I say, but I’m not as confident as he is in this assertion. This is Mariella’s house and I obey all kinds of other rules she has. Also, I don’t feel like an adult. Or at least, not the adult Alex is describing, one who has a sex life and is confident in her life decisions.
I get out of bed and I catch sight of myself in the mirror.
‘My sunburn looks worse today, somehow.’
‘You look cute.’
‘No I don’t.’
‘Like a tomato.’
‘Tomatoes aren’t cute.’
‘A cherry tomato.’
I sit back down on the bed. I want to go upstairs and change out of my pyjamas, but I’m too scared of seeing Mariella again. Alex is still lying in bed, watching me.
‘I can’t believe I fell asleep and forgot to swap back,’ I say.
‘Well, so did Zach.’
‘I hope Mariella isn’t too mad.’
‘You know Mum. Overreaction is her favourite kind of reaction.’
‘Lucy’s mum will be furious,’ I say.
‘Lucy’s mother is not here,’ Alex says.
‘Your mum might tell her. And it’s the principle of the matter. The lying.’
‘Well, I haven’t lied about anything.’
‘You told your mum that it was Zach under the doona.’
‘Oh, yeah. Well, aside from that.’
‘I’m so embarrassed. I can’t ever look your mum in the eye again.’
‘Now you are overreacting. It’s not like she caught us in the middle of something.’
‘But she thinks she did, which is the same.’
‘She doesn’t know what to think yet.’
I poke my head out the door, hoping that Mariella is not around and I can safely scurry upstairs.
‘Natalie?’
Mariella has seen me.
‘Can you and Alex come out here, please?’
‘Okay.’
We walk out into the lounge room, where Lucy and Zach are sitting at the table. Zach looks grumpy, but he always looks grumpy in the morning, and Lucy is staring down at the table, with her hands folded like a nun. She looks up, meets my eye, smiles, and suddenly I am overcome with the urge to giggle.
I bite down on my lower lip, hard enough to feel pain, to stop myself from laughing.
‘Okay, everyone.’ Mariella claps her hands. She looks Very Disappointed, in that universal parent way.
Lucy reaches over and holds my hand in hers. I want to laugh again, because the situation feels both serious and absurd. I squeeze her hand and she squeezes back.
‘Firstly, I want to say I feel really let down by you all,’ says Mariella.
We all nod.
‘Especially Alex and Zach.’
They nod solemnly.
‘Mum, can I say something?’ Zach says.
‘Not until I’m finished.’
‘Fine.’
‘Well, now I’ve lost my train of thought.’
‘You were talking about your deep disappointment in everyone, but most especially your sons,’ Alex says, leaning his chin on his hand.
‘That’s right. And do you know what I’m disappointed about?’ She pauses. Lucy and I look at each other. Are we supposed to guess?
No one says anything. Alex yawns. I frown at him.
‘I’m disappointed in the fact that I trusted all of you, and now you’ve broken that trust.’
‘Mum, can I just say one thing?’ Zach says again.
‘I have always been very happy for you to have people over,’ Mariella continues, ignoring him, ‘on the proviso that you’ll abide by the rules. And now that you have broken the rules, I’m going to have to be much stricter.’
Lucy raises her hand like we’re in a classroom.
‘Yes, Lucy?’
‘I just want to say I’m really sorry, and I appreciate how welcoming you’ve always been to me, and I promise not to be deceitful again.’
‘Me too,’ I chime in.
‘Girls, I love you like daughters, and I want to feel comfortable having you in my home. But I can’t feel comfortable if you’re sneaking around behind my back.’ She dramatically puts a hand over her eyes.
‘Mum there’s a really easy solution here,’ Zach says.
‘What’s that?’ Mariella says, removing the hand.
‘Let Lucy and me share a bed.’
‘Absolutely not.’ Mariella’s hand goes back over her eyes and she sits down at the table.
‘We’re both adults.’
‘You are not! You are still only seventeen years old, Zachary. And so is Lucy! I promised Lucy’s mother that whenever she was in this house, you would be under my supervision. Now you’ve made me look like a fool.’
‘Well, only if Lucy’s mother finds out,’ Alex points out.
‘Yes, this is your choice, Mum. You can make a drama out of it or not,’ Zach says, which I think is putting Mariella in an unfair position.
‘What if Lucy got pregnant and it happened under my roof, on my watch?’ Mariella says, her voice getting higher and higher pitched, and Lucy goes bright red.
‘Mum, it’s fine,’ Zach says. ‘There is