Page 82 of Emma
Like you, Jane and Will weren’t very kind to me. Not like Carmen and Ben are to you. I was older than you when I left home. I went to university, then I travelled to Ghana in Africa to teach sport to kids who didn’t have very much at all. But I’m here now, and I’ll always be here for you, Freya.
I thought maybe when the time is right for you, and if you’d like to, we could go out for dinner together. Maybe eat pizza or whatever it is you prefer. Just so you know, banana ice cream is my favourite, and mint choc chip is a close second. I prefer mine in a cone, but my best friend always goes for a tub with sprinkles and sauce. What do you prefer? Do you even like ice cream?
As for never feeling cool or being part of a team, you now have three teams behind you! Your netball team, team Carmen and Ben, and team me! And I’m never going to let you sit on the sidelines.
I know we’re just starting out, and there’s probably a lot you still want to ask me. That’s okay. You can ask me anything, and I’ll always answer honestly. I’d love it if we could keep talking and getting to know one another. I look forward to reading your emails. I want to know EVERYTHING there is to know about you. I have a whole twelve years to catch up on.
And Freya, I’m really happy that I get to call you my sister. I’ll always be grateful.
Love,
Emma.
As she signed off,Emma leaned back in the chair, her chest heaving as though she’d just run laps around the netball courts. She read the email through twice, then a third time, before finally saving the draft. Her hands were trembling, but she felt lighter than she had in days.
She took a breath and cleared her throat. “Babe?”
“Yes?” Vanessa reappeared, her gaze flicking to the screen briefly. “You did it?”
Emma lifted her glass of water, gulped it down, and sighed. “I did it.”
“Would you like me to look over it? I won’t be offended if you’d rather I didn’t.”
“I…yeah. Just give me a minute to get my bearings. I feel out of sorts now that I know I’ve done the hardest part.”
Vanessa took the seat beside Emma and reached for her hands. “Give yourself a moment to breathe. This is a lot for you both.”
“I know. I’m okay. I just didn’t think we’d ever reach this point.” Emma’s voice wavered. “But I told her what she needed to hear. That sheismy sister and that I’veneverhated her.”
Vanessa’s eyes softened, pride and love radiating through every line of her face. She reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind Emma’s ear. “Good. Because that’s the truth. And shewillfeel it.”
Emma swallowed, tears threatening all over again, but this time they weren’t down to the pain she’d felt recently. They were down to the hope that was building inside of her. She leaned into Vanessa’s touch as she rested a palm against Emma’s cheek, smiling as the world fell away for the rest of the night. “Thanks for being here for me.”
“Nothingcould stop me from being here for you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Emma stirred her cereal absently,watching the loops soften in the milk until they blurred together. The spoon clinked against the side of the bowl, a sound she’d made a thousand times before, but this morning it grated on her, sharp and loud in the quietness of the kitchen.
Her laptop sat closed on the counter, the email she’d written still pressing down firmly on her chest. Somewhere out there, Freya could be reading it right now. Over breakfast, on the bus to school, maybe even before brushing her teeth. That thought alone made Emma’s stomach lurch.
She rested her elbow on the table and pressed her forehead to her hand. “I think I said too much.”
“Stop.” Vanessa set her cup of coffee down and slid into the chair opposite. She was still in her robe, with her hair pushed up in a messy knot, bare-faced and beautiful. “You didn’t say too much. You said what needed to be said.”
“Babe.”
“No. You didn’t sleep at all last night. You cannot go through today worrying, Emma. This isn’t healthy. Freya has asked you for answers and you’ve given them.”
Emma glanced up, her spoon dangling from her fingers. “Once I know everything is okay,I’llbe okay. I’m just worried I’m going to scare her off, that’s all. All of this…it’s a lot for a twelve-year-old to process.”
Vanessa leaned forward and took Emma’s hand from across the table. “She practically begged you to let her know that she hadn’t been hated all this time. You gave her the one thing she’s been waiting to hear. Trust her to take it in.”
Emma knew why she was worrying. She knew why she’d tossed and turned all night. Because she would see Freya today. She chewed her lip, unable to stop the restless tap of her foot against the tiled floor. “I’ve got her for second period today. I don’t know how I’m supposed to stand there in front of her and teach netball like normal.”
“You’re going to do what you always do.” Vanessa’s reassuring smile settled Emma a little. “You’ll show up, you’ll teach, and you’ll encourage her. If she gives you the smallest sign, just a look or a smile, then you’ll know she read it. You’ll know she heard you.”
Emma blew out a breath and dropped the spoon into her cereal. She didn’t know why she’d bothered to try with breakfast; she wasn’t even hungry. She pushed the bowl aside and reached for her coffee instead. The warmth seeped into her palms, grounding her, but her heart was still beating erratically.
