Breaking Her Rules

Chapter 42

We head back down the road to Cathedral Square, but when we get to the bus station we realise that the last bus headed home is gone.

'It's a twenty minute walk to the train station,' Lucas suggests.

I pull up a train schedule on my phone. 'The trains finish at one o'clock,' I say. 'By the time we get there we'll miss the final train.'

'Crap,' Lucas says. 'Should we call your dad?'

'My dad's working all night,' I say. 'What about your dad?'

'Dad's away,' Lucas says. 'What about Dan?'

'He's been drinking all night,' I say.

'Fuck,' Lucas says. We look at each other, and I know we're both thinking the exact same thing. He raises his eyebrows, and I grit my teeth and pull out my phone again to dial her number.

'Emily?' my mother answers on the second ring.

'Hi... Mum,' I say. 'Uh, we missed the bus. We're at Cathedral Square in the city. Could you maybe come get us?'

Lucas watches me on the phone, and when I hang up I tell him she's coming. He gestures towards a bench, so I follow him and sit down next to him. He starts bouncing his foot, jiggling his knee.

'Kind of weird meeting the band,' Lucas says quietly.

'They were so human,' I say.

'Yeah,' Lucas says. 'I guess that's it. For so long I've been listening to Two Soap Dolls and imagining those guys as kind of gods of music.'

'This is a bit of a fucked up situation,' I say.

Lucas turns to face me and puts his legs up on the bench and leans against the wall of the bus shelter. 'Hey um... on the phone, did your mum sound okay?'

I swallow. 'I guess so. It's kind of hard to tell with her, isn't it?'

Lucas shrugs. 'Look, it's fine. I think I've been in your mum's car a few times when she's been driving drunk. I'm not too worried.'

'Only because when we were little kids we had absolutely no idea she was shitfaced all the time,' I say.

'Yeah, well, she holds her alcohol well,' Lucas says. 'She's like you. You can drink so much and seem totally fine, and then all of a sudden you'll just be fucked up and emotional.'

'Huh,' I say. 'I guess that's true.'

Lucas smirks. 'Setting my bin on fire. Kicking me in the nuts. Screaming at me outside McDonalds that one time. You used to be a mess.'

I roll my eyes. 'Shut up. We've all made our mistakes.'

'Yeah.'

I look down the road, hoping to see my mum's car coming down the street. Then I feel Lucas's hand, suddenly clasped on top of my own. I stare down at his hand, and then raise my gaze to look at him.

'I'm sorry,' Lucas says. 'For everything that went on between us. I wish it hadn't. And it was my fault.'

'You don't need to say that. I'm just glad we're friends again. You have no idea how much I missed you,' I admit.

Lucas smiles. 'And I'm glad I got to see Two Soap Dolls with you.'

A car honks up the road and I pull my hand out of Lucas's grip, embarrassed. I look up to see my mum's car roll to a stop in the bus pickup zone.

'Been a while since my mum dropped you home,' I say. 'Reckon she'll still remember where you live?'

Lucas laughs, and we walk towards Mum's car. We both get into the back seat.