Mesmeris Read Online Free Page B

left her bedroom door open, so we all had the benefit of her crappy, boy band music. She stopped when she saw me, hand on the bannister.
    ‘Who’s the freaky guy?’ Her eyes glittered with mischief.
    Just as I’d thought, her friends must have been on their phones to her like a shot. I didn’t mind. I liked it.
    ‘Don’t talk about your uncle like that,’ I said.
    I thought it was funny but she just did a sarcastic, ‘Ha ha! Not him, stupid - the other one.’ She didn’t lower her voice at all.
    No way was I letting her spoil my mood.
    Her blonde curls bounced. ‘Is he the one Tipper’s gonna waste?’
    ‘What?’ Tipper was the last thing I wanted to think about.
    ‘Everyone’s talking about it. They say he’s gonna get him.’ She looked positively gleeful, asking for a slap.
    The living room door still stood partly open so I put my face right against Lydia’s. On the second stair, she had the advantage. Not only could she look down on me but the stair rail between us prevented me giving her a sharp kick in the shins.
    ‘Shut it, Lydia.’ She hated her name, so I used it as an insult. ‘You don’t know anything.’ I couldn’t believe she’d managed to wind me up so quickly.
    The more I tried to shush her, the louder her voice became. ‘I know you were in the pub,’ she said.
    ‘You,’ I said, ‘stink of fags so, if I were you, I’d shut your bloody mouth before I shut it for you.’
    Dad and Jim emerged from the living room.
    ‘Having fun, girls?’ Jim said, his lip twitching, eyes amused. ‘Did I hear mention of a pub?’
    ‘No,’ Lydia and I both said.
    ‘Thought not – because you’d be under-age, wouldn’t you, Pearl?’
    ‘Yes, Uncle Jim.’
    Dad looked a warning as he ushered Jim out of the front door.
    ‘Crap!’ Lydia said. ‘Sorry.’
    ‘Why d’you think I told you to shut up?’
    She shrugged. ‘Dunno. ‘Cos you’re a cow?’
    ‘Well!’ Dad said, as he came back inside. ‘That was a fine show, girls. Thank you for that.’
    ‘Sorry, Dad,’ I said.
    ‘Lydia,’ Dad said, annoyed, ‘turn that music down and shut your bedroom door, please.’
    As she went up the stairs, she turned and stuck two fingers up at me.
    ‘Can’t you have her adopted?’ I said.
    ‘Sorry,’ Dad said.
    ‘Dad,’ Lydia popped her head over the bannisters. ‘I’m staying at Becca’s, okay?’
    ‘Fine.’ He turned to me. ‘See?’ he said. ‘Miracles do happen.’
    Yes they did. It was a miracle Jack had picked me instead of Abbi. The memory of the kiss made my body feel weak, my brain fuzzy. I went to my room on the pretext of doing some work. Instead, I put some music on, lay on my bed and tried to re-live every second I’d spent with him.
    When I first lay down, I was pretty certain he liked me. Then I remembered all the stupid things I’d said and came out in a sweat. By the time Dad shouted upstairs that dinner was ready, I’d convinced myself he’d never want to see me again.
    Mum was working a late shift, so Dad and I ate in the kitchen. Despite the fact I’d eaten nothing at lunch, I still had no appetite but managed to force down a few mouthfuls.
    ‘No school this afternoon?’ Dad said.
    ‘Monday, Dad – study leave.’
    ‘Ah,’ he said. ‘Study leave. That would explain the pub then.’
    I didn’t answer.
    ‘And you met this boy in the pub?’
    The phone rang at just the right time. Thank you, God, I thought.
    Dad went into the hall to answer it. With any luck, he’d have forgotten what we were talking about by the time he came back.
    He reappeared in the doorway. ‘Mum’s forgotten her purse. Said I’d pop it over for her. Fancy coming?’
    Why not, I thought.
    Once we were in the car, I discovered why not – because he
hadn’t
forgotten, and, even worse, there was no escape, trapped in the car.
    ‘So, how old is he?’
    ‘How old is who?’ Of course, I knew damned well who he meant. The weird thing was, I wanted to talk about him – but not to