Read Online Music and Lies (George and Finn Book 1) by Gill-Marie Stewart - Free Book Online

to look like once the festival actually started. The main stage was set up under a fancy white awning that looked like half a space ship. Two or three other marquees had also been put up, plus a massive, multi-coloured teepee, quite exotic amidst the muddy grass and trees. I liked it. This was the real thing, and I was part of it.
    Life was good!
     
    FINN
    I’d really thought I might get a bit of peace while the fencing went up. I certainly wasn’t going to get involved helping Dex with that – or anything else. I settled down in the tent with a pile of books. Some of them were those cramming notes for Highers, but there were a fair amount on ancient forests, too. For some reason they were far more interesting.
    And then Cami came to visit, just my luck. He pushed aside the canvas flap and peered in.
    ‘So you’re here.’
    ‘Looks like it.’ I put a finger in the maths book to mark my place. ‘What do you want?’
    ‘Nothing.’
    He looked around in that way of his, not because he wanted to be helpful or do anything useful. Sure enough his lip lifted in a sneer. ‘Nice and tidy.’
    ‘That’s right.’
    ‘I see you brought all your most important possessions.’
    I ignored that. I didn’t know what he was getting at and I didn’t really care. Then he crawled inside and sat on the groundsheet next to me.
    I swore. ‘What do you want?’
    ‘Important to keep up with your studies, isn’t it?’ Cami said, nodding at the books.
    ‘Yes, it is. Be a good idea if you looked at some of your own.’
    ‘Me? Study? You’ve got to be joking. I’ve got other plans.’
    ‘You need to work on your portfolio. You won’t get into Art College if you don’t make an effort.’
    ‘Those aren’t the plans I was talking about,’ he said with a sneer.
    ‘And does Marcus know about those? Does he know how much you’re involved with Dex Barker?’
    Cami had been picking at a scab on one of his yellow-stained fingers. Now he stopped and glared. ‘Who said I’m involved with Dex? You think I’m stupid or something?’
    ‘Yes,’ I said with a sigh. I’d felt like I was just getting my head around polynomials and now I’d have to start the whole damn chapter again.
    ‘Don’t you say a fucking word to Marcus, okay?’ Cami glared with narrowed, angry eyes. ‘What he doesn’t know won’t bother him.’
    I shrugged. Not my problem. I just needed to remember that.
    Then Cami put out a hand and touched the leather case of the guitar lying at the end of the tent.
    I slapped it away.
    ‘Leave that.’
    ‘I thought if you weren’t going to play it maybe I could borrow?’
    ‘Get lost. You don’t even play guitar.’
    ‘Well, you’re not playing it, why do you need it here?’ He put out his hand again and I slapped it away, harder.
    ‘You never even get it out of its case, do you? Can’t bear the heartbreak or something? It’s still all tied up in the string. Why didn’t you just sell it? Or give it to Marcus? You know he wanted it too.’
    ‘Clear off, Cami.’ I tried to keep my voice calm. He was just trying to wind me up, although I didn’t know why.
    ‘Nice to see you, too.’
    He tapped his grimy fingers on his knee for a few minutes, and then seemed to think he’d been aggravating enough. He pushed aside the tent-flap and began to back out. He was smirking, as though he’d got what he wanted. I didn’t have a clue what that was, unless it was just that, to be aggravating.
    Well, it wasn’t going to work. I wasn’t going to let Cami get to me. I took a deep breath and started again at the beginning of the chapter. Advanced algebra. Just what I needed to distract me.
    Of its own volition, one of my hands reached out and touched the leather guitar case very, very gently. It felt so soft, so familiar. Maybe I would untie the knotted blue string, undo the zip, just have a look …
    I flung the maths book across the tent and pushed my way out. Better to go walking. Better to do anything than sit here