Free Desperate Measures by Laura Summers

old. I don’t suppose you like puppies though . . .’
    ‘Oh yes . . . I love them,’ I said.
    Then Vicky came over. I don’t know why but the man got up and hurried out of the station and down the street. Vicky took my hand and pulled me towards the toilets.
    ‘But I’ve just been Vicky!’ I told her but she still rushed me in there.
    ‘I’m not a baby. I don’t need to go every two seconds,’ I told her.
    She didn’t take any notice. She just started filling up our drinks bottles from the tap. ‘You mustn’t talk to anyone, Re, not a word!’
    ‘You can’t tell me what to do – you’re not Mum. Anyway I was only doing a conversation. Mrs Edward says doing a conversation is a Life Skill.’
    ‘I don’t care what Mrs Edwards says!’
    ‘I’ll tell her you said that.’
    Vicky made a groaning noise. ‘Stuff Mrs Edwards,’ she said. ‘Come on. The train’ll be here any minute.’
    I was really cross with her. She was always bossing me around. I went back into one of the toilets and sat down on the seat.
    ‘Re!’ she yelled. ‘Come on.’
    I didn’t budge.
    ‘What’s the matter now?’
    ‘I’m not talking to you,’ I said. ‘And I’m not doing anything you say. So put that in your nuckets and smoke it.’

Chapter 20
    ‘Rhianna!’
    ‘I can’t hear you . . .’ She put her hands over her ears and started singing to herself. Something told me this wasn’t going to be easy.
    ‘Please, Rhianna, not now . . .’ She turned her back on me. Outside on the platform I could hear the tannoy announcing our train. What if Jamie got on and we were left here? I glanced through the open window and saw him right at the end of the crowded platform. He was too far away for me to call out without having to shout – we couldn’t afford to draw attention to ourselves.
    ‘Rhianna, you’ve got to come, right now. I mean it!’ I could hear my voice getting tighter and tighter, and her tuneless singing getting louder and louder. This wasn’t going to work. I looked through the window at Jamie againthen back to Re. She was so infuriating sometimes; I could throttle her. I knew I couldn’t force her out on to the platform – she was much bigger and stronger than me – and if I tried, she’d throw a wobbly. There was only one thing to do. It was going to be a gamble but I had no choice. I took a deep breath and fought hard to keep my voice sounding light and unconcerned.
    ‘OK, Re. You stay here. That’s fine. I’m going on the train with Jamie.’ I turned to go. ‘Bye, then . . .’
    The singing faltered slightly but I knew I had to call her bluff. I kept on going, desperately resisting the temptation to turn round. I forced my legs to walk through the door. Outside on the platform there were crowds of people waiting. The stationmaster was helping an old couple with their suitcases. I avoided his eye and sidled past him towards Jamie. The train pulled up and he eagerly bounded forward. I called to him to hang on but it was too late; he hadn’t heard and was already scrambling aboard.
    I rushed up to the train, my palms sweating and my heart pounding. I looked round. No sign of Re. Jamie appeared at the window inside one of the carriages and grinned.
    ‘Where’s Rhianna?’ he mouthed through the glass.
    I felt sick. The panic was rising. How could I have been so stupid to leave her on her own in that toilet? What was I thinking of and what on earth was I going to do now? I tried to motion to Jamie to get off the train but he thought I was telling him to put his bag on the luggage rack and turned away. People streamed around me but I was rootedto the spot. I just didn’t know what to do. Who should I go after – Re or Jamie? In a few more seconds the train doors would close, and the train would pull away, taking Jamie with it, but if I leapt on, it would mean leaving Re on her own and that didn’t bear thinking about. But would Jamie know what to do if the train went off without us? He wasn’t