Free The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson by Paige Toon Page A

saying no.
    I look down. ‘I couldn’t.’
    ‘Why not? What’s going on with you?’
    I’m not sure how much more of this secrecy I can bear. I’m dying to spill the beans. I make an impulsive decision. I’m sure Natalie won’t tell anyone.
    ‘OK . . .’ I lean in towards her. ‘I’ve just found out who my real dad is.’
    She frowns. ‘Oh. Wow.’ She sounds slightly deflated, like she was hoping for something better, and I realise that she has no idea how much I’ve wanted to know about him all these years. Why would she, when we don’t really talk about serious things? For some reason I picture Libby sitting opposite me and can’t help feeling a twinge of regret that she wasn’t the first person I told. Never mind, the next bit of my news is going to blow her away.
    ‘It’s Johnny Jefferson.’
    I fight the urge to laugh out loud at the look on her face. Obviously she thinks I’m taking the piss.
    ‘Good one,’ she says with a wry look, turning back to her lunch.
    ‘I’m not joking.’ I shake my head slowly.
    ‘Ha ha, very funny,’ she says sarcastically. ‘Have you really found out who your real dad is or were you joking about that, too?’
    ‘Natalie.’ I reach across the table and grasp her hand. ‘I’m honestly, honestly being serious. My mum was a Fence groupie when she was a teenager.’
    She rolls her eyes and extracts her hand.
    Bloody hell, she’s not going to believe me . . . ‘I’m serious!’ I exclaim. ‘Stu told me. I asked my mum time and time again who he was and she’d never tell me. Then she died.’ The smile falls from my face. Natalie still looks sceptical. She doesn’t say anything, too worried to look like a fool in case I’m teasing her. But I would never use my mum’s death to wind anyone up.
    ‘Why wouldn’t your mum have just told you the truth?’ she asks with narrowed eyes, holding back from showing any emotion. ‘I mean, if your dad is Johnny Jefferson ,’ she says in a comedy voice, ‘surely that’s big news.’
    ‘She didn’t want to lose me, Stu said. She thought I’d want to go and live with him, choose him over her. I mean, he’s a mega famous rock star.’ I shrug.
    She smirks and noisily slurps at the dregs of her drink. ‘You should be an actress,’ she says when she’s finished.
    ‘I am not joking!’ I say in a loud whisper. ‘Johnny Jefferson is my biological father. I’ve had to do a paternity test. I went to see his solicitor yesterday in London and he told me to keep quiet about it, so it’s actually pretty handy if you don’t believe me because I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone.’
    Something changes in her expression and I think she’s starting to come around. Then she cracks up laughing. She literally hoots with laughter, bordering on hysterical. ‘Are you serious?’ she asks again. She’s wearing false eyelashes today. They make her blue eyes look even bigger.
    ‘Yes!’ I sit back in my chair and grin at her. She lurches forwards and grabs my hand.
    ‘Johnny Jefferson is your dad? Your dad?’
    ‘Yes! Shh!’
    ‘Holy shit!’ she cries. I lean over and bat her across the head.
    ‘Keep it down, you nutcase. I don’t want anyone to hear us.’ But the coffee shop is bustling with people and they’re all nattering away, so I don’t think anyone is paying attention to two hysterical teenagers. I look back at Natalie. She’s still staring at me. I’m not sure if it’s in disbelief or if she’s just reeling from the truth. I hope it’s the latter because I’m sick of trying to convince her.
    ‘What a load of bollocks,’ she says suddenly with a wry grin, throwing the remnants of her lunch down and pushing her chair back. ‘I’ve got to get back to work.’ She stands up. ‘Glad you’re feeling better, though.’ She pats my arm and walks out of the coffee shop, shaking her head with bemusement.
    I stare after her with surprise. She still thinks I’m making it up. It makes me think about Libby