‘Why did you tell them?’ she asked for the thirteenth time. ‘Because I had to stand up for you,’ he explained patiently. ‘I didn’t want anyone to know,’ she cried again, shaking off his arm when he tried to comfort her. ‘Now everyone knows that I’m stupid.’ ‘Nobody thinks you’re stupid; just that you can’t read yet.’ ‘I won’t ever be able to read,’ she said, and she stood up defiantly. ‘And you know what?’ ‘What?’ he asked, her swollen eyes and pale face breaking his heart. ‘It doesn’t matter. I’ll be a cleaner or something,’ she said. ‘How will you read the instructions on the bottles?’ he asked gently. ‘Then I’ll be a chef.’ ‘How will you read the recipes?’ He looked at her little face and wanted to kiss her, but he knew she would push him away. ‘I’ll find something to do, something that doesn’t require fucking reading,’ she said, and she walked to the door. ‘Where are you going?’ he asked. ‘Back to Middlemist,’ she said, nervous at facing Willow – that was, if she was still there.
