sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not,” says Jess through gritted teeth. Daisy’s dragging her back into the hall, trying to get to the plastic bag. “Daisy, wait!” she hisses.
“Jess is right,” Mom says to me. “It’s not okay. It’s not okay, Liam.”
Three lines appear on her forehead above her eyebrows. Her eyes start watering, and I squeeze her again because I don’t want her to cry. When Mom cries, it feels as though I’ve swallowed a hamster and it’s running around inside me.
“I’m sorry too, Liam,” says the man called Gary. He stands up with all the broken glass and shakes the dustpan into the trash in the kitchen. Then he comes back into the hall and stands next to me. “It’s not nice to be left on your own. I’m sure it won’t happen again.”
No one speaks then.
Even Daisy’s gone quiet, although her eyes are saying Please let me in the bag, please let me in the bag, please let me in the bag . The only noise comes from the birds outside, singing in the trees.
“Are you okay?” Mom asks.
“I’m fine,” I say.
“Excellent,” says Gary. He picks up the ripped bag and puts it out of reach of Daisy. “I suppose we’d better be off.”
“Where are you going?” Jess asks Mom.
“Just out for a drink. But I don’t have to go if you guys don’t want me to . . .”
“It’s okay, Mom,” I say again.
“Okay.” Her eyes stay on me for a moment longer. “Okay. We won’t be very long, I promise. Stay in the house, all right?”
“All right,” I say.
Jess nods too, but when I look at her she doesn’t meet my eye.
As soon as Mom and Gary leave, Jess rushes up to her room and slams the door. A few seconds later she pokes her head back over the top of the stairs and says, “Don’t tell her I’ve gone anywhere. I’ll be home before she gets back anyway.”
I run to the front door and press my nose right up against the glass, cupping my hands around my eyes. The back lights of Gary’s car flash red as it trundles down the drive and turns onto the lane and out of sight.
Jess pounds down the stairs with one arm through a jacket. She struggles and squirms into it before she gets to the door.
“Where are you going? Mom said we have to stay here.”
“Since when have I ever done what Mom tells me to do?” she says, checking her hair in the mirror.
“Pretty much all the time.”
“Well, if she’s going out, then so am I.”
“You’re meeting someone, aren’t you?”
She’s got to be, because she would never act like this normally.
She opens the door and a gust of air washes in. I rub my arms against the cold, watching as she runs outside. Where’s she going? She can’t have that many friends already, can she? At least I’ve got Daisy. I know she’s a family dog, but she totally prefers me. She always chooses me first for cuddles.
I poke my head out of the door, and Daisy comes up and looks out too. Jess is already at the end of the drive, and in a few seconds she’ll be gone. Daisy stands there, wagging her tail, and I wait and wait in the doorway.
Mom said to stay in, but Mom’s gone, and Jess is gone, and now it’s just me.
Daisy looks up at me as if she’s waiting for something.
I’ll be home before she gets back, Jess said.
That means she can’t be going very far.
“Do you want to go for a walk?” I ask Daisy.
She leaps up and down in big bounds. I open the door, and she practically flies out of it. I follow her out into the evening cold.
12
Pebbles ping from my feet as I dash down the dusty drive.
Birds take off and shoot away from the trees. I catch up with Daisy at the gate and grab her collar as we go out onto the lane.
The sun’s dipping down behind the trees now, making them look blacker than black. Where’s Jess? I wonder. I spin around, trying to spot her. She can’t have got very far . . .
There. Squinting, I can just make her out in the distance. Walking quickly in the direction of—
The church.
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not,” says Jess through gritted teeth. Daisy’s dragging her back into the hall, trying to get to the plastic bag. “Daisy, wait!” she hisses.
“Jess is right,” Mom says to me. “It’s not okay. It’s not okay, Liam.”
Three lines appear on her forehead above her eyebrows. Her eyes start watering, and I squeeze her again because I don’t want her to cry. When Mom cries, it feels as though I’ve swallowed a hamster and it’s running around inside me.
“I’m sorry too, Liam,” says the man called Gary. He stands up with all the broken glass and shakes the dustpan into the trash in the kitchen. Then he comes back into the hall and stands next to me. “It’s not nice to be left on your own. I’m sure it won’t happen again.”
No one speaks then.
Even Daisy’s gone quiet, although her eyes are saying Please let me in the bag, please let me in the bag, please let me in the bag . The only noise comes from the birds outside, singing in the trees.
“Are you okay?” Mom asks.
“I’m fine,” I say.
“Excellent,” says Gary. He picks up the ripped bag and puts it out of reach of Daisy. “I suppose we’d better be off.”
“Where are you going?” Jess asks Mom.
“Just out for a drink. But I don’t have to go if you guys don’t want me to . . .”
“It’s okay, Mom,” I say again.
“Okay.” Her eyes stay on me for a moment longer. “Okay. We won’t be very long, I promise. Stay in the house, all right?”
“All right,” I say.
Jess nods too, but when I look at her she doesn’t meet my eye.
As soon as Mom and Gary leave, Jess rushes up to her room and slams the door. A few seconds later she pokes her head back over the top of the stairs and says, “Don’t tell her I’ve gone anywhere. I’ll be home before she gets back anyway.”
I run to the front door and press my nose right up against the glass, cupping my hands around my eyes. The back lights of Gary’s car flash red as it trundles down the drive and turns onto the lane and out of sight.
Jess pounds down the stairs with one arm through a jacket. She struggles and squirms into it before she gets to the door.
“Where are you going? Mom said we have to stay here.”
“Since when have I ever done what Mom tells me to do?” she says, checking her hair in the mirror.
“Pretty much all the time.”
“Well, if she’s going out, then so am I.”
“You’re meeting someone, aren’t you?”
She’s got to be, because she would never act like this normally.
She opens the door and a gust of air washes in. I rub my arms against the cold, watching as she runs outside. Where’s she going? She can’t have that many friends already, can she? At least I’ve got Daisy. I know she’s a family dog, but she totally prefers me. She always chooses me first for cuddles.
I poke my head out of the door, and Daisy comes up and looks out too. Jess is already at the end of the drive, and in a few seconds she’ll be gone. Daisy stands there, wagging her tail, and I wait and wait in the doorway.
Mom said to stay in, but Mom’s gone, and Jess is gone, and now it’s just me.
Daisy looks up at me as if she’s waiting for something.
I’ll be home before she gets back, Jess said.
That means she can’t be going very far.
“Do you want to go for a walk?” I ask Daisy.
She leaps up and down in big bounds. I open the door, and she practically flies out of it. I follow her out into the evening cold.
12
Pebbles ping from my feet as I dash down the dusty drive.
Birds take off and shoot away from the trees. I catch up with Daisy at the gate and grab her collar as we go out onto the lane.
The sun’s dipping down behind the trees now, making them look blacker than black. Where’s Jess? I wonder. I spin around, trying to spot her. She can’t have got very far . . .
There. Squinting, I can just make her out in the distance. Walking quickly in the direction of—
The church.
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