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what does it matter?'
    'I just think it's strange that you haven't mentioned
it. You know the way I feel about Megan.'
    'Anyway, Megan said to me' – Ace squashed her chin
against her neck and did the deep growling voice –
'"Did you know that –"'
    'Why are you speaking like that?' Kia asked.
    'Because this is how Megan talks.' Ace mimicked her
again: 'Like a bloke.'
    I was getting the giggles. Ace looked like she'd
grown three chins. 'Stop it. She doesn't speak like that.
You're just trying to freak us out!' I said.
    'I swear, Micki, that's how she sounded.'
    'Get to it, Ace,' Georgie groaned. 'What did Megan
say? "Did you know that . . ."'
    '"That starfish have no brains,"' Ace finished.
    'What!' the three of us yelped.
    'Ace, are you taking the piss?' Georgie had jumped
onto Kia's bed with Ace. 'Megan said, "Starfish have no
brains."'
    'That's what she said.'
    'I assume she's referring to us?'
    'I think you assume right, Georgie,' Ace replied.
    Georgie gave Ace the finger. Ace gave it right back.
Although they were laughing, something told me there
was a situation going down between these two. Maybe
it was because Ace was also a big-wave surfer. Once
Megan had been her main rival too.
    'How did she come to say that?' I had to ask, 'cause
Kia was too busy staring at Ace and shaking her head
and Georgie was on all fours looking like she was ready
to pounce.
    Ace was busy picking her toes.
    'Ace?' Georgie snapped her fingers in Ace's face.
'Answer Micki's question.'
    'Megan asked me' – Ace continued to tug and pull at
her toes – 'was I sorry that I wasn't a Starfish Sister
anymore.'
    'What a bitch!' Kia squealed. 'I never liked her. Ever!'
    Now Georgie was on her stomach, almost slithering
up the bed towards Ace. 'And what did you say, Ace?'
    'I didn't get a chance to say anything, Georgie.'
From where I was lying I could only see the back of
Georgie but I'd bet my new skinny-leg jeans that their
eyes were locked. 'Because then Megan said, "If I was
you, I'd be grateful. Didn't you know that starfish have
no brains?"'
    Silence.
    Georgie slid off the bed, turned off the light and
crawled back in next to Kia.
    'Ace?'
    No one answered Kia. Instead, we lay there in the
dark. But we'd done this before and it always ended up
being okay. Maybe we were just out of practice?

GEORGIE
    Kia and Micki were already downstairs having breakfast,
so maybe I did take advantage of them not being
around. But I just couldn't go another second without
telling Ace what I thought about her and her obsession
with her hair. Plus the fact that Ace'd seen and
spoken to Megan but had somehow forgotten to
mention it.
    Perhaps part of it was leftover anger that she'd
stuffed up and wasn't coming to camp but I just
couldn't help it. I exploded.
    I'd lost count how many times I'd done that with Kia.
Not that I could do it to her anymore, but Kia did have
the ability to drive me crazier than any other person
on earth. But now, for the first time ever, I had
just exploded at Ace and there was still the 'sorry' to
negotiate.
    That is the hardest bit about telling someone what
you really think. It doesn't occur to you at the time. You
just take a big breath and it all spills out. This great long
trail of words you've always wanted to say but have
never had the guts to skyrockets out of your mouth and
lands splat on the other person's face.
    Then afterwards, it could be a few minutes, it could
be weeks or months, you begin to think maybe you
shouldn't have said that. Maybe you should say sorry.
But the problem is you did mean it. You meant
every single word of it. So why should you have to
say sorry?
    'Sorry' stops the drama. That's why. Sometimes it's
the only reason you say it.
    Besides, I didn't want to be the one to ruin the
weekend.
    The door to the bathroom clicked open. Ace's footsteps
padded across the floor and back to Kia's room.
Quickly, I busied myself with some bed-making.
    Ace squeezed past as though I was made of air. She
rummaged through