Dare You by Sue Lawson Read Free Book Online Page A

there’s more to it than that. He’s easy to talk to and he doesn’t whinge, not like Ruby. Khaden gets me.
    Great, Maddie and Eliza are fighting in the kitchen, and it sounds like a good one. Something shattered, probably a glass or plate. Now Eliza is wailing. Looks like it’s a job for super-slave...
    ARRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!
    As if my life wasn’t bad enough, now it’s completely down the toilet. Maddie and Eliza were fighting over milk—yes, milk—so I did the only sisterly thing I could. I cracked it with both of them. After they’d stormed offto their rooms, Grace and I walked up to the convenience store to buy more milk. Problem solved, or so I thought.
    When Grace and I returned with two litres of milk and a lollypop each, Maddie and Eliza were best buddies again, sitting on Eliza’s bed, laughing. At first I thought, cool—they’re over it, but then I saw what they were reading.
    Notice the fingerprints, the creased pages, the VIOLATION oozing off these pages?
    They were reading and laughing at MY JOURNAL, and that’s not the worst of it. They were laughing at the stuff I’d just written about Khaden.
    Guess who walked in the front door when I was going off my head? Yep, Mum. And would she listen to my explanation? No. She yelled at ME.
    ‘Sarah, I expect you to be more mature ... It’s not like they broke anything ... Blah, blah, blah.’
    Of all the sucky, awful things to happen, this is the suckiest. And it’s all Dad’s fault. If he hadn’t lied and stuffed everything up, I’d have told him about Khaden instead of writing it down.
    Since I chucked my own mental at Mum about privacy and violation of my rights, I’ve been out in the cubby, writing by torchlight. I’ve been out here for an hour and I’m still furious.
    No way am I going back in there until Eliza is asleep, though dead would be better.
    Just my luck I’ll get frostbite and my toes will drop off.
IM Chat
    Sas: Want to hang out 2morrow?
    Ruby: What? No babysitting?
    Sas: Nah! Mum home today. FREE!
    Khaden: Gonna be hot. Pool?
    Ruby: Have to work til noon
    Sas: So, come after work
    Khaden: Yeah, suck it up, Ruby;) Come by yr place at 10, Sas?
    Sas: Cool!
    Ruby: K. C u after work

Ruby
    After work I grabbed a roll at the bakery and rode to the pool. As I walked out of the change room and into the sunshine, the smell of chlorine and wet cement filled my nostrils. The aqua water rippled against the tiles and the orange lane-ropes running the length of the pool separating lap swimmers from squealing and splashing people.
    Sas was lying on her towel under an elm tree, laughing. Khaden lay on his side facing her, his back to me.
    ‘Hey guys,’ I said when I reached them. ‘Cool boardies, Sas.’
    For the first time in ages, she looked happy to see me. ‘Ruby-red! Do you like them? Mum and I went to Chadstone last night and bought these, two new tops, a strapless dress and shorts. Actually, I’m not sure if they are long shorts or short pants. Anyway, they’re cool.’
    ‘No way would my mum take me clothes shopping thisclose to Christmas.’ I dumped my bag, shook out my towel and laid it on the grass beside her.
    ‘Dad sent money.’ Something about the way she spoke warned me not to ask about him.
    ‘So how was work, Ruby?’ asked Khaden.
    ‘Borrrrinnng. Jessie, “yes-Mr-Wu-no-Mr-Wu” Hyland worked the registers, so I had to polish and stack apples all morning. As fast as I stacked, some idiot would buy them and Mr Wu would do his restock-dance, stamping and flicking his hand. Makes me feel like a slave.’ I sighed. ‘I blame my idiot father.’ I slipped on my sunglasses and checked my tankini top was covering what it was meant to. Last year’s boardies looked dull compared to Sas’s new pair.
    ‘So it’s your dad’s fault people bought apples?’ asked Khaden.
    ‘No, stupid,’ said Sas, play-slapping Khaden’s arm. ‘Remember? He made Ruby take the job.’
    ‘And insisted I turn down the one at the cinema.