Where the Wind Takes Us

“Do you have the newspaper?” Mum calls from upstairs. I’m in the kitchen, preparing myself a quick fruit salad and reading the paper when she asks, and with a hurry I stuff the paper into my bag.

“No!” I yell back. Tossing the fruit salad into a carton, and then into my bag, I slam the front door shut and hop into Georgia’s car. Weird. It’s rare that Georgia takes me to school.

“You look cute,” Georgia comments on my outfit as she pulls out of my driveway. “Very on-trend.”

“I try,” I say sarcastically, but inside I’m pleased. Once a term, the school allows a free-dress day, which is basically a day of coming to school wearing whatever we want, within reason of course. The on-trend comment refers to my denim overalls, which I’ve paired with a long cardigan and Doc Martens. I tend to dress kind of plainish, whereas Georgia is all about her bright prints and colours. Today, she’s sporting bright printed jeans and a tank, with these fabulous white sandals I am definitely borrowing from her in the future, even though my feet are a little smaller than hers. Whatever. I’ll make it work. “You look so colourful. Contrasts me perfectly. No wonder we’re best friends.”

Georgia smacks the back of my head in response and turns up the radio, and before long, we’re jamming to some beachy tunes, perfect to match the gorgeous weather this morning.


“I forgot to ask, why did you take me to school this morning?” I ask Georgia. She parks the car in her usual spot at school and we get out, with me swiping some chapstick on quickly.

“Can’t a best friend help a brother out and take her other best friend to school?” Georgia raises her eyebrows at me. “Why do there have to be complications?”

“What?” That doesn’t even make sense. “G, what are you even talking about?”

She sighs. “I swear it made more sense in my head.”

I smile fondly at her as we walk into the common room. “You’re a dork.”

“Don’t hate me coz I’m fabulous,” Georgia flicks her hair. “How do you think I got Colton in the first place?”

“You mean how I got you?” Colton responds, sliding an arm around her waist and smiling at me as a way of saying hello.

“Natalie Fader!” James picks me up and spins me around, while I blink rapidly and stare at his actions. “You look like a diamond. The shiniest of them all.”

“Diamonds don’t shine, they reflect,” I tell him matter-of-factly, cracking a grin. “But thanks Markinson.”

James rolls his eyes and tugs on my hand as we sit on a spare couch, with James snuggled up against my cardigan. “This is such a comfortable material. What material is this?”

“Dude, your head may as well be on my boob,” I say, dead-panned. His head was originally on my shoulder but it’s been sliding down slowly, like he thinks I’m not able to notice it or something.

Immediately, James rolls off me and looks at me with a sheepish look on his face. “Sorry,” he mutters. “It’s not my fault you’re so comfortable…and have a decent rack.”

All of us bar James burst out in laughter, except for Mick, who takes a seat next to Colton opposite me and smacks James on the arm.

“Dude!” Mick scolds. “Don’t want to hear about Nat’s rack. That’s weird.”

I cross my arms and glare at Mick. “Are you saying that my boobs are weird?”

“What?” Mick puts his hands up in defence. “No! I said – oh, never mind. By the way, where were you this morning? I waited outside your house for five minutes before your mum told me that you’d left.”

“I gave her a ride,” Georgia pipes in. “Isn’t a girl allowed to give her best friend a ride to school these days? Christ.”

Mick sends her an odd look but Georgia ignores it, and turns to me instead. “Nat, we on for shopping tonight?”

I nod. “I need a new pair of shoes for tomorrow night, anyways.”

“Maybe you can get something that doesn’t make you look like a bogan farmer,” Mick drawls, stretching his body out in the shirt and jeans he’s wearing. There’s a strip of skin that’s showing, but it’s easy for me to avoid looking at it when I feel embarrassed, like what I’m wearing is not good enough for him or something.

“I wouldn’t listen to him, Nat.” I look up and in surprise; see that Josh is standing behind me. “I think you look beautiful.”

I blink in response, not sure how to respond, but I think the smile I uncontrollably give him is enough answer for him to chuckle to himself and walk away.

“D’you like Carey?” Colton asks me casually. I have a feeling he’s asking me this to avoid Mick ripping my head off for no reason, but I answer regardless.

I shrug. “I hardly know the guy, but he seems nice.”

“Nice?” Mick asks incredulously. “Did you forget how he tried to punch me the other day?”

Georgia snorts. “Because you provoked him, yeah.”

I stay quiet as the two squabble. Shifting my attention away from the pair, I glance around the room to see Josh talking with his friends, laughing about something. As though he can see me looking, his eyes are suddenly fixed on mine, and he’s giving me another smile, one that sends tingles right through to my toes.


The day flies by with little drama, although throughout lunch Mick wanted to tell me something most likely regarding Josh. I’d been ignoring him, but it seemed like I wasn’t able to ignore him anymore. Before I can run off to Nat’s car, Mick steps in front of me, effectively stopping my path.

“What’s up?” I ask cheerfully, in an attempt to distract him.

He opens his mouth for a moment, as though contemplating on what he’s about to say, and then speaks.

“Did you talk to Carey about the cops’ thing?” A familiar smell of cologne that I know is Josh’s whiffs through my nose, and out of the corner of my eye, I can see Josh behind him. Not directly, of course, but a few metres so no fight breaks out or whatever.

I shake my head. “I’ll talk to him soon, promise.”

He sighs. “You better. Need to get him off my back.”

“Why?” I ask curiously. “Is there something else going on?”

Mick stares at me for a long moment and then shakes his head. “Am I picking you up tomorrow night before Colton’s?”

I grin. “Since you’ve offered…”

He chuckles and quickly kisses my forehead. “Later, Fader.”

As soon as Mick is out of sight, Josh walks over to me, and I can’t help but appreciate him in the sight of his faded jeans and plain white tee. Why do boys always look so suave in white tees?

Josh clears his throat, and I realise I may have been a bit obvious in my checking him out. Looking at him, I blush instantly.

“I probably should’ve walked backwards so you could check out my ass,” Josh says slyly.

I giggle in response and hit him lightly on the arm. “Shut up. It’s not my fault you have a nice ass.”

Josh laughs, but I know that when he laughs, it’s not done out of spite or rudeness or anything. There’s something really genuine about Josh which I can appreciate.

“Can I ask you something?” I ask him something, and he nods.

“Did you mean what you said earlier?” I trip over my words. “I mean, um, about-”

“Me calling you beautiful?” Josh confirms. “Yeah. I would’ve said it regardless of what you wore.”

“So you didn’t just say it to spite Mick?” It’s not that I disbelieve his words, per say, but I thought he may have said it to annoy Mick, which it did.

Josh sighs. “Nat, you’re beautiful, no matter who you’re with or what you’re doing, okay?”

Warmth spreads through my body like wildfire. I’m not sure what’s happening because when I’ve received compliments in the past, they’ve never felt like this. I think it’s the sincerity in Josh’s pretty eyes and the smile that goes along with it that makes me believe him and not for a second, doubt his words.

I tug awkwardly on the strap of my overalls. “Well then, um, thank-you. Have a good weekend.” And I scurry off before he can respond, because to be perfectly honest, I’m about to blush an entire storm’s worth.