One Secret Summer by Lesley Lokko Read Free Book Online Page A

drunk. The van skidded across the intersection on the wrong side of the road and ploughed headlong straight into them.
     Mike was crushed against the steering wheel. He died almost immediately. Sheila was rushed in a shrieking ambulance to the
     nearest hospital but it was too late. She died an hour later. Julia was still at school when it happened. It took over an
     hour for the message to reach her. By the time she and hergrandmother arrived at the hospital, they were both gone and Julia’s entire world was turned upside down.
    She struggled to breathe, sitting amongst all the intelligently nodding heads, none of whom had any idea what Professor Munro’s
     words had brought on. The tightness in her chest made it impossible to write. She set her pen down quietly and turned her
     head to look out of the window. Through the thin veil of tears she could just make out the tops of the trees lining the Cherwell
     River and the rise of Headington Hill beyond. She sat very still for a few moments, waiting for her heartbeat to return to
     normal and for the world to right itself again. She could feel her neighbour’s eyes on her but she simply didn’t have the
     strength to do anything other than studiously ignore him. It was in moments like these that the weight of how differently
     her life had turned out to most people she knew hit her with all the force of a speeding truck. She closed her eyes briefly
     again at the inappropriateness of the metaphor she’d unwittingly chosen.
    ‘Bad luck losing your way like that on your first day.’ Someone spoke to her as they made their way out of the seminar room
     an hour later.
    Julia turned. It was the tall, thin young man with a prominent Adam’s apple whom she’d noticed sitting at the front of the
     class. She looked at him warily. ‘Should’ve looked it up on the map last night,’ she said tightly. ‘My own bloody fault.’
    ‘Oh, I wouldn’t worry about it,’ he said airily, quickly. ‘Everyone misses something in the first couple of weeks. I’m Dominic,
     by the way.’ He held out a hand. ‘But do call me Dom.’
    Julia hesitated. The five other students in the class had rushed ahead, chatting excitedly. They all seemed to know one another,
     although she couldn’t understand how that was possible. They’d been at Oxford less than a weekend. No one had even bothered
     glancing her way, except for that awful pompous bloke she’d met the night before, and then it was only to say something sarcastic,
     so why did this Dominic – Dom – seem to want tohave anything to do with her? But her manners got the better of her and she reluctantly held out her hand. ‘I’m Julia.’
    ‘I know. Munro called out the names this morning and you were the only one not there.’
    ‘Oh, go on … rub in it, why don’t you?’ Julia asked sharply and then regretted it as soon as she’d spoken. She was being defensive,
     as usual. There was just the faintest possibility he was only trying to be kind.
    Dom’s eyebrows rose in mild protest. ‘I wasn’t. I was just intrigued as to who you might be, that’s all. I know most of the
     others on the course. We were all undergrads together,’ he said, pointing to the group of students ahead of them. ‘Except
     Keeler, of course. He’s a bit older but his younger brother was in my class at school.’
    ‘Who’s Keeler?’
    ‘Aaron. The blonde guy. Sitting next to you. The one you kept throwing hateful glances at.’
    Julia flushed crimson. ‘He … he was rude. About me being late,’ she said weakly. ‘He’s just so … so bloody arrogant.’
    ‘Ah, yes. Well, comes with the territory. Good looks, famous mother, place at Oxford practically guaranteed … I’d probably
     be just as pompous. He takes a bit of getting used to but he’s all right really, underneath it all. I blame his mother, personally.’
     Julia looked up at him again. There was something odd about his cheery voice. Was he envious, perhaps? She couldn’t