us?’
‘Robert and Maddy aren’t your dad,’ she said calmly, not showing any sign that my words had hurt her, but that was Mum all over. She was, hands down, the strongest woman I’d ever known. She didn’t crumble when the love of her life walked out on her, she just got on with it. It’s only growing up that I realized she wasn’t really left with any other choice, she couldn’t give up – she had meto look after. ‘They’re two young people, without any baggage, who’ve discovered they like each other,’ she continued. ‘Do you realize how brave it is of those two to do this?’
I looked down at the red rug on the floor, concentrating on the loose bits of fabric the cat had scratched up, willing the conversation to end so that I could go up to my room and sulk.
‘What they really need from you right now is your support, Ben,’ she sighed. ‘They don’t need you going all weird and making things harder.’
‘I wouldn’t do that …’
‘I know, I know,’ she said, grabbing my hand. ‘Just never doubt their love for you, because that’ll never change.’
I nodded my head and gave Mum a little smile. What else could I have done?
‘You’re coming with us tonight, right?’ asked Robert later on that week at lunch.
We were stood in the school corridor in a raucous queue outside the canteen, waiting for Maddy to join us after her food tech class.
A group trip to the cinema had been planned for weeks.
Bridget Jones: the Edge of Reason
had just been released and Maddy was adamant that we all go and embrace our feminine sides with a girlie film, insisting it was payback for us always making her watch countless action and sci-fi films. Before Paris I was quite looking forward to it, but now, the idea of watching a rom-com with the new lovebirds made me feel queasy.
‘Er …’
‘You could bring Kelly?’ he smirked, giving me a wink.
‘Naaaah …’
‘She really likes you.’
‘She’s not my type,’ I replied dismissively, looking ahead at the queue, willing it to go faster.
‘Didn’t look that way in Paris … it could be a double date.’
‘Look, if you guys want to go on your own I’ll totally understand,’ I offered, the words, ‘double date’ ringing in my ears as visions of them smooching the whole way through the film filled my brain. If that evening’s trip turned into being Robert and Maddy’s first ever date then that was the last place I wanted to be, especially as we’d be watching a rom-com – proper date material.
‘Don’t be daft.’
‘Well, it’s going to happen at some point – I can’t be with you every single time you’re alone together. I’ll be a proper gooseberry.’
‘What are you two talking about?’ asked Maddy, as she arrived and squeezed in between us.
‘Tonight and the cinema,’ informed Robert, raising his eyebrows before pulling her into him and planting a kiss on her forehead.
‘Ooh, have you asked him about Kelly?’ she said with a grin on her face as she looked from Robert to me.
‘Nothing’s happening with Kelly,’ I said, irritated that the pair of them had clearly talked and decided to couple me off with someone.
‘Why not? She’s nice.’
‘She’s not his type apparently – and, he was just about to bail on us.’
‘What? No way! You’re coming!’ she demanded.
‘But –’
‘I’ve been waiting for months to see this and haven’t once moaned when you two have dragged me along to your boy films.’
‘It’s a chick flick …’ I protested.
‘And?’
‘And you guys are on a date.’
‘Do you want to sit in the middle?’ she offered.
‘Erm …’ started Robert, a frown forming on his face at the very thought of it.
‘No!’
‘Because you can … if you want to.’
‘I don’t want to.’
‘That’s a relief,’ laughed Robert.
Maddy rolled her eyes at him, before smiling at me.
‘Ben, tonight is not a date.’
‘It is,’ tried Robert.
‘It’s not,’ she
‘Robert and Maddy aren’t your dad,’ she said calmly, not showing any sign that my words had hurt her, but that was Mum all over. She was, hands down, the strongest woman I’d ever known. She didn’t crumble when the love of her life walked out on her, she just got on with it. It’s only growing up that I realized she wasn’t really left with any other choice, she couldn’t give up – she had meto look after. ‘They’re two young people, without any baggage, who’ve discovered they like each other,’ she continued. ‘Do you realize how brave it is of those two to do this?’
I looked down at the red rug on the floor, concentrating on the loose bits of fabric the cat had scratched up, willing the conversation to end so that I could go up to my room and sulk.
‘What they really need from you right now is your support, Ben,’ she sighed. ‘They don’t need you going all weird and making things harder.’
‘I wouldn’t do that …’
‘I know, I know,’ she said, grabbing my hand. ‘Just never doubt their love for you, because that’ll never change.’
I nodded my head and gave Mum a little smile. What else could I have done?
‘You’re coming with us tonight, right?’ asked Robert later on that week at lunch.
We were stood in the school corridor in a raucous queue outside the canteen, waiting for Maddy to join us after her food tech class.
A group trip to the cinema had been planned for weeks.
Bridget Jones: the Edge of Reason
had just been released and Maddy was adamant that we all go and embrace our feminine sides with a girlie film, insisting it was payback for us always making her watch countless action and sci-fi films. Before Paris I was quite looking forward to it, but now, the idea of watching a rom-com with the new lovebirds made me feel queasy.
‘Er …’
‘You could bring Kelly?’ he smirked, giving me a wink.
‘Naaaah …’
‘She really likes you.’
‘She’s not my type,’ I replied dismissively, looking ahead at the queue, willing it to go faster.
‘Didn’t look that way in Paris … it could be a double date.’
‘Look, if you guys want to go on your own I’ll totally understand,’ I offered, the words, ‘double date’ ringing in my ears as visions of them smooching the whole way through the film filled my brain. If that evening’s trip turned into being Robert and Maddy’s first ever date then that was the last place I wanted to be, especially as we’d be watching a rom-com – proper date material.
‘Don’t be daft.’
‘Well, it’s going to happen at some point – I can’t be with you every single time you’re alone together. I’ll be a proper gooseberry.’
‘What are you two talking about?’ asked Maddy, as she arrived and squeezed in between us.
‘Tonight and the cinema,’ informed Robert, raising his eyebrows before pulling her into him and planting a kiss on her forehead.
‘Ooh, have you asked him about Kelly?’ she said with a grin on her face as she looked from Robert to me.
‘Nothing’s happening with Kelly,’ I said, irritated that the pair of them had clearly talked and decided to couple me off with someone.
‘Why not? She’s nice.’
‘She’s not his type apparently – and, he was just about to bail on us.’
‘What? No way! You’re coming!’ she demanded.
‘But –’
‘I’ve been waiting for months to see this and haven’t once moaned when you two have dragged me along to your boy films.’
‘It’s a chick flick …’ I protested.
‘And?’
‘And you guys are on a date.’
‘Do you want to sit in the middle?’ she offered.
‘Erm …’ started Robert, a frown forming on his face at the very thought of it.
‘No!’
‘Because you can … if you want to.’
‘I don’t want to.’
‘That’s a relief,’ laughed Robert.
Maddy rolled her eyes at him, before smiling at me.
‘Ben, tonight is not a date.’
‘It is,’ tried Robert.
‘It’s not,’ she
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