The Boyfriend Rivalry by Milana Spencer

2

Liam: The Promise

Curtis's cornflower blue eyes stare at me, unblinking. Curtis looks as basic as you can expect — blue eyes, burnished golden hair, tan skin. Straight nose, square jaw. Boring. I don't know what possessed Kennedy to date him. She claimed he was a gentleman. Yeah right. No teenage boy is a gentleman.

"Curtis…" Kennedy begins.

Curtis drops her hand. "What… what?"

"Oh shit," I say, a smile spreading across my lips. "Don't tell me you didn't know." Curtis acts like he knows everything. It's nice to see him like this.

"I meant to tell you," Kennedy says.

He shakes his head. I'd say I'm surprised at how devastated he looks, but this is Curtis. His hatred for me almost rivals mine for him.

"They said he had to come," Kennedy says, her voice pleading. Kennedy almost never pleads — look what Curtis has done to her. "Either that, or you couldn't come. It's not that bad, Curtis."

"I'm a delight," I say.

He glares at me. "How long did you know?" he asks Kennedy.

"A week," she admits. "I'm sorry. I should have told you."

Curtis narrows his eyes at me, as if to say, I know this is all your fault.

He's wrong, of course. Kennedy's parents begged me to go with them to Lonsdale Bay and keep another eye on Kennedy and Curtis. I wouldn't let them down, not when I love the beach, when I want to see Kennedy's cousins again, when I want to stop Kennedy from being screwed over by Curtis.

Kennedy touches Curtis's leg. "Are you upset?" she asks.

For a moment, I think he's going to lose it. Crack his perfect exterior with his ironed uniform and neat tie and combed hair.

His eyes shift over to me, and I pout.

His jaw tightens for a moment before relaxing, and Curtis takes Kennedy's hand. "Sorry. I didn't mean to freak out so much. This is fine."

I pretend to retch.

As always, Kennedy ignores me and shifts closer to Curtis. "Okay," she whispers.

Ew, ew, ew.

They continue to murmur to each other — all couples are gross, but seeing Kennedy and Curtis is worse than usual — so I distract myself by looking at the rest of the bus. Unfortunately, I see another couple. Across the aisle, a blonde girl from Year 11 holds hands with a boy. They talk to two dark-haired boys, also from Year 11, who are sitting close together.

In the end, I spend the rest of the bus trip with my eyes looking through the window. Small businesses transform into cute tiny houses and then homes with larger and larger blocks until we're out on the outskirts of Easton. The bus arrives at our school, the manicured lawns and modern buildings of the campus a stark contrast to the farms and abandoned buildings that surround it.

Though I'm not excited to spend almost two weeks at Lonsdale Bay with Curtis in close proximity, I still can't wait to replace the sight of Easton with a turquoise ocean, yellow sand and rustic beach houses.

*

That evening, my parents and I wait at the Harding family's front door, which is just as large and fancy as the rest of the Harding house. Like most families with children who attend Easton Grammar, the Hardings are wealthy. But unlike some families where the wealth comes from parents having high-paying jobs, the Hardings have a state-wide textiles business that's been in their family for ages.

While the memory of Kennedy's beach house is blurry in my mind, I'm sure it was big and expensive like all Harding properties.

Kennedy opens the door and smiles. "Hello! Come on in, everyone's in the dining room,"

"Hello Kennedy," Mum says. "You look beautiful."

"The food smells delicious," Dad says, handing her a bottle of wine.

"Oh, you didn't have to bring this," Kennedy says, looking at the bottle. "Thank you."

"Thank me too," I say, following my parents into the house. "I gave some helpful wine recommendations."

"Which we promptly ignored," Mum says.

Kennedy laughs. "They're experts in tuning you out by now. I know I am."

My parents disappear into the dining room, but I linger as Kennedy closes the door. When she turns to me, I raise my brows. "You didn't tell Curtis?"

She groans. "Let's not talk about that now."

"Why not? You know Curtis is my favourite topic of conversation," I drawl.

Kennedy gives me a death stare before we enter the dining room, which is bathed in golden light. Rustic copper lights hang from the high ceiling and the hardwood floor shines.

Kennedy's parents stand up from their seats at the dining table and greet me. I say hello to them, and Kennedy takes me over to her cousins.

"Erin, Bonnie," Kennedy says. "Remember Liam?"

"Hello!" I grin.

They respond with "hello" and "it's been so long" and we exchange hugs before sitting down at the end of the table, Kennedy and I on one side, the cousins on the other.

"You're so tall now, Liam," Bonnie says. She has curly brown hair and round hazel eyes.

I laugh. "That's what five years will do to you. But I'm still hot, right?"

Bonnie stares at me, and Erin, who was spreading pale pink pate on bread, pauses. Kennedy groans.

"W—what?" says Bonnie.

