BooksBarbecue
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Chapters (13)
  1. Title Page
  2. Dedication
  3. Contents
  4. Chapter 1
  5. Chapter 2
  6. Chapter 3
  7. Chapter 4
  8. Chapter 5
  9. Chapter 6
  10. Chapter 7
  11. Chapter 8
  12. Chapter 9
  13. Copyright

I go back into the bedroom, pick up my trainers, creep down the stairs and that’s it. I’m out the front door. I want to run, but a casual walk is better. Anyone looking out their window’s gonna remember a stressed girl sprinting down the street. I keep one foot in front of the other, slowly, slowly, and I’m nearly invisible.

Chapter 6

Getting across London when you haven’t got no money isn’t easy. I forgot to bring my travelcard. I creep in the back doors of the buses and throw a stink-eye at anyone who gives me a second glance. If the bus drivers notice, they don’t say nothing. They just want a quiet shift. Me, I want a quiet body. You know when you drop a Mento in a bottle of Diet Coke and it all fizzes up and explodes? That’s what it’s like inside me right now.

I hold on to the seats in front to try to make myself steady. When I have to change buses, I almost cross the road and go back the way I came. But what’s the point? When the foster carer finds out I’m missing, she’s gonna call the police. If Kandi’s dad sees me before I see Kandi, he’s gonna call the police. Whatever happens, the police are gonna get called anyway, so I might as well carry on.

I get off the last bus and stand on the street where my sister lives. I didn’t even have to look up the address. I’ve remembered it by heart. It’s a long street. I could take another bus right down to Kandi’s door, but any time soon my luck’s gonna run out with the drivers.

So what’s the plan, Chay Chay? You’ve come all this way to see your sister, so how are you gonna do it then?

It’s past ten at night now. Even if it was midday, I couldn’t just go and knock on that door. When Kandi’s dad let me and her FaceTime, it couldn’t be private. Every time I opened my mouth to say something to Kandi, I had to remember that her dad was sitting just out of sight. I always made sure I was knitting to keep me calm. Even so, last time I let out a swear word by mistake and that was the end of that. That man’s gonna be so happy when I’m locked away. There ain’t no video calls happening from prison.