“No, his friend is sick, so Duck had to cover for him. But he’s taking me out somewhere tomorrow to make up for it.” Duck worked as a delivery driver at Kappys, the local pizzeria.
“That shitty flu is still going around,” said Candela. “I should drag my lazy ass to the doctor and get my shots.”
“Does Duck know you went to the cemetery with Rad the other night?” asked Lucy.
“You went to the cemetery with Rad?” Candela asked. “When did this happen?”
“A few nights ago.” Lucy was the only person I had told about that night, although I left out the part where Rad and I found Candela’s picture in Ana’s locket.
“Why didn’t you tell me you met up with him again?” said Candela. She looked hurt.
“I don’t know.” I wasn’t sure why I didn’t tell Candela about that night. I told her everything. Even more than Lucy. When I was a little girl, my dad and I had a code. The rule was if I said the words “yellow submarine,” he wasn’t allowed to get mad at me, no matter what I said next. It was like a safe zone, where I was free to confess anything without consequence. With Candela, that code was something unspoken between us. I could tell her anything, and I knew she would never judge me. But I couldn’t tell her about that night because her photo had been in Ana’s locket, which meant there was something she was keeping from me.
“So what happened?” Candela asked.
“They went to visit Ana in the dead of night to return her necklace,” said Lucy.
“The gold one with the heart-shaped locket?” said Candela. She had an odd look on her face.
I nodded. “Rad said she was really attached to it.”
“She was,” said Candela quietly. “I’m glad she got it back.”
“I still can’t believe you went into the cemetery at night,” Lucy shuddered.
“It was really creepy. Your eyes keep playing tricks on you.”
“I can imagine,” said Lucy.
My eyes were riveted to Candela’s face. She looked like she was lost in her own world. I knew my friend better than anyone. I could tell she knew her picture was in Ana’s locket. Lucy followed my gaze.
“Are you okay, sweetie?” she asked Candela.
Candela’s head snapped up. “Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Just asking, jeez,” said Lucy, taken aback.
Candela quickly gathered herself. “Sorry, Lucy,” she said with a small shake of her head. She leaned in and gave her an apologetic peck on the cheek. Then she turned her attention to me. “So what else did you guys get up to?”
“We went to the lighthouse at Widow’s Cove and just talked for the rest of the night.”
“What did you talk about?” Candela probed.
I shrugged. “Don’t know—stuff.”
I couldn’t tell either Lucy or Candela that our conversation had centered around the locket. Rad said he suspected Ana had been involved with someone else before her death. Candela and Ana were always good friends, but they had grown especially close in the last year. Had their friendship blossomed into something more?
“So I’m guessing Duck doesn’t know anything about that night?” said Lucy.
I shook my head. “No, and it stays between the three of us. Okay?”
They nodded in agreement.
“Before we forget!” said Candela reaching into her backpack again. “We got you something.”
“You did?”
“Yes!” Lucy’s face was suddenly animated. “I almost forgot.”
After rummaging round in her bag, Candela pulled out a package wrapped in red cellophane and finished with a black ribbon bow.
“Thanks, guys!” I said, taking the present from her outstretched hands.
“It’s something Lucy and I came across at that store in Crows Nest—you know, the one that sells vintage stuff. As soon as we spotted it, we thought of you. It has your name on it—literally.”
I tore open the package to find a stunning cream-colored jacket made of the softest suede. It was lined in blood-red satin with a tag stitched into the neckline, bearing my name.
“See? It’s an Audrey jacket,” said Lucy. “Must be some old, obscure label.”
“The label pretty much sealed the deal,” said Candela. “I mean, how perfect is that?”
“It’s gorgeous!” I pulled off my sweater and put the jacket on.
“It fits like a glove,” said Lucy happily. “It was made for you.”
“I love it! I’m going to wear it all the time!”
In the distance, we heard voices, and then two figures emerged from behind the shrubbery.
“Freddy!” Lucy got up and raced over to him. She threw her arms around him, and he picked her up, swinging her through the air.
The trio walked toward us as Candela and I stood up.
“Happy birthday, Audrey,” said Freddy, putting his arm around my shoulders. “Rad decided to tag along; I hope you don’t mind.”
I shook my head. “Not at all.”
Rad smiled at me. “Happy birthday, Audrey.”
“Thanks.”
We proceeded to arrange ourselves awkwardly on the picnic rug like a game of Twister. I wound up sitting between Rad and Lucy.
“Sheesh, I can’t believe it’s already your birthday. That means our exams are just around the corner,” said Lucy.
“Don’t remind me,” I groaned. The thought of all the years of my education culminating in one crucial point was nothing short of terrifying.
“Hey, Rad, aren’t you studying journalism at Charles Sturt?”
He nodded. “Yeah, but I’ve decided to take the rest of this year off. I don’t go back until next February.”
Lucy turned to me. “Isn’t that the course you were looking at, Audrey? Wouldn’t it be funny if you both wound up at the same campus?”
“It’s in my top three, but it depends on how I score on my exams,” I said. “Plus, I’m still thinking about whether or not to take a gap year. We’ve always talked about the three of us traveling through Europe. Remember the pact we made about sunbathing topless in Ibiza?”
“Well, I’m definitely tagging along for that,” said Freddy as Lucy gave him a sharp jab in the ribs.
“That was before we had any concept of money,” said Candela with a sigh. “I sure don’t have the funds to travel anytime soon.”
“I probably would have taken a gap year if I could do things over,” said Rad. “I mean, I like the course I’m doing so far, but I don’t know if I want to be a journalist.”
“That’s the crazy thing. How can they just expect us to know what we want to do with the rest of our lives when we’re fresh out of school? I mean, it’s not like flicking a switch,” I said.
“Well, I’m sure enjoying my gap year so far,” said Freddy, a Cheshire cat grin on his face. “Other than the fact my parents are going a bit nuts and I still have no idea what I’m going to do next year.”
“How about clown college?” Lucy suggested.
Candela snorted.
Freddy grinned at Lucy. “Only if you want to be my assistant, babe.”
“You’re thinking about magicians; clowns don’t have assistants.”
“That’s not true. What about Sideshow Bob?”