Life-moving moments

Chapter 36

After James is out of sight, I check my watch and realise that we have 15 minutes until the beach hike ends and the kids come back. I'm about to go back into the kitchen to check on the meat when Emily and Terence come out of the back door.

Emily gives me a wounded look but Terence is his normal smug self.

"Where's James?" He asks.

"He's gone to get something at the cabin," I reply.

"Okay. I'll get him there." He leaves and heads in the direction of the cabins.

"I need to check on the meat," I say, moving towards the kitchen.

"I just did. It's fine. Looks like it needs about 10 more minutes."

"Okay, thanks."

I try to think of another excuse to escape the inevitable awkward conversation that needs to happen but can't think of anything and eventually Emily says: "Why did you lie to me?"

"I didn't," I reply.

"The morning after the party. I asked you if you and James had hooked up, and you lied."

"I didn't lie, Emily. I gave you a vague answer and you assumed."

"But you didn't correct me. You let me assume."

"Yes, I did."

"Why?"

"Because I wasn't ready to talk about it to anyone yet."

"But Andrea knew," she says accusingly.

I look at her in surprise but really, I shouldn't be surprised. She realises that she has given herself away and she blushes.

"You just found out and already you went to gossip about it. You really could not resist, could you?" I say angrily, my old feelings about Emily's betrayal pushing up again. I thought I had forgiven Emily but clearly I haven't.

Emily looks sheepish but then she looks angry. "Is this what this is about? Are you still angry that I told Janine about Damian?"

"I'm not still angry," I say but I am. The whole thing with Damian worked itself out in the end because I found out afterwards that Damian he had had a girlfriend all along and I was glad that Janine's rude comments and gossip had made me embarrassed to talk to him again because it had saved me from future heartache. I'd dodged a bullet but I was still angry that Emily had run and told the one person who would go out of her way to hurt me. I still don't know why Janine didn't like me. All I knew was that she liked to torment me and she was the reason I left the youth in the end.

"I'm not angry but I don't trust you anymore. You're still my friend Emily, but you're not someone I tell my secrets to."

Emily looks stricken.

"I'm sorry," she says.

"Yes, me too."

James and Terence get back then and judging by their tense expressions, they haven't had a pleasant conversation either.

"What's on the programme now," Terence asks, looking at his watch. "Is it suppertime?"

"No. Phumlisa and Bradley are going to do another life-skills session." I reply.

"What time is supper?" Emily asks.

"At 6," I say. "After supper it's bonfire bonding."

"Where it all began," Terence mumbles, waving his hand between James and I.

"Not quite," I say. "But that's a good guess."

He glares at me but follows when we head back to the kitchen.