Page 68 of The Time of My Afterlife

‘We will come and talk to you after Pixie Cove, Pearl.’

Someone shouts after me. I look up to see Molly leaving her house and waving. I glance at my watch. It’s later than I expected. I need to go.

Clark gestures towards his house. ‘I’ll pop over in a bit as I need to feed my cat and sort some stuff.’

He gives me what looks like a nervous smile. I’ll interrogate him later about my Instagram page.

After saying goodbye to Pearl, I hurry over to my house and greet Molly.

She’s on my doorstep, clutching her overnight bag, her Nintendo Switch, and her earphones. ‘Mum hasn’t made me any tea as she’s too busy getting herself ready for the date with that Irish bloke.’

An uncomfortable feeling passes through me, but I ignore it. ‘Let’s go and get you sorted then. What do you fancy? Shall I cook us some pasta and a tomato sauce?’

‘Yes please, Florence,’ she says, entering my house.

She surveys my bookcases, my twinkly fairy lights and all my ornaments. ‘I love coming over here.’ She beams. ‘Your shelves are so pretty and calming.’

While she sits on the sofa and plays on her Nintendo I cook us some tea.

We eat our bowls of pasta on trays on our laps and talk about the books she’s read lately. Molly is a fan of dystopian worlds and science fiction.

After I’ve washed up, I sit on the sofa with her.

Molly takes out her phone to show me some of the nail art she likes on Pinterest, and while her attention is on the screen, I take the time to study her face. I can’t help looking at her eyeliner and the cute little wings she’s added.

‘Your eyeliner skills are so impressive,’ I say. ‘If I tried that sort of thing, I’d end up with black blobs at the end of each eye.’

She laughs and shows me the makeup artist she follows on TikTok.

‘How was school today?’ I ask as she comments on a post.

‘A Year 10 boy has started messaging me.’

I arch an eyebrow. ‘Oh, that’s interesting. Does he have boyfriend potential?’

She looks horrified at what I said. ‘Florence, it’s not cool to have a boyfriend.’

‘Oh, I see. Sorry.’

She rolls her eyes and starts scrolling.

‘Are you okay, Molly?’

She keeps her focus on the screen but flicks away her long black hair and shrugs. ‘It’s hard with Mum when…’

A knock at the door interrupts her. ‘That must be Clark,’ I say, with a groan.

This is frustrating. She’s never going to talk about her feelings to me now. As I get up to answer the door, she picks up her Nintendo Switch. My heart sinks.

He comes in and grins. ‘Hey, Molly.’

She doesn’t look up. The opportunity to talk to her has gone. Worry blooms inside of me and I remember Clark saying that helping Jane with her podcast was not our best performance. I agree with him. My mind replays us arguing over the music and I cringe.

Clark sits in the armchair opposite and asks Molly what game she’s playing.

‘Zelda,’ she replies.

‘If you ever need any help with Zelda, just whistle and I will show up like Epona, except slower and more out of breath.’