Kiss by Jacqueline Wilson

Author:Jacqueline Wilson [Wilson, Jacqueline]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Tags: Juvenile Fiction, Social Issues, Emotions & Feelings, General
ISBN: 9781407043166
Google: amx79HbsGtUC
Publisher: Random House
Published: 2008-09-03T18:30:00+00:00

MUM DIDN’T GET home till late afternoon. She came to collect me at Carl’s.

‘Wow, look at you! Positively glowing,’ said Jules. ‘So what’s he like, this Gerry?’

‘Oh, he’s very sweet,’ said Mum, ducking her head coyly. Her cheeks were bright pink and she giggled.

‘Look at you, blushing like a schoolgirl,’ said Jules. ‘So when are you seeing him again?’

‘Well, next weekend, if it’s OK with you?’

‘Of course,’ said Jules. ‘Sylvie’s part of the family, you know that.’

Mum looked at me. ‘Is it OK with you too, Sylvie?’ she asked.

‘Mm. Yes. Whatever,’ I said.

‘We’ll go home and talk about it,’ said Mum, putting her arm round me.

‘It’s fine, Mum, truly,’ I said, wanting to stay with the Johnsons, but Mum steered me firmly towards the door.

‘Can’t you stay for supper, both of you?’ said Jules.

‘Yeah, hang out, why don’t you?’ said Jake. ‘Though watch out, Dad cooks supper.’

‘I make a mean plate of butternut -squash risotto, even though I say it myself,’ said Mick.

I was looking at Carl. He was carefully looking past me, as if observing something fascinating in thin air.

‘Carl!’ said Jules. ‘I’m not sure the Johnson cellars can come up with champagne, but I’m sure we’ll find a bottle of Cava lurking somewhere. Then you can sip from your lovely flute in style.’

‘Mm. Great. Though actually, I might just dash over to Paul’s for supper. He’s having a maths crisis and I kind of promised to help him out,’ said Carl.

‘Do you really have to? Honestly!’ said Jules, looking quickly at me.

I smiled as if I’d known all along and was perfectly happy about it. It wasn’t really a big deal, was it? Carl had a perfect right to go round and see his friend. We’d spent nearly the whole day together and he’d been so sweet to me all that time. He’d obviously sneaked off at some point and texted Paul but that wasn’t a crime. Miranda and I were always texting each other.

‘It’s fine,’ I said. ‘Thanks for having me, Jules, it’s been lovely. See you, everyone. Come on, Mum.’

Mum’s arm was still round my shoulders. ‘I can’t come up with butternut-squash risotto but I’ll do us a lovely plate of beans on toast,’ she said.

It was our special comfort food. I hated it that Mum felt I needed comforting.

‘I’m actually not really hungry. I’m still stuffed with lunch,’ I said. ‘Maybe I’ll just go and get on with my maths homework,’ I said as we went into our house.

It seemed so shabby and empty after a day at the Johnsons’. There were oblong patches on the walls where Dad’s paintings and maps had hung, great gaps in the bookshelves, heavy indentations in the carpet where his desk once stood. Mum had bought a couple of paintings from the Hospice charity shop, Gwen John and Picasso reproductions, but they didn’t quite fit the bare squares. The Gwen John woman looked hopelessly forlorn and the old Picasso lady had her head thrown back, her mouth wide open in agony.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.