Everlong: (Book One of the Everlong Trilogy) Read Online Free PDF

Amber, holding the sparkling gem up to him, ‘although you’ll need to give it a good clean before you wear it again.’
    ‘It’s okay,’ replied Dexter, ‘throw it, I’ve got a million other pairs.’ He turned and strode off with Kieran.
    Amber stayed seated, and placed the earring in the middle of the table.
    ‘Sit down!’ she commanded, as I turned to leave.
    I slumped into the chair opposite her, and looked at my hands cupped in front of me.
    ‘Don’t think,’ said Amber, spitting out the words, ‘that just because he took you home, he actually cares about you. He doesn’t. You’re a freak. No one cares about you, so next time you want to get pissed and fall in the river make sure you never come back out, okay?’ She pushed the diamond stud towards me, ‘ You may as well keep that now you’ve contaminated it with freakiness. Besides, it’s the closest you’re ever going to get to him.’ Amber’s phone began to ring. She slipped her hand into her jacket and pulled out her phone.‘Hi-ya!’ she sang into it, ‘How’re you doing?‘ Amber rose from her chair and swept out of the cafeteria, not even looking back once.
    I remained seated, listening to the quiet after the storm, the sound of a distant hoover, the discordant clattering of pots and pans in the kitchen. My eyes were fixed on the diamond earring in front of me. Its beauty mocked me, its coldness, like ice, spoke to me. I felt so small, like I was the earring lying alone on the table with so much air floating around me. A lone satellite floating in space, feeling nothing but the turning of time, drowning in the emptiness.
    An eternity of emptiness. Rolling out like a never-ending ocean.
    ‘Hey, what’s up?’
    ‘Sam? What?’
    ‘Are you okay?’ Sam's face was tilted, his heavily lined eyes narrowed with concern. 'Heavy Christmas?'
    ‘Yeah, yeah,' I said, brushing the earring onto the floor like a bit of dust, 'I'm fine. Just a bit flat now, need another holiday!’ I smiled weakly. So weak that I wasn't convincing anyone, least of all myself.
    'What did Amber want?' asked Sam, my best friend. He slid into the chair opposite, plonking his art folder on the table, his fabulous charcoal sketches for our Manga coursework showing through the shiny plastic.
    ‘Oh, nothing. Wow, they’re brilliant!’ I said, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible whilst steering the conversation away from what had just happened.
    ‘Thanks. Let’s see yours.’
    ‘Shit!’ I replied, hitting my head hard with the heel of my hand.
    ‘You've forgotten?’
    ‘No, not exactly,’ I replied clasping my hands in front of me. There hadn’t seemed much point when I was going to throw myself off the bridge.
    'But we've had weeks-'
    ‘I forgot,' I said, shrugging.
    Sam clucked. ‘I wouldn’t like to be in your shoes when we get to class. Miss Powell is going to eat you alive.’
    ‘Well, I’m sure she’ll soon spit me back out again. I think my piercings will give her indigestion.’
    Sam laughed and shook his head as the bell for Registration rang out. ‘You coming?’ he said, grabbing his folder and sliding himself out from under the table.
    ‘I’ll be there in a minute. Need the toilet first.’
    ‘Okay, see you in a mo.’ And with a couple of strides Sam had disappeared around the corner. My beautiful, dependable Sam.
    I grabbed my bag off the floor, slid out from under the table, and made my way to the washroom. I threw my bag onto the worktop and looked at myself in the mirror.
    I didn't recognise the person staring back at me anymore. Who was I? Where had the girl that I had once known, gone?
    Looking at my reflection was like when you lie on your arm in the night and it stops the blood flow, so, when you wake up, your arm is still there but doesn't feel like it's yours.
    I pulled out my make-up bag and rummaged through it until I found my favourite Archangel-Red lip gloss. I opened the bottle and rubbed the applicator over my lips. The