Free Unspeakable by Abbie Rushton Page B

Jasmine about his football coach.
    I gently peel the Post-it from Luke’s back. I thought I was being subtle, but he whips round and asks what I’m doing. I squeeze the note into a ball. I hope it hasn’t been there all day.
    ‘Nothing,’ Jasmine says quickly. ‘Just some grass on your back.’
    Luke glares at my fist. ‘Let me see it. I knew something was up today. Those bastards!’
    I shake my head.
    ‘Give it to me, Megan,’ he demands.
    I shake my head again.
    Luke grabs my hand and roughly prises it open. He turns away from us to read it, then lets out a growl of frustration and thumps the seat in front.
    Jasmine bites her lip.
    Luke takes some deep breaths, like he’s trying not to lose it.
    I wait a few minutes, then give his shoulder a squeeze. He flinches away. I clamber over Jasmine and sit next to him.
    They’re not worth it , I write.
    Luke gives me a half-smile. ‘Thanks for trying to get it off. You’re not very stealthy though!’
    I gasp. I’m a champion of stealth! I write. You must have Spider-Man senses!
    I get a proper smile this time. ‘Yeah, that’s me. Spider-Man!’
    I have an idea. It’s impulsive, spur-of-the-moment. So not a Megan idea – which makes me like it even more. Do you fancy going out for food tonight? I scribble. We could try that new place in Lyndhurst, Carino’s .
    Luke turns an alarming shade of crimson. ‘Yeah, I’d love to!’
    I stand up and wave my notepad at Jasmine, pointing to what I’ve just written. ‘That’s a genius idea!’ she says.
    When I turn back to Luke, he’s gone all quiet again, and won’t look at me. And Mum thinks my mood swings are bad! There are a couple of minutes of silence, then Jasmine has us both laughing at a pretty good impression of Mrs Austin, complete with the long, wobbly neck.
    After the bus has dropped us off, I make a detour to the café to beg some money from Mum. Her lips tighten, but she says, ‘Go on, then. I’ll only spend it on fags. Twenty quid do?’
    I shake my head and take ten. I’ll make it last.
    Luke’s in Brookby tonight. His parents are separated. Some nights he stays with his dad in the next village, Ashworth, and others he’s with his mum, Sandra. He doesn’t talk about his dad much, but I get the impression he doesn’t like going over there. I think he only does because his dad has shared custody of Simon, and Luke’s fairly protective of his little brother.
    Luke texts to let us know his mum can bring us home afterwards, and we arrange to meet at the war memorial to catch the bus into town.
    Carino’s is a really cool place with a chilled-out atmosphere and great music. Our gangly waiter seems quite taken with Jasmine, and we get free garlic bread to share. When he bringsit, the waiter makes some rubbish joke about Luke getting all the girls. I think he’s fishing to find out if Jasmine is available.
    ‘We’re all just friends,’ Jasmine says sweetly. When Luke looks down at the menu, she arches an eyebrow at me, but I pretend not to notice.
    Luke tries to prove his manliness by scoffing an ‘inferno’ pizza, but he ends up sweating and having to order a not-so-manly milkshake to soothe his mouth.
    ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s fine,’ Jasmine says, taking a massive bite of Luke’s abandoned meal. Luke gives her a really cold look for stealing from his plate, but seconds later, when she’s coughing and spitting into a napkin, he and I are both cracking up.
    Jasmine declares that she wants to practise some accents for her Drama project. They range from an appalling Scouse, which sounds more like Scottish, to a passable American. She plays games with the besotted waiter, who has absolutely no idea that, every time she speaks to him, she’s trying out a different one. I can’t look at her, or I’ll just collapse into laughter.
    As we’re leaving, the waiter tells Jasmine she has a lovely voice and asks where she’s from. We have to rush outside, where we