After that, it didn’t matter what her mum said. I had to get her that kitten.
I sat at the gate, calling for the cat for nearly two hours. Finally, a little mewl sounded in the bushes and another squeak. The little ball of fluff tumbled out of the grass again and rubbed up against my leg.
“Hey, little fella. Ready to go and make Grace smile?”
In the bottom of my rucksack was a small litter tray with an old towel, and two chipped tea-plates for food and water. I’d bought a can of cat food from the corner shop during the week. All that was missing was the cat.
I bundled him in my arms and gave him plenty of fuss before putting him in the bag and wrapping him in the towel. I pedalled home with care and headed right to Grace’s. It was a little later than I’d hoped, but it shouldn’t matter.
“Hi, Oliver. Everything okay?” She answered the door to me, and I couldn’t keep the smile from my face.
“Fine. Can I come in? I have a surprise for you.”
“Sure. Mum, Oliver is here,” she shouted out, as we headed straight up to her room.
I sat in my usual place and safely lowered the bag to the floor.
“What ya got?” Her eyes went straight to the bag I was so careful with.
“Oh, it’s a belated birthday present. Want to see?”
“Sure.” She scooted over and kneeled next to the bag.
I unzipped the backpack, and as soon as I did, she heard the little cry from the kitten.
“Have you got him? Really? For me?” The sparkle from her crystal-coloured eyes was back, and so was her smile—all big, wide, and filled with hope.
“Yeah. I don’t think he’s got any family. I went back to check. Do you like him?”
She picked him out of the bag and snuggled his black furry face. “I love him.” She leaned over and wrapped her arms around me with the kitten still in her hand. “Thank you,” she breathed against my neck.
When she finally let me go, I felt like the best friend I could ever be and nothing in the world could make me want to ruin that. “Is he going to be safe? You know, from your mum?”
“She’ll be okay.” But Grace was more interested in the black kitten than worrying about her mum.
“I’ve got you a few things. So that you can feed him and stuff.” I emptied the bag and arranged the items on the floor under her desk.
“Oliver, you’re brilliant. Thank you.”
All I needed as a thank you was the smile that lit up her face. “You’re welcome. What you gonna name him?”
“Bob.”
“Bob?” I question, shocked at the name.
“He’s a Bob. Aren’t you?” The kitten had curled up on Grace’s lap and made a nest, purring happily.
Happy Birthday, Grace.
Chapter 4
Maddison Ten Years Old
I hated Oliver for getting Bob for Grace. She loved that cat more than anything, which meant she loved Oliver as well, but that didn’t matter during the week because I still got to spend every day with her. We sat at the same table at school, and I made sure she was never alone in the playground. She was my responsibility now, and I wanted to show her that I could look out for her just as well as Oliver, if not better, because the other kids did as I told them. They didn’t stand up to me like they would have Oliver. I ruled the school now, which meant Grace was off-limits.
Grace was the only person in the world that stood a chance of closing the gap between Oliver and me. We always argued and fought over everything. When we were younger, it was just boisterous brotherly behaviour. But as we got older, we both knew it wasn’t, and that there was something deeper in the way. I resented that he was so smart and clever. School was easy for him, yet it was so damn hard for me. And I could see that he hated how popular I was at school, how I could find a friend in anyone while he struggled on his own.
And now, Grace.
She simultaneously brought us closer together—made us the friends that should have been easy as brothers—and put a wedge between us that sometimes I doubted could ever be bridged.
It was the final year of school together before moving to Oliver’s, and I wanted to make sure it counted. I called for Grace every morning and walked her home after school every afternoon. We had an easy friendship—messing about, climbing trees, and racing each other on the green.
Oliver suggested we go back to where we found Bob to climb the big oak tree. It meant ignoring the warning to ‘Keep Out’, but that was fine by me. It was the biggest tree around. The trunk was so huge, we all had to hold hands to form a ring around it. There was a knotted hollow in the bark on one side that gave us the footing to climb up to the first lower branch. I climbed the highest. Oliver tried to keep up, and I loved it when Grace joined in, but she mostly just sat under the shade.
She came out of her shell with me, and just being around her seemed to settle a part of me that had started to take control of my temper more and more. She gave me a sense of calm in my brain that I found hard to find elsewhere.
Some of my other friends from school didn’t know why I hung around with Grace so much. They were always inviting me over, but I made sure I saw them at times I wouldn’t miss Grace.
Her netball team played after school on Tuesdays, so I’d play rugby on the field with friends until I could walk her home. She thought our clubs ended at the same time, and I let her believe it. And when she came to watch me play with my team, I felt invincible. My legs worked harder, my arms pumped faster, and my head was so focused on what I had to do, I was the best player on the field—all because I could feel her eyes on me.
I wanted that all of the time.
“Maddison Ray?” The teacher called my name, and I looked at her, wondering what she was going to say today. “We’re working on our group project this afternoon. You’ll need to move to their table.” She looked over to the corner where some of the other students had grouped for our science project.
“I can do it from here.” I was at Grace’s table and didn’t want to move.
“It’s not up for discussion. Please move.” She crossed her arms and stared at me. I gritted my teeth as hot rage rushed to my stomach and chest.
“It’s all right. We can catch up on the way home.” Grace’s hand touched my arm, and all the fury disappeared as if her touch had sucked it all away. Her eyes made me feel better, but I was still mad.
I kicked my chair back and dragged my feet over to the others. We were building model solar systems, and each team had to research the planets and make a display using different materials and craft stuff.
“What’s up with you,” Dylan huffed.
“Nothing.”
“Don’t say it’s because of Grace again. Is she your girlfriend now?” His voice went high-pitched at the end, and my anger was back.
Like a ball of fury I couldn’t control, I lashed out in frustration and shoved Dylan, hard. He fell off his chair and landed on the floor before giving me a dirty look.
“What do you think you’re doing, boys?”
I stopped myself from rolling my eyes. Getting into trouble wasn’t the plan, but it happened to follow me around. Another thing that Oliver seemed to be able to avoid.