TAMARA: No-one.

When you aren’t ringing me you cross my mind once. I imagine you putting ham on stinking bread and standing outside Subway smoking—looking to see if I’m coming up the street with a Red Bull for your break. But I’m not. I’m with Dane. Dane and me we get Chinese he eats it—hate batter.

DANE: I’m staying in Coogee real close to the water.

TAMARA: I shouldn’t/

DANE: You like skinny dipping?

TAMARA: Dane and I drive for a bit past all these big houses then we stop at the flat he shows me garden the bedroom the view of the water. You call again. Your name on the screen. Press reject. Switch you off.

A bell rings.

Don’t sleep—not a bit. Dane and I up all night. Nothing else in my head either—not you Squid not Laurence and I don’t need to say nothing to Dane about anything if it’s not in my head.

He kisses me—morning sun peeking through like a spy through the slit in the blind.

DANE: You need to get to work or anything?

TAMARA: Yeah.

DANE: So you work now? Not at school?

TAMARA: Yeah. Na. School.

DANE: How old are you now?

TAMARA: Told ya last night.

Where you heading?

DANE: Visit my aunty.

TAMARA: Drop me off near there?

Sitting next to Dane in the traffic—the radio makes it sound like it’s the best morning ever—the jokes—the song they’re playing when we stop at the corner of your street Squid. Can just see your house.

DANE: Let you out here.

They kiss. TAMARA lingers longer than DANE.

TAMARA: For a second I get shit scared you might see—but you don’t. Too early. No-one sees. Kids from school, uniforms everywhere, it all comes back, the exam how I’ve fucked things up. I’ve fucked things up.

DANE: Aunty opening the door before I can test the old key saying,

AUNTY: Your brother’s inside having breakfast—go and say hello.

DANE: Hey bro. You’re up early… sweet dreams?

SQUID: Dane. You’re out.

They look at each other, don’t quite know what to do.

Sick tatt, man. That new?

DANE: A few new ones.

SQUID: Show us.

He does.

AUNTY tutts

DANE: It’s my body, Aunty.

SQUID: You staying? Where’s ya stuff?

DANE: Stuff?

Can’t stay.

SQUID: Not staying here?

DANE: Just pick up some things.

SQUID: What you gonna do?

DANE: What do ya mean?

SQUID: What you gonna do?

DANE: You sound like her. I’ll sort it out. What the fuck’s the problem?

Pause.

SQUID: Dane.

DANE: What Jasyn?

SQUID: Sorry.

DANE: Sorry? What for?

SQUID: Not much of a brother. Didn’t come to visit much.

DANE: Yeah?

SQUID: Yeah.

I better to go to school.

A plane.