This was all Natalie’s fault.

If she hadn’t acted so high and mighty at the book club, Casey wouldn’t even have thought to steal from her; she had no reason. But Natalie’s behaviour had always seemed so fake. It was annoying, how nobody else could see it, and how Natalie would look at Casey as though she was inferior. Casey would never allow somebody to disrespect her.

She’d expected stealing it to be a little thing.

Sticking out of Natalie’s rucksack when she went to the toilet. The notebook, the world of secrets, the pain and the truth.

Casey had taken it, reading all the bad things Scott had done, how casually he’d committed his sins.

There were issues, of course, but reality was little more than glued-together pieces. She was thinking of the cupboard where they kept the cleaning supplies, right at the back of it; Scott never went in there. Why hadn’t she thrown it out, burned it? That’s what Natalie even said she wanted: for it to be burned.

But she’d need to move it soon, just to be safe. She would remember that, just like she’d remember to reactivate the code on her phone. It was pathetic, how he hadn’t even tried.

And if Casey decided to move on and seek different adventures, that left a question.

What was she going to do with Scott?

44

GARY

“This doesn’t feel right.” Gary looked across the street, at Markus’s house, as he contemplated what they were about to do. “I’ve never stolen anything before. Except for Sadie Cunningham’s pencil case in primary school. Does that count?”

Lauren stared at him blankly. “Do you want to call it off?”

“No. But that doesn’t mean I have to pretend this is, in any way, okay.”

“I suppose it’s preferable to allow Casey to continue torturing your best friend.”

“What’s your problem?” Gary said.

Lauren tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. Gary’s car was parked down the road, but he’d wanted to regroup with Lauren before they went into the house. Plus they were a few minutes early. Markus had told them to wait until half past five so he could ring his mother and confirm she'd picked Polly up from netball. Gary would’ve called him paranoid if Casey wasn’t the girl’s mother.

That was the reason Markus had forced them to wait. He didn’t want anything happening while Polly was home. Thinking of his own kids, Gary couldn’t blame him.

Lauren didn’t answer his question, just kept tapping her fingers against the steering wheel. “It’s almost time.”

“What if he’s googled Scott?”

Lauren shrugged. “Then we tell him Scott couldn’t make it, but you’re his friend and you can…” She paused. “Speak on his behalf, I guess?”

“What if he lets me introduce myself as Scott, sits us down, and then tells us he’s googled him?”

Lauren shot Gary a sharp look. “What do you think he’s going to do? You’ll feel a little awkward, we’ll move on, that’s it.”