Read Thief! for Free Online Page B

Anne’s. Lydia wanted to crawl into the nearest hole and never come out again.
    ‘Danny, that’s enough,’ Mum said quietly.
    ‘But she said . . .’
    ‘I’m well aware of what she said,’ Mum interrupted. Mum turned to Anne’s mum.
    ‘Mrs Turner, my daughter isn’t a thief. I suggest you tell your daughter to get her facts straight,’ Mum said, adding under her breath, ‘And teach her some manners while you’re at it.’
    ‘Anne’s told me all about your daughter,’ Anne’s mum said pointedly. ‘That cup has been at Collivale School since I was a girl. She had no right to take it.’
    ‘Lydia didn’t take it.’ Lydia’s mum spoke even more quietly than before. ‘In fact, your daughter was with her the night the cup went missing.’
    Mrs Turner frowned and turned to Anne. ‘Is that true?’
    ‘No, Mum,’ Anne replied immediately. ‘Lydia’s just trying to wriggle off the hook and put me on it instead.’
    ‘That’s a lie. You were with me that night,’ Lydia gasped.
    ‘No, I wasn’t. You’re just a liar as well as a thief,’ Anne said viciously.
    ‘My daughter is neither of those things,’ Lydia’s mum denied.
    ‘If you say so,’ said Anne’s mum. ‘Come on, Anne. We have shopping to buy .’
    ‘And just what does that mean? Are you insinuating something?’ Lydia’s mum asked.
    ‘Mum, let’s go. Please let’s go,’ Lydia implored.
    The decision to get away was taken out of Lydia’s hands. Mrs Turner took Anne firmly by the hand and practically dragged her away. Scalding hot tears burnt a trail down Lydia’s cheeks. She looked around. The eyes of everyone in the aisle were on her. The security camera at the end of the aisle, past the checkout counter, was trained on her. The whole world had turned into a pair of eyes.
    ‘Mum, can I sit in the car? Please? ’
    ‘No.’
    ‘I hate you,’ Lydia hissed at her mum. ‘I hate you and I’ll never forgive you.’
    ‘That’s enough, Lydia,’ Mum said quietly.
    Beside Lydia, Danny started to sniff. Slow, embarrassed tears that he couldn’t control slid down his cheeks.
    ‘It’s OK, Danny. I’m sorry. Don’t cry.’ Lydia put her arm around her brother’s shoulders.
    ‘I’m not crying.’ Danny wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
    They carried on walking down the aisle. Lydia looked at her brother. Even if no one else did, Danny believed in her. Not in the way that Mum did, by thinking that Lydia should hold her head high and that was all that mattered. Not in the way that Dad did, by believing that no daughter of his could have done such a thing. No, Danny really and truly believed that she , Lydia, hadn’t stolen the cup. And Lydia needed that – more than anything else.
    As they queued at the checkout counter, Lydia smiled tentatively at Danny. He smiled back. They didn’t need to do or say anything else.
    ‘Lydia?’
    At the sound of her name, Lydia’s head whipped around. She couldn’t believe it.
    ‘Frankie!’ Lydia said, stunned.
    ‘Hello, Lydia.’ Frankie smiled uncertainly. ‘Er . . . how are you?’
    ‘I’m OK,’ Lydia said slowly. Why was Frankie asking? She didn’t care. She hadn’t said one word to Lydia over the last week. Not one.
    ‘I . . . I just wanted to say . . . I know you didn’t take the cup . . .’
    ‘Oh yeah? What’s changed your mind, Frances ?’ Lydia asked, her eyes blazing. She’d used Frankie’s real name deliberately, wanting to give back just a little of the hurt she was feeling – even if it was just a very little .
    ‘Lydia, I’m on your side . . .’
    ‘Are you, Frances? You could’ve fooled me,’ Lydia said, turning away from her.
    ‘Look, can we . . . ?’ Frankie got no further.
    ‘Frankie, I didn’t know you were here.’ Appearing as if from nowhere, Anne linked arms with Frankie, ignoring Lydia and her family completely. ‘Come and say hello to my mum.’
    Frankie allowed Anne to lead her away. She turned her head to look