Jessie's Ghosts Read Free Page B

Harmony and went back to
the email.
    ‘No,’ Harmony
said, ‘He’s just a friend – my dad and his mum go out sometimes.
    ‘Oh. Well it
looks like fun, anyway. Where is it?’
    ‘At Waterworld.
My dad took us three weeks ago.’
    Jessie
attached each of the three photos to Harmony’s email and within minutes it was
on its way.
    ‘Thanks,’
Harmony said. ‘Mum knows zilch about technology and my dad’s always working, so
basically I’ve had to teach myself.’
    ‘We have
computers at school so our teacher taught us the basics, you know, like how to
open and save a Word document, how to surf the Internet, those sorts of thing.’
    Harmony looked
at Jessie and said, ‘How old are you?’
    ‘I’m eleven.’
    ‘Mmm.’
    ‘How old are you ?’
    ‘Thirteen.’
    Jessie
shrugged.
    ‘Do you think
you could teach me?’
    ‘What do you
want to know?’
    ‘Everything
about computers.’
    ‘Everything?’
    ‘Well, you
know, the basics, like you just said.’
    ‘Sure. Do you paint
too, like your mum?’
    ‘No. I’m not
into art. I like doing exciting stuff, not sitting in front of an easel all
day. How about you?’
    ‘Well, I used
to play lots of netball, but since the accident …’ Jessie’s eyes started to
mist up.
    ‘I heard about
your parents. Must be hard.’
    ‘Yeah,’ she
said, sniffing, ‘It is.’
    Harmony
nodded. ‘I thought the end of the world had come when my mum and dad split up.
I wanted to live with my dad but they said I had to live sometimes with mum and
sometimes with dad. I guess it’s working out okay. Except for when I have to
come here.’
    Jessie could
feel tears rushing to her eyes. She pulled out a handkerchief; she always kept
a handkerchief with her these days, just in case. She wiped her eyes and then
blew her nose.
    ‘Do you mind
if we talk about something else?’ she said, her voice all choked up.
    ‘Sure. So you
live with your sister?’
    ‘Yeah, her
name’s Sarah, and she’s …’
    ‘I always
wanted a sister,’ Harmony interrupted. ‘Even a brother would have been okay.
But I guess being an only child has its advantages. I get my own bedroom at
home with dad and then here with mum too.’
    Jessie turned
away and rolled her eyes. Couldn’t Harmony talk about anything other than herself ?
    ‘You girls
ready for tea and cake?’ Fleur called.
    ‘We’re coming,’
Harmony called back.
    Thank
goodness, Jessie thought as she followed Harmony out to the kitchen.
     
    ‘Are you okay,
Jessie?’ Nanna asked as they crossed Fleur’s property on their way home.
    ‘I just got a
bit upset. Harmony was talking about … well, just stuff.’
    ‘What stuff?’
    ‘Well, she
talks about herself all the time, like she’s got the worst possible life.’
    ‘And she
doesn’t really know what that’s like, does she?’
    Jessie stopped
and looked up as Nanna folded her arms around her and hugged her.
    ‘Maybe you
just have to be a bit more … assertive,’ Nanna said.
    ‘What does
that mean?’
    ‘Well, just
because she’s older doesn’t mean she should have all the say. Next time you
should start the conversation and talk about something else.’
    ‘I don’t know
if I want a next time.’
    Nanna hugged
her again and smiled.
    ‘Oh, Jessie.
You’re been through so much more than anyone your age should have to go
through. But you can’t let other people ruin your day. You have to learn to
stand up to them.’
    ‘I suppose.’
    ‘Isn’t there something
else you can talk to her about?’
    Jessie dabbed
at her eyes with her wet handkerchief. ‘Well, we did do some stuff on the
computer. I taught Harmony how to attach photos to an email. And she asked me
to teach her about computers.’
    ‘Well, there you
are. That must have boosted your confidence, didn’t it?’
    ‘I suppose,’
Jessie said as they continued home.
    ‘And what did
you think about Fleur’s paintings?’
    ‘They’re
pretty, and really bright. But I don’t really understand what they’re