Glitter by Kate Maryon

Author:Kate Maryon [Kate Maryon ]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780007411009
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Chapter 19

and then he’s gone…

“Thanks for saving my life back there,” I say.

My teeth are chattering with the cold so I move closer to Tyler to steal some of his warmth.

“You’re crazy, you are,” says Tyler, putting his jacket around my shoulders. “What do you think you’re doing walking around dark places alone at this time of night? You’re way too young for that.”

“I had a fight with my dad,” I say, “and I ran off. I can’t go back home, though, not now.”

“What’s he gonna do, whip you or what?”

“No,” I giggle, “he won’t hit me. He’ll just get cross.”

“Then you got nuffing to worry about, have you? He’ll get over it, they always do. Nuffing’s that bad.”

Then somehow the whole story of my life starts tumbling out. It’s raining and for a while we shelter in a late night café. Tyler gets us both a hot chocolate and we share some jellybeans from the machine.

“For your birthday,” he smiles.

It’s nice to have someone listen to me. And Tyler’s good at it. He seems interested in what I’m saying and he doesn’t try to tell me what to do, he just listens and listens and listens until there’s nothing much left to say.

“Sounds like your old man’s had a rough time of it,” he says. “You too by all accounts. Come on, let’s get you home.”

And while we’re walking Tyler tells me all about his life and about how he has to work at the tyre place after school just to help his mum take care of his younger brothers and sister, because there’s not enough money to go round.

“Why is everyone so scared of you?” I ask.

“’Cause, when your old man beats you to hell and back like mine used to when I was young, you learn to stand up for yourself. No one’s ever gonna touch me like that again, right, not ever. Day one at school I made my mark on the playground and that’s how it’s gonna stay. No one’s getting to me.”

Tyler walks me safely to our front door and waits with me until my dad answers. My heart is beating fast and my mouth’s gone dry. My dad’s face is white with worry and his eyes are red with tears.

“She’s all right,” says Tyler, “she’s safe. Sounds like you two have got a lot of talking to do. Time to do it, I reckon, before it gets too late.”

And then he’s gone. For a while my dad and I stand just staring at each other. I think if we were in a film he’d hold his arms out and fold me into a warm, safe hug. But we’re not in a film so he just sighs, mumbles something I can’t hear, stuffs his hands deep into his jogging bottom pockets and slumps off back to the TV. We’re obviously not going to take Tyler’s advice and talk about things, so I slide into my room and take myself to bed.

I’m twelve years old and my life is ruined.

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