Free This Way to Paradise by Cathy Hopkins Page A

London. Tears pricked my eyes. I felt cross with Kate. She’d made me feel like I was a hanger-on. A clingy hanger-on.
This is all new to me and I didn’t exactly ask to come here either. She could have been more sensitive.
    I took my phone off the recharger and texted Erin.
    WethR is luvly. rly
rly
rly rly wsh U wre hre.

Chapter 8
Exploring

    â€˜Sorry about yesterday,’ said Kate the next morning. ‘Let’s go and get some brekkie and I’ll show you what to avoid.’
    â€˜It’s OK. I’ll be fine,’ I said. ‘You don’t have to.’
    Kate raised an eyebrow. ‘Ah. I’m in the doghouse. Understandable. I am a cow. Hmm. A cow in the doghouse? Hmm.’ She got down on her knees and put her palms together.‘I, Kate, do beg your forgiveness. Please let me make it up to you today or my soul shall be tossed into a cesspool of pig poo and I shall be tormented forever.’
    I couldn’t stay mad at her for long, so I smiled back at her. ‘Thou art forgiven, oh cow girl in the doghouse in pig poo. But really, Kate, if you want to go off on your own then do. I’m cool,’ I said. Although I wanted to hang out with her, no waydid I want to follow her round if I wasn’t wanted.
    Kate got up off the floor and sat back on her bed. ‘I know you’re cool. It’s just . . . I dunno, I get mad with my mum sometimes and have to get away and get my head together. It’s, like, one day she’s all concerned mother and where have I been and who with and what doing? And then she’s so busy with all her businesses, she hardly notices that I exist.’
    â€˜Tell me about it,’ I said.‘She sounds like my dad lately. In fact, I think he only liked me when I was little and cute and used to follow him around everywhere. Now I’ve grown up, I’m not sure he even likes me any more.’
    Kate nodded. ‘Yeah. Like, sometimes I just wish Mum’d be consistent so that I knew what to expect. Do you get me? Anyway. Boring me stuff. Yada yada yada yawn. So. OK, plan is, humour Mommie dearest and then get the hell out of this loserville as fast as possible. I mean, have you seen some of the saddos and what they get up to?’ She went into a great mimic of some of the people doing the strange singing I’d witnessed yesterday. ‘I mean, get a life. Someone tried to give me a hug yesterday in the snack bar. Like, ee-ew, I thought. Do I know you? Do I, like, want to
hug
you? A lot of touchie-feelie spewie stuff goes on here and, quite honestly, it makes me want to hurl.’
    I had to laugh. ‘Aw and I was going to ask you for a hug too. Come on, Kate, you have learn to share and care.’
    â€˜Back off, lezzer,’ said Kate with a grin. ‘Only people I hug are fit boys and even they have to earn it. So, how do you fancygrabbing a bite of brekkie, then we head down to town and the beach? I’ve OK’d it with Mum. She thinks you ought to get a feel of where you are and see some of the surrounding locations.’
    â€˜Really? Great. Cool,’ I said. I felt relieved that I’d have someone to hang out with and go to the food area with, after last night’s supper. Aunt Sarah had collected me, early evening, to go to eat with her and a bunch of people on the main long table. They all clearly knew each other well and, although I tried to join in, I couldn’t help feeling like the odd person out. Like I was standing outside myself, watching myself, wondering where or how I could fit in. A tall thin guy with dark hair in a pony tail was serving food and seemed to notice my discomfort. He looked about Kate’s age and gave me a friendly smile and introduced himself as Liam Payne. He asked if I wanted to join him and his group on their table after supper. I shook my head and hoped that I didn’t appear unfriendly. It was just that the group he pointed out, like everyone else there,