Page 103 of Save Me

“My mother is dead.”

A dull ache races through my body. It hurts so much. I don’t think I can bear it. It brings me to my knees, and I still can’t breathe properly. This has to stop. I have to silence this pain.

My hands are shaking uncontrollably. The next moment, I whirl around and run toward the garage.

“Mr. Beaufort!”

I wave him back. Percy runs after me. My feet carry me to my car. Hands shaking, I dig the key out of my pocket and open the driver’s door. My peripheral vision is getting darker, and it feels as though I might faint any moment. Whatever. Nothing matters a fuck. I start the car. Percy stands right in front of it. That doesn’t matter either. I step on the accelerator, and he jumps out of the way at the last second. Tires squealing, I drive away, wiping my wet cheeks with the back of my hand.

32

Ruby

The doorbell rings just as I pull a Jenga block out of the stack. I jump, which makes the entire tower collapse. Mum, Dad, and Ember boo, and I swear under my breath.

“You’re out for the next round,” Mum says, rubbing her hands. She’s the best at this game and practically always wins.

Once I’d told my family about the visit and shown them a slideshow of my Oxford photos on my laptop, we had dinner together and decided to have a game night. We’re on our third round of Jenga, and I’ve already lost twice. I admit defeat, and as the others start stacking the little wooden blocks again, I go to answer the door. My eyes widen as I see who it is standing there.

“Lydia?”

She looks distraught. Her cheeks are red, and her eyes are swollen. I take a step toward her, but she wards me off. “Is James here?”

I shake my head. “No. What’s happened?” I ask in alarm.

Lydia doesn’t even seem to hear me. She pulls her phone out of her jacket pocket and dials a number, then holds it to her ear. Iwalk outside in my socks and grab her arm. I stare hard at her. “What’s happened?”

She just shakes her head.

“Cy? It’s me,” she says suddenly into the phone. “Is James with you?”

Cyril says something at the other end of the line, and relief spreads over her face. “Thank God.”

I can hear Cyril’s voice again but can’t make out the words. Whatever he’s saying, it makes Lydia’s expression darken again.

“OK. No, I’ll come.” He replies, and Lydia glances briefly at me. “Yes. See you in a bit.”

Once she’s hung up, she’s about to turn and run back to the car, where Percy is waiting. He’s leaning against it, looking just as worried, which makes me feel sick.

“Lydia, please tell me what’s happened,” I say abruptly.

She opens her mouth and shuts it again. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

I gesture to her to wait. Then I run back into the house, slip on my boots, grab my coat and the scarf Dad knitted for me. I call out to my family that I have to go out and take my key off the hook by the front door. As I go, I wrap my scarf around my neck. Lydia looks like she wants to stop me but just doesn’t have the strength.

She disappears into the car without another word. I say hello to Percy, who just nods to me, then get into the back too. Lydia is sitting in James’s usual place. Her eyes are glassy, and she’s fiddling with the hem of her red coat. I want to take her hand but don’t dare.

“The offer’s still open. If you want to talk, I mean,” I say quietly.

Lydia flinches as if I’d yelled at her. She looks up, and there are tears swimming in her eyes. Every second in her company makesme feel queasier. What can have happened to make her this distraught? I suddenly have a horrible thought. I glance at the ceiling. The little red light isn’t on, which means that Percy can’t hear us. I lean forward slightly.

“Is everything OK with the baby?” I whisper.

Lydia gives a panicked glance at the driver’s seat, but the screen is up too. Then she turns back to me. “Yes,” she says hoarsely. “At home, we had a…” She pauses and seems to be deciding how far she can trust me. “There was trouble.”

Given what James told me about his father last night, I can get a picture of what “trouble” might mean in the Beaufort house. I have goose bumps all over.

“Is James OK, Lydia?” I whisper, not able to suppress the panic in my voice.

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