‘We was just talkin bout Laney. I wanted his help with findin er.’

Bobbie smirks. ‘We don’t need Millers to help us with anythin. So what’s really goin on?’

She’s a Thomson too. She’s also the biggest mouth in this town.

‘Nunya business. Just don’t tell anyone or I’ll … I’ll tell everyone about what appened at Christmas.’

It’s Bobbie’s turn to freeze. One year younger than me and Laney, I’d caught her out at the reservoir one night when I’d stayed in my favourite thinking spot too late. She’d driven up in the passenger seat of a car that was owned by a local fulla, a very married-up fulla. It’s not like I liked it and I warned her about it, but it wasn’t any of my business either. Besides, my cousin has my loyalty first and unlike others I know how to keep my mouth shut.

‘You wouldn’t …’ She stares at me, trying to find any weakness.

I look her dead in the eye. ‘Try me.’ It’s a dirty trick and I hate doing it, but I’m desperate.

‘But you know his woman is warngee! She’ll flog me,’ Bobbie hisses at me.

‘If you’re lucky.’ We both know Cinta has done worse. Her man is the biggest slut but she only ever goes after the women he mucks around with. ‘Sides, I kept my mouth shut for you, don’t see why you can’t do the same for me.’

‘Fine then!’ Bobbie’s eyes shift and I know she’s coming up with some way around it. I can’t risk it. If Mum finds out she’ll probably send me off to boarding school with Kelly, final year or not. Reaching out I grab Bobbie by her collar and pull her into my face.

‘Do. Not. Fuck. With. Me. Roberta. My secret comes out then so does yours. And since this is the only time I’ve met up with Sam and you’re the only one who knows, I’ll know you opened your mouth. If there’s even the smallest rumour about me and Sam I’ll know where it came from. Then I’ll head straight up to Cinta’s place and tell her fuckin everythin. The worst that’ll happen to me is gettin grounded; you got a lot more to worry about.’

I watch the shock hit. Bobbie isn’t a fighter, but then I’m not much of one either. I’m talking about something much worse than the physical though. She thinks she has more to lose than I do, but I will do whatever I have to for my sister, even fire-bomb my relationship with my little cousin. The thought holds my shame back a bit.