Red Rocks by Rachael King Read Free Book Online Page B

early.
     
    The next day, Jake woke up stiff and sore. His legs were scraped and bruised from where he had fallen on the rocks. He lay in the gloomy room and listened to the rain falling on the corrugated iron roof. It was usually a comforting sound, always reminding him of holidays with his father, since the roof in Auckland was made of tiles that made no sound. But it provided no comfort this morning, when he thought about his fight with Jessie and what his dad had tried to talk to him about last night.
    He was relieved to be able to use the weather as an excuse not to visit Jessie. Instead, he moped around at home, eating toast and reading his book while his father worked. Jake almost felt as though his dad was avoiding him, but of course it was no different from his usual routine.
    After a sombre lunch, and when Dad hadgone back to the shed, Jake sat looking out the window. The sea had turned brown from the rain, and the road was slick. The clouds hung low and moody over the bay. As he sat there looking, he became aware of a soft knocking sound, barely audible over the rain on the roof. Was there someone at the door? He waited to see if Dad appeared, but he didn’t, and the tapping continued, like someone drumming their fingers along to a tune. He decided to go to the door, just to check.
    When he opened it, he was surprised to see Jessie. She stood there looking very small and wet. Her bare arms seemed immune to the cold and she let the water from her hair stream into her eyes without wiping it away.
    ‘Hi,’ said Jake. ‘What’s up?’ It didn’t occur to him that she might visit him — he had always been the one to make the trip, although of course it wasn’t just her that he went to see. It was the high cliffs and the glimpses of seals, the rock pools and the sad, windy beach.
    ‘I missed you,’ she said. ‘Can I come in and play?’
    He stood aside and let her in. She dripped puddles onto the wooden floor, so he handed her a towel to dry herself with. She looked at it, unsure what to do. He mimed drying his hair and she nodded and copied him. Then they stood awkwardly in the living room. Jessie looked around with interest and Jake saw the room through her eyes: it was small and untidy, with newspapers in messy piles on the couch and the floor, dirty coffee mugs on the table and cheap old curtains at the windows. It was so different from his home in Auckland, which had polished wooden floors that shone, and rich oriental rugs matched with red velvet curtains. His mother kept the place immaculate and he was scared to even leave his schoolbag on the floor. Here he could leave his dirty sneakers on the worn living room carpet and there still wouldn’t be as much mess as his father made all by himself. He felt embarrassed suddenly, butthen he remembered where Jessie was staying, and knew she wouldn’t mind a bit of chaos.
    ‘So, do you want to play cards, or …’ He was waiting for her to say something about yesterday, about their fight, about how she had run away crying, but she just nodded and said, ‘Yes.’
    He beat her twice at Snap and the sense of unease didn’t lift. It was strange having her in the house. She somehow didn’t belong, so far from the rocks and the smell of salt and fish and the seals.
    ‘Go again?’ he asked.
    ‘Can I look at your bedroom? Can we play there?’
    Jake shrugged. ‘Okay,’ he said. Most of the toys in there were from when he was younger, cars and trains that he didn’t take much interest in any more. He mostly just read books in there now.
    As soon as Jessie entered the room, Jake, who was behind her, saw her shoulders stiffen.She turned to one side with her face tilted up and he realised she was sniffing the air. Her pale face flushed.
    ‘What’s wrong?’ he asked, but she said nothing and started pacing in a tight circle.
    ‘Jessie …’ He was about to tell her that she was freaking him out, to suggest they leave the room, when suddenly she dived to the