Four Doors Down by Emma Doherty Read Free Book Online

out of school?
    He takes a deep breath. “Look, I just wanted to say thank you for before, in English. I was about to lose it and I know you jumped up like that to get everyone to stop looking at me.”
    I consider denying it, playing it down but honestly what’s the point when he already knows. “Don’t worry about it.” I pause. “Ryan, I’m so sorry about Granny Susie. She was a really great person.”
    He smiles sadly. “Yeah, she was.”
    “She made the best brownies out of anyone ever.”
    He laughs softly at this. “They were pretty awesome.”
    We stand there awkwardly; I have no idea what to say. He looks around the empty parking lot but makes no move to go. “What are you doing tonight?” he asks suddenly.
    “Me? I’m going to a movie with Charlie.”
    He nods and looks at the ground.
    “What are you doing?” I continue. “Staying home and spending time with your parents? Your mom must be devastated.”
    “No, they went up to San Fran this morning to tell Lisa in person. They won’t be back tonight.” I nod. That makes sense. Lisa is Ryan’s older sister who lives out of town. She just had a baby and I’m sure Kathy would have wanted to make sure she was okay in person.
    “So Jake?”
    Ryan shakes his head. “He went out of town last night to look at colleges with his folks. It’s been planned for a while.”
    Oh. This I wasn’t expecting. “So I guess it’s down to Mason and Kevin and those guys, huh?” He shakes his head, smiling ruefully. “No, don’t think I can handle those guys right now. Bianca’s having a party, but I haven’t told them about Granny Susie, and I’m just not in the mood.”
    Oh, crap . I open my mouth and then close it again. Oh, come on! This is the first time I will have seen Charlie since last Friday.
    “Okay, so I should go. Thanks again.” He says and turns, walking toward his car. His shoulders are slumped and his head is downcast. He looks so sad.
    Oh, fuck it.
    “Hey, Ryan, wait.”
    He turns round.
    “Wanna come back to my house and watch movies all night?”
    He looks surprised, but a slight smile appears on his lips. “What about Charlie?”
    I shrug. “I can see him tomorrow.”
    He frowns slightly, like he’s trying to make up his mind.
    “Oh, come on, I’ll even buy you a pizza.”
    Apparently this decides it and he smiles at me. “Okay. Thanks.”

    Several hours later I’m curled up on the sofa having watched the entire trilogy of The Godfather films. I start yawning, it’s almost midnight and I’ve eaten enough pizza and ice cream to last me until the end of the year. Ryan reaches out and pulls my dad’s old copy of Goodfella’s off the shelf. Apparently he’s developed a penchant for gangster movies since we last hung out.
    He turns to me and sees me yawning. “Are you tired? I can go?”
    I shrug and shake my head. “It’s fine, put it on.”
    He smiles and gets up to stick it in the DVD player. He’s definitely better than when he first got here, apart from when my mom came in and gave him a hug and I thought he was going to wobble a bit, he’s been okay. Quiet, but okay. To be honest, I think my mom was pretty surprised when she walked in and saw us on the couch together. She shot my dad a look, but I know she’s pleased with me. When I went to fetch the ice cream from the freezer, she kissed me on the forehead and whispered, “Well done, sweetie.”
    Ryan sits back down on the sofa and glances over at me.
    “What?”
    “Do you have any more chips?”
    Geez, the guy eats like a horse, but I get up anyway. What can I say? I’m a good hostess.

    I wake up with a start, disorientated and not knowing where I am. I look around and realize I’ve fallen asleep in front of the TV. It’s still on although the DVD finished a long time ago. The clock on the wall tells me that it’s just after four in the morning. I look down and see that I’ve got the blanket that usually sits on the back of the sofa covering me. Ryan