She sat up, tried to make her voice steady. ‘I think I have to be. I’ve stuffed everything up. What you said about people knowing the worst thing you’ve done? That’s me right now. And there’s no heroic angle to my—’

‘Come home. To Aunty Nic’s, I mean. Come back and we can deal with all this.’

‘That’s the thing—I’ve tried dealing with it. Didn’t work. Plan B is ignore it and hide.’

‘Not to throw your own words back at you, but can’t you do that from Aunty Nic’s?’

‘Not as well as I could do it at Mum’s.’

‘Mum doesn’t need you right now. We do. Come back, Leen. Please.’

WILL

WILL

Will and Nic were watching The Block when the front door opened and there was Lena standing in the doorway looking twelve and fifty all at once.

‘Listen,’ she said, ‘I meant it when I said I want to ignore it.’

‘Ignore what?’ Aunty Nic said, not looking away from the TV. ‘My hoarding, Will’s pill thieving or your porn career?’

A second of shocked silence and then, ‘What did Will do?’

‘Thieved my painkillers, the bugger.’

‘What, to sell? You back on that bullshit?’ Lena chucked her backpack in the corner next to the TV, propped herself on the edge of the sofa he was sitting on. She was all jutting elbows and knees and he wanted to punch his younger self in the face for being so angry at the height of her. Imagine ever wishing she was smaller!

‘Settle down, you. I had a bit of a toothache, needed some relief. Meanwhile, you didn’t even notice Aunty Nic used the H word.’

‘I noticed. It’s just that I think your return to criminality is the headline here.’

‘My criminality? So porn is legal in New South Wales, is it? I wouldn’t know.’

‘May or may not be,’ Aunty Nic said, still watching the telly. ‘But what’s not is hacking the balls off a college boy.’

‘Who’s done that?’ Will asked, finding it hard not to smile, suddenly.

‘No one yet,’ Aunty Nic said, finally cutting a glance at Lena. ‘But soon as Leen gives me a name, I’ll be on my way.’

‘Sweet,’ Lena said, face softening at last. ‘As long as you don’t bring those filthy things back here. Last thing this place needs is more clutter.’

‘’Course not! They’ll be going right down his throat.’ Aunty Nic made three sharp movements: slice, slice, stuff.

‘Sickos,’ Will said, and Lena scooted across so her side crashed into his. He lifted an arm, let it fall on her bony shoulder.

‘How’s your toothache now?’ Lena asked, resting her weight against him a little more.

‘Gone. Thanks to Aunty Nic’s generosity.’

‘You should’ve told me you were in so much pain.’

‘Look who’s talking,’ Aunty Nic said.