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her bag, took out a pair of socks
and miraculously squeezed past me again on her way
out the door.
    'Stop!' I heard myself say. 'Please.'
    'Why?' Ace leant into the wall. The smiling face of
Layne Beachley peered out behind her. 'So you can
have another go at me?'
    'Look, I'm sorry, Ace. Okay? Sorry.'
    'Sorry that I'm a self centred-bitch and let you all
down? Or sorry that you've been a self-centred bitch
thinking how you're the only one keeping us all
together and how it's all up to you. Hey? Which one,
Georgie? Or was it sorry that you attacked me 'cause I
forgot some random conversation I had with a girl that
you have some hang-up with?'
    I gulped. That was another downside to saying
sorry. It gave the other person a chance at a free punch
or two. Ace wasn't going to let me off that easily. I
should've thought of that.
    'I mean' – I closed my eyes and tried to find the right
words – 'I'm sorry for everything I said. It was harsh.'
    'It was.'
    'I'm sorry,' I whispered. 'I think I'm just disappointed
that you're not going to be there, at camp.'
    'I can't help it that you live in the same place as Kia
and that you go to the same school as her,' Ace said, her
fists clenched and tapping against the wall. 'I'd die to
have a really good friend at school but 'cause I'm away
so much either surfing or modelling, it's just never
happened. I mean, I have friends but I know most of
them think I'm a stuck-up bitch. They've never
bothered to get to know me, not properly like you
guys. So count yourself lucky to have Kia.'
    'But it's not just 'cause of Kia,' I explained. 'That's
not what I meant.'
    'Well, that's basically what you said half an hour
ago. That 'cause I'd stuffed up you'd be' – Ace put on a
super-bitchy voice – '"left at camp babysitting Kia."
They were your words, Georgie!'
    They were. But I couldn't tell Ace what it'd felt like
to walk in on Kia a second time. How it wasn't so much
the blood or the hungry look on her face, but the fact
that she had done it in the bathroom at my house.
    I lay down on the bed. Everything suddenly seemed
so messy.
    'Anyway, Kia seems really good.' Ace still sounded
scratchy. 'You're probably overreacting.'
    As Starfish Sisters, we'd made a pact that we were all
involved in Kia's stuff. That together we'd watch over
her. But what were we thinking? That was impossible.
Micki and Ace lived miles away.
    Kia had dumped her problem on my doorstep and I
had kept it to myself. That's what made it really messy,
the fact that I'd promised Kia I wouldn't tell the others.
I too had broken the pact and I had nowhere to turn.
    'I think it was just a stage Kia was going through
when we were at camp,' Ace continued. 'I did a bit of
research on the net. They say you grow out of it.'
    'I don't know,' I mumbled back.
    'Well, I'm telling you I do.'
    'Whatever.'
    'You might think I'm self-centred.' Ace was back on
her favourite topic, Ace. 'But actually, Georgie, it is
quite a big deal, your hair falling out. That's not something
you just grow out of.'
    I sighed. 'Ace, I didn't say it wasn't a big deal.'
    'No, but you said the only thing I care about is
people finding out about my hair.'
    I'd also forgotten that saying sorry too soon could be a
mistake. Especially if the other person was the type who
remembered every single word you said, like Ace did.
    'I meant that you're letting it get in the way of everything.'
I struggled to keep my voice calm. 'You're
sleeping in your hat and when you're awake you
spend the entire time paranoid that Kia or Micki or
some random reporter is going to knock it off. I don't
mean that rudely,' I said to her. 'Plus, if you weren't
thinking about your hair all the time then maybe
you would've remembered sooner to tell us what
Megan said.'
    'Sorry my self-esteem comes before Megan.'
    'You've got to admit, Ace, it's stopping you from just
chilling and enjoying these couple of days. I mean,
when are we going to get this chance again? I'm just
disappointed.'
    'You're