Read Online Outside In by Chrissie Keighery - Free Book Online Page B

Jordan slept in her mum’s bed, all snuggled up. Jordan would make a joke about being tired because of her mum’s snoring, and that was all she would say about it. But it was enough. It was enough for Meredith to know that Jordan’s mum needed her. That Jordan was wanted.
    She wasn’t so sure about Cec, because Cec’s house wasn’t a visiting kind of house. But she did have a mum, a lawyer mum. But Meredith, well, she needed her friends. All together, they were her Patchwork Mum.
    Meredith scrunched up her face, another of her favourite comic poses, and the moment, the stinging behind her eyes, passed. It always did.
    â€˜You know, we could be like a coven. Like the witches in Macbeth. When shall we three … um, four … meet again, in thunder, lightning or in rain?’
    They had been studying Macbeth in Mr Moulton’s class, and the way he said things made them sort of stick inside Meredith’s head.
    Only after she’d said it did Meredith think about Cecilia. She glanced over at her friend. Cecilia was standing up now. She hadn’t said a word, and looked kind of pale. And honestly, either her school dress was growing, or she was shrinking.
    â€˜Don’t worry, Cec,’ Meredith said. ‘You’ll get it soon. If you cut down on some of that bloody dancing and put a bit of meat on those bones. What’s wrong, anyway?’
    â€˜Nothing’s wrong, Moo.’ Meredith watched Cec shake her head. Somehow it looked like she should have been nodding. ‘It’s great, Moo. Really good.’

    â€˜Can you check the back of my dress when I get up?’
    Jordan went cross-eyed. ‘I checked it ten minutes ago, Moo,’ she said.
    â€˜Yeah,’ Meredith moaned, ‘but it feels like a river coming out of me.’ She leant over the desk towards Jordan. ‘Have you and Jack pashed yet?’ she asked. ‘I reckon he’d be a good kisser. He has nice lips.’ She paused, though it was a Meredith pause. A millisecond. ‘Not as nice as Sam’s of course,’ she added jokily.
    Jordan did her raised-eyebrow thingo. Obviously she wasn’t going to answer Meredith’s question. Jordan could be quite annoying like that. All private, private …
    â€˜Check my dress?’ Meredith said again.

    On the slope at recess, Jordan seemed a little frozen and Cecilia was still looking distracted. Even Lee didn’t seem herself. They all needed some thawing out. A good time for a game, Meredith decided.
    â€˜So, if you had to kiss a boy, who would you choose? Out of anyone on the basketball court? Except you can’t choose Sam, cos he’s taken,’ Meredith asked.
    â€˜Geez, Moo, you’re completely obsessed,’ Jordan commented.
    Meredith giggled. Of course she was obsessed. Kissing Sam had been very cool. She totally wanted to do it again.
    The girls were being very unco-operative. It didn’t matter. Meredith could answer for them.
    â€˜I reckon Cecilia would choose Dylan. Jordan and Lee would both choose Jack.’
    Meredith bit down on her roll. Lee put down her sandwich as though she had suddenly lost her appetite. But Meredith knew she would come to terms with Jack liking Jordan sooner or later. It was better, kinder, to remind her than to let her go off on some fantasy.
    And Cecilia wasn’t eating anything. Again. It was weird how she kept bringing her lunchbox down to the slope, just about empty.
    â€˜Did you forget your lunch again?’ Meredith asked, picking up Cecilia’s lunchbox and showing it to the others.
    Cecilia grabbed it back. ‘I ate before, Moo,’ she answered snappily.
    Meredith rolled her eyes. Shouldn’t she be the temperamental one? After all, she was the one who had her period.
    â€˜When?’ Meredith insisted. ‘You wouldn’t have had time between your last class and –’
    The bell rang and Cecilia stood up quickly, cutting Meredith