Alice Next Door Read Online Free PDF Page B

being in her house again. I’d spent half my life there before, but hadn’t been in there since Al had left. It was tidy, but it was very cold. Al’s dad went upstairs with her bag, and Al and I went into the family room. All of Al’s books were still on the shelf, and Jamie’s toys were in the corner where they always used to be. They used to have a fancy black and white family photograph hanging over the fireplace, but it was gone.
    I sat on the beanbag, and Al lay on the leathercouch. With her shoes on. She noticed me looking at her feet.
    ‘That’s one of the good things about being from a broken home. There’s different rules. Mum would kill me for putting my feet on the couch, but Dad doesn’t care. And in Dublin, I can leave doors open, and lights on, because they’re the things Dad hates, so Mum just lets me do them. She doesn’t care, as long as I don’t mess the place up, or make too much noise.’
    I laughed. Even being in the same room as Al again made me feel good. There were loads of things I wanted to tell her, but first there was the one big thing I had to ask. I took a deep breath. ‘Come on, Al. Now’s the time. What’s your secret plan? How are you going to get us back together again?’
    She looked towards the door, and whispered. ‘I’m not going back to Dublin on Monday.’
    I was so delighted that I forgot all about the plan. ‘Hey, that’s great. Are you staying for thewhole week?Your dad must be pleased. But how did you get your mum to change her mind?’
    Al put on one of the mysterious looks that I knew so well.
    ‘She didn’t change her mind. That’s the plan. She thinks I’m going back, but I’m not.’
    Alice was my best friend, but even I had to admit that she sometimes had crazy ideas. She kind of got all excited, and forgot that she was living in the real world, not a nice, easy, storybook kind of world. She always thought life could be like the movies.
    I looked at her. She was lying back on the couch, like she was all relaxed, but her eyes had that wild, crazy kind of sparkle, that always made me a little bit afraid.
    I had to ask. ‘But won’t your dad just make you go back?’
    She smiled. ‘Well, actually, he won’t know anything about it.’
    I tried not to sound too suspicious. ‘Howexactly are you going to fix that?’
    She gave me a big grin. ‘Easy. You’re going to help me.’
    I smiled nervously. Nothing was ever as easy as Alice thought it would be. Still though, I didn’t really care. It was great to have her back, and if she had a way to stay for longer than three days, I was all for it.
    Just then, the doorbell rang. It was Rosie, looking all cute in her dalmatian dressing-gown and pink furry slippers.
    ‘Meggy. Home,’ she said, looking very pleased with herself.
    I sighed. ‘Sorry, Al. I know there’s no point arguing with Mum. I have to go. And I know she won’t let me back after tea. She’ll just say you need “quality time” with your dad. I know she won’t let me out again. Will your dad let you call over do you think?’
    She grimaced. ‘I don’t think so. He wants us to have pizza together. And I’m really starting tohate pizza. And he’s rented a movie. I saw it ages ago, with Mum, but I can’t tell him that, can I? I’ll have to see you in the morning.’
    Just then her dad appeared in the hall, so I couldn’t ask any more about Al’s big plan. She was probably very pleased about that. She loved dragging things out, keeping me in suspense.
    Her dad had the phone in his hand. ‘Sorry for interrupting girls, I’m just going to order the pizza. Pepperoni for you, Alice?’
    Alice made a face behind his back, and put her finger in her mouth, pretending to be sick. ‘Sounds great,’ she said. ‘Just what I want.’
    I had to run out the door so her dad wouldn’t see me laughing. I just gave a little wave, behind my back, and went home to my organic pasta.

Chapter eight
    N ext morning I woke real early, and I got