Kerry turned and ran out of the classroom, letting out a sort of a wail as she went.
Some of the girls laughed. Whether they were laughing at Kerry, which they often did anyway, or at Zoe’s temper, I didn’t know.
A teacher put his head around the classroom door and told everyone to get outside, even though the drizzly mist meant we could hardly see an arms-length in front of us.
I have to admit it, in some ways it was brilliant being with Zoe again, with no Kerry to keep bugging us. Zoe was the way I loved her best, all smart comments and sophisticated jokes. And when she talked about Saturday and the gig, it was as if it had all been the best night ever. For her, all the nasty stuff in the restaurant had been sort of wiped. But I couldn’t really enjoy it properly, because I was being nagged by guilt about Kerry. And I had questions.
‘So, Zoe, where’d you disappear to at that gig? One minute you were being mauled by that creepy guy. Next you were gone.’
‘In a puff of sulphur,’ Zoe grinned. ‘Hah.’
‘I panicked though. Come on, what were you doing?’
‘What do you think I was doing?’ Zoe’s eyes had a wicked shine to them.
I raised my eyebrows at her. What was she telling me?
‘Anyway,’ Zoe went on. ‘That creepy guy is called Tom and I think he’s gorgeous. And he promised he’s going to get me some gigs with his band, remember? I’m going to dance for them.’
‘Oh,’ I said. ‘That.’
Later, we walked home together, arms linked. The fog had barely lifted that day but at least Kerry still hadn’t come back to pester us. ‘Tell me what your mum said, then,’ I pressed Zoe.
She shook her head. ‘It’s too boring. Let’s just say she didn’t miss the chance to have a good go at me.’
‘You never really tell me –’
Zoe waved her hand. ‘Don’t go on about it. I don’t want to even talk about her.’
We got to The Cut and I hesitated at the opening because it was so very fogbound. And I could hear loud voices. I looked at Zoe. ‘Should we go in there?’
The sounds got louder. Someone was crying and someone else was shouting. Then I recognised the voices. ‘I think that’s Kerry,’ I said, and without waiting for Zoe I marched into the Cut. I walked as fast as I could, but it was muddy and slippery underfoot. Zoe followed, making loud sighing sounds. Round the first corner, we came across two figures – Kerry and Jodie. Jodie had her arm round Kerry, who was snuffling. When I got closer I saw she was covered in mud.
Jodie glared at us. ‘Could’ve done with you two, five minutes ago,’ she said. ‘Your friend’s been beaten up.’
‘What?’ I stared at Kerry, who was leaning into Jodie’s shoulder and snivelling. ‘Who did it, Kerry?’
‘It was some girls from your school,’ Jodie said. ‘I came around the corner and they were laying into her. Calling her a grass or something. They left off when I said I was calling the police. I was just asking her where you two were.’
I reached out to pat Kerry’s arm. From the stench, it was obvious she hadn’t just been rolled in mud. I drew back my hand. ‘It wasn’t our fault,’ I said, quickly.
Jodie shook her head at us.
‘Kerry landed us in big trouble at the weekend,’ Zoe said, with a pout. ‘But we didn’t tell anyone to hurt her.’
‘They just use that sort of thing as an excuse,’ I said. ‘Sorry, Kerry. Are you OK?’
Jodie swore at us. ‘Does she look it? I think you should take her home.’
Kerry let out a blubbery moan. ‘I don’t want to go home like this.’
I looked at Jodie, hoping she had some bright ideas.
She closed her eyes and sighed. ‘All right, everyone back to mine and we’ll get Kerry cleaned up. And you can all sort yourselves out.’
I could tell she thought Zoe and I were in some way to blame.
We trudged to the flats, Kerry limping a little. The lift never smelled too good to start with and Kerry made it worse. Jodie ushered us all into her flat and pointed to the little bathroom. ‘Zoe, why don’t you put the kettle on and make us some tea? Anna and I can sort Kerry out.’
Zoe frowned, but did as she was told and to be honest I thought she’d got the better deal. I had to help Kerry wash her face and hands, which were grazed as well as caked in filth, and peel off her ripped school tights, avoiding a gashed and bleeding knee. Jodie found an old cloth and started sponging the mud off Kerry’s coat.
‘I’m sorry,’ I said. ‘I hope you don’t think we wanted this to happen.’
Kerry shook her head, blowing her nose noisily on a handful of Jodie’s toilet paper. Zoe put her head around the bathroom door and held out a mug of tea. She wrinkled her nose at the lingering smell. Jodie offered Kerry a pair of her own black tights in a rolled-up ball and we left her to try to squeeze into them, closing the door behind us.
Jodie’s almost-empty living room was cold and still had a mouldy smell about it. Zoe stood by the window to stare at the view of the gloomy sky and the city lights shining fuzzily through the mist. ‘It looks like someone’s tipped out a box of gold chains onto a grey velvet cloth,’ she said, cupping her hands around her mug.
‘Very poetic,’ I said, staying back from the window, tiny shivers zizzing down my legs and fingers. ‘It looks like fog and street lights to me.’
‘How could you two let those girls get Kerry like that?’ Jodie demanded. ‘You’re supposed to be her friends.’
‘Yes, well, you don’t know what Kerry
