Chapter 5
Melanie Dyson. That's what it said.
Melanie.
How could she have done this to me: to Emma? How did she even know what school Emma was going to? Had Mel been spying on us? And then there were my stupid mistakes: why did I give the school Melanie's name in the first place? Why didn't I just give them any old name? It was obvious this was going to happen.
I should have known.
I tried to imagine Emma, kicking and wailing, as Melanie, the wicked witch, dragged her away. But really, I knew that wasn't the true picture: the school would have immediately suspected something if Emma had reacted like that. It didn't take me long to realise that Emma must have left obligingly with Melanie, happy and smiling, forgetting about me, her dad, who'd given up everything for her.
And that thought hurt.
It hurt so much.
But boys don't cry.