The Worst of Me Read Online Free PDF

years through Isobel. He was Isobel’s brother, he’d been around since I was twelve – so Ian had always been knowable and safe. Jonah was all new territory. I couldn’t be sure of understanding him or of being understood, and it was happening so fast. He was my first stranger: the first boy where the romance came before knowing him.
    It made everything incredibly, incredibly exciting.
    Well, look, I’m spoiling it for you, and how we got there isn’t
the
most romantic thing you ever heard, or even anything you haven’t heard before. But let me just relive it, because I was there and I can.
    We’d arranged to meet near the magazines section of abig bookshop at six. I got there really early and browsed slowly, hoping I wouldn’t run out of things to look at, hoping he would actually come. Every time I looked at my watch it had moved on a single minute, as if I’d suddenly acquired the talent of being able to guess when exactly one minute had passed. I was there so long I went through the worry barrier, and got genuinely interested in an article in a film magazine about the movie I’d seen with Jonah (but not really
with
Jonah). So after stealing glances at the door for the full half hour of earliness, I didn’t notice Jonah come in bang on time, and I jumped when he spoke to me, with his lips so close to my hair I could have turned around and kissed him. We’d already had that mini-snog in the café, so it would have been allowed, but this was our first real date and it seemed more important to get everything in the right order.
    ‘How long have I got this time?’ Jonah asked. I frowned at him, not understanding. ‘I’m used to you running off when things get interesting,’ he said. ‘I just want to know in advance when I’m nearly out of time and I have to start cramming in all my best moves.’
    I lifted my chin. ‘You’d better start now.’
    Jonah slid his flat hand lightly across my lower back. It made me feel like I belonged with him. ‘Do you want to stay here for a coffee or do you fancy walking? It’s still warm outside. I’d quite like to walk.’
    ‘I’d like to walk too.’
    We walked slowly. The sun was dropping low, dazzling us. I had a funny feeling, like I was cheating on Ian, even though it had been a long time since I’d done this kind of thing with him.
    ‘How’s your day been?’ I asked.
    ‘Slow. The whole week has been slow. I’m already ready for the next holiday.’
    ‘We’ve hardly been back.’
    ‘Well, it’s back for you,’ Jonah said. ‘It’s all new for me.’
    ‘And what’s the verdict? How’s the new place working out for you?’
    ‘Your teachers are all insane.’
    ‘I could have told you that.’
    ‘Your guys are all chippy.’
    ‘Yeah, well . . . I think they just take a while to make their minds up about new faces,’ I said.
    ‘Maybe,’ Jonah said. ‘There’s not much interaction, though, is there, between the, uh, various
gangs
?’
    We carried on walking in silence and it wasn’t awkward, but I wondered who was going to break it.
    Then I blurted, ‘What about our girls?’
    ‘Your girls are good fun,’ Jonah said, nodding. ‘Some of them have definitely got potential.’
    ‘Oh really! Potential for what?’
    ‘Well, just as an example, you, I mean taking just one example, you understand . . .’
    ‘Yeah, yeah, I understand, just as an
example
. . .’
    ‘Well, I could see you as a long-term friend, you’re definitely long-term material.’ He cupped his hand in front of his eyes, shielding them from the sun, and turned towards me. I searched his face for sarcasm, but it wasn’t there. That seemed somehow sweeter than a compliment about fancying me – that he’d be serious about wanting me as a friend. We’d reached the steps of the city hall and climbed up a few and sat down. ‘Are you warm enough?’ he said.
    ‘Yes.’
    He reached for my hand and held it. ‘Your hands are cold.’
    ‘They always are.’
    ‘It’s funny,