The Look of Love Read Online Free PDF Page B

don’t,” she said, getting up.
“You’re not getting away with it that easy. Give me a hand, Angie!”
She and Angela quickly went over to them both and dragged Louise
away from Victoria. “Come on, you, let’s get back to class.”
    “But we can’t
just leave her!” Louise protested.
    “Oh, yes we
can! It’s the best thing for her, and for you! If we left you here,
she’d have you cooking her dinner and her breakfast!”
    Louise wanted
to say that she wouldn’t mind, that she would be happy to stay here
with Victoria and do just that. But all she could do was look over
her shoulder as Angela and Chrissy shoved her out the door.
    “As for you,”
Chrissy called back through the door. “If you’re not dressed and in
class this afternoon, I’ll tell the lecturer that you’ve dropped
out! So be there!”
    “Yes, mother!”
Victoria called back, and before the door closed, Louise saw that
mischievous grin once again.
     
    On the way back
to the University, Louise learned from Chrissy that Victoria often
got into a far worse state than what she had witnessed today. And
contrary to what Angela had said, it wasn’t always to do with
Zach.
    “Basically,
Vicky doesn’t give a shit,” Chrissy told her. “That’s why she’s
always getting into fights and getting drunk.”
    “But its Zach’s
fault,” Angela insisted. “He eggs her on, and he gets her the
booze. He likes getting her drunk.”
    “It’s not that
simple, Angie. Vicky started hitting the booze a long time before
she met Zach. It got worse after her father died. You hardly knew
her then. But I agree; Zach doesn’t help.”
    Louise was
terribly curious. “But she was fine at school?” she asked.
    Chrissy shook
her head. “Not near the end. She was already on the way down even
then. She used to be great fun, but not any more. She never knows
when to stop, and she keeps getting worse and worse. She better be
alright when we go out tonight. This is the third time I’ve had to
clean her up like that. One of these days she’ll choke to death and
do us all a favour.”
    Louise was
surprised by her callousness. “I thought she was your friend. She
told me you and her were very close.”
    “We are. I’ve
known her since infant’s school, I grew up with her, and I worry
about her. But there’s only so many times you can clean someone’s
arse before the friendship begins to wear thin. Especially when
they don’t appreciate it. You’ll see what I mean this afternoon.
Vicky will turn up, bright and breezy, as if nothing had
happened.”
    Louise began to
realise that there was far more to Chrissy than just a girl who
liked to go out clubbing. She had hardly known anything about her
before, and her relationship with Victoria was very
interesting.
    “You must like
Victoria a lot.”
    “Not as much as
I used to.” Chrissy then gave Louise a stern look. “Listen, Louise,
I hardly know you, but you seem okay, so I’m giving you a friendly
warning. Don’t get drawn in by Vicky. She’s a user. You’re too
soft, you won’t be able to stand it, and she’ll squish you.
Okay?”
    The warning was
totally unexpected, and Louise felt her face going red. “Okay,” she
managed to say in a weak voice.
    Chrissy went
off to meet Jo and collect her things after that, and Louise was
left in a whirl of emotions. As she and Angela walked towards their
lockers to get their bags, Louise turned to her.
    “Do you think I
should stay away from Victoria, too?” she asked Angela.
    “No!” Angela
replied firmly. “If you ask me, Tori would be far better off with a
friend like you than she is with that scumbag, Zach! So don’t
listen to Chrissy. Tori needs someone sensible for a friend, so if
you want to be friends with her, you go get her. But being friends
with her won’t be easy! Like Chrissy said, if you’re not careful,
Tori will have you making her breakfast each morning!”
    As they
recovered their bags from their lockers and headed back to