Gemini Falling Read Free

‘Whatever – I’m up for it!’
    ‘Cool. We can start with drawing up your chart…’
    ‘Well, my birthday’s–’ I begin telling her.
    ‘Shut up! I mean, wait a minute – let me see if I can guess. You see, I’m really good at this stuff.’
    ‘Yeah, right,’ I mutter, with a friendly eye roll.
    ‘Hey! Anyway, I already had a feeling, but you were talking the other day about the epic party you’re going to throw at half term…’
    ‘So what? My parents are going to be away
again
and it’s half term. Of course I’m going to have an epic party – in fact, I’d say it’s going to be legendary!’ I laugh.
    ‘And?’
Elyse prompts.
    ‘And what?’
    ‘And it’s for your birthday, of course!’
    Even though she’s being crazy, Elyse looks so majorly delighted with herself, I almost feel bad for raining on her parade. Still, there’s a small win to be enjoyed in proving her wrong.
    ‘Sorry, babe!’ I sing-song, giving her a better-luck-next-time smile. ‘Try again.’
    The words have barely left my mouth before I realise they were the wrong ones; I got it all wrong. I don’t even understand why, but I regret it straight away.
    Elyse’s face hardens like concrete; I swear her eyes practically change colour, flashing a dark anger I’ve never seen before. I have to look away. Just for a second, I don’t even know why but I really feel scared.
    I look away from Elyse and turn to Mel – stupid Mel, with her spookily blank face. She looks like she’s watching a horror film – her mouth even hanging open slightly.
    My flash of fear passes quickly, and it shifts into the much more familiar and comfortable zone of annoyance. What’s the big effing deal?
    ‘What’s the big deal?’ I say out loud.
    I’m irritated with myself to notice that my voice comes out sounding weirdly nervy.
    ‘What’s the big deal?’
Elyse repeats back to me. ‘You’re joking, aren’t you?’
    ‘No, I–’
    She interrupts me but her voice is low and dangerous. ‘Amie, when –
exactly –
is your birthday?’
    This is such a weird conversation to be having – particularly because I’ve always had such a love-hate relationship with the date myself. God, I wish my birthday
were
at half term, a nice June birthday.
    I look Elyse in the eye and I am extra careful to keep my voice steady and normal. I call up all of my bitch powers – I think for a second of Lexy and it’s not hard.
    ‘The first of January. My birthday is on New Year’s Day.’
    For a moment, I actually think she’s going to hit me. Instead of pulling back, I find myself tensing up, spoiling for a fight. There is a pause, which hangs heavy in the air for a moment before it shatters into a million pieces.
    ‘You fucking liar! You lying bitch,’ Elyse shrieks.
    She goes off into a massive rant, screaming and shouting at me, and I realise that she is not joking. On the edges of this chaos, I notice that Melanie, as if she knows to expect the worst from her sister, is practically cowering into the corner.
    I’m not a chicken like she is, at least.
    ‘Look, calm down – you freak,’ I sneer back.
    I’m
not
going to be scared of her. I’m not going to let some weird, random girl talk to me like that in my own house. I’m the most popular girl in the class – what the hell does she think she’s doing? She must be mental or stupid – probably both. Shame I’m only just realising it now.
    Although, whatever she’s playing at, this is going to be way worse for her than it is for me. She should realise that her life will be hell back at school tomorrow if she keeps this up. One half of my brain is already turning this into a hilarious story to tell Lexy and the others.
    ‘I don’t know what kind of demented shit you’re trying to pull here,’ I go on, ‘but I’m nothaving it. You can either stop it right now or you can get out. Your choice.’
    Elyse just laughs in my face. ‘You think you can control the whole world, don’t you? It’s