Read Online Steal My Sunshine by Emily Gale - Free Book Online Page B

She smiled and wiggled her fingers in a nervous wave as all the adrenalin washed out of me. Sam held her off with his arm across the doorway. Margot handed him a large candle but she turned to me and said, ‘It’s lavender!’ as if a boy wouldn’t know about things like candles.
    I smiled the smallest amount possible. Margot was too much.
    â€˜It’s for your mum, for relaxation,’ she told Sam.
    â€˜Right. Thanks.’ He started to ease the door closed.
    Margot’s head tilted into the narrowing gap. ‘Oh, well, I –’
    â€˜She’s asleep, Margot. I’ll give her the candle when she gets up.’ Margot’s troubled face finally disappeared. For a moment I was on the same side as Sam, but when he turned round, he looked so satisfied I just wanted to punch him again.
    â€˜Piss off back to your wind chimes and wheatgrass,’ he said to the candle and threw it on his bed.
    Later on, Mum’s other friend, Angie, came. She and Sam chatted at the big table while Mum was still sleeping. Angie had been allowed past the threshold, which was some honour. She was like the child whisperer and it still worked on Sam. He even let her ruffle his hair and take the piss out of him. She was round and colourful; fat on purpose, it looked like, and comfortable with it. Always brightly painted in reds and purples, with cropped hennaed hair and big jewellery. Nothing fazed her.
    I didn’t get up to join them, knowing Angie wouldn’t hassle me or think I was being rude. I’d been curled up in the armchair by the back window, watching re-runs of shows I’d already seen. Half the time I felt sucked into whatever the storyline was – if I didn’t move, I didn’t have to think. Then my chest would get tight with the sudden thought of time surging forward and things happening that I couldn’t control.
    Angie had brought over a bottle of wine.
    â€˜I could wake Mum if you like,’ said Sam.
    â€˜No, don’t do that. I’ll come another time. I’m supposed to be at Luke’s in a minute.’
    Luke’s was the church around the corner, as in Saint Luke. Angie was like some kind of holy whirlwind but I always forgot she was Christian when she was hanging out with us. She’d drink and laugh with Mum and make silly jokes about being madly in love with Dad, which we knew was rubbish. She made our house loud and lively. She’d always have to leave suddenly because a new foster kid was turning up at her door or she needed to organise a kids’ disco in the church hall and then you’d remember that she was always doing things for people, and the reason why. We’d try to stay noisy and happy after she’d gone but it always seemed to fade in minutes.
    â€˜Just let me say a quick hello to your sister and I’ll be off,’ she said. She smiled all the way over to me, bracelets chinking together like jingle bells. She took my head in her hands, kissed the top of it and stroked my hair a few times. That was it but it was enough. As she left, I could still feel the warmth of her grazing my skin and I quickly wiped away a few hot tears before Sam could see. Sometimes I thought it might be easier to believe in God like Angie did, but I’d already failed at that.
    Sam opened the wine.
    â€˜Who’s that for?’ I said. He poured some into a tumbler, took a gulp and sat down at the table.
    â€˜Oh right, you drink wine now.’
    â€˜Get lost, Hannah.’ He took another gulp and examined the glass, holding it up to the light.
    â€˜What have I done, seriously? Why are you both being like this?’
    He was eyeing the wine as if he hadn’t heard the urgency in my voice. Dad used to do that with every glass of red he drank. With a cheeky smile he’d say he was seeing if the wine had legs – he loved the way that made us laugh. He’d stretch the joke out as long as possible – the