Read Online Brave New Girl by Catherine Johnson - Free Book Online Page B

never!” I was pleading. “Sash, I didn’t!”
    â€œI bet you went round there and told him to sack me! Are you doing my job now? Earning my money?”
    I shook my head desperately. “No!”
    â€œWell, you can tell him from me it was a stupid bloody job! A stupid bloody job!”
    â€œIt wasn’t me, Sash! I would never do that! I wouldn’t. Dad’s losing money! He might have to shut down and move! It’s not just about you!” I sighed. “He can’t afford...”
    â€œDon’t give me that! Why did he give us that money? You know what? You don’t know how much I hate that you’re my sister!”
    â€œSasha?” I said. She was leaning towards me and I could feel the flecks of spit firing into my face.
    Sasha’s face had contorted. She looked like one of those stone things in old churches, all twisted up and almost crazy. “You screw up my social life! Did you know the whole year is laughing at me now? Didyou? Every day in school the whole year is laughing at me.”
    â€œI never meant...”
    â€œShut up! And now this! Now my job!” She came closer so her head was almost touching mine and the door flapped shut. It felt as if I was trapped.
    I was on the floor now, sitting on one of the bin-liners with Sasha shouting down at me, pointing her finger in my face, the hate streaming out of her. I turned away, I couldn’t look into her eyes any more. I wanted the costume cupboard to swallow me up into its smelly darkness.
    â€œYou are evil and clumsy and stupid, and no wonder you have no friends except for that weirdo from the Chinese Supermarket. Nobody likes you, Seren. Have you got that? Nobody in this whole school!”
    I didn’t really see Sasha and Fay go because my eyes were all blurry, and it wasn’t until Keith came back and passed me a bit of old Toga to blow my nose on, that I realised I was crying.

7
ONCE MORE, WITH FEELING
    â€œYou sure you’re OK with this, love?” Mum said to me. Then she shouted after the boys. “Be good for your sister. If you muck around I’ll know!”
    But they had already jumped off the bus and Denny had started running hell-for-leather down the road.
    â€œSeren!” Arthur said, holding out his hand for mine. “We’re late.”
    â€œI’m coming.”
    â€œYou are a star, you know that,” Mum said. “I know you’ve been a bit... well....” Mum sighed and I could tell she was trying to find the right words. It’s funny, that. She reads so many books, you’d think she’d have all the words in the world.
    I was taking the boys to Denny’s rehearsal. Mum didn’t want Denny travelling on his own so I had packed Arthur’s robot colouring book and my ICThomework. We were late already.
    Mum went on. “Only I’ve been a bit worried. Something’s up with you and Sash, isn’t it? You can tell me, you know...” Mum had to say it loud over the chug-chugging sound of the bus’s engine. I nodded and smiled and turned my face away quickly. I didn’t want any fuss, especially not here. I could see Denny disappearing towards The Round Chapel where his rehearsal had started five minutes ago.
    Arthur pulled on my arm. “Come
on
, Seren!”
    The old dears, Mrs Gold included, smiled, but some of the younger passengers had scowls: the boys with plastic shinpads and football boots on the way to the astroturf, the woman with the shopping trolley, the man with the newspaper and the tattoos. Their scowls were getting bigger by the second. They would be late for the rest of their lives cos my mum had decided now was a good time for a chat.
    â€œI better go,” I said. “S’fine. Honest.” I smiled again, bigger, sunnier. I didn’t want to worry her. “I’ll get the tea on. Fishcakes, everyone likes them.” I let Arthur pull me off the bus.
    â€œLove you! Love you