Read Online Starting Over by Cathy Hopkins - Free Book Online Page B

so cheerful but listening to her made me realise, of course, that she was missing Dad like I was missing Erin.
    I stared at the paper.
Someone who
... I started to write. I didn’t get any further as the doorbell went and Ethan burst inwith a twin under either arm. He looked red and flustered and like he hadn’t slept for a week.
    â€˜I have to go to the supermarket and I’m not taking these two again, so please can you babysit? Anyone?’
    â€˜Why don’t you want to take them with you?’ asked Dylan as Ethan set the girls down on the floor.
    Ethan snorted. ‘Last time I took them shopping, they started auditioning for roles in
The Exorcist
- Eleanor puked over the organic veg and Lara started screaming the place down. They totally freaked out some of the customers. No. When we’re out, we are officially the family that everyone wants to get away from. Please, anyone . . . ?’
    â€˜I’ve got homework,’ said Dylan.
    â€˜I’m too irresponsible,’ said Lewis.
    â€˜Put the girls in the fridge,’ sniggered Dylan. ‘We can have twin popsicles later.’
    â€˜Or we could boil them,’ said Lewis. ‘Twin brain is a delicacy in some countries, you know.’
    Eleanor and Lara squealed and hid behind Ethan’s legs.
    Mum rolled her eyes. ‘Honestly, why do you start acting like twelve-year-olds when you get together?’
    â€˜Because I
am
twelve,’ said Dylan.
    â€˜And I’m emotionally retarded,’ said Lewis.
    Ethan looked pleadingly at me. ‘I’ll give you a fiver,’ he said.
    â€˜Done,’ I said. Art could wait.
    And that was the end of my friendship list and my afternoon.
    * * *
    The following week flew by and I found that catching up on my schoolwork was taking up the majority of my time and focus. Despite my best efforts in the time that was left, the friendship situation was still in crisis - apart from Mikey, who I’d discovered lived in the next street from me. Some mornings or evenings, he’d catch up with Dylan and me and walk into school with us. On Friday, he saw that I was looking down as we filed out of the school gates and he offered to buy me a hot chocolate in the local Starbucks.
    â€˜So tell Uncle Mikey all,’ he said after we’d got our drinks and bagged the sofa on the left of the café.
    â€˜I’m not going to snog you,’ I said. ‘So you can drop the agony aunt routine.’
    Mikey did a face of surprise horror.
‘Moi?
Think I’d try that stunt on a bright girl like you?’
    â€˜Yeah. I have brothers, you know. I know what kind of tricks boys can get up to.’
    Mikey laughed. ‘OK, OK, but seriously, how’s your week been? I am interested.
Really. You
were saying before - hard to find friends?’
    â€˜Yeah. It’s not for lack of trying,’ I said.
    â€˜You need to do an activity where you can get to know people naturally,’ he suggested as he took a sip of his drink and, without realising, gave himself a chocolate moustache.
    â€˜Like what?’ I asked.
    â€˜Chess or ice-skating,’ he replied and then noticed me looking at the chocolate on his lip. ‘What?’
    â€˜Chocolate all over your lip,’ I said.
    He stuck out his tongue and licked the chocolate off, then wiped his lip with the back of his hand.
    I pulled a face. ‘Hmm. Remind me to eat out in public with you again.’
    Mikey shrugged and grinned. ‘So? Chess or ice-skating?’
    â€˜I’m crap at both. I get my knights mixed up with my bishops, and the only time I ever tried ice-skating I fell flat on my bum after five minutes and have had a recurring nightmare ever since that, while flat on my back, someone skates over my fingers and slices them off. Freaky.’
    â€˜OK. So what else? Try after-school activities, that’s a great way to meet people.’
    â€˜I tried hockey on Wednesday. The hockey club were