CHAPTER NINETEEN

Ruby

Orla was painting her toenails bright blue when Ruby came in from rehearsing. ‘So, how’s the play going?’ she asked.

‘Good, except Amber is a total diva.’

‘Yeah, her sister’s a nightmare too.’ Orla dipped the brush into the blue nail varnish.

‘Orla?’

‘Yeah?’

‘Do you think Robbie will get a place at Grangepark?’

Orla stopped painting her big toe and looked up at her sister. ‘Knowing our family’s luck, probably not.’

‘Really?’ Ruby felt sick. Weren’t they due some good luck?

Orla shrugged. ‘I dunno, Ruby. I hope so, obviously, but I don’t think we should all get our hopes up. It’s really hard to get into that school and I just think it’s better if we expect the worst.’

But for once Ruby wanted to believe that it would happen, that things would change for the better.

‘Anyway, are you nervous about your big night?’

‘Yes, very. But Safa’s been amazing. She’s helped me so much.’

‘How come she hasn’t got a part?’ Orla asked.

‘She said she didn’t want one. She said she was happy to introduce the play and help out backstage. I think she’s still a bit shy about being new and a refugee and stuff.’

Orla frowned. ‘Why? She’s great and everyone seems to like her.’

‘Not everyone. Amber and Chrissie are pretty awful to her.’

‘Yeah, but they’re total idiots who are horrible to everyone, so they don’t count.’

Ruby supposed Orla was right. But she did think they were especially mean to Safa.

‘Tell her to ignore them,’ said Orla. ‘They are just pathetic little spoilt bullies who will never get anywhere in life.’

That was easier said than done. It wasn’t easy to ignore people who called you names and made fun of you and sneered at you. But Orla was right; they all needed to learn to ignore Amber and Chrissie. ‘Is Kylie still going out with Conor?’

Orla grinned. ‘No, apparently he got bored with her and dumped her.’

Ruby smiled. ‘So he does have a brain.’

‘That’s debatable, but now he’s texting me. He asked if we could meet up again this week.’

‘What did you say?’

Orla paused for dramatic effect. ‘I told him to go and shove his meeting up his ass, that I wouldn’t spit on him if he was on fire and that anyone who believed that “retard genes” were actually a real thing clearly had a brain the size of a pea.’

Ruby giggled. Orla was crazy, but in the best possible way.

‘Now, do my left foot, please.’ Orla wriggled her foot in front of Ruby’s face.

‘No way, I’m not touching your disgusting feet.’

‘I’ll help you do your make-up for the play next week.’

Ruby did want Orla to help her look like a real scarecrow and she knew her sister would do a good job, so she agreed.

She tried to hold her breath as she painted her sister’s toes.

They were sitting in Clara’s house, in her bedroom. Ruby was lying on Clara’s big double bed. The room was huge and really nice. The bed had fairy lights wrapped all around the top end. Clara had a big desk, with a proper desk chair like they had in offices, and a long bookshelf crammed with books.

Denise was trying to do keepy-uppies with a tennis ball, while Clara was organising her sparkly pens in order of colour. Ruby picked up Clara’s phone. ‘Are you sure you haven’t missed any calls?’

‘Yes,’ Clara snapped. ‘I check it all the time. They haven’t contacted me.’

‘I think we should call him.’ Ruby was sick of waiting. It had been three weeks since they’d sent the information. The waiting was killing her. Between waiting to see if Robbie got a place in Grangepark and waiting to find Safa’s dad, Ruby was nervous all the time. She had a sick feeling in her stomach pretty much all day long and she was waking up at night sweating and worrying. She felt tired and grumpy.

‘How hard can it be?’ Denise said. ‘We gave them all the details. Surely they just look up a computer or Google Maps or whatever and find him.’

Clara sighed. ‘Seriously, Denise, you need to watch the news. There are millions and millions of refugees. Loads of them have no passports or papers. It’s really hard to find anyone.’

‘They have to find him,’ Ruby said. ‘They just have to.’

The door of the bedroom opened. It was Clara’s mum.

‘Mum?’ Clara was shocked. ‘It’s four o’clock. How come you’re home?’

Annabelle pointed her finger at each girl and said, ‘I’m home because my office just received a call from the Department of Justice asking to speak to Clara, Denise and Ruby about the case of Mr Karim. Would you girls like to tell me what the hell is going on?’

Denise let the tennis ball roll to the corner of the room. Clara closed her eyes.

Ruby stood up. ‘It’s all my fault. I made the others help me. Don’t be cross with them. I just really wanted to help Safa find her dad.’

Annabelle crossed her arms. ‘Go on, I’m listening.’

Ruby’s voice shook as she filled her in on what they were trying to do.