"Ignore him," Kennedy says. "He's still hanging onto that time you complimented him, five years ago. Which proves just how often he's complimented on his appearance."

Erin laughs. "I don't think you've changed at all, Liam," she says.

"Hey, is that an insult?" I ask.

"You're lucky you missed out on Liam in his awkward stage," Kennedy tells Bonnie.

"Oh god, don't remind me," I say. "I had braces, bad skin, my proportions were all out of whack."

Bonnie laughs. "Everyone goes through that, though," she adds kindly.

"Yeah, but limiting the number of people who saw me like that is important for my ego. Anyway, the point is that I've emerged as a butterfly."

"You're ridiculous," Kennedy says, before grinning at the cousins. "We have so much to catch up on. And that includes me showing you all the photos I have of Liam."

I freeze. "Kennedy, no."

"Yes," she cackles.

I keep my protests to a minimum while Kennedy's mother and father bring out the main course of roast pork. Kennedy's vegan, so she brings out a plate of vegan pasta for herself. I help pour soft drink for Bonnie, Kennedy and me. While everyone is over eighteen, the three of us prefer soft drink over wine.

"So, what's uni like?" Kennedy asks Erin once everyone has piled their plates with food.

Erin has the same curly hair as her sister, but she's tamed it into a ponytail. There are a few flyaway curls, and she brushes one out of her face as she talks about her course. "It's pretty competitive, but I enjoy it. I guess I'm one of those people who work well under pressure," she finishes.

"Do you pull all-nighters for assignments?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "Sometimes I go to sleep late, but I've only pulled a few all-nighters."

I shiver. "I couldn't do that."

"You've done it at parties," Kennedy reminds me and turns to the cousins. "When Liam drinks he drinks, he gets crazy wasted."

"I can't trust myself around alcohol. I always say something I regret. Anyway," I say, waving my hand. "Staying up for a party is different to staying up for an essay or something. Imagine spending the entire night studying. Ugh."

"I know some people who pull all-nighters for Year 12," Bonnie says. Like Kennedy and I, Bonnie attends a private school, except it's one in the city and is much fancier and more competitive.

Kennedy cringes. "No."

Bonnie nods and tells us about how people compete for the highest ranking in classes, and how intense it is. Erin agrees, saying it was the same when she was in Year 12.

We all moan and complain about Year 12 for a bit. High school has always been pretty chill for me, but this year, all the teachers are like war generals, demanding we do well in the exams, get into our preferred universities and uphold the school's reputation.

We finish dinner and take the plates to the kitchen before returning to the table. On the other side of the table, Kennedy and my parents refill their wine glasses, laughing at a joke Kennedy's dad made.

"What about you two?" Erin asks Kennedy and me. "Have you thought about your university preferences?"

"I have no idea," I say.

"Me neither," Kennedy says. "It'll have to be something that gets me a good job, though. Not something I like."

Erin and Bonnie nod sympathetically. Every child in the Harding family must face the same pressure to get a prestigious and lucrative job. My parents aren't like that though — I think they just want me to choose something, anything.

"I get that," Bonnie says. "I want to study education but my parents said teachers aren't paid that well."

"Teachers should be paid more," I say. "Anyone that has to deal with crazy children and teenagers should be paid a fortune."

"How ironic," Kennedy says.

"What is?"

"You two could probably guess this," Kennedy says to the cousins, "but Liam's the biggest pain in class."

"Hey," I protest. "Teachers love me."

"They think you're charming. Sometimes," Kennedy says. "They also think you're annoying as hell."

"Yeah, well, you're just as a nuisance. Kennedy doesn't go a week without finding something to protest and sending a letter to the school."

"That's our Kennedy," Erin laughs. "Hey, if everything else fails, you could study political science at uni. Become a politician."

Kennedy pretends to vomit, then considers it. "Maybe."

"You know who might be a politician, if he doesn't become a corrupt corporate guy first?" I ask.

Before I can go on, Kennedy interrupts. I don't know how Kennedy knew I was going to insult Curtis, but Kennedy has a sixth sense that way.

"We should have desert," Kennedy suggests, turning to her parents. "Mum, Dad, desert?"

Kennedy and my parents cheer in response, and Bonnie and Erin insist on serving it.

We have apple crumble with homemade vanilla ice cream (Kennedy has vegan ice cream). After we finish and clear the table, the cousins, Kennedy and I drift to the dining room while the parents stay at the table, discussing council rates and gossiping about other families.

In the living room, Kennedy and Bonnie share a brown leather couch while Erin and I take a floral print armchair each.

"So," Bonnie says, brows wiggling. "Kennedy has a boyfriend."

"I can't wait for you guys to meet him," Kennedy gushes. Gushes. How did Curtis turn Kennedy into someone who gushes?

"All you've told us is his name. How did you meet?" Erin asks.

