Free Unseen Things Above by Catherine Fox

thundering.
    â€˜Wanker!’ shouts little Jessica Rogers from the back of the car.
    â€˜ What did you say?’ demands Martin.
    There’s a silence. The Porsche snarls off into the distance, a finger flourished aloft through the open roof.
    â€˜That’s what Mummy always says when someone’s driving badly,’ explains Leah. ‘She says “wanker”.’
    â€˜I see,’ says Martin. ‘Well, it’s something we try not to say.’
    â€˜Why?’ asks Leah. ‘What does wanker mean?’
    â€˜It’s . . . like idiot, only ruder.’
    â€˜Yes, but what does it mean ?’ persists Leah. ‘What’s a wanker? Wanker, wanker, wanker.’
    â€˜Wanker, wanker, wanker!’ sings Jess.
    â€˜Just – will you stop saying it! Both of you!’ snaps Martin. ‘It’s a bad word, and I don’t want to hear you using it.’
    â€˜But Mummy says wanker.’
    â€˜I’m warning you, Leah.’
    They are going to Chester Zoo. It is just possible that Daddy might explode – That’s it! No zoo for anybody! – and turn the car round and drive them straight back home.
    Leah mouths it at the back of Daddy’s head for the next mile.
    â€˜It means “con-tempt-ible per-son”,’ reads Jessica.
    â€˜STOP USING MY PHONE!’ shouts Martin.
    Dreadful silence. Leah hugs herself with glee. For once Jess is in trouble. YES!! It’s even worth not going to the zoo!
    â€˜You’ll make yourself car-sick,’ he adds in a calmer voice. ‘Put it away, please.’
    Leah thinks about whispering to Jess, it means a boy rubbing his willy. But then Jess will tell on her and Leah will get in trouble. Daddy will be Very Disappointed.
    Oh, boo-hoo, Daddy’s disappointed! Who even cares?
    But Leah does care. She tries to imagine that just for once Daddy says, ‘Well done, Leah.’ But even thinking about that makes her nearly cry. He should stop being disappointed if he wants her to be good! It’s his fault. Because sometimes when he’s Very Disappointed she accidentally hears a lie coming out of her mouth before she can help herself: ‘It wasn’t me, it was her .’ ‘It was him .’
    And then she can’t stop the consequences. It’s like the sorcerer’s apprentice, when he casts a spell and it gets out of control. Leah can’t bear to watch that bit of Fantasia . The bit where Mickey Mouse chops up the broomstick, and he thinks it’s all over, only then the bits of broomstick all come to life and turn into more broomsticks. Hundreds of broomsticks all carrying buckets of water! Even though she knows the sorcerer will appear and put everything right in the end, Leah can’t bear to watch it.
    It’s just, why does everyone always like Jess best? It’s like Jess is the class hamster and Leah is the class stick insect, and everyone in class always wants to take Hammy out of his cage and play with him because he’s so-o-o-o cute. But they’re all, ew, gross! with the stick insect.
    To be fair, stick insects are totally boring.
    But if Freddie had been nice to her that time, instead of always playing with Jess and her stupid Barbie, then Leah would never’ve told that fib. It was Freddie’s own fault. He only had himself to blame. He had to learn.
    Anyway, he’s moved away now so she won’t ever have to see him again. Plus she never got into trouble about it. She never got found out. (Mummy doesn’t count.) Daddy never said, ‘Why did you lie to me about Freddie? Why did you tell me a pack of lies, Leah? I’m Very Disappointed in you.’ So it’s all OK. It’s not like she even cares about it any more.
    â€˜Leah, will you stop kicking the back of my seat, please. It’s very distracting when I’m driving.’
    Martin is not enjoying his bank holiday, either. He has enough on his plate, frankly, without