‘Here we go.’ Suzie came in carrying two plates, and handed one to Holly before taking a seat on the sofa. ‘It’s chicken korma. Hope you like it.’
‘Thanks,’ Holly said, sitting down and carefully balancing the plate on her lap. Used to the bland microwave meals and frozen foods her mum bought, she was surprised by how good the curry tasted: spicy, but not too hot, with tender chunks of chicken and a heap of fluffy rice.
‘Is it OK?’ Suzie asked, watching as Holly tucked in.
‘Mmmm.’ Holly covered her full mouth with her hand and quickly swallowed. ‘It’s great. Did you make it yourself?’
‘Sure did.’ Suzie smiled. ‘I’ll give you the recipe, if you like?’
Holly nodded, but she knew she would never attempt to cook it. She could just about cope with frozen pizzas and oven chips, let alone mess about with real meat and rice.
They ate on in silence, and when they’d finished Suzie took their plates into the kitchen. She came back carrying two glasses and a bottle of white wine.
‘How old are you?’ she asked as she sat down.
‘Fifteen,’ said Holly. ‘But I’ll be sixteen in two months.’
‘That’s old enough for one little glass,’ Suzie said. ‘If you want one?’
‘Yes, please,’ said Holly.
‘I’m surprised you’re only fifteen,’ Suzie said, pouring two glasses and passing one over before settling back in her seat. ‘You seem very mature for your age.’
Tickled by the compliment, Holly smiled as she took a sip of wine. She’d had alcohol before, when Kelly had nicked a bottle of brandy off her mum and brought it into school. She, Kelly and Bex had polished it off in the toilets at lunchtime, and she’d been sent home after puking her guts up in maths that afternoon. The teacher had thought it was a stomach bug, so she hadn’t got into trouble, but the hangover had been punishment enough and she’d vowed never to drink again. She was sure one glass of wine wouldn’t hurt her, though.
‘So what was all that about earlier?’ Suzie asked, kicking off her slippers and pulling her feet up under her. ‘Did you say one of those girls is supposed to be your best mate?’
‘Yeah, Bex.’ Holly’s smile slipped.
‘Hey, don’t go down on me again,’ Suzie said, lighting a cigarette. ‘I’m only asking ’cos I saw them walking off after you went inside, and they didn’t look that bothered about upsetting you.’
‘It was all Julie’s fault,’ Holly muttered. ‘She follows Bex round like a dog, then accuses me of being a lesbo. And she proper thinks she’s gorgeous,’ she added bitterly.
‘I take it that’s the one with the extensions?’ Suzie asked. ‘I clocked that about her as soon as I saw her. She’s like all the fake bitches I’ve worked with on the modelling circuit.’
‘Oh, are you a model?’ Holly asked. ‘I did wonder when I saw that.’ She nodded at a large framed photograph on the wall, in which Suzie was reclining on a chaise longue wearing a red satin bra and panties. ‘It’s really nice.’
‘It’s all right,’ Suzie said modestly. ‘It’s from a shoot I did for a lingerie company. They didn’t end up using me, but Rob liked that picture, so I had it blown up and framed for him.’
‘How come it’s got no glass?’ Holly asked.
‘Because Rob threw his phone at me, but I ducked and it hit that instead.’
‘Why’s he so horrible to you?’
‘Because he’s a knob,’ Suzie sneered. Then, sighing, she said, ‘He wasn’t always like that. I’d been in a few crap relationships before I met him, but he was so sweet and I honestly thought we were good together. I should have finished it the first time he put his hands on me, but we live and learn.’
‘Do you still love him?’ Holly asked, taking another sip of wine.
‘I know I shouldn’t after everything he’s done, but yes, I have still got feelings for him,’ Suzie admitted. ‘You’ve only seen the bad side of him, but he can be lovely when he wants to be.’
‘Is he in prison?’ Holly relaxed back against the cushions as the wine began to soften her edges.
‘As far as I know he’s still on remand,’ Suzie said, twisting round in her seat and resting her elbow on the back of the sofa. ‘But enough about him. Finish telling me about the argument with your friends.’
‘Julie started it,’ Holly said. ‘Bex was supposed to be coming over to spend the day with me, ’cos she’s been dying to meet my neighbour. But she tagged along, even though she knows I can’t stand her.’
‘Why did Bex want to meet your neighbour?’ Suzie asked.
‘’Cos he’s the spit of Zayn,’ Holly said. ‘Zayn Malik,’ she elaborated when Suzie gave her a blank look. ‘He used to be in One Direction, and me and Bex fancied him like mad. Well, Bex more than me, but he is gorgeous. And my neighbour looks like him, only younger and fitter.’
‘Ah, yeah, I think I know who you mean,’ Suzie said. ‘So did Bex get to meet him?’
‘Yeah, but it didn’t go how she expected,’ Holly snorted. ‘She was convinced he would fall for her as soon as he met her, but she made a right tit of herself.’ Blushing, she murmured, ‘Sorry, I mean she made a fool of herself.’
‘Don’t censor yourself on my account, hon,’ Suzie laughed. ‘I swear like a trooper when I get going. So what did she do?’
‘She dragged me over to him, but he didn’t see us coming and they banged into each other. She fell over, then got all flirty when he helped her up. Julie started gobbing off and asked him for his phone number – in case Bex got
