‘Oh, here we go,’ Josie said, sloshing liquid out of the glass as she pointed at another woman who had appeared on the TV screen. ‘She’s the new hubby’s ex, and she—’
‘Mum, just let me watch it,’ Holly groaned.
‘Well, pardon me for trying to bring you up to speed,’ Josie huffed, a look of indignation on her face as she raised the glass to her lips.
The silence only lasted as long as the film did, and Holly felt like she was being tortured when another oldie came on and her mum immediately started a new running commentary.
Hours that felt like an absolute eternity later, Josie headed off to work, at last. The vodka bottle was empty by then and she’d been a little unsteady on her feet as she leaned over the back of the sofa to kiss Holly goodbye – something she only ever did when she was pissed. But she’d walked a reasonably straight line to the door, so Holly figured she’d be OK.
As soon as she was alone, Holly switched the TV off and went to her room with her mum’s voice echoing in her head. Still fully clothed, she climbed into bed and checked her phone to see if Bex had messaged or tried to call. There was nothing from Bex, but Suzie had sent two messages: the first asking if she was OK, the second inviting her to go over if she fancied a chat. The only person Holly wanted to chat to was Bex, so she swiped the messages off the screen without replying and logged into her Facebook account.
Bex had been online posting photos of herself and Julie at the art exhibition, and Holly’s lip curled as she scrolled through them. They looked like a pair of TOWIE wannabes with their ridiculous fake-tans and duck-lips, and it was obvious they were filtered, contrary to Bex’s claim that she never filtered her selfies.
She’d posted loads of photos of the so-called artwork, but Holly thought it looked more like the graffiti that was spray-painted all over the estate than Banksy’s stuff. Bex had gushed that it was all ‘Shamaaaazing’, and Julie had commented on every post, even though she was right there and could easily have shared her thoughts with Bex in person. But that was them all over: anything to get a few stupid Facebook likes. It was pathetic, and Holly closed the page down in disgust and pulled her duvet over her head.
12
Suzie had been thinking about Holly all afternoon. The girl still hadn’t answered her texts and she was worried about her, so when she saw her mum heading out to work, she rang her.
Holly picked up on the fourth ring, and murmured a wan, ‘Hello?’
‘Hi, hon, it’s Suzie,’ she said. ‘Didn’t you get my messages?’
‘Oh, yeah. Sorry. I’m not well, so I’m in bed.’
‘Why, what’s wrong?’
‘I feel sick.’
‘Oh, you poor thing. When did that come on?’
‘Earlier.’
‘Are you sure you’re not just fretting about what happened with those girls?’ Suzie asked, cutting to the chase. ‘Because you know they’re probably slagging you off right now while you’re lying there feeling sorry for yourself, don’t you?’
‘Bex is my best mate, she’d never slag me off,’ Holly said miserably.
‘You don’t believe that any more than I do,’ said Suzie. Then, more gently, because Holly sounded so unhappy, she said, ‘Why don’t you forget about them and come over here and chill with me for a bit? I’ve been cooking, and there’s way too much for me on my own.’
‘I can’t,’ Holly said, her voice muffled by the quilt she was hiding beneath. ‘I’m not allowed out when my mum’s at work.’
‘What time does she come home?’
‘Depends how many shifts she’s got.’ Holly sniffed. ‘Sometimes two-ish, sometimes five or six.’
‘Ah, you’ve got hours yet,’ Suzie said. ‘And you’d be doing me a massive favour, ’cos I could really use the company,’ she added. ‘You’re my only friend round here, and I didn’t realize it’d be so lonely without Rob. Please, hon. I hate being on my own.’
Holly stayed quiet for a moment. Then, sighing, she said, ‘OK.’
‘Thank you so much,’ Suzie said gratefully. ‘I’ll leave the door on the latch; come straight in.’
Nervous, because it was the first time she had ever defied her mum and gone out at night, Holly pulled the hood of her jacket up over her head when she crept out of the flats a few minutes later. Scuttling across the road, she gave a tiny knock on Suzie’s door before going inside. The warmth hit her as soon as she entered the hallway, and she picked up on the delicious scent of food coming from the kitchen.
‘That was fast,’ Suzie said, appearing in the kitchen doorway. ‘Take your shoes off and go make yourself comfortable while I plate up. And I hope you’re hungry, ’cos there’s loads.’
Embarrassed when her stomach rumbled loudly in reply, Holly looped her jacket over a peg and then slipped her trainers off before heading into the living room. A black leather settee was positioned against the wall facing the window, and a matching armchair sat in the corner. The floor was laminated, and a flat-screen TV was attached to the wall above the fireplace. Holly and her mum had moved around a lot over the years, carting
