The Summer of Telling Tales
Page 20
I nod. ‘Thanks to Cait. She made me tell Mulligan about my dad.’
‘Did he really torch your caravan?’ asks Shareen.
I nod slowly, as it finally sinks in that Dad actually tried to kill us.
‘You must have been terrified,’ says Ruby.
‘It was horrible,’ I reply.
‘What’s going to happen to him?’ Abs asks.
‘He’s in hospital with broken ribs and stuff but the police are going to arrest him.’
‘Are you ever going to see him again?’ asks Freya.
‘I don’t know. I’m not sure I want to. Not after what he’s done.’
‘But you’re not going back to London now, are you?’
‘No, we’re staying here. We moved into a little cottage in town last night.’
‘That’s great,’ Cait says.
‘Yeah, we’d really miss you if you left, wouldn’t we?’ adds Ruby, and the others all agree.
‘I’m really sorry I told you lot so many lies,’ I say, not daring to look at them.
‘You should have told us what was really going on. We’re your mates,’ Abs tells me.
‘I know. I’m sorry.’ I hang my head. ‘I was ashamed and embarrassed. Still am.’
‘It isn’t your fault!’ protests Shareen. ‘You aren’t to blame!’
‘I used to think I was, but I know better now.’
The bell rings and we head into school together, passing PJ in the corridor who gives us the evils.
‘I dumped him yesterday,’ Cait whispers to me. ‘You were so right, Ellie. My next boyfriend is going to make me laugh, not laugh at me all the time.’ She pauses for a moment then adds, ‘What do you think of Kev in Ryan’s band?’
Chapter 64
Grace
‘Are you OK?’ asks Ryan. ‘Mrs Woollacott told Dad someone set your caravan on fire. What happened?’
I tell him the whole story. He listens, shocked.
‘You should have told me about your dad before,’ he says finally.
‘I know. The stupid thing was, I didn’t trust anyone.‘
‘But you trust me, now ?’
‘Completely.’
He leans towards me to kiss me. I really do go weak at the knees, like you’re supposed to.
‘Ryan Baxter, that’s quite enough of that!’ barks a voice behind us. It’s Miss Turner. Ryan ignores her and finishes kissing me.
‘Zero tolerance dictates that I should put you both in detention this afternoon,’ Turner snaps. ‘But under the circumstances, you are excused.’ Her voice softens. ‘How are you, Grace?’
‘I’m OK, Miss, thanks,’ I reply.
‘It’s good to have you back. Never like to see a pupil slip through my net. Now. You know exactly where my office is. You make sure you come straight to me if there’s something wrong in future. Understand?’
‘Yes, Miss.’
‘I mean it. They might call me the old rottweiler, but I’m the old rottweiler who’s on your side. And I have very sharp teeth. Remember that.’
‘Thanks, Miss.’
‘Miss Turner.’
Thanks, Miss Turner.’
‘There’s hope for you yet,’ she says walking past us into school.
And she’s right. There is hope. Day by day, things do get better until I no longer get that horrible churning in my stomach or clam up when I want to talk to someone. I’m making up for lost time; Ellie moaned at lunch-break yesterday that she can’t get a word in edgeways now and told me to put a cork in it. She sounded quite cross, although I think it’s nerves – it’s the first performance of Princess Caraboo tonight and Auntie Anna is staying on especially to watch. We’ve got seats for Stan, Daphne and Susan too, and Ryan’s going to be watching with his dad and the twins.
I stay on after school with Ellie to help with the costumes. As the time of the performance gets closer, tension is running high backstage. Mad Mulligan’s the worst culprit, shrieking at everyone and throwing a hissy fit every few minutes. Finally the moment arrives, the hall’s packed, and the audience are sitting, waiting in anticipation as the music begins.
‘Good luck,’ I whisper to Ellie as she waits in the wings for her cue on stage.
She turns and looks at me with panic in her eyes.
‘Gracie, I’m so nervous!’ she replies, her voice shaking. ‘I never thought I would be – but I’m terrified. What if I forget my words or freeze up?’
‘You won’t,’ I reassure her. ‘Everything’s going to be all right.‘
‘How do you know?’ she asks anxiously.
I look her straight in the eyes. ‘You’ve got nothing to hide any more.’
A smile spreads across her face. She nods, takes a deep breath, then strides out on stage.
Nominated for the Carnegie Medal
LAURA SUMMERS
Vicky and Rhianna are twins but they couldn’t be more different. On their fourteenth birthday, they get a nasty shock.
Their foster parents can’t cope and it looks as if Vicky and Rhianna and their younger brother Jamie will have to be split up.
How can they stay together? Desperate times call for desperate measures . . .
‘An exciting adventure with plenty of drama and humour . . . Thought-provoking and moving.’
Books for Keeps
‘A fabulous book . . . incredibly poignant.’
Birmingham Post
LAURA SUMMERS
Becky’s getting stronger by the day after her heart transplant, but soon she starts to have disturbing experiences.
Vivid pictures of unfamiliar people and places suddenly flash through her mind. What can they mean? Drawn to a park on the far side of town, Becky begins to unravel a mystery deeply buried in her new heart.
‘A mystery with a hint of the paranormal . . . Laura Summers proves she’s a distinctive and original voice.’
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Everyone whose path you cross in life has the power to change you.
Emily believes in destiny. She’s been waiting for the moment her real life begins.
Sam wishes he could escape. He’s spent his life being dragged from place to place by his father. But he could never abandon his little brother.
Then everything changes. Because Sam meets Emily.
This tender story of star-crossed love is both romance and thriller, and a compelling exploration of the power of human connection.
‘Heartbreaking, suspenseful, life-affirming, magical.’
Gayle Forman
piccadillypress.co.uk/teen
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