Silent Treatment by Jackie Williams Read Free Book Online Page B

at him, unable to speak again as she thought about him leaving. She gulped back the constriction in her throat.
    “I’ll give you a call later if everything is going to plan. What’s your number?” She asked him quickly.
    He fumbled in his pocket and brought out his mobile. He read out the number and then chuckled.
    “ Not many people have this. It’s mostly only the team. You are highly honoured, you know.”
    Carrie raised her eyebrows and laughed as she tapped his number into her phone, but then her face fell again as an impatient hoot caused her to turn quickly.
    They both stepped aside as Carrie’s father pulled his car into the driveway and she deliberately ignored his furious expression as he glared angrily at Daniel .

Chapter Thre e
    The Same Evening
     
    “I don’t believe her Helen. She’s not sick. She’s never sick. She didn’t look sick earlier. I saw her holding hands with that great gorilla of a kid who lives up the road. The one that makes all that flipping racket every night. She looked fine when she was making eyes at him. Goofy even… I thought he was gay for God’s sake! I’ve never seen him with another girl. He’s always hanging out with those other huge apes from the rugby team. She’s puked up twice now. Christ! You don’t think she’s pregnant do you?”
    Carrie fumed as she lay in bed listening to her father whispering loudly to her mother, just outside her bedroom door.
    Her mother gave a startled gasp.
    “Jim! How can you even think that? You should wash your mouth out with soap. That’s our daughter’s reputation you’re maligning.” Her mother sounded furious and Carrie gave a grim smile before she settled her face into a martyred expression as she heard a gentle knock. Both her parents walked in through her door.
    “Hey, sweetheart, h ow are you feeling now?” Her mother walked over to her bedside and laid a cool hand across her brow.
    Carrie coughed dramatically, unsure of how convincing it sounded. She had never won a part in any of the school drama productions. She wiped her mouth on a tissue before she spoke.
    “Awful. I was sick again ten minutes ago. I just want to go to sleep.” Carrie kept her voice faint.
    Helen glanced up at her husband before she concentrated on her daughter again.
    “What have you eaten at school today, or did you have anything later at Daniel ’s house? Dad seems to think you were with him this afternoon.” She sat down on the edge of the bed and Carrie thought hard about how to fend off the coming inquisition.
    She gave her father a withering glare.
    “I was only at Dan’s because I felt a bit odd after the exam. You know, sort of light headed. He gave me a glass of water after we walked home, and then he came right to the door with me just in case I felt faint, that’s all. I thought it was just the stress of the exams but now I think it must be a bug. Daniel said he had it last week. He was ill for a couple of days. It wouldn’t be so bad if it didn’t make my head ache so much.” Carrie fluttered her eyelids dramatically as she laid it on thick.
    Jim pursed his lips, still looking unconvinced.
    “Hmm, and you spend a lot of time with this Daniel do you? I wouldn’t have thought he was your type.” He frowned down at her.
    Carrie shrugged and winced as she had a sudden reminder from her shoulder of why she was lying in bed faking being ill.
    “It has nothing to do with him being my type or not, dad . We walk to school together and sometimes home together too, that’s all. We always have, right from primary school. You probably don’t remember because you were always at work and you might not remember Daniel from then anyway. He’s only grown so tall in the last couple of years.”
    Her mother glanced up at her father .
    “See Jim. I told you that you were making a mistake. There’s nothing in it at all. Daniel was just bringing her home because she felt poorly. Isn’t that nice of him?”
    Jim was still