Holy friggin’ macaroni. Am I just paranoid or is my mom onto me? My mind is whirling like a merry-go-round trying to work out how she could possibly have figured this all out. And my chest feels heavy with guilt.

I pull out my sketchbook to see if drawing will calm me down a bit. It usually does. But a few minutes into sketching I realise I’m drawing my mom in a policewoman’s outfit and I slam the book closed and chuck it under my bed.

My phone beeps as an sms comes through. I don’t recognise the number. 

‘Happy 2011 Hope! Gr8 to meet u. How is da ankle doing? If u’r up to it I’ve got a cool spot on da beach next to da pier in front of dbn surf lifesaving club and will be here with frnds for most of da day. Simon.’

I get off my bed, grab my crutch and make my way into the lounge.

“Hey mom. I met this boy at the party last night and he’s just sent me an sms to say he’s at the beach today and do I want to come down and join him.”

“Ok,” she says. “And how do you feel about that. Do you want to go and meet him?”

You see what I mean? She’s a born counsellor.

“Ja, I’d like to.”

“And do you think it’s a good idea for you to go down to the beach on New Year’s day when you’ve got a sprained ankle. It’s probably going to be really busy.”

“No, I really don’t think it’s a good idea, but I think I’d like to go anyway,” I grin.

She smiles at me as if to say ‘so it’s like that is it?’.

“Ok. Do you think maybe it might be a good idea to take a friend along in case you need a hand?”

She has a point. I think about asking Deevya, but I feel like I need a little bit of time to get my head around her lying so easily last night. So I sms Nomusa instead.

‘Wanna go 2 da beach?’

She replies straight away.

‘Always. Planning on catching the mynah bus down there in half an hr.’

Nomusa and her family live close by in a flat on Umbilo Road.

“Mom, how would you feel about giving Nomusa and I a lift down to the beach?”

“No, prob darling.”

“Thanks!”

‘Will pick u up in 15 mins’ I sms back.

I’m going to spend the day with Simon. My tummy fills with butterflies.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? There are three best friends in The Awesomes. Do you think its fair that Hope is not inviting Deevya to the beach?