A Hope Christmas Love Story Read Online Free

about it. It’s been like that since Dad went.There’s only me to look out for Izzy. Hence the reason I stuffed up my AS’s. Dad pays the bills, but we’re pretty much alone in his house now.”
    There’s a silence, and Melanie says, “Well that sucks.”
    “Yes,” I say, feeling sad, “yes it does.”

Chapter Seven
    “Mum,” I say in a rush – I’ve been building up to this all evening –“theresaparty tomorrownightandeveryonesstayingoversocanI?”
    Mum looks at me with a grin, and I know she
knows
. It’s not that I don’t want to tell her exactly. I never told her about Andy and look how well that turned out. But this feels new and sparkling and special. And I want to keep it to myself. Just for now.
    I am so nervous before the party, I spend ages trying things on. This is made more difficult by Lou Lou, who, picking up that something’s different tonight, won’t go to bed. And since Granny’s been here, we’re sharing a room. Paige and Ruby come in to help but cause more chaos, as they start playing with her instead of getting her settled.
    “You’re no help,” I say as Lou Lou starts putting on my shoes, and stomping round the room, declaring, “I’m Mummy,” with Paige and Ruby in hysterics, In the end, I give up and let her carry on causing mayhem while I’m getting ready.
    And I’m so desperate to tell someone, I end up spilling everything about Will. We do our pinky promise and say Sister’s secrets, just like we did when we were little. I know they won’t say anything. What’s said among sisters stays among sisters …
    At last I’m ready. I’ve chosen to wear a pretty floaty dress I got last summer, with high heels I’ve borrowed from Paige as I don’t wear them normally. I’ve got my hair loose and have found a jacket of Mum’s which I like. For once I’ve even got make up on. I find I don’t normally have time.
    “How do I look?” I say.
    “Fab,” says Paige, and insists we snapchat Shaz in Nottingham to see what she thinks too. Shaz is apparently in a bar somewhere, slightly pissed, but she gives us a thumbs up.
    “He’s going to love you,” says Ruby,
like
she knows anything about it.
    “Lovely Mummy!” says Lou Lou, jumping on the bed. So I give her a cuddle and read her a story and then she eventually snuggles up with her favourite teddy. She looks like she might be about to get out of bed again, as I go to leave, but Paige sweetly says she’ll sit and read her another story.
    I feel a pang as I leave. I’ve only ever left Lou Lou once at night before, when I went out with Shaz just before she went to uni. I feel guilty, even though I know Mum is here, and Lou Lou will be perfectly happy and safe. And at the same time I feel excited, and liberated. I have one glorious night of freedom. One night, when I can go out with friends and dance and drink like all my peers do, and pretend for a moment I’m just like them. I feel guilty about thinking like it, and I’m ridiculously nervous about seeing Will, but it’s my night off, and I plan to enjoy it.
    ***
    I arrive far too early, and the girl whose party it is, Karen, looks vaguely surprised to see me. I’m not surprised, I hardly talk to anyone at college apart from Melanie. She probably has no idea who I am.
    I’m one of the first people there, I’m so impatient to see Melanie, but then she texts to say she’s running late, and I feel a right idiot.
    Hardly anyone at college knows me, apart from Melanie. I’ve played football once or twice with the guys, but I knocked it on the head when Izzy rang me frantically one evening having got in a row with Mum. So while everyone’s pleasant enough, I still haven’t got any solid friends. We wouldn’t have been invited to this party at all if Karen hadn’t invited the entire year. It’s her eighteenth, her parents have gone away and everyone’s allowed to crash.
    She looks me up and down with a faint air of disgust, and waves her hand and says, “Drinks