nothing lasts - b.e

|16|

Inside, we find my friends hovering in the hallway, Billie wastes no time in marching up to them.

"Elyssa", she says, and she freezes, "Where did you put those garlic sticks?"

She points wordlessly to the pile of jackets in the corner. The Partridge box is on top of them. Billie opens it, wrinkles her nose, and walks away.

"What is she—?" Elyssa stammers.

We follow her around the corner, back into the kitchen. Just as Billie said, Amyra is standing there, munching away on a bag of pretzels. Her eyes are glazed over, but she looks up when Billie enters with the garlic sticks.

"What are those?" Amyra blurts out.

Billie turns to her, feigning surprise, "garlic sticks, why?"

Amyra's eyes light up, "can I have some?"

Billie sets the box on the counter and steps in front of it, "no I don't think so", she says with fake sweetness, "they're not mine, I don't know if I'm allowed to give them out".

"Really", Amyra says dryly. Her hatred for Billie practically crackles in the air, "and who put you on guard duty".

Billie shrugs, "I like to play by the rules, don't you?"

Amyra lunges around her and grabs a garlic stick. Billie pretends to be affronted, but I don't think the fury in her eyes is fake.

"Mmm", Amyra says, chowing down. She cocks her head, "I can see why you were hoarding them".

"Yeah, you can see right through me", Billie says coolly, she turns and stalks off, but not before catching my eye.

Amyra eats another garlic stick before she licks the crumbs off her fingers and struts back to the centre of the party.

My friends and I watch intently, trying to figure out what's supposed to happen next. Where was Billie going with this?

And then, as Amyra slithers up to the pretty girl she was making out with earlier, it hits me.

"Oh shit—"

Amyra leans in to kiss the girl again. For a blistering moment they're wrapped together, mouths open, Amyra devouring her and then—

"AUGH!" The girl gags, rearing backwards. She covers her mouth with her hand.

Amyra looks stricken. She tries to say something in the girl's ear.

"Back off!" The girl says, lunging away from her, "god, that smell!"

The whole party is watching now. A bunch of people laughing; one girl has her phone out to record the humiliation. Some guy yells, "Come on, Amyra, brush your teeth for once!"

Amyra freezes, mortified, before turning on her heel and fleeing the room. I watch with my mouth hanging open, dazzled by the brilliance of Billie's scheme.

"Shit", Enya says, her eyes wide, "That was the best thing I've seen in years".

•

We stay long enough for the party to reach it's peak. Amyra never returns, leaving the St Greggs girl behind. Asteria and Enya melt into conversation with a bunch of other smart kids who won't stop talking about college applications.

Elyssa, to my surprise, manages to capture Odessa's attention. They sit at the kitchen table, whispering and laughing at each other, so oblivious to everything around them that Elyssa doesn't flinch when someone spills beer on her shoulder. And if Odessa can smell the garlic on Elyssa's breath, she doesn't seem to mind.