Page 39 of A Merry Little Christmas
I smiled, recalling how awkward it had felt being twelve, in the first year at secondary school... when you were on the cusp of becoming a teenager. I’d been shy at school and rubbish at sport, neither of which had been a great help in the popularity stakes. But I’d had a couple of close friends, who were just as geeky as me. And at least I hadn’t suffered at the hands of any nasty bullies.
‘The perfect colour,’ I smiled, taking the mug Will held out to me. He hadn’t made a drink for himself. He was just being the perfect host. All credit to Penny and Tom for bringing him up to be so kind and considerate.
He pointed upstairs. ‘I’ll just . . .’
‘Finish your homework. Of course.’ I took a sip of the tea. ‘You make a great cuppa!’ I called after him, but he’d already disappeared into his bedroom.
I returned to the sofa with my tea, placing the mug on the side table and picking up the magazine. But after trying to get into a feature about eyebrows, I found my attention wandering inevitably to Caleb, wondering what he was doing.
I didn’t envy Penny and her ‘first date’. It was always nerve-racking, meeting someone new. But maybe I’d have to join her soon in her hunt for the ‘perfect man’?
I swallowed hard. I thought I’d found him in Caleb but the emotional distance between us these days was making me question everything. It was so confusing how you could be happily in love one moment and then suddenly find yourself on such shaky ground the next...
Distracted by a sound from upstairs, I went to the foot of the stairs to listen.
Standing there, I realised to my surprise that it was Will, singing in the privacy of his room. I recognised the song from Shrek the Musical and I smiled to myself as I cocked my head to hear better. Maisie was right. Will really did have a good voice.
When he came down for a snack a little later, I took my mug through to the kitchen and washed it up, saying casually, ‘How’s the boy who had his appendix out? Ryan, wasn’t it?’
He looked up from making his peanut butter and jam sandwich. ‘Um... yeah. Ryan. He’s okay.’
‘I bet he was in agony, the poor boy.’
He nodded. ‘He got his Xbox early. With two extra games. He didn’t have to wait for Christmas.’
I suppressed a smile at the trace of envy in Will’s voice. ‘Very nice. I guess there aresomeadvantages to being in extreme pain, then.’
Will gave a hesitant grin as he picked up his plate and headed for the door.
‘I heard you singing earlier and you’re really good.’
He glanced down at his feet, blushing furiously at the praise. He was clearly desperate to escape the nosey babysitter’s questions and run back upstairs. But a maturity beyond his years was keeping him standing there because it was rude not to engage in conversation with grown-ups!
‘You don’t fancy auditioning for the main part in the show?’
‘No way.’
‘Why not?’
He shrugged and frowned at the floor, rubbing at a scuff mark with his foot. ‘We already know who’s going to get it,’ he mumbled, looking up.
‘It might still be worth offering to audition? It would be a shame to waste a voice like yours.’ I paused. ‘Plus, it would be quite nice getting one up on that Lewis Hatcher guy.’
Will gave a useless shrug that tore at my heart.
‘Bullies like Lewis Hatcher are just cowards, really. They don’t like it when someone stands up to them because they lose their power.’
He gave a heavy sigh and abandoned his sandwich plate on the counter. Then he leaned with his chin on his hands on the edge of the kitchen sink and stared forlornly out of the window. He looked so defeated I really wanted to give him a hug and tell him it would be all right. But knowing that would go down like a fart in a lift, I stayed right where I was.
‘Bullies act like they’re shining a spotlight on you, but really they’re just scared of the dark behind them,’ I murmured, remembering something my Granny Olga was fond of saying.
Will turned and stood up straight at that, staring at me curiously. ‘You think Lewis is afraid of the dark?’
I nodded. ‘It might not be thedarkhe’s scared of, but some kind of fear will be at the root of his thuggish behaviour. Maybe he’s scared his gang might not like him anymore if he drops the fake tough guy image.’
Will frowned, thinking about this, and I picked up a tea towel to dry my mug. The big kitchen clock on the wall clunked the seconds.
At last, he broke the silence. ‘Lewis said I’d be really sorry if I auditioned for Ryan’s part.’
