Burning Bright by Sophie McKenzie Read Free Book Online Page B

towards her, a low growl in his throat.
    ‘No.’ I grabbed his arm. ‘There’s no point.’
    I threw an angry look at Mum, then tugged him outside. We stomped away down the path.
    ‘Can you believe she said that?’ Flynn shouted – his voice deep and loud above the fierce hiss of the wind. ‘She more or less accused me of being a thief – just
like they did at school.’
    He yelled the whole way to the park, and was still mouthing off about it when I dragged him across the grass to the bench outside the little café where we’d met on our first date a
few months ago.
    ‘How dare your mum say all that,’ he hissed as we sat down. ‘She’s got no idea.’
    I shifted uneasily on the bench. It was one thing for me to criticise Mum. But, even though I thought Flynn was right, I didn’t like him talking about her like that.
    ‘She’s just worried about me,’ I said.
    ‘Don’t defend her,’ Flynn said. ‘She’s punishing you for how you feel.’
    ‘No, it’s because I lied to her . . .’
    ‘No way. She just doesn’t like the fact that she can’t control what you do anymore, so she’s latching onto rumours she’s heard about me instead of listening to what
you
say about me.’ He paused. ‘Stupid cow.’
    ‘Stop it,’ I said. ‘How would you like it if I talked about your mum like that?’
    ‘My mum
isn’t
like that.’ He stared at me, outraged. ‘I can’t believe you can even compare . . .’
    ‘That’s not the point,’ I said, my voice rising along with my temper. ‘The point is that you’re only thinking about yourself. You’re just like those horrible
men at Goldbar’s, only thinking about how something affects you. Not caring what it’s like for me. Standing there, while those guys laughed at me. Just like with Mum
when—’
    ‘I didn’t ask you to come to Goldbar’s,’ Flynn said. ‘And it was
me
they were laughing at.’
    ‘They were disgusting,’ I said, wiping away the tears that pricked at my eyes.
    ‘They’re just guys, Riv,’ Flynn said exasperatedly. ‘They—’
    ‘They were total idiots. Acting like they’d never seen a girl before. Have any of them even got girlfriends?’
    ‘Of course,’ Flynn frowned. ‘Sure they do. They were just taking the mickey out of me. It’s what it’s like there. I—’
    ‘Why d’you go there then?’ My voice was coming out all broken up, the tears impossible to hold back any longer. ‘Or is it where you really belong? With the other
idiots?’
    I spun on my heel and stormed off to the opposite corner of the park. I hugged my jacket around me. How could Flynn and I have been so close, inside that perfect moment, less than twenty-four
hours ago? And now like this? I wandered among the trees for a few minutes. I was so cold and so miserable. I hated fighting with Flynn. I wasn’t even sure what we were fighting about
anymore.
    The wind was whipping through the trees and my tears were freezing on my face as I wandered back to the bench where I’d left Flynn. He was still sitting there, two plastic cups of tea
beside him on the bench. He looked up as I walked over.
    I stared at the tea. ‘How did you know I’d be back?’
    He shrugged. ‘I was going to drink yours if you didn’t show up soon.’ A small smile flickered across his face. ‘Just cos we’re going to argue, doesn’t mean we
have to freeze to death.’
    I picked up one of the plastic cups. It felt warm in my cold hand. I sat down and leaned against him, all the fight seeping out of me. Flynn put his arm round me. We sat there for a while, just
sipping at the tea.
    ‘Why does nobody else see it?’ I murmured.
    ‘See what?’ I could hear the smile in his voice as he kissed my hair.
    I tilted my face up to his. ‘How awesome what we have is,’ I said.
    ‘They’re freakin’ idiots,’ Flynn said. His eyes were all soft, dark green like the leaves above his head. He stroked my cheek. ‘I love you so much,’ he
whispered. ‘I’m sorry I