Returning the smile, Holly waited until Suzie had left the room before changing back into her own clothes.
When Holly left Suzie’s house a few minutes later her stomach began to churn, and she prayed, as she rushed across the road, that her mum hadn’t come home early. It was unlikely, because she’d never done it before, but it would be just Holly’s luck for it to happen tonight.
Hurrying up the stairs after letting herself into the flats, Holly had almost reached the first floor when a shadow fell over her, and she stopped in her tracks and looked up guiltily, fully expecting it to be her mum.
‘Steady,’ Gee said, reaching out to grab her arm when she swayed backwards.
‘Thanks,’ she murmured, blushing as she stepped up onto the landing beside him.
‘Red or white?’ he asked.
‘Eh?’ Her eyebrows crept together.
‘The wine.’ He gave a knowing smile. ‘Smells like you’ve had a good night.’
‘I, um, had a sip of my friend’s,’ she lied.
‘Hey, it’s none of my business.’ He held up his hands. ‘But you might wanna use some mouthwash if you don’t want your mum smelling it.’
‘She’s at work,’ Holly said.
‘Ah, you’re all right, then.’ Gee grinned. Then, more seriously, he said, ‘I’m glad I’ve seen you, actually. I wanted to apologize for all that stuff with my ex earlier. She’s a bit of a hothead.’
A bit? Holly thought, remembering the rage in the woman’s eyes.
‘It’s OK,’ she said, shrugging it off. ‘As long as she doesn’t come after me if you get back with her,’ she added, trying to make it sound like a joke.
‘That’s not gonna happen,’ Gee said. ‘But I doubt she even noticed you, to be honest. She was too busy gunning for the Barbies.’
‘The Barbies?’ Holly repeated.
‘Oh, shit, probably shouldn’t have said that out loud.’ Gee grimaced. ‘It’s the way they were dressed, in all that matching gear and make-up. Kinda reminded me of the dolls my sister used to play with when she was little.’
A grin twitched Holly’s lips and she sucked it in to keep it from breaking out. So much for Bex thinking she stood a chance with him; he obviously thought she’d looked like a right prat.
‘Anyway, I hope they were OK?’ Gee went on. ‘They didn’t deserve her going for them like that.’
Holly disagreed. Julie had deserved it for trying to use Gee bumping into Bex as an excuse to get his phone number, and Holly was embarrassed all over again just thinking about the way she’d called him Zayn.
A car horn sounded outside, and Gee said, ‘That’ll be my taxi, so I’d best make a move. Catch you later. And don’t forget the mouthwash.’
Holly watched him jog down the stairs and out through the door before heading home. The Barbies! she thought, smirking to herself as she slotted her key into the lock. Just wait till Bex and Julie heard he’d called them that.
In the hallway of the flat, she listened out for the sound of movement in the other rooms, but it was silent apart from the continuous drip of water hitting the bathroom sink. Relieved, she went to her room and quickly undressed before climbing into bed. It had been a crap day, but she was feeling a whole lot better now.
14
‘So what happened with Bex?’ Suzie asked, curling up at her end of the sofa and lighting a cigarette.
A week had passed, and Holly, despite worrying that she would get caught if she risked sneaking out again, had decided to keep the date with her new friend. And she was glad that she had, because Suzie had served up lasagne with garlic bread tonight. Now they were drinking wine – red, this time, which Holly was finding to be a lot smoother and more palatable than the white they’d had on her previous visit.
Relaxed, her stomach pleasantly full and all thought of her mum catching her out forgotten, Holly relayed the events of the week, starting when she’d gone back to school and had seen Bex for the first time since their argument.
‘She was waiting for me by the gate when I got there,’ she said. ‘Reckoned she felt bad about all that stuff Julie came out with, and totally denied she’d ever said she was ashamed to be seen with me.’
‘And yet she laughed when Julie was taking the piss out of you after you ran inside,’ said Suzie.
‘She said you were lying when I asked her about that, but I told her she’s the liar, not you,’ Holly said. ‘And I said if she’s so ashamed of me she needs to look in the mirror, ’cos the way she’s started dressing and acting like Julie is pathetic. Then I told her about Gee calling them the Barbies, and how he’d said they looked like kids who’d raided their mummies’ make-up bags.’
‘Oh, wow! Is that what he said?’
‘Nah, he only called them the Barbies, the rest was me.’ Holly grinned. ‘But Bex doesn’t know that, and she was well embarrassed when I told her.’
‘See, I knew there was a reason why you and me clicked,’ Suzie chuckled. ‘You’re like me: nice till you’re pushed too far, then bam! Take that, bitch!’
‘I did feel a bit guilty after I said it,’ Holly admitted. ‘But then I remembered how she stood there and let Julie say all that stuff to me and then blamed me for everything, and I decided she deserved it.’
‘Too right she did,’ Suzie agreed. ‘She treated you like crap, and it was about time she got a taste of her own medicine.’
Holly nodded and took a swig of wine. Gazing at her, Suzie said, ‘Changing the subject for a minute, I’ve been meaning to ask about your mum.’
‘What about her?’
‘When I saw her leaving for work earlier, it occurred to me that I’ve never seen her with a man. I know your dad’s not around, but hasn’t
