Eva's Holiday by Judi Curtin Read Free Book Online

don’t have to worry about me. I’m tough.’
    But something in the way she said it, made me realise that, despite her fierce look, she wasn’t tough at all.
    ‘Anyway,’ said Kate brightly. ‘Enough about me. What do you want? Why were you calling for me?’
    I gulped.
    The way Kate had reacted had made me forget all about why I was there, but now I was more sure than ever that I had to keep her away frommy real friend.
    ‘Er … I came to say that my friend, Victoria, is coming for the afternoon tomorrow.’
    Kate grinned. ‘That’s great news. You probably miss her. We can show her the Island of Dreams if you like. I don’t mind sharing it as long as she’s a friend of yours. We won’t mention Jeremy, though, if you think she won’t get it. And we can show her where the wild strawberries grow – but you have to make her promise not to tell anyone.’ Kate looked up and saw my face.
    ‘Oh,’ she said. ‘I’ve got this wrong, haven’t I?’
    I nodded slowly.
    ‘Don’t worry, Eva,’ she said. ‘I understand.’
    I was beginning to feel really happy, before she continued.
    ‘I guess your friend isn’t into that kind of thing. That’s OK, though, there’s loads of other stuff we can do. We could go to the beach, or we could ……’
    ‘Er, Kate ……,’ I began.
    She looked up again and her smile vanished.
    ‘You don’t want me hanging around while your friend is here, do you?’ she said.
    ‘I…….’ I began, but couldn’t think how to go on.
    ‘It’s OK,’ she said. ‘I know how you feel. You’re ashamed of me.’
    ‘It’s not like that,’ I protested, even though she was right. I felt awful, as a mixture of guilt and relief washed over me.
    ‘I don’t mind,’ said Kate. ‘I understand. I’d probably do the same if I were you. Anyway, I’m very busy tomorrow. Martha wants me to do some jobs for her. Even if you wanted to spend time with me, I probably wouldn’t be able to.’
    I knew she was lying, but I didn’t argue.
    Kate gave a sad smile. ‘Have a nice day with your friend.’
    I wondered if my guilty conscience would let me enjoy a single second of my time with Victoria.
    ‘We can hang out the day after tomorrow, if you like,’ I said, feeling like a snake.
    ‘That sounds good. I’ll call for you in the morning, OK?’
    I nodded, and Kate walked slowly away.
    I watched her go.
    She’d solved my problem for me, but why did I feel like this was the meanest thing I’d ever done in my entire life?

Chapter Thirteen
    I got up early the next morning, and it seemed like ages before Victoria arrived. I was totally bored. I wished I could hang out with Kate for a while, but I knew that wasn’t a good idea.
    Mum persuaded me to play Monopoly with Joey. It was so boring that I kept robbing the bank to give him extra money so that he’d win and put me out of my misery. He caught me though, and insisted that we go back and start the whole thing again. I wondered for the hundredth time why I’d ever dreamed of having a little brother or sister.
    Every few minutes, I jumped up and lookedout the window.
    Why wasn’t Victoria here?
    I texted her heaps of times, but she never replied.
    Why didn’t she ring me?
    Had something more exciting come up, and had she changed her mind about coming to visit me?
    At last I heard the sound of a car and I raced out to greet my friend.
    ‘Omigod! You’re here at last,’ I said.
    Victoria’s mum laughed.
    ‘It’s only been a few days,’ she said, but Victoria and I were too busy hugging to answer her.
    Victoria’s mum arranged to be back at five, and then she set off for her friend’s house.
    Victoria followed me inside. She gazed around the room.
    ‘I know,’ I said. ‘It’s a dump. You’ll get used to it after a while.’
    She shook her head. ‘It’s not a dump. It’s …quaint, and kind of cute.’
    I tried to see it through her eyes, but failed.
    ‘Why didn’t you ring me this morning like you said you would?’ I