Kate Maryon: Glitter

HarperCollins Children’s Books A division of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children’s Books 2010

Text copyright © Kate Maryon 2010

The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

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Source ISBN: 9780007326280

Ebook Edition © JULY 2010 ISBN: 9780007411009

Version: 2019-05-30

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For Daniel, Carole, Heather, Louisa, Ruth, James, Sophia, Mala and Joti. For your mummies who now glitter with the stars in the sky – they loved you so much and were so sad to leave you.

For Jonny, Amida and all the other dads who did and continue to do their wonderful best.

For Jayne and Jan who will for ever glitter in my eyes – thank you for so much.

Cover Page

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

Chapter 1: failure is not an option…

Chapter 2: humming might be dangerous…

Chapter 3: a glittering success…

Chapter 4: everything is really all my fault…

Chapter 5: I don’t even know where to begin…

Chapter 6: welcum to the dump…

Chapter 7: school…?

Chapter 8: the grave…

Chapter 9: like Pride and Prejudice and stuff…

Chapter 10: err, sorry, daddy…

Chapter 11: my whole insides are trembling…

Chapter 12: don’t forget the old folk…

Chapter 13: the rest is a blur…

Chapter 14: if you’re going to run wild…

Chapter 15: today is my birthday…

Chapter 16: I’m so sorry Liberty…

Chapter 17: for my new best friend…

Chapter 18: it’s dark here, really dark…

Chapter 19: and then he’s gone…

Chapter 20: she pulls away from me and gasps…

Chapter 21: this one last go…

Chapter 22: why didn’t l get it before…?

Chapter 23: no, l scream…

Chapter 24: and now I’m confused…

Chapter 25: I’m not feeling fine…

Chapter 26: you could have been anything…

Chapter 27: I’m getting warmer…

Chapter 28: the sound of two violins…

Chapter 29: and then you came along…

Chapter 30: I squeeze his hand…

Chapter 31: if you want to come, that is…

Chapter 32: bugsy is brilliant…

Chapter 33: me glorious me…

Chapter 34: like glitter on my smile…

Keep Reading

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Also by Kate Maryon

About the Publisher

My dad is so obsessed with success that every time I’m home from school, for a weekend or for the holidays, he just can’t resist reminding me of the Parfitt family motto. “Remember, Liberty,” he booms, while he’s checking over my school work or reading my report, “that failure is not an option for a Parfitt.” And what annoys me most is that he always says it as if I’ve never even heard it before. He always says it as if it’s never been drummed into my head a thousand million times. He always says it as if I don’t already know that I’m the biggest failure the Parfitt family has ever had the disappointment of knowing. And what makes things worse is that as hard as I try not to let his stupid motto bother me, it does. I just can’t help it and every time he says it something deep inside me shrivels up and hides.

At my brother’s parents’ evening, his housemaster said to my dad, “Sebastian has a glittering career ahead of him, Mr Parfitt, he’s a real credit to you, sir. He’s brilliant at everything, an A* student from head to toe and there are top-secret whispers being passed around that he’s going to be made next year’s head boy.”

You could almost see the gift-wrapped packages of love leaping out of my dad’s heart and landing like glitter on my successful brother’s smile.

My parents’ evening wasn’t quite so glittering. My dad had to cancel this extremely important business meeting to drive all the way from London, to our school in Somerset, where the news that hit his ears did not make him smile. “She’s a lovely girl, Mr Parfitt,” my housemistress said, “kind, sweet and helpful, but she struggles with her academic studies. Liberty has more of a natural inclination towards her musical studies and I have to say she really appears to have a talent for it, sir. If she were to be encouraged a little more in this area she may well—”

“Music!” my dad blasted when the parents’ evening was over. “Music, Liberty! You’re unbelievable! I made it perfectly clear to you when you were small how I felt about you pursuing an interest in music and the same remains today. It was music that ruined your mother’s life and I won’t have it ruin yours. My own mother was stupid enough to let me follow my dreams when I was at school and nothing good ever came of it. I should have listened to my father and gone into business from the start, that’s where the security is, Liberty, you mark my words. But no, my dominating mother stuck her nose in and interfered as usual. So, I want you to listen to me good and listen to me hard. You will do as you’re told and follow a sensible career, one that won’t let you down or get you into trouble. You’re going to be twelve years old soon and it’s about time you put your head down and pulled your socks up. I don’t pay a fortune in fees for you to be at one of the best schools in the country so you can mess about. I’m paying for you to get ahead in life and make something of yourself. I want to see an improvement, Liberty, and I want to see it fast. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Daddy,” I said, because I know there’s never any point in arguing with him. He never listens to anything I have to say. Then he jumped in his car and roared off back to his office without even saying goodbye. There was no little gift-wrapped parcel of love popping out of his heart for me; there never is. And that’s all I want, really. I just want him to love me too and not just Sebastian. Or even just to like me one tiny little bit. That would be a start. But I only ever seem to make him angry which drives him further and further away.

Two weeks later at the end of year Prize-giving Day things went from bad to worse. Sebastian won six prizes and got to make his first speech as next year’s head boy. And I got nothing! Zilch! Zero!