Missing Me Read Free

father, he hadn’t even bothered to write me my own letter telling me so.
    Jam obviously saw what I was thinking.
    ‘Shelby got a separate letter because her dad was . . . different from yours and Lauren’s,’ he said.
    ‘Right,’ I said.
    ‘And because you were so little,’ Jam went on, ‘I thought your mum should tell you or something. Please, Mo, you were only eight.’
    ‘OK, but I’m not eight now.’
    ‘I know.’ Jam sighed. He glanced back towards the apartment. ‘Annie’s having a total meltdown in there because she knows she should have told you and couldn’t face
it.’
    I nodded. I was used to Annie’s meltdowns.
    ‘So will you come back inside?’ Jam asked. ‘Lauren feels terrible.’
    I hesitated a moment. I still wanted answers. Most particularly, I wanted to know who this sperm donor was. But I couldn’t face Annie in hysterics right now. And I couldn’t face all
of them together, feeling sorry for me.
    ‘No,’ I said. ‘Not right now. I just want to be on my own for a bit.’
    Jam nodded. Like Lauren he’s good at sensing when it’s best not to push me. In fact, he’s good at that with everyone – it’s one of the things that I imagine makes
him a great teacher. ‘OK, that’s fair enough.’ He cleared his throat. ‘Hey, Mo, you are pleased for me and Lauren, aren’t you? About the baby, I mean?’
    I nodded. ‘Sure,’ I said. ‘Course I am.’
    Jam went back inside and I trudged away, turning off my phone in case Annie tried to call me. I’d intended to walk around for a bit, but I soon found myself outside a tube station and once
I was through the barrier there didn’t seem much point doing anything except going home. While Lauren’s apartment is close to central London, Annie and I live just ten minutes’
walk from Lauren’s adoptive parents in north London. Annie chose the house years ago, when Lauren still lived at home, so I could be near to my big sister.
    How could Lauren have kept such a massive secret from me for so many years? I was used to Annie getting stuff like that wrong. But not Lauren. She’d always been so totally on my side
– fierce and loyal and true. And yet she hadn’t been honest with me about who our father was. It hurt more than I could bear.
    I let myself in and went up to my room. I was sure Annie wouldn’t be far behind me and right now I couldn’t face the thought of speaking to her. I switched on my phone – missed
calls from both Annie and Lauren. I didn’t listen to their messages. Instead, I plugged my headphones into my mobile. I needed music. I needed to lose myself in someone else’s pain, so
I didn’t have to think about my own.
    I was about to press play when the doorbell rang. I hesitated. I wasn’t expecting anyone – and it couldn’t be Annie or Lauren. They both had keys. The doorbell sounded again
– a long, persistent ring. Sighing, I went downstairs.
    Lauren’s adoptive brother, Rory, was standing on the doorstep, his friend Marcus beside him. I tugged self-consciously at my hair. It wasn’t Rory I was embarrassed to see –
we’ve known each other for years
and
we go to the same school. He’s like my cousin or something. We’re not close, exactly. But we get on OK.
    No, it was Marcus I was shy around. He’s the same age as Rory – seventeen – but, like, the most good-looking boy in London. Cool hair, styled with a long fringe today, tall and
broad-shouldered, with piercing green eyes. I’d had a crush on him for two years.
    ‘Hey, Madison.’ Rory’s ruddy cheeks stretched into a smile. ‘Are you OK?’
    ‘Sure.’ I glanced at Marcus, feeling my face reddening. He was looking bored, stifling a yawn as he leaned against the door frame.
    ‘Mum made me come round, to see if you were here.’ Rory rolled his eyes. ‘They’re all in a panic about you down at Lauren’s. Is it true she’s
pregnant?’
    ‘Yeah.’
    Rory rolled his eyes again. ‘Is that why you flipped