THE ABBERLEY BEACH MURDERS an addictive crime thriller with a fiendish twist (Detective Dove Milson Book 3) by D. E. WHITE

Author:D. E. WHITE [WHITE, D. E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: JOFFE BOOKS crime, thrillers and mysteries
Published: 2021-09-06T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Jenna’s asking me a question, but today I don’t feel like answering. I concentrate on the rise and fall of my chest, on my lungs working, on my heart beating, but it’s all too loud, too strong, like I’m underwater.

Jenna is talking again, but her voice is soothing now. She is my best friend and sometimes she makes me mad, but I trust her. I can hear another female voice too, and this one is sharper. A hand on my arm takes me back to the car journeys. I don’t trust Caz.

Caz pretends to like me because she fancies my brother. She’s all whispers and insincere little touches on my arm or hand as we sit on the back seat.

Jenna is saying something about training now, and Caz is correcting her . . . I drift along with them. Sometimes I reply but they ignore me.

I made the squad, so now I get another six hours’ training a week. Mum got over her stress about driving me to practice, but it means we have to lift-share with Caz, which sucks. She hates me because she’s two years older and only just made the squad, but she pretends to like me.

I’ve been pushing and pushing my body, just to show Coach he made the right choice, and I know I’ve been noticed. It gives me such a buzz to step out on to the mat and do my routine. I don’t fear anything when I’m out there, but before and after, the chatter, the envious glances as I come off the mat, make me shake inside.

I don’t need everyone to like me, because I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to go to the Olympics. Even Jenna says I’m just lucky. Lucky to get picked, lucky not to have an injury, lucky in competitions . . . She doesn’t get it. It’s not about luck, it’s about sheer hard work, and forcing myself to do it.

Jenna and I are the same age, and sooner or later it’s going to come down to me or her. I hope we can still be friends but I guess I can survive if not . . . I don’t think Jenna wants it as much as me, but her mum wants it more than anyone else. She’s a total bitch, Jenna’s mum, and she hates me too. In fact, if I think about it, more people hate me than like me in gymnastics.

Caz is saying something about the weekend now, about going out . . . Probably to watch the football, so she can stare at Jamie . . .

On Saturday after the summer regional competition, we went out to the old swings, just me, Caz and Jenna. It was great just sitting on the swings in the sunshine, twisting the chains round and round, then letting go so the wooden seat whizzed round in the opposite direction. Pretending to be a little kid again, like none of it matters.

Jamie was hanging with his mates in the far corner, near the woods.

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