Tall, Dark & Distant (25 page)

But in seven years, she would be a doctor. Far away from Bella and her bitchy friends. She’d have permanently relaxed hair and enough money to provide a better life for her parents and Andre. Those years couldn’t come quickly enough.

Emily started to make skiing movements behind Bella’s back and Lyssa laughed loudly.

Bella turned, catching the end of Emily’s impression. ‘Are you making fun of me?’ Bella asked, with an edge to her voice.

Emily wasn’t easily intimidated – a trait inherited from her mother, who wore black lipliner and a red silk cheongsam day and night. Lyssa used to think Emily’s mum looked like a dragon, and the way she roared in the family restaurant made her both feared and revered. Lyssa didn’t need to stand up for Emily. The girl was truly her mother’s daughter.

‘Yeah, actually I am,’ Emily said, smiling brightly and screwing up her tiny nose.

‘You’re a bitch,’ Bella spat, crossing her arms and looking Emily up and down.

‘I know,’ said Emily sweetly. ‘I excel at many things and being a bitch is one of them. Thanks for noticing, Bella, it means a lot coming from you.’

‘It wasn’t a compliment,’ snapped Bella, her friends standing around her like her backup dancers. Any minute now, Lyssa expected them to burst into a Taylor Swift medley.

‘Cool,’ said Emily with a laugh. ‘Let’s go, Lyssa.’

Bella stepped in front of Emily. ‘What’s your problem?’ she asked, her sculpted nose curling up. ‘Why are you always so mean to me?’

‘Mean? Me?’ Emily snorted.

‘Just because you’re smart doesn’t make you better than me.’ Bella said.

Emily shrugged. ‘Have I ever said anything to you that was outright mean, Bella? Remind me.’

‘It’s just your attitude,’ said Bella, lowering her voice. ‘You think you’re smarter than us.’

‘I
am
smarter than you,’ Emily said, without arrogance. Lyssa knew Emily was right, but said nothing. This wasn’t her battle. At least, not yet.

‘You’re up yourself,’ Bella sneered.

‘You’re pretentious.’ Emily turned to Lyssa and whispered loudly, ‘I don’t think she knows what that means.’

As the girls glared at each other, Lyssa saw Bella’s mouth tighten. ‘I can’t help it if I’m wealthy.’

‘No, you can’t, but you can be cooler about it,’ said Emily. ‘And by the way, it’s your parents’ money, not yours.
YOU DIDN’T EARN IT!
’ she yelled in Bella’s face.

‘Are you jealous because your parents are boat people?’ asked Bella, pretending to pout.

Emily’s eyes flashed. She looked at Lyssa. ‘I would totally go to jail for bitch-icide. Please let me.’ She flexed her fingers and cracked her knuckles, like she did before playing the drums.

Lyssa felt a smile playing on her own lips. Emily had made life bearable at Henslow Grammar. Without her, Lyssa doubted she would have lasted all the years.

Bella stepped back from Emily. ‘You better not be threatening me,’ she hissed, touching her nose.

Everyone knew Bella had got a nose job last summer, although she claimed it was sinus surgery. Since then, Bella had avoided any contact sports and, up until now, fistfights.

Emily swaggered a little and looked at Lyssa. ‘I don’t know. What do you think, Lys? Am I?’

It was tempting to let Emily beat the crap out of perfect Bella and her perfect nose. But they were so close to graduating now, and the last thing Lyssa needed was to get kicked out of school. Lyssa put her hand on Emily’s shoulder. ‘Come on, Em, let’s go. She’s not worth it.’

Bella put out her hand, gesturing for them to stop. ‘Excuse me?
I’m
not worth it?’ Bella looked around at her friends and then smirked at Lyssa. ‘I could buy your father’s taxi for twenty bucks and a can of Coke, you stuck-up bitch. What a joke.’

Emily tensed and Lyssa considered letting her punch Bella in the nose. She swallowed her anger and muttered, ‘Leave it, Em.’

Bella stepped close to Emily, clearly buoyed by Lyssa’s attempt to defuse the situation. ‘If you threaten me again I’m going to make sure you get thrown out of this school. My father is on the board.’

Emily leaned in to Bella.
Real nose to fake nose,
thought Lyssa. She wanted to laugh, even though the situation was quite serious.

‘This school
needs
me and all the other girls on scholarships,’ said Emily. ‘In the last five years, the perfect scores have all been gained by scholarship kids. So either
bring it on
, Bella, or piss off, you fake bitch.’

Bella pursed her lips and stood back.

Lyssa lifted her head and passed through the sea of blondes, following Emily. But as she was walking away, one of the girls murmured a word that made her freeze.

Turning back to them, Lyssa drew herself up to her full height, and looked the beautiful girls right in their white faces.

‘I heard what you said, but I’m fine with being a nigger. At least I’m not stupid. I’m going to make it into medicine, while the best any of you racist bimbos can hope to be is a doctor’s wife. So I suggest you call me
Doctor Nigger
from now on.’

And then she walked off to class with a stunned Emily following
her
, for a change.

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Tall, Dark and Distant
published in 2013 by
Hardie Grant Egmont
Ground Floor, Building 1, 658 Church Street
Richmond, Victoria 3121, Australia
www.hardiegrantegmont.com.au

eISBN 9781743580035

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers and copyright holders.

A CiP record for this title is available from the National Library of Australia.

Text copyright © 2013 Julie Fison
Illustration and design copyright © 2013 Hardie Grant Egmont

Design by Stephanie Spartels