Free Invisible by Barbara Copperthwaite Page A

They were suddenly very
busy. ‘Well, the thing is…you’re right!’
    Definitely nervous – she
said this last bit inappropriately brightly, like a magician’s assistant saying
‘ta-da’, her voice going right up. She seemed to realise and cleared her throat
before carrying on. ‘Thing is we didn’t go to Salzburg, and we are being funny
with you, for a reason. Because we hate Daryl.’
    I blinked. I took a deep
breath in, heart thumping as I tried to comprehend, and then huffed the air out. And smiled. ‘This is a joke, right?’ I
looked from one to the other and back again, still smiling. They weren’t
laughing. No surprise there, it wasn’t a funny joke.
    Hannah glanced at Amy for
reassurance, then looked me right in the eye and carried on, her hands in full
flow. ‘A few months back, back in January, we popped round to see if you
fancied going shopping with us. He made us feel really uncomfortable.’
    ‘Really
uncomfortable?’ I repeated slowly. My heart was banging
against my chest now, like I’d run a marathon, and I felt so shaky from the
cold or the adrenaline, I’m not sure, that I sank down onto the sofa.
    All kinds of things were
running through my mind, wondering what the hell he’d said or done. Perhaps
he’d got bored of me and decided to try it on with them. I mean, he’d said the
other day, and I quote, ‘That Kim is a bit of all right. I would.’ Perhaps it
wasn’t just her that ‘he would’, perhaps it was all my
friends. Suddenly I felt a bit sick.
    ‘Tell me exactly what
happened.’ I hadn’t meant to whisper but that was all the sound I seemed able
to muster.
    ‘We came over and asked for
you. Daryl invited us in, told us that you shouldn’t be too long because you’d
just nipped to the supermarket. He said we should wait for you, offered us a
cup of coffee…’ said Hannah. ‘Then, as we sat on the sofa, we got talking and
suddenly he…he gave me this look.’
    A
look.
    ‘This,
this, this terrible look. There was just a terrible
atmosphere. He gave this knowing sort of look, like he was thinking something
terrible, like he was capable of doing something terrible,’ she plunged on,
running her hands through her pixie crop. She used the word terrible a lot –
clearly her vocabulary is…terrible.
    Amy agreed. ‘Honestly, I know
it sounds over the top, but you weren’t there. The atmosphere…’ she shuddered. I
was tempted to ask if it was terrible, but I couldn’t seem to speak or move, I
was locked in place as I listened to her continue. ‘I just wanted to get the
hell out of there as quickly as possible. He said we could wait for you but no
way was I going to. I was scared.’
    That’s when the anger
exploded. ‘Scared?! You were scared of…a look? An indescribable yet “terrible” look?’ I shouted, ignoring
the razor blades that seemed to score at my swollen tonsils. ‘He made you feel
uncomfortable. Good grief, have you any idea how petty and ridiculous you sound.
What did you think he was going to do, leap on you and ravage you? Hold you
hostage? Slit your throat?’
    ‘You weren’t there,’ said Hannah.
    ‘No, but I’m here now,
hoping you can offer me something more than this. Christ, you’ve got in a moody
with me because I wasn’t in when you deigned to come and see me; that’s what’s
put your nose out of joint. If you were genuinely so scared you could have told
me this crap weeks ago but instead you’ve waited and
waited – and you know why? Because it’s a nothing, a
nonsense. You just always have to be in control of our friendship, be Little Miss Popularity bestowing your friendship on me.
Well I don’t want your friendship. Stuff you!’
    I gave it to her with both
barrels. She stepped back from me, amazed that I’ve
finally stood up to her because we have never, ever had a row before as I
always just go along with what she wants, for an easier life.   Ever since school she has been the one in
charge, and she hasn’t been