Sas and Khaden strolled towards the railway line.

*Hey, you're going the wrong way. The crossing's that way,' I said, pointing up the street.

*Short cut,' said Sas.

They weren't cutting across the train tracks, were they?

*But-'

Sas turned, palms raised, *You're the one with the time limit.'

I jogged to catch up to them.

*What's up with you today?' asked Sas, studying my face.

*Why?'

*You look freaked out or something,' said Khaden.

*Nah, just thinking ... about what we could do, you know, for a laugh.'

We weaved through native shrubs up the hill, twigs and leaves snapping and crunching under our feet.

Sas stopped on the top of the hill. *So what do you have in mind?'

To avoid looking at the steel tracks glistening in the sun, I kept my gaze on the houses the other side of them.

*I thought-'

*Don't think, Ruby, just do!' She ran down the hill and over the tracks.

Khaden followed, his skate shoes skidding in the loose gravel.

Neither of them looked. I did, both ways, twice. Certain there were no trains coming, I tiptoed over the steel rails, careful not to let my feet touch anything but rock and dirt. I was sure I'd heard somewhere that railway tracks could give you an electric shock. I was about to step off the stones onto the dry gra.s.s, when Khaden and Sas's laughter blasted me.

*What?' I said, looking up.

They cackled like idiots.

*What's so funny?' I asked, anger buzzing in my brain.

*You!' Sas pulled a terrified face and tiptoed through the trees, which made Khaden laugh harder.

*I was not doing that.'

Khaden wiped his eyes. *Yeah, you were.'

*I was just being cautious.'

*Chicken is the word, Ruby,' said Sas.

I gritted my teeth and stalked through the native shrubs, up the footpath to the tram stop.

As the tram rattled up Riversdale Road, Sas listed where she wanted to shop: Target, The Body Shop, Priceline, a new surf shop and Sanity.

*What can you buy for your room at The Body Shop or Priceline? Or Sanity for that matter,' I said, still burning after the way they'd laughed at me.

Sas raised her eyebrows. *Room perfume at The Body Shop, scarves to use as curtain tie-backs at Priceline and posters at Sanity.'

*Oh.' Now feeling stupid as well as mad, I jabbed the green *next stop' b.u.t.ton.

*Sanity is for my sanity, too,' said Khaden, jumping off the tram and walking down the lane to Target.

Christmas carols battered the air as the store's automatic doors slid open. My mobile buzzed and *Home' flashed on my screen. Panic flared, until I remembered I'd diverted calls, so any call to our landline would come up as *Home' on my mobile.

I took a deep breath before answering. *Ruby speaking.'

*It's Dad.'

*Oh.'

Sas and Khaden pulled faces, trying to make me laugh.

*How are the jobs?' he asked.

*Working through them.' I waved my hand at Sas and Khaden and turned my back on them.

Chimes sounded over the store's intercom, interrupting the Christmas carol. A woman's voice announced a child wearing denim shorts and a Wiggles T-shirt was lost.

*Ruby, where are you?' snapped Dad.

*Home. Where do you think?'

*Who was speaking?'

*An ad on the radio-seriously Dad, what else would it be?'

*Radio? You only listen to your iPod.'

*I listen to the radio too...'

There was a cracking and a m.u.f.fled sound, as though Dad was covering his phone with his hand.

*You're early.'

He sounded different. Happy.

*Be with you in two seconds.' Dad cleared his throat. *I've got to go, Ruby. Remember the windows. See you tonight.' He hung up before I could say bye. A sour taste burned the back of my throat.

Teeth clenched, I turned to look for Sas and Khaden, who were at the sungla.s.ses display. Sas handed Khaden a pair of aviator-style sungla.s.ses. Khaden slipped them on and studied his reflection in the tiny mirror on the stand.

*They suit you,' I said, putting my phone back in my bag.

Khaden turn his head left then right. *You think?'

*Absolutely,' said Sas. *They make you look hot.'

Khaden blew her a kiss. Sas's eyes sparkled.

*So buy them,' I said.

*Can't afford them.' Khaden took the sungla.s.ses off and placed them back on the stand.

*I thought you said you had a job,' said Sas.

*What job?' I looked from Sas to Khaden.

