‘OK … your call.’ His voice was still thick with glee.
Alice, Alice, Alice. What the hell is going on with you?
Thankfully he had the grace to let her cool down a bit and regain some composure before he moved on to the next item on the list. Much to Alice’s dismay it was, in fact, reading out loud.
‘Now, you’re lucky that my mum brought in the entire series for me just last week. Otherwise we’d be stuck with Mr Peterson’sDaily Mailto read from.’
‘Really?’ They were only thirty seconds into chapter one, page one, before she cut him off.
‘Sorry, is there something the matter?’
‘Firstly, you’re expecting us to actually read out loud to each other?’
‘Correct. And secondly?’
‘You’re going to read meHarry Potter?’
‘Correct. Have you read it before?’
‘No, because I’m not seven years old.’ She smiled; she felt rather smug about that comeback.
‘Well, you’re about to experience one of the greatest works of fiction ever written then. And you can thank me later. Imagination doesn’t have to stop at seven, you know. Grown-ups can be fun too.’
Touché.
‘Fine.’ She sighed. ‘Go on.’
And so he did, with intense enthusiasm. Every character was given their own individual voice, there were dramatic pauses left, right and centre, plus he even adopted a very good Stephen Fry-like narrator’s voice. She soon realized there was no stopping him and so she lay back, closed her eyes, and brought his words to life in her mind.How lucky those kids were to have someone like him as their teacher, she thought. How lucky she was to know him.
‘So, what do you think, Miss A? Did your old-woman brain manage to enjoy it?’
‘The jury’s out, I’m afraid. I’ll have to hear more.’
Loath as she was to say it, three chapters in and she was hooked.
‘What a lame excuse to get me to read to you again. Don’t you worry, I see right through you.’
She had to laugh.
‘Shall I continue?’
‘If you have to …’
‘Ah look, lunch is coming now. What a shame, you’ll just have to wait until tomorrow.’
She could picture the Cheshire cat grin across his face. ‘You’re a tease, Alfie Mack. You know that, don’t you?’
‘But you wouldn’t have me any other way.’
‘Gosh, aren’t you two so cute!’
‘Sarah!’ Alice must have been on a different planet because she didn’t even hear her friend approach. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Sarah’s head pop round the curtain. ‘Where the hell did you come from?’
‘Well, I walked through the entrance, turned left and then followed the corridor, and BAM: here I am.’
‘You’re so ANNOYING!’ She threw a pillow at her friend but missed, which only made her more frustrated.
‘Sorry, my love. Maybe Alfie’s childish behaviour is contagious.’
