decided to ruin mylife. I don’t even understand what happened. I just kind of evaporated and got lost inside my rage.
When my dad lets me in we don’t look at each other. Disappointment and tears are sitting heavy in his eyes, but there’s no steam left inside him to even begin to talk about my fight. He trudges back to our sitting room, slumps down on the sofa and carries on staring at the telly. I’d prefer it if he’d get cross with me and send me to my room and ground me, or something like that. His silence hurts more. I change out of my uniform and make us both a coffee. I wish I could change things and make my life all better and back to normal. I wish I could get my dad’s business back and all our money too. I wish I could get Tyler his job back and sort everything out. I’ve ruined things for everyone. The food fight wasn’t Tyler’s fault; it was mine for not being quicker at changing my accent. I should have listened harder. Now I can see why Cali was so keen for me to learn. I’m so useless.
Finally, my dad shuffles in to see me. He slumps down on my bed like a sack of old potatoes and then his eyes well up again and he starts blubbing.
“I’ve nothing left to say to you,” he sobs. “I feel humiliated, Liberty, shocked and humiliated by yourbehaviour, but I’m too exhausted to do anything about it. Can’t you see I have enough of my own problems to be dealing with, without you adding to them? I wash my hands of you – if you’re going to run wild then you’ll have to face the consequences, alone.”
I stare at the carpet and twiddle my fingers round and round. I don’t know what to say but I know that I’m expected to say something.
“Sorry,” I whisper and again it’s like the word has caught the edge of a flame and whooshed up in my face.
“Sorry doesn’t mean anything,” he storms. His face puffs up all red like someone’s pumped angry air back into him. Although I know he’s going to go on and on for ages, something deep inside me relaxes. His anger is easier to be with than his tears. “You keep on saying sorry,” he rages, “but nothing seems to change. You keep on messing up, Liberty, and I don’t know what to do with you. And violence! At this rate you’re going to end up in serious trouble. It’s a tough world out there. I might have thought that for once you’d think about someone else other than yourself…”
I switch my ears off and imagine my dad shrinking. The smaller he gets, the further away from me he is. Now he’sjust a tiny speck on the skirting board with a very big mouth that keeps opening and closing. I keep my face looking normal so he thinks I’m still with him, but actually I’m far away in a magnificent concert hall with a violin in my hand, ready to play. The orchestra is behind me, the conductor is in front of me and the audience is holding its breath, willing me to begin.
Eventually my dad gets up and leaves the room. I switch my ears back on and close my door. I’m tired, so tired of everything and I wish somebody gentle would pick me up and carry me away. I find Mr Ted, give him a hug and then tell him all my troubles and amazingly he comes up with a very good idea.
All night long I’m tossing and turning. The seed of Mr Ted’s idea starts growing into a very fine plan. I can’t wait for the morning and the chance to at least put something right. When it gets light I’m up and ready and leave the house quietly without waking my dad. I race down the stairs and towards the town. There can’t be that many tyre places round here and I have just about enough time to find the right one and still be in time for school. The first one I find is A.P. and Sons, Tyres and Exhausts. I’m a bitscared but I have to do this. Like my dad says, I have to start thinking of other people and not just myself. I make my way towards the office where a big hairy man looks up from his desk.
“Does a boy called Tyler work for you?” I ask.
“Not
When my dad lets me in we don’t look at each other. Disappointment and tears are sitting heavy in his eyes, but there’s no steam left inside him to even begin to talk about my fight. He trudges back to our sitting room, slumps down on the sofa and carries on staring at the telly. I’d prefer it if he’d get cross with me and send me to my room and ground me, or something like that. His silence hurts more. I change out of my uniform and make us both a coffee. I wish I could change things and make my life all better and back to normal. I wish I could get my dad’s business back and all our money too. I wish I could get Tyler his job back and sort everything out. I’ve ruined things for everyone. The food fight wasn’t Tyler’s fault; it was mine for not being quicker at changing my accent. I should have listened harder. Now I can see why Cali was so keen for me to learn. I’m so useless.
Finally, my dad shuffles in to see me. He slumps down on my bed like a sack of old potatoes and then his eyes well up again and he starts blubbing.
“I’ve nothing left to say to you,” he sobs. “I feel humiliated, Liberty, shocked and humiliated by yourbehaviour, but I’m too exhausted to do anything about it. Can’t you see I have enough of my own problems to be dealing with, without you adding to them? I wash my hands of you – if you’re going to run wild then you’ll have to face the consequences, alone.”
I stare at the carpet and twiddle my fingers round and round. I don’t know what to say but I know that I’m expected to say something.
“Sorry,” I whisper and again it’s like the word has caught the edge of a flame and whooshed up in my face.
“Sorry doesn’t mean anything,” he storms. His face puffs up all red like someone’s pumped angry air back into him. Although I know he’s going to go on and on for ages, something deep inside me relaxes. His anger is easier to be with than his tears. “You keep on saying sorry,” he rages, “but nothing seems to change. You keep on messing up, Liberty, and I don’t know what to do with you. And violence! At this rate you’re going to end up in serious trouble. It’s a tough world out there. I might have thought that for once you’d think about someone else other than yourself…”
I switch my ears off and imagine my dad shrinking. The smaller he gets, the further away from me he is. Now he’sjust a tiny speck on the skirting board with a very big mouth that keeps opening and closing. I keep my face looking normal so he thinks I’m still with him, but actually I’m far away in a magnificent concert hall with a violin in my hand, ready to play. The orchestra is behind me, the conductor is in front of me and the audience is holding its breath, willing me to begin.
Eventually my dad gets up and leaves the room. I switch my ears back on and close my door. I’m tired, so tired of everything and I wish somebody gentle would pick me up and carry me away. I find Mr Ted, give him a hug and then tell him all my troubles and amazingly he comes up with a very good idea.
All night long I’m tossing and turning. The seed of Mr Ted’s idea starts growing into a very fine plan. I can’t wait for the morning and the chance to at least put something right. When it gets light I’m up and ready and leave the house quietly without waking my dad. I race down the stairs and towards the town. There can’t be that many tyre places round here and I have just about enough time to find the right one and still be in time for school. The first one I find is A.P. and Sons, Tyres and Exhausts. I’m a bitscared but I have to do this. Like my dad says, I have to start thinking of other people and not just myself. I make my way towards the office where a big hairy man looks up from his desk.
“Does a boy called Tyler work for you?” I ask.
“Not
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