Read Me Like a Book by Liz Kessler

Author:Liz Kessler [Kessler, Liz]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-7636-8857-8
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Published: 2016-11-27T05:00:00+00:00

“Have you done it yet?” Cat yells in my ear. We’re in the Grapevine bar in town, celebrating New Year’s Eve in the traditional English way — by getting drunk. The Grapevine is one of the few places that doesn’t bother checking ID’s. At least we’ll all be legal next year anyway. The plan had been to come here for a dance, but it’s so packed there’s barely room to breathe, let alone move around in time with the music.

“Done what?” Robyn’s behind me, handing me a glass of something bright orange with a cherry on top. “It’s called a Happy New Year,” she explains as I take the glass.

I clink glasses with both of them. “Cheers,” I say.

“So. Done what?” Robyn persists.

Cat shakes her head and sighs at me. “Don’t tell me Robyn doesn’t even know about this?”

I feel my face heat up and take a swig of my cocktail to hide behind.

“What don’t I know about?” Robyn asks.

Cat raises an eyebrow at me, and I shrug in reply.

“Ash thinks she might be pregnant — but she was too scared to take a test,” Cat explains economically.

For a second, Robyn looks hurt.

“I’m sorry. I should have told you. I — I guess I was embarrassed. I didn’t want to admit to what Dylan and I had done.” I grimace. “Sorry.”

Robyn shakes her head and smiles. “No, it’s fine. Honestly,” she says. “I mean, we’ve not been friends all that long, and it’s really personal. I understand.”

Cat swings an arm over her shoulder in a mock “sad violin music” performance. I nudge her arm and laugh.

“OK, now that we’ve got the gushy stuff out of the way . . . have you done the test yet?”

Robyn moves to stand closer to Cat and looks hard at me. “Yes,” she says, siding with Cat. “Have you?”

I look down.

“Thought not,” Cat says, reaching into her bag. She pulls out a paper bag with something inside it and holds it out to me.

“Cat!” I grab the bag from her. “What are you doing?”

“I knew you wouldn’t have done it yet so I bought it on the way here. Think of it as a New Year’s gift.”

“How do you know I haven’t started my period?”

“Have you?” Robyn asks.

I shake my head. I’m about three weeks late, if not more. Every day that’s gone by I’ve been getting more and more convinced it’s bad news. My stomach suddenly cramps out of fear. At least, I think that’s what it is.

A moment later, the pair of them have knocked back their cocktails and placed themselves on either side of me. “Right, come on then,” Cat orders, taking my arm. Robyn takes hold of the other one. I feel like I’ve been arrested and am about to be carted down to the station.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

Cat points ahead at the sign for the ladies’ room. “We’re going to get you an answer,” she says.

The pair of them virtually shove me into the cubicle. I shut the door behind me.

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