Secrets at St Jude's: New Girl Read Online Free
Author: Carmen Reid
common.
Why bother trying? Was every girl here going to be like this? Gina wondered.
With a shrug of her shoulders, Morag said, ‘Follow me.’
Gina grasped her bags and began to haul them down a long corridor and then up a flight of carpeted wooden stairs. Then came more stairs, and even more
– narrower, twisting up to the top floor.
She was struggling with the bags while Morag leaped on ahead like a damn mountain goat.
It wasn’t what she wanted to do at all, but finally Gina had to say, ‘Please can you help me with one of these?’
Morag wordlessly bounded back down the stairs, took hold of a bag and was now following behind Gina.
‘Keep going up. It’s the third floor, the attic rooms,’
Morag instructed. ‘First on the right.’
Finally Gina was standing in front of a slightly battered-looking white door decorated with a painted tile: a daffodil, obviously.
She waited for Morag to come up behind her, and the pause was just long enough for them both to hear: 22
Secrets of St Judes 16/4/08 4:46 pm Page 23
NEW GIRL
‘A new girl?!’ ring out from behind the door, followed by: ‘The Neb has lumped the three of us with a bloody new girl? From the States? God, I hate that woman. I absolutely hate her. The complete cow!’
Although Gina would have liked to wait a moment so that it wasn’t quite so obvious she’d heard this, Morag pushed open the door and dumped one of the heavy black bags on the floor with the words: ‘And here she is – your new girl. Hello, and welcome back to hell.’
Standing in the uncomfortable silence, all Gina could think was: Oh, great!
Then she cast her eyes about the room and tried to take in as much as she could. First of all she looked at the three faces turned in her direction: there was a pretty Asian girl with elbow-length black hair and molten chocolate eyes, who was wearing a sparkling pink and gold sari – though there were jeans and a geeky sweatshirt laid out on her bed as if she was about to get changed.
Sprawled across another of the narrow beds was a tall, strangely horsy-looking girl with a long, pale face, bright blue eyes and a big nose. Her jeans were grubby and tattered, and as for her jumper . . . ! Even from her position in the doorway, Gina could see the holes in 23
Secrets of St Judes 16/4/08 4:46 pm Page 24
SECRETS AT ST JUDE’S
the sleeves and the white dog hairs scattered across the front.
Finally Gina’s eyes fell on the sophisticate of the group: a glossy, smooth and straightened blonde with red lipstick, eyeliner and base who was – halleluiah! –
in the kind of hot jeans and top that Gina might have picked out for herself.
However, this good-looking, tanned girl wasn’t giving off any sort of friendly vibe; in fact her look was cold and even slightly competitive. Gina understood: this girl was doing what she was doing. They were both sizing each other up and deciding which of them was prettier.
When the eye contact was over, Gina saw beyond the girls a cramped room, filled to the brim with four beds, four chests of drawers and all manner of clothes, books, tennis rackets, cases and just stuff, everywhere.
Despite wall-to-wall alarmingly loud yellow and orange wallpaper, the room seemed dark and dingy.
Just two small arched windows on one side let in the damp, grey evening light.
She hated it. She hated them. She hated this.
Gripping her bags tightly, she wished more than anything that she could turn round, run out of this awful place and fly straight home. She’d never, ever 24
Secrets of St Judes 16/4/08 4:46 pm Page 25
NEW GIRL
do anything to annoy her mother ever again, never.
Then the girl with the big nose gave something of a smile, sat up on her bed, crossing her long legs underneath her, and waved Gina into the room.
‘Oh, it’s OK, we won’t bite,’ she said – in a beautiful voice, Gina couldn’t help noticing. It was low and slightly husky, totally upper-class English, but so melodious. ‘I’m sorry
Why bother trying? Was every girl here going to be like this? Gina wondered.
With a shrug of her shoulders, Morag said, ‘Follow me.’
Gina grasped her bags and began to haul them down a long corridor and then up a flight of carpeted wooden stairs. Then came more stairs, and even more
– narrower, twisting up to the top floor.
She was struggling with the bags while Morag leaped on ahead like a damn mountain goat.
It wasn’t what she wanted to do at all, but finally Gina had to say, ‘Please can you help me with one of these?’
Morag wordlessly bounded back down the stairs, took hold of a bag and was now following behind Gina.
‘Keep going up. It’s the third floor, the attic rooms,’
Morag instructed. ‘First on the right.’
Finally Gina was standing in front of a slightly battered-looking white door decorated with a painted tile: a daffodil, obviously.
She waited for Morag to come up behind her, and the pause was just long enough for them both to hear: 22
Secrets of St Judes 16/4/08 4:46 pm Page 23
NEW GIRL
‘A new girl?!’ ring out from behind the door, followed by: ‘The Neb has lumped the three of us with a bloody new girl? From the States? God, I hate that woman. I absolutely hate her. The complete cow!’
Although Gina would have liked to wait a moment so that it wasn’t quite so obvious she’d heard this, Morag pushed open the door and dumped one of the heavy black bags on the floor with the words: ‘And here she is – your new girl. Hello, and welcome back to hell.’
Standing in the uncomfortable silence, all Gina could think was: Oh, great!
Then she cast her eyes about the room and tried to take in as much as she could. First of all she looked at the three faces turned in her direction: there was a pretty Asian girl with elbow-length black hair and molten chocolate eyes, who was wearing a sparkling pink and gold sari – though there were jeans and a geeky sweatshirt laid out on her bed as if she was about to get changed.
Sprawled across another of the narrow beds was a tall, strangely horsy-looking girl with a long, pale face, bright blue eyes and a big nose. Her jeans were grubby and tattered, and as for her jumper . . . ! Even from her position in the doorway, Gina could see the holes in 23
Secrets of St Judes 16/4/08 4:46 pm Page 24
SECRETS AT ST JUDE’S
the sleeves and the white dog hairs scattered across the front.
Finally Gina’s eyes fell on the sophisticate of the group: a glossy, smooth and straightened blonde with red lipstick, eyeliner and base who was – halleluiah! –
in the kind of hot jeans and top that Gina might have picked out for herself.
However, this good-looking, tanned girl wasn’t giving off any sort of friendly vibe; in fact her look was cold and even slightly competitive. Gina understood: this girl was doing what she was doing. They were both sizing each other up and deciding which of them was prettier.
When the eye contact was over, Gina saw beyond the girls a cramped room, filled to the brim with four beds, four chests of drawers and all manner of clothes, books, tennis rackets, cases and just stuff, everywhere.
Despite wall-to-wall alarmingly loud yellow and orange wallpaper, the room seemed dark and dingy.
Just two small arched windows on one side let in the damp, grey evening light.
She hated it. She hated them. She hated this.
Gripping her bags tightly, she wished more than anything that she could turn round, run out of this awful place and fly straight home. She’d never, ever 24
Secrets of St Judes 16/4/08 4:46 pm Page 25
NEW GIRL
do anything to annoy her mother ever again, never.
Then the girl with the big nose gave something of a smile, sat up on her bed, crossing her long legs underneath her, and waved Gina into the room.
‘Oh, it’s OK, we won’t bite,’ she said – in a beautiful voice, Gina couldn’t help noticing. It was low and slightly husky, totally upper-class English, but so melodious. ‘I’m sorry
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