‘It’s OK, I’ll have it,’ Holly said, smiling to herself as she took a tub of margarine out of the fridge. It had been a long time since anyone had made breakfast for her. She presumed her mum must have done it for her when she was younger, but she genuinely couldn’t remember.
When the food was plated and the tea was brewed, they sat at the table facing each other.
‘This is nice,’ Suzie said, sprinkling salt onto her eggs. ‘You probably won’t understand, ’cos you’ve got your mum, but I miss having someone to eat with now Rob’s gone.’
‘My mum’s always asleep when I go to school, so we never have breakfast together,’ Holly said, covering her mouth with her hand to avoid spitting crumbs onto the table.
‘What about dinner?’ Suzie asked, taking a tiny bite of toast.
Swallowing loudly, Holly said, ‘She eats at work, so I usually make a butty or stick a pizza in the microwave.’
‘That’s a shame,’ Suzie said. ‘But at least you know how to take of yourself. I was a mess when I left home; took me ages to figure out how to use a cooker.’
‘I’ve been doing it ever since I can remember,’ said Holly. ‘I do all the cleaning and washing as well.’
Suzie heard the pride in her voice and smiled. ‘Independent little thing, aren’t you?’
Holly shrugged and shoved another forkful of egg into her mouth.
‘Any word from Bex?’ Suzie asked.
Holly shook her head. ‘No, but I got a message off Leanne. There was no number, but I know it was her.’
‘What did it say?’ Suzie reached for her cup and took a sip of tea.
Mouth full again, Holly lifted her phone out of her blazer pocket and, bringing up the message, showed it to Suzie.
Leaning forward, Suzie squinted at it and said, ‘Bloody hell, your screen’s a mess, hon. What have you been doing with it?’
‘It was like that when I got it.’ Holly blushed. ‘My mum found it at work and they let her keep it.’
‘Ah, well, as long as it works, who cares?’ Suzie said. Then, tutting softly when she’d read the message, she sat back and said, ‘Ignore it. She’s only trying to scare you.’
‘It’s worked,’ Holly muttered, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. ‘I was going to go in before that came.’
‘Try to forget about it for now,’ Suzie counselled, pushing her plate away and lighting a cigarette. ‘I’ll get dressed when I’ve had this, then we’ll go down to the studio and work on those photos we took the other night. I’ve already edited a few, and they’re looking really good.’
‘Can we ring school first?’ Holly asked, glancing at the clock. ‘The bell goes in fifteen minutes, and they’ll text my mum to ask why I’m not there if I miss registration.’
‘Oh, yeah, I forgot about that,’ Suzie said, picking her phone up off the table. ‘Do you know the number or should I google it?’
‘Google,’ Holly said, feeling nervous again.
‘Relax, it’ll be fine.’ Suzie smiled. ‘What’s the name?’
‘Holly Evans.’
‘I meant the name of the school.’
‘Oh, sorry. Parkside High.’
‘Ooh, get you.’ Suzie arched an eyebrow. ‘One of my old friends went there. Very posh.’
‘I hate it.’ Holly pulled a face. ‘They all think they’re better than me ’cos they’re rich.’
‘Hey, you’re as good as them all day long, and don’t you forget it,’ Suzie said. ‘Money isn’t everything. You’re clever and kind, and I’d rather have you for a friend than some snobby little cow.’
Holly smiled and shoved the last piece of toast into her mouth.
‘I know what you mean about hating school, though,’ Suzie went on as she typed the name of Holly’s school into her phone. ‘I wagged most of my last year and missed most of my exams. I was lucky I got taken on by the first agent I approached, or I’d probably be stacking shelves or cleaning bogs right now.’
‘That’s what my mum reckons I’ll end up doing if I fail mine,’ Holly said, gathering their plates and forks together. ‘She’s always nagging at me to revise so I don’t end up like her.’
‘Oh, is she a cleaner?’ Suzie asked. ‘I was wondering what she did. And does she always work lates?’
‘Yep.’
‘Don’t you get scared being on your own every night?’
‘I’m used to it.’ Holly shrugged. ‘And I still wouldn’t see much of her even if she worked days, ’cos she always goes straight to bed as soon as she comes home.’
She carried the plates to the sink, and Suzie watched her thoughtfully as she washed them and the frying pan before wiping the cooker and the counter. She was guarded when it came to talking about her mum, but some of the things she’d let slip during their conversations gave Suzie the impression that she’d pretty much been left to bring herself up – which probably explained why she was forbidden from going out or answering the door when her mum was out: in case someone realized she was being left alone overnight and reported her mum for neglect. She might be almost sixteen now, but who knew how young she’d been when it had first started happening?
Still, it was their business, not hers, so she tore her gaze off the girl and phoned the school.
‘Oh, hello, is this Parkside High? I’m calling to let you know that my daughter won’t be coming in today. Her name’s Holly Evans and she’s in year ten.’
‘Eleven!’ Holly hissed, snapping her head round.
‘Sorry, I mean year eleven,’ Suzie corrected herself. ‘I’ve been up half the night and I’m not thinking straight. Anyway, she’s been sick and her temperature’s still high, so I’m waiting for a call back from the doctor. I’ll let you know how we get on.’
‘What did they say?’ Holly asked, wiping her hands on a tea towel when Suzie had finished the call.
‘That they hope you’ll
