Read Online Hello World by Joanna Sellick - Free Book Online Page A

your
parents like this,’ I murmur, pulling on a piece of messy hair to make my
point. Jay rolls his eyes.
    ‘Relax, they’re cool okay?’ he laughs.
‘They’ll love you.’
    I make a face, which he continues chuckling
at, my insides going squishy. To make matters worse, the tow truck pulls up at
the biggest house on the end of the street. We come to a stop but I stay glued
to my seat.
    Jay gets out and stands by the open door.
    ‘Red, you’re gunna have to get out of the
truck at some point,’ he says with amusement.
    ‘Nope, I’m gunna stay right here,’ I decide.
Or rather I would have if Jay hadn’t literally dragged me out of my seat. He
hands me my bag and coaxes me up the driveway after waving goodbye to the
mechanic.
    ‘Mum’s been after this house for ages,’ Jay
informs me. ‘You wouldn’t believe how happy she was when she found out it was
on the market.’
    ‘She’s been to this town before then?’
    ‘We all have, to visit my aunt and uncle on
occasions.’ He rings the doorbell and I start quivering in my shoes. What on
earth would his parents think of me? I bet they have a butler too.
    The heavy door opens and a petite, brown
haired woman with a friendly smile stands behind it. She looks with amusement
between the two of us.
    ‘Harold, the homeless have come looking for
shelter again,’ she shouts upstairs, leaving the door open and ushering us both
inside. So no butler then.
    ‘Harold, you lent me a dodgy car again,’
Jay shouts up mockingly, dumping his bag on the ground. ‘Nice to see you too,
Mum.’
    I step inside, gawking around the space I’m
in. The floors are a light wooden colour with a grand staircase directly in
front of me. To the left are two closed doors but the right side of the ground
floor has been opened up into one large space, wooden support beams dotted
around the room. A large fireplace sits at the back of the room, embers burning
away and giving the place a homey feel.
    One wall has been replaced by floor-length
windows that let plenty of light grace the room, and since they don’t have
neighbours on that side, the view extends to a small wooded area.
      ‘Oh sweetie, you know I love you,’ his
mum smiles, giving him a peck on the cheek despite the mud. ‘What on earth
happened?’
    ‘The countryside happened,’ Jay replies
dryly. ‘Mum, this is Neve.’
    His Mum’s face lights up and her eyes
finally land on me.
    ‘It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, we’ve
heard so much about you,’ she reveals excitedly, engulfing me in a surprise
hug. I raise an eyebrow at Jay at the comment and this time he’s the one to
turn red.
    ‘Jay, Dad wants to know how you broke the
car and when you’re going to buy him a new one?’ A male voice belonging to a
guy just a bit older than Jay bounds down the stairs. He stops at the bottom,
looking at me and then smirking. ‘I see the mysterious red-haired girl finally
has a face. You were right bro, she is cute-’
    His face looks familiar, but I can’t seem
to place it.
    ‘You said Dad wanted to see me?’ Jay cuts
him off a little too loudly, slapping his brother’s back and forcing him back
upstairs.
    ‘Its times like this I wish had three
girls,’ Jay’s mum smiles and shakes her head. Then she turns back to me and
holds out a dainty hand. ‘I’m Joy.’
    ‘Neve,’ I reply, shaking her hand back.
    ‘Well Neve, it seems you’ve had quite the
adventure,’ Joy laughs. ‘If you like, you’re perfectly welcome to use our
bathroom to clean up a bit. I’m afraid we don’t have any of my daughter’s
clothes lying around but I’m sure Jay can lend you something.’
    ‘Oh no, I couldn’t,’ I smile thankfully.
‘In fact I should probably be getting back to Charlie anyway.’
    ‘It’s no trouble, honest,’ she replies
earnestly. I bite my lip and look around me for a moment. It would be interesting
to find out a bit more about Jay, and Charlie will probably flip if he sees me
looking like