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Authors: Sophie McKenzie
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her to me, gradually feeling the shaking subside.
‘It’s all right,’ I kept saying. ‘It’s gonna be all right.’
But in my heart I couldn’t see how it could possibly be all right. Where was Eve going to go? What was she going to do? She could hardly stay with Alejandro’s friend for ever. And what was she going to do for money?
I didn’t even want to think about what was going to happen when . . . if . . . Jonno finally caught up with us. With me.
The sky was starting to lighten as we reached Taunton. Alejandro found a place to leave the Ford Mondeo. Then we walked over to a different car hire company and hired a green Volvo. Alejandro bribed the desk clerk not to tell anyone we’d been there.
We set off again for Cornwall, stopping only for a few minutes at a motorway café. I bought some toast and coffee for us all and Alejandro and I leaned against the car, eating, while Eve went inside to use the bathroom.
‘This is no a good situation,’ Alejandro said to me in a low voice. ‘I was thinking the police would be after us. But now I realise they won’t. Eva is sixteen, nearly seventeen. Her life is no in danger. She has called her mother and said she is OK. The police will no bother with her.’
‘But that’s good, isn’t it?’ I said. ‘That means we’ve only got Jonno to worry about.’
Alejandro made a face. ‘Exactly. Maybe if the other authorities are involved, Jonno will be made to see he is stupid. Doing a bad thing for Eva. But this way . . .’ He sighed. ‘Eva will no go home to her mother now. She is alone.’
‘No she isn’t,’ I said. ‘I’m with her.’
‘For how long?’ Alejandro glanced sideways at me. ‘I know you like her. But you are only sixteen. You are at school. You have a life. A family. There is your mother and the little baby. Can you give all that up? All that security? Just for Eva?’
I stared at him. ‘Yes,’ I said. ‘I’d do anything for her.’
Alejandro shook his head. ‘Is that you talking or your head full of sex?’
We watched Eve walking towards us.
‘Just please be careful,’ Alejandro said. ‘For her. For yourself.’
He strolled away, into the service station, as Eve came up.
‘D’you want some toast and coffee?’ I said, offering her a polystyrene cup.
Eve shook her head. She leaned against me.
‘Aren’t you hungry?’ I said, kissing the top of her head.
‘No.’ She paused. ‘I’m only scared.’
I put my coffee cup down on the roof of the car and held her.
‘Everything’s going to be all right,’ I said. ‘I’m here. And I’m not leaving. We’re together. We’ll make it work.’
I stared into her beautiful, almond-shaped eyes.
I’d said it now. I’d said I’d stay with her.
‘Thank you,’ she breathed. ‘Oh Luke, I’m so scared I feel sick.’
She hugged me tighter. Oh God. I was getting turned on by the feel of her body pressed against mine. In fact, I badly wanted to get right back to where we were last night.
A little groan escaped out of my mouth.
She looked up at me, her eyebrows raised.
I grinned. ‘They say that making love is a cure for fear,’ I said.
‘What?’ Eve glanced over at Alejandro, emerging from the service station. ‘But, we can’t . . .’
‘I know,’ I said, quickly, trying not to look as totally sexed-up as I felt. ‘I can wait.’
A bit. Please? Only a bit longer.
Alejandro came back and we got into the car again. Eve seemed slightly happier than she had earlier. She even ate some toast.
But I felt more troubled than before. What Alejandro had said kept running through my mind. Was I really prepared for everything that staying with Eve might bring?
I mean, on the one hand, of course I was. I loved Eve. I would do anything for her. And she had no one else. I wasn’t even worried about the practical things – things that maybe should have bothered me far more. Money, for instance. And how we were going to find jobs. And somewhere to live. At the time
‘It’s all right,’ I kept saying. ‘It’s gonna be all right.’
But in my heart I couldn’t see how it could possibly be all right. Where was Eve going to go? What was she going to do? She could hardly stay with Alejandro’s friend for ever. And what was she going to do for money?
I didn’t even want to think about what was going to happen when . . . if . . . Jonno finally caught up with us. With me.
The sky was starting to lighten as we reached Taunton. Alejandro found a place to leave the Ford Mondeo. Then we walked over to a different car hire company and hired a green Volvo. Alejandro bribed the desk clerk not to tell anyone we’d been there.
We set off again for Cornwall, stopping only for a few minutes at a motorway café. I bought some toast and coffee for us all and Alejandro and I leaned against the car, eating, while Eve went inside to use the bathroom.
‘This is no a good situation,’ Alejandro said to me in a low voice. ‘I was thinking the police would be after us. But now I realise they won’t. Eva is sixteen, nearly seventeen. Her life is no in danger. She has called her mother and said she is OK. The police will no bother with her.’
‘But that’s good, isn’t it?’ I said. ‘That means we’ve only got Jonno to worry about.’
Alejandro made a face. ‘Exactly. Maybe if the other authorities are involved, Jonno will be made to see he is stupid. Doing a bad thing for Eva. But this way . . .’ He sighed. ‘Eva will no go home to her mother now. She is alone.’
‘No she isn’t,’ I said. ‘I’m with her.’
‘For how long?’ Alejandro glanced sideways at me. ‘I know you like her. But you are only sixteen. You are at school. You have a life. A family. There is your mother and the little baby. Can you give all that up? All that security? Just for Eva?’
I stared at him. ‘Yes,’ I said. ‘I’d do anything for her.’
Alejandro shook his head. ‘Is that you talking or your head full of sex?’
We watched Eve walking towards us.
‘Just please be careful,’ Alejandro said. ‘For her. For yourself.’
He strolled away, into the service station, as Eve came up.
‘D’you want some toast and coffee?’ I said, offering her a polystyrene cup.
Eve shook her head. She leaned against me.
‘Aren’t you hungry?’ I said, kissing the top of her head.
‘No.’ She paused. ‘I’m only scared.’
I put my coffee cup down on the roof of the car and held her.
‘Everything’s going to be all right,’ I said. ‘I’m here. And I’m not leaving. We’re together. We’ll make it work.’
I stared into her beautiful, almond-shaped eyes.
I’d said it now. I’d said I’d stay with her.
‘Thank you,’ she breathed. ‘Oh Luke, I’m so scared I feel sick.’
She hugged me tighter. Oh God. I was getting turned on by the feel of her body pressed against mine. In fact, I badly wanted to get right back to where we were last night.
A little groan escaped out of my mouth.
She looked up at me, her eyebrows raised.
I grinned. ‘They say that making love is a cure for fear,’ I said.
‘What?’ Eve glanced over at Alejandro, emerging from the service station. ‘But, we can’t . . .’
‘I know,’ I said, quickly, trying not to look as totally sexed-up as I felt. ‘I can wait.’
A bit. Please? Only a bit longer.
Alejandro came back and we got into the car again. Eve seemed slightly happier than she had earlier. She even ate some toast.
But I felt more troubled than before. What Alejandro had said kept running through my mind. Was I really prepared for everything that staying with Eve might bring?
I mean, on the one hand, of course I was. I loved Eve. I would do anything for her. And she had no one else. I wasn’t even worried about the practical things – things that maybe should have bothered me far more. Money, for instance. And how we were going to find jobs. And somewhere to live. At the time
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