Hurt Read Free Page A

moment, and then she was gone, striding back to join her friends. The feeling hit. Mathéo stared after her, drawing his lower lip in between his teeth and biting down in confusion. Disappointment yawned open like a cavern in his chest. Was it a gesture of farewell or a friendly acknowledgement of his existence, an invitation even to go over and say hello? But she was back chatting with her friends, denying him the possibility of any further communication.
    Her group was packing up, about to set off home. The sun had started to dip in the sky, the early evening colours, soft and roseate, falling like dust over the water. He had missed his chance – if indeed there had even been one in that brief, ephemeral moment. Frustration welled up, pressing at the back of his throat. He watched her wipe her feet clean on the grass before putting on her shoes, stuff the remainder of a sandwich in her mouth and gesticulate wildly while talking to her friends. Chatting animatedly, she followed the others across the expanse of greenery, through the trees and out of the gates without so much as a backward glance.
    He felt cheated somehow. As if the wave had been a tease, or a signal to alert him to the fact that she had caught him staring; a warning that he wouldn’t get away with it again. He pressed his fists against his eyes and inhaled deeply, a disappointed, sinking feeling in his chest. It was time to train, time to leave the emptying park, time to go . . . Slinging the strap of his bag across his chest, he said his goodbyes to Hugo and Isabel and slowly got to his feet, his muscles protesting. Passing the pond, he stopped for an instant to soak in the last of the golden rays, the grass drenched in low evening sun, watching the shimmering interplay of light and dark and the gentle arrival of dusk – the conclusion of another day. Spread out before him, the water’s surface was wrinkled and whispering, reflecting thin clouds that stretched across the indigo sky. The geese had reclaimed their territory and glided seamlessly across, serene and proud, melting into the glaucous evening. They brought him peace, and for a few moments he stood there, transfixed by the beauty of the scene . . . Then he shook the fog from his head. Get a grip , he thought. There was only so long he could stand here.
    But as he turned, his gaze sweeping over the patch only moments ago alive with the sound of girlish chatter, a sparkle of silver amongst the long blades of grass caught the fading sunlight, reflecting it so brightly it burned his eyes. He blinked, the flash of white light repeating itself on the back of his eyelids. Crossing over, he picked up a watch, its black face no larger than the pad of his little finger. The strap was more of a bracelet – fine, interwoven loops of white gold. He felt its cool weight in his hand: solid, real, the needle ticking soundlessly round and round, making it feel somehow alive.
    ‘Thief!’ The word was called out casually, teasingly, but caused him to inhale sharply in surprise. The girl was striding down the slope towards him, her long hair tossed by the rising wind. The world quivered around him, and for a moment he was too startled to respond, but then he came to his senses and stepped back, nonchalantly slipping the watch into his pocket.
    ‘Finders keepers!’ He raised his eyebrows at her with a teasing grin.
    She stopped just a few metres away. She was taller than he’d realized, almost the same height as him, and a smattering of freckles covered her cheekbones. Grass stains streaked the hem of her school shirt, one of the buttons was missing and the shape of her slim arms was visible through the sleeves. Dried mud marked her long, pale legs, blood crusting a small scrape just above her knee. A curled leaf was caught in her windswept hair, small pearls adorned her ears, and hanging from a delicate chain, a silver teardrop lay against the smooth skin of her collarbone. For a moment her green eyes widened