Kennedy recounts the story I've heard a hundred times about how she ran into Curtis at a talk about sustainability. After sitting together, they got lunch at a cafe and talked. A week later, they were dating. That was January. It's April now.

"We've been at school together," Kennedy explains, "but only when I talked to him did I properly get to know him. He's super smart and thoughtful… and cute."

"Show us a photo!" Bonnie says.

Kennedy giggles and pulls out her phone, leaning forward in her chair to show the cousins. "Here."

"Wow, he's good looking," Erin says.

"He's hot," Bonnie says.

"What about you two?" I interrupt. "Dating anyone?"

"Erin is," Bonnie answers. "His name is Wallace, and he studies science too, and he's super nerdy."

Erin laughs. "He isn't! Well, he is, but I love that about him."

"He's super nice," Bonnie says. "They've been with each other for two years."

"Did you two meet in a class?" Kennedy asks before gasping. "Don't tell me you two were lab partners!"

Erin laughs. "No, not quite. We had a class together and started studying together… and then we were dating."

"Aw," I say with a smile. I might hate the idea of Kennedy and Curtis dating, but that doesn't mean I hate the entire idea of love. It sounds as if Erin and Wallace are a cute couple, and Erin's face lights up when she talks about him. "What about you, Bonnie?" I ask.

She blushes. "Nah. You?"

"Nope," Kennedy answers for me. "Everyone at Easton Grammar knows how obnoxious he is."

"I'm not obnoxious!" I protest. "I'm a catch. Remember — I'm super hot."

"You're never going to let that go, are you?" Bonnie asks.

"Never," I say.

Erin turns to Kennedy. "We're picking your boyfriend up at ten, tomorrow, right?"

Kennedy nods, and they return to talking about Curtis. Ugh. I distract myself with my phone, scrolling through social media, while the girls talk about Curtis and all the fun they're going to have at the beach. At one point, I can't help myself and roll my eyes.

Kennedy catches me and frowns.

Okay, now I feel guilty. I force myself not to roll my eyes again for the rest of the night.

Bonnie and Erin, tired from a long drive, leave an hour later for the spare bedroom to have an early night. Kennedy and I check on my parents, who are tipsy with wine.

"Help me pack until you leave?" Kennedy asks.

I nod because it looks like I'll be here for a while, and we walk to her bedroom. "You haven't finished packing yet?"

"Judge me all you like, but I know you haven't even begun, Liam."

I smother a smile because she's right.

We enter Kennedy's bedroom, with white walls covered in photos and posters and vinyl record covers. She has a bookshelf full of old children's books, as well as boring looking philosophy books by Marx and De Beauvoir and a bunch of Ancient Greek guys. Kennedy sits down on the floor, next to an open suitcase, and I sit beside her and start folding the pile of clothing into neat squares.

"Erin and Bonnie are so nice. Not that I thought they wouldn't be, but it's good we get along," I say.

"Right? The holiday is going to be awesome," says Kennedy.

"Yeah. If only…" I cut myself off.

Kennedy puts down the bikini she's folding and fixes me with a stare. "Liam."

"What?" I blink.

"I appreciate you not hating on Curtis in front of Erin and Bonnie."

"Oh. Er, no worries."

"And I want to keep any antagonism you have towards Curtis to yourself for the rest of the trip."

I sigh. "I understand where you're coming from —"

"Good," Kennedy says with finality. She returns to folding.

"—But you know why I don't like him," I finish.

A memory drifts into my mind, and I see the blurry colours of a high school party. There are yellow fairy lights and rainbow coloured vodka drinks. Crushed up cans on the lawn. Black night, deafening music.

There's Curtis, wearing the same t-shirt every teenage boy wears to a party, which a brand name printed across the chest and sleeves that show off the definition of his arms. His hair is dark gold, almost brown against the darkness of the night.

"I know," Kennedy says, jolting me back to reality. "You think I haven't listened to what you've told me? I have, Liam, but it's my relationship. Trust me and let me make my own decisions, okay?"

"I just… don't want you to get hurt."

Her eyes soften. "I know. But Liam, I'm not going to break up with Curtis. I don't want you to fight with Curtis the whole trip. It'll ruin the holiday for everyone."

I close my eyes, because I know she's right. I don't want to be a pain to her, or Bonnie and Erin.

"So I want you to make me a promise," she continues.

"What is it?"

"On the holiday, I want you to be as nice as possible to Curtis, okay? I want you to be friends."

I open my mouth to protest, then bite my tongue. She wants me to be nice? To be friends with Curtis? That's impossible.

"Promise me you'll try your best. Please?" Kennedy asks, her eyes big, pleading.

I stare at her for a moment. She's my best friend, and no matter how much I want to refuse, I can't. I can't let her down.

"Okay," I say. "I promise."