Read Online Frankie and Joely by Nova Weetman - Free Book Online Page A

school next year.’
    Joely looks at her cousin, but now he’s staring at the water, probably hoping for a glimpse of Frankie in her second-hand bikini. By the time Joely turns to see the boy again, he’s disappeared and she wonders who he was.
    â€˜Why not?’
    â€˜Dad’s got me a job at the mechanics.’
    â€˜Fixing cars?’
    Mack turns and grins at her and he looks like her cousin again. Not like some man she doesn’t know, but just the boy she grew up with.
    â€˜Nah. Selling petrol.’
    â€˜Really?’
    â€˜It’s not that bad, Joely. It’s the only job going around here. At least I’ll be earning money and I can buy a car. It’s not like I’m learning anything at school. I always thought I’d work the farm, but …’ he trails off.
    Joely’s surprised Mack’s telling her all this. He doesn’t usually confess things. Embarrassed, she holds the end of the ice-cream cone out to him. There’s a thin line of strawberry left on the inside. He reaches for it, but she swipes it away, swallowing it in one mouthful. Mack jumps up, grabs her arm and twists the skin like he used to.
    â€˜Let go,’ she says, trying to pull her arm away, not really angry because it doesn’t hurt. She looks at him, but his face is haloed by the sun glaring behind it. She closes her eyes for a second, imagining she’s seven.
    When she opens them, Mack is sitting on the towel beside her again. She looks over, wondering if she’s offended him by not fighting back like she would have once. But he doesn’t seem to be aware of her at all. And then she knows that Frankie is walking back from the water, face beaming, dripping wet and happy, and Mack is watching every step.
    â€˜You going to get off my towel, Mack?’ asks Frankie in that direct way of hers.
    â€˜Shit. Sorry.’ He moves fast, grabbing, shaking and trying to clean it all in one go.
    Frankie grabs the towel from him, stretches it out on the grass and sits down. ‘That was great,’ she says.
    â€˜You should be careful. Some kid smashed their head last week. Nearly died,’ says Mack in an offhand way.
    â€˜Yeah?’
    â€˜It’s not as deep as it looks.’ Mack starts to tell more, but Frankie’s reaching over for her bag, and watching her in motion stops his conversation. She pulls out her sunglasses.
    Joely watches him watching. Right ankle. Left shoulder. Mouth. She hates seeing her cousin so stuck.
    â€˜You want to sit, Mack?’ says Joely.
    â€˜Yeah, maybe,’ he says, pacing.
    â€˜Your mum told us to send you home,’ says Frankie in a voice Joely hasn’t heard before. ‘But we can pretend we didn’t see you, can’t we, Joel?’
    Joely doesn’t know how to answer. She’s stuck without words. It’s like a test to see where her loyalties lie.
    â€˜I just came into town to get some stuff for Dad. I’ve got jobs,’ says Mack. ‘Gotta go. See you later.’
    As he slinks off, Joely realises she’s never really seen him like that. He’s always the sure one. It’s usually Thommo who seems nervous. Joely wonders if Frankie knows what sort of power she has.
    â€˜Do you think someone really hit their head?’ says Frankie.
    â€˜Probably. Don’t think he’d make it up.’
    â€˜I knew it was too small. Told you,’ says Frankie.
    Joely lies on her towel. She can’t be bothered with Frankie when she’s like this. She wonders how long this week will feel and, for a second, regrets inviting Frankie to Payne. If Frankie weren’t here, Joely would be riding an old bike up and down the main street with Thommo or helping Jill bake bread. Not lying on the grass in the sun, arguing with her best friend, and counting the extra freckles on her skin.
    Then Frankie leans over, slops sunscreen on Joely’s legs and rubs it in with her wet hands. And Joely