Halversham by RS Anthony Read Free Book Online

chipped mug and plate. His heartbeat rose rapidly once again at the thought of meeting Corrine—he didn’t know what to expect or how she’d react to him after all these years. They weren’t that close when they were younger, but she had always willingly told him all her misfortunes and bad behaviors right after the fact. And he had listened, just like he listened to everyone else who sought his counsel.
    Andy jolted at the sudden noise of a door slamming against a wall followed by a shrill female voice. It was as if someone was whining and screaming at the same time in a high-pitched voice. He rushed to the hallway and saw Corrine standing just outside her room, glaring at her mother.
    “Corrine, listen to me. There’s someone here to see you. I know you’d like to see him too,” Aunt Magda said in a soft, soothing voice to a hysterical Corrine. His cousin was dressed in a faded pair of SpongeBob SquarePants pajamas and her tangled blond hair pointed wildly in every direction. Although she was taller than before, the Corrine he’d known was stamped over every inch of her: in the way she stood, glared, clenched her fists, and in the way she kept her chest raised ever so slightly. She was almost as tall as Andy, but as skinny as the dog he had seen by the foothill.
    “Corrine?” Andy called out. His voice was soft, but she heard him. Her tight fist loosened gradually and so did the wrinkled expression on her face. Andy plastered a smile on his own face to disguise the churning in his gut. “Hi,” he said simply, tucking his hands in his pockets as he walked toward her. He wanted the encounter to be as casual as possible. Friendly. Aunt Magda slipped away quietly, leaving the two alone in the hallway.
    “Andy?” Corrine spoke with a curious look on her face.
    He had expected a blank stare and vacant eyes, the way Aunt Magda described yesterday. “Yeah, it’s me. How are you?”
    “Andy?” She said again. A curve formed briefly on her lips before they quivered in sadness and the corners of her eyes wilted. She rushed toward him and hugged him tightly, saying his name one last time. “Andy!”
    Andy was instantly grateful for two things: that she hadn’t forgotten him and that she didn’t go crazy on him. Yes, a part of him was still afraid of her wild, unpredictable ways, but another part was genuinely happy to see her. His smile ruptured into laughter as she sniffled on his shoulder.
    “Hey,” he said and tapped her back awkwardly.
    Seconds later, she let him go and took a long look at his face. “You look good,” she said, smiling. There were no tears on her face. “Come.” She tugged his arm, pulling him into her room. From the corner of his eye, Andy saw Uncle Matt coming out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel.
    Corrine’s room was no more than a standard bedroom. There was a wooden table with the top layer peeling off, a wooden chair with the pink cushion torn, a sturdy bed with a sunken mattress, and a broken cupboard propped up on a brick. The walls were bare and the paint flaking in some sections. The ceiling had a large patch of brown, indicating that water had seeped through the roof at some point. Was this how her room had always been?
    “Welcome to my beautiful bedroom,” she said, locking the door behind them and twirling like a ballerina. Andy watched with a smile and she stopped. “So, you’re back.” She walked over to the bed and sat on the sagging mattress.
    “For a month.”
    “Cool. Oh, shit! I forgot. I’m sorry about your mom.”
    “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”
    “Come,” she said, tapping the mattress. “Come sit and we can talk.” Andy walked over and sat on the mattress cautiously, thinking of what to say. Her merriment had taken him quite by surprise. “What’s the matter?” Andy looked at his lap shyly and smiled. “Did my mom tell you something?”
    “Well, she just said you don’t talk to anyone anymore. And that you space out whenever people