Free Girl Online: On Tour by Zoe Sugg Page A

stronger than I was last year, and I want to remain that way.
    I stand up and hug Tom from behind as he taps away at his computer, changing the last of my log-in details. “Thanks, bro. I love you.”
    He pats my arms. “I’m proud of you for not freaking out, Penny.” He spins round in his chair. “And be careful in Europe. If anything happens, I’ll be on the first plane out.”
    “I know.” As I leave, I take a deep breath and finally feel like I am actually going. And I can’t wait.
    •  •  •
    When Noah picks me up the next morning, my adrenaline is still running high from the previous night. I tell him all about TheRealTruth and he doesn’t even flinch. Instead, he grabs my hand.
    “Remember what I said, Autumn Girl. I’m here for you. Sounds like you and Tom got things sorted, but if anything else from this creep comes up we’ll face it together. You and me against the world, all right?”
    “All right,” I say, and my heart lifts as I realize that whoever is trying to . . . blackmail me? Scare me? Trigger my anxiety? Whatever it is they’re trying to do, I won’t have to face it alone. If anything, our chat about TheRealTruth ends up being a welcome distraction from the short plane journey because, before I know it, we’ve landed and Noah is taking my hand and escorting me through the airport, into the car park, and up to the tour bus.
    It is just as I had imagined: a great big black bus, with huge, tinted windows. It’s super shiny and swish. Noah’s face is lit up with excitement and he squeezes my hand so tight I feel my bones crush together.
    “This is really happening, Pen! Look at this absolute beauty.” He skips ahead and stands in front of it, attempting to take a tour-bus selfie—but of course he only manages to get his face and a tiny bit of black behind him.
    “Let me take it, you doofus.” I snatch the phone from his hand and take a much better shot with his arms outstretched and the bus behind him.
    Larry pops his head out of the door and waves us in. “Oh, good. You’re here!” he says. As we step inside, I realize how much of a boys’ paradise this is. There are several mini fridges, games consoles, and TV screens everywhere. The rest of Noah’s band starts filing in and, surprisingly, I don’t feel claustrophobic. It’s a lot roomier than I could ever have expected. There are two sofa areas, a small kitchen, a shower with a toilet, and at the back of the bus there are a few caravan-style beds in case anyone feels the need for a quick snooze.
    I feel a hand slide behind my back and a husky voice in my ear.
    “Wanna play?” I turn to see Blake gesturing towards the Xbox.
    “Oh, I’m not very good really!” I say modestly, although secretly I’m an absolute whiz at Sonic the Hedgehog and Mario Kart . Having an older brother means that the majority of the time I’ve spent bonding with him has been over lengthy gaming sessions. A lot of my fondest memories withTom are of the days and weeks we used to spend trying to complete various games together, snacking on handfuls of cereal and leaving the room only for the occasional toilet break.
    What is he doing right now? That’s not hard—he’s probably on his computer, playing Halo. I bet Mum is cleaning the kitchen, wearing her dusting shoes, flapping around with a feather duster and singing along to eighties classics. My dad, on the other hand, is probably playing solitaire on his computer, or pretending to do the crossword in the paper. He never does them properly; he just tries to think of the most immature words he can to fill the spaces, then leaves the crossword out for my mum to find on one of her cleaning sprees. She will usually laugh uncontrollably and they’ll end up smooching like teenagers in a heap on the sofa. I shudder and quickly snap out of my daydreaming.
    “That’s not true, Penny!” Noah laughs. “I seem to remember you kicking my butt at Mario Kart last time I saw you!”
    “Aha! I