Cruel Summer by James Dawson Read Free Book Online Page A

observation at the poolside, Ryan was dying to talk about Janey. He
knew Katie accepted the suicide theory, but what about the others? Did Ben really believe his girlfriend had killed herself over some stupid fight at a prom?
    Although questions perched on the tip of his tongue, Ryan sensed this wasn’t the time to raise them. It was all going so well and he didn’t want to be the bad fairy who turns up and
ruins the party.
    After they’d eaten, although their stomachs were bloated, Ben talked them into doing something he’d always wanted to do: build a bonfire on the beach.
    The fire was impressive: angry flames roared as kindling cracked within. Even sitting at a safe distance on the sand, Ryan could feel the heat on his face. ‘What is it with men and open
fires?’ he mused.
    Ben threw another twig on the fire. ‘It’s in our caveman DNA.’
    ‘Man make fire,’ Greg agreed, sipping a beer. Erin was nestled in the crook of his arm.
    ‘Plus it’s pretty and romantic,’ Ben said absent-mindedly. As soon as he’d said it, his face flushed and he looked into the flames. Ryan could tease, but he chose not to.
It
was
romantic. The woody smoke was intoxicating, making his eyelids heavy. If only he had someone to cuddle up to.
    The white moon rippled on the ocean and the lights of the villa still glowed but, other than that, there was only darkness. The nearest town twinkled miles down the coast. The firelight was
almost a bubble – they were in their own little cosmos. Ryan felt warm and wine-sleepy.
    Towards the surf, Alisha and Katie were practising handstands and cartwheels with glee. If Alisha was drunk, she was in happy-drunk mode and not evil, vindictive-drunk mode, which suited Ryan
fine. The pair eventually ran back to the fire, giddy and out of breath, their amateur gymnastics apparently over.
    Erin sipped her wine. ‘So you were all at school together?’
    ‘Yep,’ Ben replied, giving the fire a prod. ‘I went to a different primary school, but I already knew Ry because our mums are mates.’
    Erin nodded. ‘I was worried it’d be like you were all speaking a foreign language or something and I wouldn’t be able to keep up, but you haven’t talked about school all
day.’
    Ryan eyed Erin suspiciously. He hadn’t figured her out yet. In a lot of films, she’d be the main character. The new girl, the one who has everything to learn, who is the eyes and
ears of the audience because they start on a blank slate together. Erin
seemed
nice enough – smiley and full of thoughtful questions – but he couldn’t find anything more
to latch on to. Then he noticed that she seemed to be waiting for a response.
    ‘Ah well, that’s because Greggle actually enjoyed school,’ Ryan told her. ‘As you can imagine, he was quite the celebrity at Longview . . . the rest of us, less so.
Therefore I have no desire to talk about that hellhole!’ He decided to deflect the conversation onto Erin. ‘Where did you grow up?’
    ‘Hove, actually!’ Erin said, referring to Brighton’s affluent neighbour. Brighton was the nearest city to Telscombe Cliffs, and as soon as they’d been old enough to do
so, they’d spent almost all their weekends there.
    ‘Oh, very nice!’ Ryan grinned.
    ‘It was OK. So, you’ve all, like, known each other forever?’
    Alisha answered. ‘Except for Ben, we all went to primary school together, yeah.’
    Erin waved a finger between Ben and Katie. ‘And, let me guess, you two used to be an item?’
    ‘Erin, can you stop interrogating my friends, please?’ Greg frowned at her.
    ‘I’m not.’
    ‘No, it’s OK,’ Ben looked up at Erin through heavy lashes. ‘Yeah, me and Katie were together for about three years.’
    ‘I see. Sorry. I just wondered. I guess I have a sixth sense for stuff like that. I thought there was something there.’
    Katie brushed sand out of her hair, feigning nonchalance. ‘Not at all. It was a long time ago.’
    Erin’s shoulders seemed to