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Chapter Twenty-Two
Adjusting, Puzzling and Dating à la Piper.
I’d told myself, ‘no more’; Roman and I were going to manage this weird little speed bump and we’d be proper friends again in no time.
Roman had managed to avoid detention on Friday afternoon after whatever it was he and Rio had done to be dragged into Mr Dunbridge’s office after Lunch. He’d driven me home and then disappeared.
We hadn’t really seen each other all weekend – and his messages had been a little of the brush-off variety – but I was making the effort. I was going to fight for some kind of normalcy between us. Because friends fought for each other. Right?
But come Monday morning, Roman wasn’t at his ute.
I was outside a little early in my nervous excitement of re-stabilising whatever we had, true. So, I decided to just lean on his car and scroll through my phone as I waited for him.
But, twenty minutes went by and he still wasn’t there.
When his back door opened, I jumped up and felt my smile unbidden. But, no Roman.
Maddy ran out, giving me a huge wave with the book in her hand as she veered towards Carmen’s car. Carmen followed her, looking a little bit frazzled as she tried to lock up the house, not drop her bag,andkeep an eye on Maddy.
I took one look between them and wandered over to Maddy at the car. Carmen spared me a quick smile and went back to shuffling in her bag.
“Hey,” I said to Maddy.
She looked up at me, squinting against the sun. “Hi.”
“How are the cartwheels going?”
She grinned. “I’m gettingsogood.”
I nodded. “I bet you are. Maybe you can show me on the weekend?”
The smile she gave me with her eyes open wide melted my damned heart strings. “Really?”
“Yeah. I’d love to.”
Carmen hurried over. “Morning, Piper. Thanks. Sorry. Running so far behind today!”
I shrugged. “No problem. How are things?”
She waggled her head noncommittally. “They go.” She looked back at the house. “Sorry, love. Roman’s still in bed. He told me to…” she looked down at Maddy and gave me a knowing look as she raised her eyebrows, “when I knocked on his door. So, I don’t know how long he’ll be.”
I shrugged, pretending I didn’t care. “No worries.”
She rubbed my arm. “I don’t know what’s up with him at the moment. He was so…good. And, now?”
I didn’t know what his problem was either.
Carmen looked like she wanted to say more. But, I had the feeling that whatever she’d been thinking was highly inappropriate to mention in front of a five-year-old.
I shrugged again. “It’s fine. He’s just him. I’m sure it won’t last long.”
She gave me a sympathetic look and I wondered what she and Mum had been talking about now at book club – I was starting to think it was more like gossip club. Carmen’s expression screamed she thought Roman and I were dating and fighting. I had the distinct impression that both our mums thought that and discussed it with alarming regularity.
“Can I drop you at the bus stop or anything?”
I shook my head. “Thanks. The walk will do me good.”
I felt a hand on my sleeve and Maddy was looking up at me expectantly.
