Longest Whale Song by Jacqueline Wilson Read Free Book Online

a feed.
    â€˜Hey, Ella?’
    I still don’t say anything. I sit beside Mum, tying up her nightie, smoothing her hair.
    â€˜How about Sam? It’s like it’s short for Samson. Will that do?’
    I nod very slowly, though I still don’t look at him. I’m angry with him now because he’s trying to be kind. I don’t
want
him to be nice to me. We’re supposed to be deadly enemies. It’s horrible having to spend so much time with him. Minute after minute, hour after hour, throughout the whole day.
    â€˜You don’t have to sit here all the time,’ says Dr Wilmot when she comes back. ‘Why don’t you take Ella for a bit of a walk, stretch her legs. There’s a park at the end of the road.’
    We both twitch.
    â€˜We’d sooner stay here,’ says Jack.
    Dr Wilmot pauses. ‘Look, as far as I can see, Sue’s stable now. She’s deeply unconscious but she’s breathing by herself, which is great. She’ll be fine. We’re all keeping an eye on her.’
    I know what she means. She’s saying,
Don’t worry, Mum won’t die if you go off to the park
. That’s why we’re here all the time. We’re so scared she’s going to die, every second is precious.
    â€˜Do you want to come and find this park, Ella?’ says Jack.
    I shake my head. He doesn’t try to persuade me. We sit it out. Some of the teachers from Garton Road come after school. They’re not allowed to seeMum but they stand in the corridor with Jack. They all hug him, even the men. One of the women starts crying. They’ve brought all sorts of presents – flowers and baby things and bottles of wine. Mum can’t drink
wine
. I suppose they’re presents for Jack.
    It’s not fair – Jack can see all his stupid old teacher friends but I can’t see
my
best friend, Sally. I feel a huge pang. I suddenly miss Sally so much. I only saw her on Friday but already it seems like years ago.
    When Jack and I go home eventually, I say I want to ring Sally.
    â€˜Isn’t it a bit late? Won’t she have gone to bed by now?’
    I think he’s maybe right, but I take no notice. ‘Sally stays up
ever
so late, ten, eleven o’clock, even later,’ I lie.
    â€˜Well, finish your sweet and sour pork first,’ says Jack. ‘It’ll be horrid if you let it get cold.’
    I think it’s horrid anyway. We got the Chinese takeaway on the way home. It’s supposed to be a treat.
    â€˜Please let me phone Sally now,’ I whine.
    Jack sighs and says OK, if I really want to. He keeps giving in to me now Mum’s ill. It feels so weird. He used to be strict, always ticking me offand bossing me about, telling Mum she let me get away with murder – and then, when I sulked, he’d crack silly jokes and expect me to laugh along with him. It would be bad enough having Jack for a teacher. It’s absolutely awful to have him as a stepdad.
    I hate it when he’s mean to me, but I think I hate it even more when he’s kind. It makes me feel as if I’ve been turned inside out. I need to be twice as mean back to him to try to make it seem normal.
    He’s giving me this understanding, encouraging smile as he sits thereon the sofa. I don’t give him even the merest glimmer of a smile back. I shut the living-room door on him, making it plain I want a bit of privacy.
    I dial Sally’s number on the phone in the hall and then stand waiting, heart thumping.
    It’s Sally’s mum. I find my eyes filling with tears. Sally’s soft blonde mum who puts yoghurt raisins in her packed lunches and gives her chocolate cookies when she comes home from school, and still reads her bedtime stories – Sally’s mum, who’s almost as lovely as my mum.
    â€˜Hello? Is anyone there?’ she says.
    â€˜It’s me, Ella,’ I whisper.
    â€˜Oh goodness, Ella! You’re phoning very