Read Cathy Hopkins - [Mates, Dates 06] for Free Online Page B

if
I could get him on my side, maybe Mum would come around to the idea. I
do
have two parents after all, and even though I live with Mum, she shouldn’t have
the final say about
everything
.
    ‘So, would you have
objected?’ I asked.
    Dad smiled. ‘Don’t
grow up
too
soon, will you, Izzie?’
    ‘No, course not.
Anyway, how can you grow up
too
soon? You’re meant to grow up and go
through changes, aren’t you? And I’m going into Year Ten next week, so that’s
moving on. And
don’t
change the subject…’ Dad always does this when I
try and get him involved with anything that’s happening at home. He kind of
sidesteps it.‘Belly button stud. Would you have objected?’
    ‘Probably not,’ he
said finally. ‘Not if you really wanted one. It’s your decision if you want to
mutilate your body.’
    So I told him I’d put
a new stud in after Mum had confiscated the first one.
    First he laughed, then
he shook his head. ‘Oh dear. Our Izzie’s turning into a rebel. Your mother
won’t be happy about that, will she?’
    ‘Well, she’s not going
to find out. And you won’t tell her, will you?’
    ‘No, of course not,’
he said. ‘But won’t she find out? I mean, you
do
live in the same
house.’
    ‘That’s the other
thing,’ I said. ‘Would you have a word with her about letting me have a lock
put on my bedroom door? She keeps walking in on me. I have no privacy at all.’
    Dad looked at Anna and
grimaced.
    ‘Keep me out of it,’
she said and started clearing away our takeaway dishes. Anna isn’t a timid sort
of person at all. She’s very forthcoming with her opinions about most things, but
I’ve noticed that she never says anything about my mum. Like Angus. He never
says anything about Dad.
    Dad looked at his
hands. ‘I don’t know, Izzie. I don’t know if I’m the best one to go laying down
the law about how things should be at home. She wouldn’t like it.’
    Poo, I thought.
Everyone’s scared of my mother. Even my dad. No wonder they split up.
    After we’d cleared the
kitchen, Anna asked if I wanted to stay and watch a video with them. I looked
at my watch. It was half past eight. I’d told Mum I wouldn’t be late, so if I
left now, I could still stay in her good books.
    ‘Are you sure I can’t
drop you?’ asked Dad as I put on my jacket to go.
    I shook my head. ‘No,
you stay and relax. I’ll walk up to Camden and get the tube. It’s still light
and I’ve got my mobile.’
    Finally he let me go
and I set off for the tube. Once again, I chose the scenic route, past the
shops at Primrose Hill, through the park, then along Regent’s Park Road up to
Parkway. Part of me was thinking that if fate had brought me and Park Boy
together twice in two days, then it would bring us together again. But another
part was thinking that there’s no harm in giving fate a hand. That part was
definitely winning the argument.
    The light was
beginning to fade when I reached the park gates, and normally I wouldn’t walk
through on my own, because I know that there are some dodgy people around and
not to take stupid risks. But something inside of me was pushing me to go on.
I’ll be fine, I told myself, and I have my trusty mobile.
    I glanced up the hill
to my right as I set off along the path at the bottom of the park. There were a
couple of girls sitting near the railings and I was pretty sure they were the
ones that Park Boy was with the day before, but no sign of him. Apart from the
girls, there weren’t many other people about — only an old lady walking her dog
and a man jogging.
    As I got halfway down
the path, I began to wonder if I’d made a mistake taking this route. It was
very quiet and even though it wasn’t dark yet, it didn’t feel as safe as when
there were loads of people about. I tried to remember TJ’s tips for being out
on your own at night. She’s been working on a piece for the school mag about
being street smart. Not walking in empty places at night, I thought, that