Harbor by John Lindqvist (classic novels for teens txt) 📕

was asleep. He placed a hand on her hip and tore his gaze away from the short strands of hair poking out from between Elin’s crossed legs, trying to be faithful even in his thoughts.

The spirit was willing but the eyes were weak. He tried to focus on a couple of half-ripe pimples on Henrik’s back, but his eyes refused to co-operate, sliding to the right and moving from the shadow between Elin’s thighs to the sheen of sweat on the top of her breasts. The base of his penis was beginning to get hot, and he rolled over on to his back, staring up at the ceiling which was only half a metre from the tip of his nose.

I have to get out of here. Get some air.

The cards clicked as they were dealt out, the voices were slurred. He hoped Joel would lose so that it would be over, so that they could all go out into the fresh air and become human beings again.

It was Henrik who lost. Anders heard the sound of fabric against skin, and a rustle as the pile of clothes grew a little higher. Nobody seemed all that bothered. Henrik’s nakedness was not somethinganyone wished to see, it was just a blip along the way. The cards were dealt again. Karolina sighed on the bottom bunk. This wasn’t quite how she’d imagined the evening.

The sweat prickled in Anders’ eyes, and he felt unpleasantly itchy beneath his clothes. He wished it had just been him and Cecilia here. He would have woken her and asked her if she wanted to go for a swim in the moonlight. In the current situation all he could do was lie there staring up at the ceiling, which was increasingly beginning to resemble the lid of a coffin. Which, judging by the warmth, had just been slid into the oven.

‘What the fuck!’ he heard Elin shout from down below. ‘But I’ve got three pairs as well!’

‘Yes, but look…’ said Martin, who seemed to be finding it difficult to express himself. ‘Look…you can see Frida’s got…her top card is higher than yours. So that means hers is higher. It’s higher.’

A murmur of agreement was heard; Elin tried a couple of lame protests, but then a reverent silence fell. There was a faint metallic click, and a piece of clothing landed on the pile. A chair was pushed back and Joel said, ‘Where are you going, you’re supposed to sit here now and…’

‘Fuck that,’ said Elin. ‘I can do the same as you.’

There was the sound of naked feet crossing the wooden floor, several of the boys whistled and Anders carried on staring up at the ceiling. Then his eyes took control again and he glanced at the door just in time to see Elin disappearing outside.

Someone turned up the music and A-Ha’s ‘Take On Me’ blasted through the room, dispelling the darkness a little and lightening the air. Or perhaps it was just that the door opening had let in a little oxygen.

Everyone at the table sang along with the chorus. Cecilia woke up and turned sleepily towards Anders. He stroked her cheek and skin stuck to skin. Cecilia blinked and rubbed her eyes. ‘God, it’s hot in here.’

Anders put his arms around her. ‘Shall we go outside?’

She pressed herself against him and said, ‘In a minute.’ Over her shoulder Anders saw Henrik get up from the table and walk over to the door. Then Cecilia’s lips found his and he sank down into the soft, sticky warmth.

They kissed until ‘Take On Me’ faded away in a shimmer of harmonies and drum machines. There was a moment’s silence, then they heard a scream. It came from outside, and it was Elin who was screaming. Like an adrenaline shock to a heart that has stopped, a jolt ran through the room. Skin stuck to skin was torn apart, chairs scraped as they were pushed back or fell over to the opening bars of ‘I Should Be So Lucky’.

Joel and Martin were first out through the door, and the others who had been sitting around the table followed, with Björn bringing up the rear. Cecilia climbed down from the top bunk and Anders followed her, but almost fell over Karolina, who was getting up with a groan, like an old woman.

Kylie Minogue was singing about the lack of complication in her imagination, but was drowned out by Elin’s hysterical screams outside the boathouse.

‘You disgusting bastard…fucking disgusting…’

Anders got outside just in time to see Joel place a hand on Elin’s shoulder. She had tied a fishing net around herself and was hitting out at Henrik, who was trying to protect his face. The full moon over the water gave their bodies a white glow.

‘What’s the matter, what’s the matter?’ asked Joel.

Elin was still hitting out at Henrik, who was moving backwards towards the shoreline as she yelled, ‘This disgusting bastard tried to rape me, he came at me with his disgusting fucking cock and tried… tried to rape me!’

Henrik held up his hands as if to show that he was unarmed and said, ‘I didn’t, I just…’ but even if the crime could not be proved, the weapon was clearly visible. It was sticking out from Henrik’s body, angled upwards, and it refused to go down even though Henrik’s eyes were bright with fear.

Joel took a couple of steps towards Henrik and punched him in the stomach. The air went out of Henrik with a puff and he bent double. Joel grabbed the back of his neck and dragged him towards the glowing embers of the fire, yelling, ‘You just don’t do that, get it? I’m going to make sure you get it, I’m going to make sure you understand…’

It’s hard to imagine a more serious test of Henrik and Björn’s friendship, but Björn passed with flying colours. As Joel dragged Henrik, coughing and waving helplessly, towards the embers, Björn ran forward and grabbed him, slowing him down.

‘Pack it in, you mad