie said.
    ‘We were there for her, man. All that crap she went through and we were there for her.’ Alisha turned to Erin. ‘There was this big sad story – her mum died of cancer and
then her dad died, like, a year later.’
    ‘In a freak scaffolding collapse,’ Katie added with a grimace. ‘It was awful, like something from
Final Destination
.’
    ‘So, anyway,’ Alisha went on, ‘Rox came to live with her uncle in Telscombe Cliffs. She was an orphan, and even though she was this massive slut—’
    ‘Alisha!’
    ‘Sorry. Even though half the school hated her, we properly looked out for that girl. And this is what you get in return – one thieved boyfriend, no waiting.’
    Katie sighed. ‘What do you want me to do? She’s just said she’s only staying for a couple of days. Do you think you can cope? It’s totally your call, my love. One word
from you and I’ll send her packing.’
    Alisha thought for a second. ‘You know what? I’m gonna be the bigger person. I mean Callum Granger is such a loser anyway, they actually deserve each other. I’ll be mature and
cool and sophisticated. Three things Roxanne Dent is not.’
    ‘You show her who’s boss,’ Erin smiled.
    ‘Thanks, you two, I feel less mental now.’ Alisha rolled off the mattress and brushed herself down. ‘Right. I’m gonna go find out if that shady bitch is still shagging my
ex. Coming?’

 
     
     
     
    SCENE 12