*Nothing major. I'm helping out at a friend's tiling business, a couple of hours a week.'

*When did you start that?' I tried not to show I was hurt he hadn't told me.

He shrugged. *Week. It's no big deal. My first pay is tomorrow.'

Sas took the sungla.s.ses from him, reached under her hoodie and scratched her shoulder. When her hand dropped back to her side, the gla.s.ses were gone. I glanced at Khaden to see if he'd noticed. If he had, he didn't show it.

Sas stopped by the Napolean Perdis make-up stand.

*Sas,' I whispered, peeking around me. *Did-'

Sas cut me off. *I love this lip-gloss.' She tried the tester on the back of her hand, then stared straight into my eyes.

*Great colour, isn't it?'

She hadn't spelt out the words, but she'd made it clear she wanted me to steal the lip-gloss.

*Wonder if there's a matching nail polish?'

Did she want me to steal both?

*Come on, Khaden, let's look at lamps. We'll meet you out the front in fifteen, Ruby' she said.

I watched them walk away. Sas was already blowing hot and cold; what would she be like if I didn't steal the stuff? I clenched and unclenched my fists.

Calm. Natural. The words swam through my soupy brain. I tried the tester on the back of my hand, screwed up my nose and then tried a pinker one. At the same time, I peeked around me to look for staff, but there weren't any staff or even customers near me, which seemed strange for this time of the year. I picked up two of the pinker glosses and strolled towards the belts. As I tried on a silver belt, I slipped one lip-gloss between my jeans and belly. With a frown, I put the belt back and headed to the checkouts. I held the other lip-gloss out for every one to see. I was sure anyone close to me would also have seen my heart thudding against my T-shirt.

At the checkout, a woman with a broad back waited while the guy scanned three of the biggest bras I'd ever seen.

The air became thick and hard to breath. I glanced up at the airconditioning vents to see if they were working. The vents moved left and right and the plastic strips over them fluttered.

To distract myself, I tried to imagine what it was like to have bazookas as big as the woman in front of me.

The guy shoved the bras into the woman's shopping bag and handed her a receipt. She lumbered to the door.

*Next.'

I uncurled my hand and showed him the lip-gloss. He took it from my sweaty palm. I shifted my weight from foot to foot. What if he saw the lip-gloss hidden near my hip? What if there was a bulge? I pulled down my T-shirt and chewed my bottom lip.

*That all?' drawled the guy.

*Yes.' The word stuck in my dry throat.

*Seventeen ninety-nine.'

I fumbled with my wallet.

*You all right?' he asked.

*Gastro-thought I was over it.' I thrust a twenty dollar note at him.

He stepped back and took the money with his finger and thumb, placing my change, lip-gloss and receipt on the bench.

My skin felt cold and sweaty and my legs shaky. Was I going to vomit, collapse, or die? I muttered thanks, s.n.a.t.c.hed up the receipt and change and fled. Any minute a security guard would stop me and haul me to the police station on Camberwell Road, I knew it.

At the automatic doors, my eyes blurred and my knees buckled. Someone touched my shoulder. This was it. I whimpered.

*Are you all right, love?' asked the security woman.

I chewed my lip, fighting the tears springing to my eyes. *Bit sick.'

*You look shocking. Want me to call someone? Your mum?'

I shook my head.

*Mum's next door at the supermarket. I just came in to buy a birthday present.' I opened my sweaty hand and showed her the lip-gloss and receipt. It scared me how the lie just slipped off my tongue.

She looked around.

*I can have someone find her-'

*No. The car's close. I just need fresh air, but thanks.' I stumbled through the doors and down the ramp to the public toilets next to the car park, slamming the cubicle door behind me.

Slumped on the toilet seat, the lip-gloss I'd paid for on my lap and my head in my hands, I sucked in a lungful of air. The stolen lip-gloss dug into my hip. Once my heart slowed and my knees felt like they were made of bone again, I washed my face and hands and headed outside.

Khaden and Sas were waiting under the trees. Khaden was wearing the sungla.s.ses Sas had stolen and Sas held a lamp with a cream shade.

*What took you so long?' asked Sas.

I tossed the lip-gloss at her.