Read Online Web of Lies by Beverley Naidoo - Free Book Online

seemed completely at ease, without any of the swagger and aggression of Lizard Eyes. His face looked so open—almost innocent—that for a moment Sade hesitated. Then she pulled out the small package in its gold paper.
    “Take this back to your friend.” She thrust it firmly into his hand. “Tell him to stop pestering me. I don’t want anything from him. Ever.”
    Her gaze didn’t leave his face. The confident brown eyes and the muscles around his mouth flickered for a moment, then settled back into a smile.
    “Which friend?” he asked evenly. “I’ve lots of friends.”
    Was he playing with her, pretending he didn’t know? However, he didn’t look down at the parcel in his hand or ask what it was. That meant he knew, didn’t it?
    “Your friend Lizard Eyes.” The nickname slipped from her brain to her tongue. “Why don’t you get yourself decent friends?” She stressed the word decent .
    His mouth tightened. The brown netting expanded, and the black pupils at the center became smaller. She had touched a nerve. Before he had time to reply, she was going to have her say.
    “You used to be worth a hundred times more than thatErrol Richards. Now he’s got you, and you’re starting on my little brother! Getting him to run your messages. I want you to leave my brother alone!”
    “What are you talking about?” James retorted. “Do you know what it’s like out there on the street? Do you go around with your eyes shut or something?”
    It was his turn now.
    “Don’t you know the streets are hard, man? You think you can ignore them so the streets don’t see you? You’re like that bird, an ostrich, yeah!” He was scornful. “It takes one second for a boy to get cut up!”
    The librarian was looking in their direction. In a moment she would come over to them. Sade signaled for James to lower his voice.
    “You should thank me if I show your little brother how to survive.” James folded his arms. His jaw hardened. How could she ever have thought that his face looked open?
    “You’re mad!” she whispered angrily. “I thought you were smart! If you don’t leave Femi alone, I’ll tell my dad about you and that friend of yours, and then you will be in trouble.”
    “Huh, trouble? What you saying, girl? If that daddy of yours goes looking for trouble, he’ll get it, right. Errol has plenty of friends, you know what I mean? They know how to take care of him. Your daddy might have been a Somebody in your country, but here, he’s a N-O-B-O-DY.” James rapped the letters.
    She felt the blood rushing to her face.
    “Do you want your daddy to play with fire? I won’t go deeper than that. Join the real world, Miss Daddy’s Girl!”
    Sade was saved from replying by the bell.

12
Hit and Run
    The words hit Femi like a couple of stones in the middle of his temple. For a split second he was dazed. By the time he looked up, he caught only a glimpse of the faces turned back to him inside the car. White masks distorted with ugly laughter. Their filth was directed at Gary—but only because Gary was with him. Grown white men shouting at a white boy for walking home with a black boy.
    Femi swore as the car disappeared down the High Street. It felt as if thousands of angry butterflies were suddenly beating their wings inside him. He glanced at Gary. If his friend was embarrassed, he didn’t show it.
    “Best to ignore people like that.” Gary shrugged. “My mum says they’re cowards. Like hit-and-run drivers.”
    How could Gary remain so calm? How did he stop the foul words from getting under his skin? You couldn’t ignore a hit-and-run driver when you were hit! Femi fellsilent, as if an invisible screen had suddenly fallen between them. They were approaching the bicycle shop where they usually went their different ways—Gary down the High Street and Femi into the road leading to their block of flats. Femi stopped abruptly.
    “Just remembered…I left my book for Ms. Hassan’s homework. She’ll kill me if I