‘Why did you call me anyway?’ I asked Mum. ‘Has something happened?’
Mum shuffled round in her seat to glare at me. ‘What happened is that I had a frantic phone call from Zoe’s mother asking if she was at our house. It seems some girl turned up at the door and told her mother she’d gone off to a concert and Zoe’s mother wasn’t too happy about it. Then I couldn’t raise you on the mobile. What was going on in your head, Anna? And where is Zoe anyway? Please tell me she’s gone home already.’
I found I was crying again and I shook my head. ‘I sort of lost her at the concert, Mum. I don’t know where she went.’
Mum and Dad looked at each other. The car indicator gave its gentle ticking sound and Dad pulled the car into a side street where he could turn around. ‘I guess we’re going back to look for Zoe, then.’
Just then my mobile pinged. I squinted at it in the dark. It was a number I didn’t recognise sending me a text. Z here. Mob flat. This is Toms. Wr r u now?
I replied. Wr r u???
Outside bar. Cm & get me?
I decided not to tell her I was bringing my parents with me, in case she panicked. I got them to go to the back of the building where the little car park was and I jumped out and ran to the front. Zoe was on her own, waiting for me and when she saw me she gave me a squashy hug. ‘Sorry,’ she said. She smelled of Tom’s cigarette smoke.
‘Where’s Dracula?’ I asked.
She shrugged. ‘Tom had to get off. I’ve got his number though. Hey, what’s up?’
I shook my head. ‘Bad news.’ I told her what had happened. For some reason, though, I decided not to mention that someone – Kerry, almost certainly – had deliberately dropped her in trouble. Instead I just told her that her mum was looking for her and that my parents were parked around the corner.
Zoe groaned. ‘I don’t suppose we can make a run for it?’
I grasped her arm and steered her towards the car park. ‘Don’t be stupid.’
When we got into the car, I tried my best to persuade my mum to let Zoe stay the night, but she wouldn’t hear of it. Dad dropped Zoe off outside her house and watched as she put her key in the door, in spite of Zoe’s claims that she wouldn’t get away from her mum alive.
Later, over a cup of tea, I told Mum I was sorry, about a hundred times. She lectured me for a few minutes, but once Dad went, she got over it pretty fast. I think she was just relieved that she’d found me.
‘What was Zoe’s mum like?’ I asked.
My mum paused. ‘Angry.’
‘Yeah, I know. But what did you make of her?’
Mum stuck out her lower lip and I could see her choosing her words. ‘If you first speak to someone when they’re beside themselves with worry, it’s too hard to tell what they’re like. I could understand why she was so furious. I don’t care if they don’t get on. Zoe shouldn’t have gone behind her mother’s back like that. And I don’t want you being part of it again, understand? For god’s sake, anything could’ve happened to you.’
I hung my head. ‘I know.’
I sipped my tea, which was going cold. ‘Do you know who it was who dropped – I mean, who told Zoe’s mum where we were?’
‘I don’t,’ Mum said. ‘But I’m sure she didn’t mean to get Zoe into trouble. Maybe she was just worried about you both. Like I was.’
I stood up to go to bed. ‘Mum,’ I said. ‘Dad didn’t say much. Was he really mad with me?’
‘A bit. But his girlfriend is even madder. They were having a romantic supper and we ruined it, from what I can gather.’ Mum’s mouth twitched. ‘Shame.’
‘Mum!’ I shook my head at her and made for the stairs.
I can’t remember when I was last so tired, but when I got into bed I couldn’t relax enough to get to sleep. The whole evening kept racing round in my head: the awful scene in the restaurant with Kerry. The way Luke looked at me. Zoe, dancing. That vampiric singer trying to eat her up. Kerry’s spiteful revenge. And Zoe’s face as she got out of our car, squeezing my hand and then drawing her finger across her throat. She was expecting more than a telling off.
6
Trouble
After an almost sleepless night, I got up the next morning with my head feeling like it was full of mud. The first thing I did was text Zoe – U k? Call me – but I didn’t get an answer. I made some tea and took a mug up to Mum. She was just coming out of her room, looking groggy. ‘I didn’t sleep. Did you?’
I shook my head.
She took the mug and blew on it. ‘This doesn’t make everything OK, Anna. I ought to ground you or something.’
‘I know.’
Mum sighed. ‘Lucky for you I don’t have the energy. You’re all I’ve got now. I’m not up for a big row.’
That made me feel worse than if she’d grounded me for the rest of the year, of course.
When I was dressed, I marched round to Kerry’s house. As I knocked on her door, I realised I didn’t really know what I was going to say to her, but I had to say something.
It was Kerry’s mum who answered and she looked at me like I smelled bad, but she gave Kerry a shout. Kerry galloped to the door like a big clumsy Labrador and said ‘Hi’ as if last night had never happened. My mouth opened and I just stared at her for a second or two. Then I said: ‘What the hell were you thinking?’
It didn’t seem to matter that she was a good head
