?’
‘Thanks, no – yes – I don’t know,’ said Dad helplessly, dropping his head into his hands.
‘Have a coffee,’ said Mum, slapping the sandwich down in front of him like a cafe owner who is longing to close the shop. ‘It’ll keep you going till you get to wherever it is you’re staying. Where are you staying, anyway?’
Dad hesitated for a split second, looking pale, tragic and ever so slightly apologetic. ‘Uhhhh, I haven’t got anywhere,’ he murmured guiltily. ‘I’m so sorry, Madeleine – could I possibly doss down on your sofa for the night?’
Mum stared at him blankly for a moment, then she seemed to shake herself and get her focus back. ‘Of course,’ she said briskly. Jess could tell she was furious. ‘Except you can’t possibly sleep on the sofa. You can have Jess’s room and Jess can come in with me.’
Jess felt a spear of resentment. Why did Dad have to have her room? Why couldn’t he sleep on the sofa? He was behaving a bit like a teenager, so why couldn’t he sleep like one? She was tempted to object, but it so obviously wouldn’t help, and she felt very sorry for Mum, whose brave new world had crashed and burned in one short quarter of an hour.
There was the sound of somebody coming along the hall – it was Granny, who had slept through the whole drama. She entered and screwed up her eyes slightly. It had been dark as she snoozed in the sitting room, with just the low lamps and the TV’s flicker.
‘I heard the front door go, Madeleine,’ she muttered blearily, still half asleep. ‘Is Jess back safely? How are you getting on with the Scrabble, Martin? Oh! You’re not Martin. Oh heavens! You’re Tim!’ Granny was suddenly wide awake, and who could blame her?
At bedtime Jess received a text from Fred. BAND FIXED UP — FRENZY. THAT’S THEIR NAME BUT ALSO MY STATE OF MIND. SORRY I WAS A BIT WEIRD IN THE CAFE. LOW BLOOD SUGAR.
Jess heaved a huge, huge sigh. So they had a band! Things were looking up – at last one thing was going right. Now the priority was finding the money. She whizzed him a reply. WELL DONE FOR FINDING FRENZY! BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MUNS? HAVE YOU LOOKED UNDER YOUR BED YET?
Chapter 17
Next morning on the way to school, Jess brought Flora up to date on her useless Dad’s unscheduled arrival.
‘Basically, I think he’s ruined Mum’s best chance of finding somebody really nice,’ Jess concluded. ‘Martin was a lovely guy, but he’s not going to want to get involved with somebody whose ex has just turned up and moved in, is he?’
‘Maybe he will,’ said Flora uncertainly. ‘If he really likes her, he’ll at least want to find out what the score is between your dad and your mum – I mean, they’re not exactly old flames, are they?’
‘No,’ agreed Jess. ‘Even when they were young, they won the Nobel Prize for Least Amorous Couple. But Martin doesn’t know that.’
‘Maybe he does,’ mused Flora. ‘Maybe your mum’s told him.’
They were nearing the school gates now, and Jess’s attention began to ebb away from the parental saga to the much more urgent and gripping issue of where Fred was and whether he’d found the money. If he insisted he hadn’t got a clue where it was, she hoped she’d be able to remain smiling and gracious as she ripped his head from his body and booted it over the science block.
Ah, there was Fred! A tiny explosion of hope fizzed up through her ribcage and soared up to her head, where it caused her ear lobes to vibrate. Fred was standing on the edge of a group that included Jodie, Ben Jones, Mackenzie, Tiffany, and Zoe Morris and Chloe Thingummyjig from the year below. She couldn’t tell by his body language what kind of mood he was in.
Obviously she couldn’t mention the money with everybody standing there. Maybe Fred was hiding in crowds because he knew she couldn’t confront him in public. He was such a coward. Though Fred seemed engrossed in what Mackenzie was saying, Jodie
‘Thanks, no – yes – I don’t know,’ said Dad helplessly, dropping his head into his hands.
‘Have a coffee,’ said Mum, slapping the sandwich down in front of him like a cafe owner who is longing to close the shop. ‘It’ll keep you going till you get to wherever it is you’re staying. Where are you staying, anyway?’
Dad hesitated for a split second, looking pale, tragic and ever so slightly apologetic. ‘Uhhhh, I haven’t got anywhere,’ he murmured guiltily. ‘I’m so sorry, Madeleine – could I possibly doss down on your sofa for the night?’
Mum stared at him blankly for a moment, then she seemed to shake herself and get her focus back. ‘Of course,’ she said briskly. Jess could tell she was furious. ‘Except you can’t possibly sleep on the sofa. You can have Jess’s room and Jess can come in with me.’
Jess felt a spear of resentment. Why did Dad have to have her room? Why couldn’t he sleep on the sofa? He was behaving a bit like a teenager, so why couldn’t he sleep like one? She was tempted to object, but it so obviously wouldn’t help, and she felt very sorry for Mum, whose brave new world had crashed and burned in one short quarter of an hour.
There was the sound of somebody coming along the hall – it was Granny, who had slept through the whole drama. She entered and screwed up her eyes slightly. It had been dark as she snoozed in the sitting room, with just the low lamps and the TV’s flicker.
‘I heard the front door go, Madeleine,’ she muttered blearily, still half asleep. ‘Is Jess back safely? How are you getting on with the Scrabble, Martin? Oh! You’re not Martin. Oh heavens! You’re Tim!’ Granny was suddenly wide awake, and who could blame her?
At bedtime Jess received a text from Fred. BAND FIXED UP — FRENZY. THAT’S THEIR NAME BUT ALSO MY STATE OF MIND. SORRY I WAS A BIT WEIRD IN THE CAFE. LOW BLOOD SUGAR.
Jess heaved a huge, huge sigh. So they had a band! Things were looking up – at last one thing was going right. Now the priority was finding the money. She whizzed him a reply. WELL DONE FOR FINDING FRENZY! BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MUNS? HAVE YOU LOOKED UNDER YOUR BED YET?
Chapter 17
Next morning on the way to school, Jess brought Flora up to date on her useless Dad’s unscheduled arrival.
‘Basically, I think he’s ruined Mum’s best chance of finding somebody really nice,’ Jess concluded. ‘Martin was a lovely guy, but he’s not going to want to get involved with somebody whose ex has just turned up and moved in, is he?’
‘Maybe he will,’ said Flora uncertainly. ‘If he really likes her, he’ll at least want to find out what the score is between your dad and your mum – I mean, they’re not exactly old flames, are they?’
‘No,’ agreed Jess. ‘Even when they were young, they won the Nobel Prize for Least Amorous Couple. But Martin doesn’t know that.’
‘Maybe he does,’ mused Flora. ‘Maybe your mum’s told him.’
They were nearing the school gates now, and Jess’s attention began to ebb away from the parental saga to the much more urgent and gripping issue of where Fred was and whether he’d found the money. If he insisted he hadn’t got a clue where it was, she hoped she’d be able to remain smiling and gracious as she ripped his head from his body and booted it over the science block.
Ah, there was Fred! A tiny explosion of hope fizzed up through her ribcage and soared up to her head, where it caused her ear lobes to vibrate. Fred was standing on the edge of a group that included Jodie, Ben Jones, Mackenzie, Tiffany, and Zoe Morris and Chloe Thingummyjig from the year below. She couldn’t tell by his body language what kind of mood he was in.
Obviously she couldn’t mention the money with everybody standing there. Maybe Fred was hiding in crowds because he knew she couldn’t confront him in public. He was such a coward. Though Fred seemed engrossed in what Mackenzie was saying, Jodie
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