Read Online Love and Liability (Dating Mr Darcy - Book 2) by Katie Oliver - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Katie Oliver
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her fingers — half of the Crunchie was already gone — Zoe snorted. “Who’d want to see the likes of us in a magazine?” she scoffed. “We’re not models or pop stars.”
“You don’t work for one of them lads’ mags, do you?” Sharon wondered.
“No!” Holly shuddered. “I work for a teen magazine.”
Sharon eyed her curiously. “Doing what, exactly?”
“Well, I write about things that interest teenage girls — interviews with boy bands, stories about back-stabbing friends who steal your guy — stuff like that.”
“Meet many celebs, then?” Sharon asked avidly.
“Well, I interviewed Dominic Heath last summer…but not usually, no. Anyway,” Holly forged on, “I pitched a story idea at the staff meeting.” She turned to Zoe. “I want to write about what it’s like to be a homeless teen in London. I thought I might interview you. Maybe shadow you for a day or two.”
“No!” Zoe’s answer was sudden and fierce. “No fucking way.” Abruptly she stood up, Crunchie wrapper falling to the ground, and grabbed her rucksack. “Come on, Sha, let’s go.”
“Wait!” Sharon said, confused. “Zo — why don’t you want to do it? At least think about it—”
“I said no. Let Holly’s teen rag find someone else to write about.” Zoe shoved the rest of the chocolate and crisp packets in her rucksack, swung it over her shoulder, and stalked away, leaving Holly and Sharon behind.
She didn’t slow her pace until she reached Piccadilly Circus. If she saw the curious looks cast her way, she gave no sign. Fury propelled her forward, and she scarcely registered the people she brushed past, so lost in black thoughts she was.
“Zoe! Hold up!”
She turned to see Sharon, breathless and flushed, running after her. “Sha? What are you doing here? I thought you were still back there, talking to the boho queen.”
“Why are you so hard on her?” Sharon asked. “She’s only trying to help.”
“I don’t need her help.” She began walking again.
“Shit, Zoe, why are you always so tetchy?”
She rounded on Sharon. “Why? Because if it wasn’t for my mum, I wouldn’t be in this fix. That’s why.”
“What happened, then? Tell me.”
They fell into step together, and after a moment Zoe began, haltingly, to talk. “My parents split up a few months ago. At first, I thought Mum’s new boyfriend was cool, you know? He had that Scandi thing going on — tall, eyes like blue ice, blond hair — and a car like something out of a Bond film.”
“Came on to you, did he?” Sharon observed knowingly. “When your mum wasn’t there?”
“Worse. He tried to rape me.” Zoe spoke flatly. “It started off okay — we messed around a bit when Mum wasn’t there. She wouldn’t let me go to Glasto with my girlfriends. I was pissed off.”
“So what happened?”
“What d’you mean, what happened? He wanted sex.”
Sharon shrugged. “So?”
Zoe glanced at her and away again. “I was a virgin, okay? I was scared. Didn’t wanna tell him that, though, did I? So I told him no and asked him to stop, but he wouldn’t. He’d been drinking…a lot. I got away, locked myself in my bathroom until he left. He said Mum would never believe me, and that he’d tell her I came on to him, that I wanted it.” She shook her head. “And the thing was, he was right. Mum
would’ve
believed him over me.”
“And so you ran away.”
“Yeah. I ran away. End of story,” Zoe finished.
“Are they looking for you? Your parents, I mean.”
“No. My dad’s so busy, I doubt he’ll even notice I’m gone,” she said, her words bitter. “He’s not home much. But Erik…he’s already looking for me.”
She’d thrown some clothes into a rucksack, along with fifty quid — birthday and Christmas money. Halfway out of the door, she’d realized she didn’t have her mobile.
“So, why’s Erik after you?” Sharon persisted. “If you ran away, why would he even care where you went?”
“I have
“You don’t work for one of them lads’ mags, do you?” Sharon wondered.
“No!” Holly shuddered. “I work for a teen magazine.”
Sharon eyed her curiously. “Doing what, exactly?”
“Well, I write about things that interest teenage girls — interviews with boy bands, stories about back-stabbing friends who steal your guy — stuff like that.”
“Meet many celebs, then?” Sharon asked avidly.
“Well, I interviewed Dominic Heath last summer…but not usually, no. Anyway,” Holly forged on, “I pitched a story idea at the staff meeting.” She turned to Zoe. “I want to write about what it’s like to be a homeless teen in London. I thought I might interview you. Maybe shadow you for a day or two.”
“No!” Zoe’s answer was sudden and fierce. “No fucking way.” Abruptly she stood up, Crunchie wrapper falling to the ground, and grabbed her rucksack. “Come on, Sha, let’s go.”
“Wait!” Sharon said, confused. “Zo — why don’t you want to do it? At least think about it—”
“I said no. Let Holly’s teen rag find someone else to write about.” Zoe shoved the rest of the chocolate and crisp packets in her rucksack, swung it over her shoulder, and stalked away, leaving Holly and Sharon behind.
She didn’t slow her pace until she reached Piccadilly Circus. If she saw the curious looks cast her way, she gave no sign. Fury propelled her forward, and she scarcely registered the people she brushed past, so lost in black thoughts she was.
“Zoe! Hold up!”
She turned to see Sharon, breathless and flushed, running after her. “Sha? What are you doing here? I thought you were still back there, talking to the boho queen.”
“Why are you so hard on her?” Sharon asked. “She’s only trying to help.”
“I don’t need her help.” She began walking again.
“Shit, Zoe, why are you always so tetchy?”
She rounded on Sharon. “Why? Because if it wasn’t for my mum, I wouldn’t be in this fix. That’s why.”
“What happened, then? Tell me.”
They fell into step together, and after a moment Zoe began, haltingly, to talk. “My parents split up a few months ago. At first, I thought Mum’s new boyfriend was cool, you know? He had that Scandi thing going on — tall, eyes like blue ice, blond hair — and a car like something out of a Bond film.”
“Came on to you, did he?” Sharon observed knowingly. “When your mum wasn’t there?”
“Worse. He tried to rape me.” Zoe spoke flatly. “It started off okay — we messed around a bit when Mum wasn’t there. She wouldn’t let me go to Glasto with my girlfriends. I was pissed off.”
“So what happened?”
“What d’you mean, what happened? He wanted sex.”
Sharon shrugged. “So?”
Zoe glanced at her and away again. “I was a virgin, okay? I was scared. Didn’t wanna tell him that, though, did I? So I told him no and asked him to stop, but he wouldn’t. He’d been drinking…a lot. I got away, locked myself in my bathroom until he left. He said Mum would never believe me, and that he’d tell her I came on to him, that I wanted it.” She shook her head. “And the thing was, he was right. Mum
would’ve
believed him over me.”
“And so you ran away.”
“Yeah. I ran away. End of story,” Zoe finished.
“Are they looking for you? Your parents, I mean.”
“No. My dad’s so busy, I doubt he’ll even notice I’m gone,” she said, her words bitter. “He’s not home much. But Erik…he’s already looking for me.”
She’d thrown some clothes into a rucksack, along with fifty quid — birthday and Christmas money. Halfway out of the door, she’d realized she didn’t have her mobile.
“So, why’s Erik after you?” Sharon persisted. “If you ran away, why would he even care where you went?”
“I have
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