Free More Flirting Games (The Flirting Series - Young Adult) by Stella Wilkinson Page A

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Christmas back home was awful. Mum was always crying and I had forgotten how
much they argued and how wrecked the house was. On Christmas Day, Dad was
totally plastered and I think my mum had had enough. She made me pack a bag and
then she hugged me and told me to go to the Flanagan’s house and ask if I could
stay the night.
    “When I got
there I was really upset and told them everything. Mr Flanagan went straight to
our house. But he was too late. By the time he got there, Mum had taken the car
and gone. She drove it into a wall and was killed instantly.” Diana stopped
with a sob.
    Rose was
open mouthed in horror. “Diana I’m so sorry! I had no idea!” She felt acutely
ashamed of the way she had treated Diana. Rose had never had to deal with
anything like that. She had an amazing, happy family, who loved her; no wonder
Diana hadn’t liked her! She wondered if Diana blamed her for any of it, but
didn’t know how to ask.
    “I didn’t
want anyone to know.” Diana took a deep breath and continued. “Mum’s death was
officially recorded as an accident, but Dad holds himself responsible. Now he’s
trying really hard to stay sober. But he never manages it at Christmas. In my
second year we spent Christmas at the Flanagans’, but that made him worse,
somehow. I think he prefers to wallow alone, so now I stay at school. He’s ok
in the other holidays.
    “The Flanagans
have been really good to me. They cover for him a lot and look out for him and
check on us all the time during the summer. It drives my dad mad sometimes, so
mostly they send Leo over to visit. Leo has been great, he was such a good
friend after my mum died and he’s really good at dealing with my dad if he’s
had one too many. Anyway, I don’t need to go into all that…”
    Diana
trailed off and fidgeted with the bedspread. Not quite meeting Rose’s eyes she
said “But none of that properly explains why I have been so unfriendly does
it.”
    Rose put
her hand over Diana’s fretful fingers to stop them shredding the sheet.
    “Yes it
does. I totally understand.”
    “You do?”
Diana looked relieved.
    “Yes, my
background is the total opposite of yours, I’ve been really lucky. I’m so sorry
that my parents were involved in sending your mothers godfather to prison. Do
you really think it triggered her depression?” Rose asked nervously.
    Diana
emphatically shook her head. “I don’t blame them, it was just one more reason.”
    “Ok, but I
can see why you didn’t like me, and I can see why you and Leo are so close, and
I threatened that.” Rose felt awful.
    Diana
sighed. “I shouldn’t have made you the enemy Rose, and it all happened five
years ago now, but if you and Leo get together I’m going to feel even more
alone.”
    Rose
squeezed Diana’s hand tightly. “You’re not going to be alone! I’m going to be
your friend as well, whether you like it or not. And so are Sophie and Grace.”
    Diana
pulled her hand away. “I don’t want your pity, I just thought you should know
the full story so you would understand why Leo stopped talking to you when I
asked him to. And, I really don’t want Sophie and Grace to know all this, but I
expect you’ll tell them anyway!”
    “It’s not
pity, you wally!” Said Rose. “I really do think we could be friends, after all,
we have to share a room for another year and a half. I won’t need to tell the
girls anything if you don’t want me to, they have always been ready to be
friends with you if you’d just let them.”
    “Oh.” Diana
blinked a few times. “You can tell Alex if you like. I trust him not to say
anything.”
    “No, he
never would, but why Alex? You don’t even know him. Why would you trust him?”
Rose thought Diana blushed a little but her hair was hiding her face again.
    Interesting! Thought Rose. Out loud she said
“Well, if Leo and I can work this out, then maybe the four of us could go to
Oakworth Village together at the weekend?”
    Diana
smiled.