Blind School Read Online Free PDF

me?’
       A heavy pause, then flatly: ‘Yes, I love you. Now let me out of here.’
    ‘Not much passion though, huh? Hardly enough for me to really believe that you love me.’
    ‘I... I don't know.’ Frantic, almost catatonic, her eyes shifted wildly for options before finally hitting something hopeful. ‘Maybe... maybe if I saw you, got to know you better, that would help. That would do it.’
    ‘But you saw me before, didn't you?’
       ‘No... No, I didn't.’
       But as she made the denial, she got the flashback: looking at Lyle crossing a mall car park towards his van. A ghostly, demon-like apparition swirled within him; and as a wild cacophony of voices drowned her senses, its head started to swivel her way.
    ‘It was knowing that you'd seen me that made me follow you.’ Lyle in turn flashed-back to when he realized he’d been spotted: starting up his van and following the girl. ‘So now you've gotta convince me. Convince me that –’
    Another voice suddenly crashed into his thoughts: ‘Frank? You okay? You talking to somebody there?’
    Lyle peered towards the farmer by his flat-bed truck on the dust track thirty yards away. Joe Wyvern, his neighbouring farmer.
    Lyle straightened up, hooked a thumb towards the baby cherry tree where he was crouched.
    ‘Just giving this one freshly planted a touch of coaxing.’
    Wyvern’s brow knitted quizzically. ‘Think it helps? Talkin' to 'em like that?’
    ‘Reckon it does.’ Lyle could hardly hear his own voice beyond the frantic screaming and banging now through his earpiece. The girl desperate that whoever’s close by might hear her. ‘Certainly can't harm.’
    ‘Suppose not.’ Wyvern smiled tightly after a second.
    Lyle watched Wyvern get back in his truck and drive off, then knelt back by the cherry tree.

 
    SIX
    Ryan and Tommy were sat on a low wall in the schoolyard in the lunch break.
    ‘So you're seeing your dad this weekend?’ Tommy enquired.
    Ryan nodded, gaze lost ahead for a moment, as if unsure how he felt about that.
    ‘Yeah. Had him on the phone for almost an hour. Wasn't due to see me till the end of the month – but he decided to pull it forward after what happened at the Mocha Boca. Make sure I'm still in one piece.’
    ‘Is that how often you see him now? Once a month?’
    ‘Yeah. That's all my mother says he can manage now his work's taken him to Atlanta .’
       Tommy looked at him more directly. ‘What's your dad say?’
    ‘He says he'd see me every week if mom would let him.’
    ‘Which one do you believe?
    ‘I don't know...’ Ryan looked away uncomfortably for a moment. His emotional diet the past eighteen months: the tug of war between his parents as to ‘who cared most about him’. He’d hoped that their divorce would mean they’d finally stop scoring points off each other; but perhaps that was a hope too far.  ‘Whichever one puts me less in the middle of this shit, I suppose.’
    But Tommy, gazing across the schoolyard, was only half paying attention. ‘Oh, oh... barf-brain alert.’
    Tommy's eyes had fixed on school muscle Brad Milford and his 'crew' a hundred yards ahead. Having just finished hassling someone else, they’d started heading their way.
    ‘Never have one of Mr Tully’s history classes seemed so welcoming.’
    Tommy got up and headed back towards the school building. Ryan followed, falling in step alongside Tommy after a second.
    ‘You got a problem with Milford ?’
       ‘No... it's okay.’ Tommy shrugged. ‘Well, nothing I can't handle.’
    Ryan glanced back at Milford who, seeing them head away, sought out a fresh target. No doubt Tommy would tell him the problem with Milford when he was ready.
    Ellis Kendell was by Aaron Green’s desk. The screen-grab of the man outside Santos 's school now had a mug-shot alongside. Aaron pointed with his pen towards the screen as he looked up at Ellis.
    ‘Brian Lee Marston. Age, thirty-eight. Born in Akron , Ohio .’
    ‘And what rap's