The Last First Time by Andrea Bramhall

Author:Andrea Bramhall [Bramhall, Andrea]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783955339487
Publisher: Ylva Publishing
Published: 2017-12-01T03:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Gina parked her beat-up old Astra on the main road and unclipped her seatbelt. “Don’t forget your PE kit,” she reminded Sammy.

Sammy slapped her backpack and pushed open the rear door.

“Have you got your lunch?”

Sammy slapped the bag again, slung it over her shoulder, and slammed the door shut behind her.

Gina climbed out of the driver’s side, grabbed hold of Sammy’s hand, and led her down the gravel-covered road to Brancaster Primary School. The low brick wall was topped with an ornate iron railing and heavy black iron gates that were swung open to allow entry. Mums and other kids milled around the small playground.

There were thirty-seven children in the school, ranging in ages from nursery to eleven years old. And not a one of them walked up to Sammy to say hi as Gina walked her across the yard and straight up to Mrs Eastern—Sammy’s class teacher and protector since the bullying had started. Wrongly blamed for most of the kids’ fathers facing jail time, Sammy was bearing the brunt of their confusion, fear, and the misplaced anger of the parents of the village.

Sammy wasn’t the one who enticed their fathers into smuggling drugs from overseas, storing them in oyster pots on the sea bed, and then bringing them ashore on demand. Nope. That had been Ally and Adam Robbins. Sammy’s own father—Matt the Prat, as Gina called him—also sat in a prison cell waiting for his trial. In fact, his arse-covering had set off the chain reaction that had brought the village’s fleet to a standstill and put all the fishermen either in prison or out of work.

That was why Sammy was getting the shit-covered end of the stick.

Because Matt was far more than a prat. He was a fucking idiot. A fucking drug-dealing, child-abandoning, moronic imbecile whose poor parenting decisions led Sammy to believe she’d killed Gina’s best friend, Connie Wells. So, yeah…Matt was way more than just a prat.

“Morning, Gina,” Mrs Eastern said. “Terrible business all this in Lynn, ain’t it?”

Gina slapped her hands over Sammy’s ears and pulled her in front of her body so she couldn’t possibly read her lips as she said quietly, “Don’t.”

Mrs Eastern frowned, her eyes begging the question.

“I was there.”

Mrs Eastern clasped her hands in front of her mouth.

“One of our friends is still in hospital with her injuries. Sammy knows, but we’ve downplayed it. She doesn’t need anything else to worry about.”

Mrs Eastern nodded vigorously. “Of course.” She forced a smile to her lips and dropped her hands. “Are you coming to the nativity this afternoon?” She reached over and ruffled Sammy’s hair. “Someone we both know is playing the Angel Gabriella and narrating the whole show.” She winked at Sammy. “We’ve been working hard on those lines for a while now.”

Sammy nodded and looked up at Gina. “Can Kate come and watch me too?”

Gina’s heart clenched in her chest. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but she can’t. Kate’s really busy. With Stella getting that bump on the head, she’s got to do all of Stella’s work too.

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