Читать книгу As Far as the Stars - Virginia Macgregor - Страница 15

Chapter Five

15.37 EST

It’s when I see that bit of grainy footage on ABC News that I know for sure.

Blake wasn’t on that plane.

He can’t have been.

He didn’t know what he was texting: he’s probably in Nashville, wondering where the hell I am. I shouldn’t have turned around so fast. I should have kept going to Nashville, stuck to our plans.

And if he’s not in Nashville, then he’s probably somewhere else altogether. Like still in London, playing in a hip bar somewhere.

‘I’ve got to get out of here,’ I say, taking my phone back.

I swing my telescope onto my back, grab Leda and head towards the terminal doors. She makes her body go limp so I have drag her along the floor.

‘Get up,’ I say to her, yanking harder.

As I walk, I send Mom a text.

Blake messed up. We’re not going to make it for the family breakfast. Please don’t worry, Mom, we’ll be there soon.

I put my phone in the pocket of my shorts and try not to think about the bomb I’ve just landed on Mom.

I yank Leda again but she won’t move. Her head is twisted back towards the group of people we’ve been waiting with, the ones who came to meet the UKFlyer0217. That’s when I notice the guy again and suddenly, I feel bad for walking away like that and even though I totally don’t have the time for this, I walk back to him.

Leda follows, suddenly cooperative.

‘I’m sorry,’ I say to him. My eyes well up. ‘For whoever…’ I look back at the screen. The bit of metal floating on the sea. Then I look at my watch. ‘But I’ve got to go.’

I don’t know what’s going on. With the plane. With where Blake is. But I’ve made a decision: I’ve got to get to the wedding. Whatever it takes. I have to be there for Mom and Dad and Jude. If Blake doesn’t show, I’ll find an excuse for him.

Jude needs this: her perfect wedding, getting married to Stephen.

Mom needs it.

We all do.

And if Blake doesn’t show up on time, I’ll sing the damn song.

I can’t play the guitar and my voice is totally average and I get shit scared of standing in front of even one person and performing. But I’ve been practising it with Blake ever since Jude announced she was engaged, so I know the words. Yeah, I’ll sing it. And it won’t be great. And Jude will be sulky as hell about it. But hopefully all the other wedding stuff will distract her and everything will sort of be okay.

And when Blake does turn up – like he always does – he’s going to owe me, big time. More than he’s ever owed me.

For a beat, the guy keeps staring at me, and then he says:

‘Don’t you think you should stay?’ He shifts nervously from foot to foot. ‘I mean, there could be more information. We’ve been told to wait.’ He blushes like saying even these few words to me is painful. ‘It’s better to stay together at times like this,’ he adds.

‘At times like this?’

‘Yeah.’

He makes it sound like this is the kind of situation that people find themselves in more than once in their lives. And like he’s some kind of expert.

‘I’ll keep checking my phone,’ I say – because I can’t tell him the truth: that I don’t need to stay because that bit of metal floating in the sea has nothing to do with my brother.

I feel bad for leaving him. He looks like he could do with having someone stay with him, but I’ve got to get on the road.