Dear Nobody Read Online Free PDF

with a green scratchy cloth. ‘You heard the girl,’ she said, her back to us both, hunched and vigorous over the sink. ‘She’s tired. It’s all this school work. You can’t have a social life and study for A–levels. I know that. You shouldn’t go dragging her out in the rain like this. She could have watched that eclipse of the moon on the news, for goodness’ sake. You take up too much of her time, Chris. She’s got enough on with her school work.’
    I looked anxiously at Helen, but she wasn’t giving me any help. She seemed to have slipped back into her day-dreaming. The cracks in the ice had deepened, and she was floating away from me fast, fast, over black water. ‘Right,’ I said at last. Everything was wrong with me all of a sudden. My hands had grown too big to stuff in my pockets, even. ‘I think I’ll be off, then.’
    Helen followed me into the hall. The door to the kitchen was still open, and I could just see Mrs Garton leaning back slightly in her chair, as though she was straining to hear us above the sound of her husband’s piano playing. I felt desperate, as if I was seeing Helen for the last time. ‘Come outside a minute,’ I said.
    We closed the door slightly. Helen put her arms up to loop my neck and put her head against my chest. My heart was lurching like a bird.
    â€˜What’s wrong?’ I whispered.
    â€˜Nothing. Nothing, honestly.’
    â€˜You’ve been so strange. I feel terrible. I thought you were going off me.’
    She let out her breath. I stroked her hair, a little comforted by the warmth of her against me.
    â€˜You’d tell me, wouldn’t you, if you were going off me? If there was somebody else?’ My lips were sticking together with nervousness.
    â€˜There’s nobody else. Don’t be daft, Chris.’ Her voice was so low that I could hardly hear her.
    â€˜Then what is it?’
    A car pulled up in the drive and two men got out, slamming the doors noisily. They were both carrying instrument cases.
    â€˜I can’t tell you,’ she whispered.
    â€˜Aye aye, it’s a kiss and a cuddle, is it?’ said one of them, a big bearded man in his late forties. His beer belly squashed up against us as he squeezed past. ‘Love’s young dream. Takes me back a bit, that does.’
    She was soft and warm in my arms again.
    â€˜Don’t let us disturb you! Just carry on!’ said the other man, winking at me.
    â€˜We won’t,’ I murmured. I was wishing them miles away.
    â€˜I might be in for a touch of flu, like Mum said.’ Helen pulled away from me. ‘I’ll stay off school tomorrow.’
    â€˜I’ll come round,’ I said.
    Another band member roared up on his motor bike.
    â€˜Don’t,’ said Helen. ‘Meet me after school on Wednesday.’
    â€˜That’s years away,’ I said, fool for her that I was. ‘I can’t wait that long.’
    I urgently wanted to say things that no one else should hear but her mother was coming up the hall, her paint shirt draped over her shoulder. She leaned against the doorway, arms folded, watching the motor bike man. He propped his bike up on its stand and took a pair of drumsticks out of the pannier.
    â€˜How d’you fit your drum kit into that?’ she asked.
    â€˜My car’s packed in,’ he told her. ‘I’ll be banging pans tonight, Alice.’
    â€˜That’ll please the neighbours, anyway.’ Alice laughed and held open the door for him. She tapped Helen on the shoulder. ‘Thought you were having an early night, Madam,’ she said.
    â€˜Wednesday, then,’ I said. Helen squeezed my hand and followed her mother and the little drummer back into the house. But I stood for ages watching the closed door, and the curtains being pulled across the window where the men were practising, and the light going on upstairs in the room where