remember, Mum. Honest. I don’t think I did it.’
Mrs Dudley frowns at him, then says: ‘Work with us, Miss Riley. Semper Fortis. Always strong.’
‘Come on, Tom.’ My hand tightens on Tom’s shoulder.
As we walk away, Mrs Dudley calls: ‘And please don’t discuss this incident with anyone else, Miss Riley. Remember the school’s reputation.’
Tom and I walk home in silence, his usual chatter absent.
‘Tom,’ I say, as we near the house. ‘Is there anything you want to tell me? Now Mrs Dudley isn’t listening?’
‘I just don’t remember anything,’ says Tom, with a very adult shrug. Then he starts to cry, forehead crumpling into frown lines. ‘I don’t like being in trouble.’
‘I know, sweetheart. Are you sure there’s nothing else you want to tell me?’
Tom shakes his head. ‘Honestly, Mum. Nothing. Except … maybe someone else did it and they thought it was me. And Mrs Dudley wasn’t there.’
‘Someone else did it? Who?’
‘I don’t know.’
I heat cans of tomato soup and toast bread for our dinner.
We don’t talk like we usually do. No matter how many ways I try to lure Tom into conversation, he only offers one-word answers.
After I’ve put him to bed, I find myself sitting with my head in my hands again.
Is Tom being bullied? I know sensitive children are vulnerable to that kind of thing. Soft targets.
It will get easier. It must get easier. We’ve been through enough.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
