Killing (And Other Games)

(Twenty Five)

(Twenty Five)

Going with Ryker and Joan to the city is almost surreal. All I see is this new found fantasy world clashing with the realistic, proper one. Joan and I sit opposite each other and Ryker stands up and Joan can barely keep her eyes off of him. She really needs to be less obvious.

"Are you at university?" Joan asks Ryker who seems only suddenly aware of her presence.

"Melbourne uni," Ryker states, kind of avoiding the original question. So he's ashamed of being a drop out, huh?

"Me too!" Joan exclaims, practically foaming at the mouth she's so excited. "What degree?"

"Biomedicine." He gives me a sideways look that's full of sadistic amusement and I choose to ignore it. He clearly finds Joan very entertaining so maybe I'll leave them together to get better acquainted.

"Thats so awesome, what a coincidence." It's really not that big of a coincidence. There's--what?--eight main universities in Melbourne and if you go to a private school there's only two--Monash and Melbourne. Chances are you, if you meet someone who lives in a nice house and drives a nice car and goes to university, they go to Melbourne.

"What school did you go to?" Joan asks as she gazes up at Ryker like some sort of worshipper.

"I went to Grammar." Both Joan and I are interested to hear Ryker name the most boy's school prestigious school in Melbourne, even using their stupid slang. 'The Grammar'--can you get any more pretentious?

"We went to your sister school," I say, looking up at Ryker. "We were just down the road."

"Oh," Ryker laughs, giving me a once over, "you're a grammar girl."

"What of it?"

"I wouldn't have picked you as the type."

"Where did you think I went?"

"I don't know, maybe Geelong Grammar."

"Geelong Grammar?" I snort. "What do you think I am, a country kid?"

The tram stops at Flinders Street Station before Ryker has time to think of a comeback. We pile off into the city mayhem and Joan points out the street that this German restaurant is in. Joan starts yapping on about something unimportant and Ryker and I fall back, getting slightly lost in the crowd.

"So this is your friend?" he asks. I don't like the silent implication of 'only' that was in that sentence.

"What about her?" Ryker gives me a half-smile. "What?"

"Oh come on Immy, you could do so much better."

"Shh," I hiss, looking around me. "Don't be mean."

"You don't even like her," he says as we turn into an lane way lined with shops. "You just sit there thinking of ways to get away."

"You don't know that. We've been best friends since school. Maybe if you had a best friend I'd judge him." I feel like a child just saying the word best friend but my conversations with Ryker always seem to dissolve into childish spats.

"Zane is my best friend," he states, clearly hurt. "Doesn't he talk about me? Well, I guess you don't do much talking when you're together, do you?" All that warrants is a half hearted glare. I guess Zane and Ryker could be good friends but I've hardly seen them together. Whenever I think of Zane interacting with other people I always just see him being nice to everyone unbiasedly.

The German restaurant is a little hole-in-the-wall type place with huge beer kegs and loud German music. The walls are brown and orange, every inch of them decorated with kitsch postcards and framed paintings, and the tables are old fashioned wood. There's a great atmosphere; Joan has always been good at finding cool places to hang out. Ryker seems right at home as we step into the festive place.