Being Me Read Free

earning a huge salary. I guess he was right, it’s just I...’
    Mum’s voice is slowing down. I take the glass out of her hand.
    ‘You what, Mum?’
    She’s fallen asleep. Her mouth hangs open with words on the edge of her tongue. I lie her back down on the pillow and go to my room.
    And cry.
    I’m not sure what I’m crying about. I’ve learned when I cry it’s not always the obvious thing. Like you might think I’m crying because of the state my mum’s in. Or because nobody in my family gives a stuff that I’m actually a star football player. Or because we’re rich and maybe we would be better off poor. Or because I’m a girl and I would have been better off a boy. Or maybe it’s none of the above and actually I’m lonely. By the way, I never cry. Adele Vialli does not cry.

CHAPTER 4
ADELE VIALLI, GREATEST JEWELLERY THIEF ON EARTH
    Ten minutes later, I’m done with the whole runny nose and red eyes spectacular.
    I find my Player of the Season Trophy from last year and I run round my room waving it, imagining the headline: Adele Vialli Scores World Cup Final Hat Trick. In my undies drawer, I count seven silver bracelets. Freshly robbed. Holding them in my hands feels good.
    I put them back, lie on my bed and look at my phone. The light in my room has faded. It’s almost night. I wait and wait and wait. Then I give in and text Marcus.
    I hate texting Marcus first. He should be the one texting me. Boyfriends are so thick. Marcus is one of my brother’s football friends, though they hate each other’s guts. My brother thinks I go out with Marcus to annoy him. It’s a very good reason but I actually happen to like Marcus. I’ve got no talk credit. Marcus never has any either. Sometimes I prefer texts anyway. They’re more mysterious. I text him.
    Hi. Hows u?
    Am good. And u
    Been betta
    Wassup?
    Family. Friends. Personal stuff. Take yr pik.
    He doesn’t text after that. I wait two minutes then I text him again.
    Wot u doin?
    Maths homework
    Bit late 4 that?
    True. Long story. Will txt u 2moro. Bye x
    I give him a bye and a couple of kisses but I’m not impressed. What use is a boyfriend if he’s more interested in his maths homework than your gorgeous self?
    So I text Mikaela.
    She phones me back straight away.
    ‘Hi Mikay,’ I say.
    ‘What’s wrong, star?’ Mikay says.
    ‘You ever watch them cartoons where the cat’s running and it runs right off the edge of the cliff, and then there’s this moment it hangs there, then it falls down in a blur?’
    ‘Itchy and Scratchy.’
    ‘One minute I’m a football superhero, then I come home and whoosh – the grounds all gone and I’m smack on the floor.’
    ‘What’s going on?’
    I sigh. ‘I’m coming home thinking, “has my mum taken an overdose today?” You know what that does to my heart?’
    ‘Is she OK?’
    ‘She’s OK now. But what about tomorrow? Or the day after that?’
    ‘One day at a time, innit?’
    ‘I’m still shaking, Mikay. I can’t even hit the buttons on my phone, I’m that shaking.’
    ‘Listen, Adele, it’s totally unfair what you’re going through.’
    ‘I don’t know what to do.’
    ‘Why is your mum so sad?’
    ‘She found grey hairs in her fringe. And in her pubes!’ I giggle.
    Mikaela’s silent.
    ‘She had me pull them out.’
    ‘You plucked hairs out of your mum’s pubes?!’
    ‘Nooo! Her fringe!’
    ‘OK ... she’s sad. Get her a bottle of hair dye,’ Mikaela says. ‘Is your dad going to be back soon?’
    ‘I don’t know.’
    ‘You did the right thing. It takes a village to raise a child.’
    ‘What do you mean?’ Mikaela often has these sayings. If it’s not the rhymes it’s the sayings.

    ‘You have to face backwards before you can face forwards.’
    ‘Still not with you, Mikaela.’
    She laughs. ‘If you want, I’ll come round and sleep over at yours, or you can sleep at mine.’
    ‘Mikay, you’re the best. You’ve got me crying now.’
    ‘Don’t, cos you’ll start me off