Afraid

by Mandasue Heller

  ‘And you’re a slag,’ Skye shot back. ‘Don’t think I didn’t see you touching him with your feet last night.’

  ‘Didn’t stop me, though, did he?’ Chloe slammed the drawer shut and opened the cupboard above it instead.

  ‘Get out of there!’ Skye squawked, rushing over when the girl started pushing her neatly stacked tins around. ‘I spent ages sorting that out.’

  ‘Don’t try and boss me around, you stupid bitch,’ Chloe yelled. ‘I just want my gear.’

  Skye instinctively lashed out when Chloe shoved her, but she missed her mark and yelped with pain when Chloe grabbed her by the hair. ‘Get off me!’

  ‘Make me!’ Chloe hissed, dragging Skye’s head down and trying to kick her. ‘You’ve been looking down your nose at me ever since I got here, but you’ve picked the wrong one to mess with, bitch!’

  Skye had never liked fighting, mainly because she wasn’t very good at it, but she knew she had to do something or she was going to lose half her hair. So, twisting her neck, she reached up and raked Chloe’s cheek with her nails.

  Bernie had started barking as soon as the fight began but he jumped up when Chloe screamed, and ran towards them. Chloe saw him coming and darted behind the table, crying, ‘It’s gonna bite me! Call it off!’

  For a split second, Skye felt like letting Bernie go for the other girl. But she quickly snapped out of it and shouted, ‘It’s okay, boy! Go back to bed.’

  At the sound of her voice, Bernie turned and went back to his blanket. But he continued to eye Chloe as he lay back down, and growled deep in his throat when she stepped out from behind the table.

  ‘Sorry,’ Skye murmured, feeling guilty when she saw the blood-dotted welts on the other girl’s cheek. ‘I shouldn’t have done that.’

  ‘Fuck off.’ Chloe glared at her as she placed a hand over the stinging flesh. ‘You’re just lucky you’ve got that mutt to protect you, or I’d have done for you.’

  ‘I’m trying to apologise,’ Skye argued. ‘And I don’t have to, ’cos you started it.’

  ‘I’m trying to apologise,’ Chloe mimicked nastily. ‘You make me sick, you snotty cow. My old school was full of bitches like you, always looking down their noses at me. But I showed them, and I’ll show you. You just wait till that’s not around.’ She nodded in Bernie’s direction. ‘You’ll be sorry you ever messed with me.’

  ‘You’re not the only one who’s had it hard,’ Skye snapped, losing patience with the girl’s self-pitying attitude. ‘I got put in a home before I came here, and had to run away.’

  ‘Big wow,’ Chloe retorted sarcastically. ‘I’ve been kipping in a doss house with a load of crackheads and winos.’

  ‘Yeah, well, my mum stabbed my dad,’ Skye shot back, a beat that look on her face.

  ‘Why?’ Chloe asked. ‘Catch him touching you, did she?’

  Skye’s cheeks reddened with indignation at the very suggestion that her dad would ever do something like that to her. ‘No, she did not!’

  ‘Yeah, she did.’ Chloe gave a knowing smile. ‘I can always tell when someone’s lying, and it’s written all over your face.’

  Furious that the girl was bad-mouthing her father, Skye hissed, ‘Shut your dirty mouth, you! My dad’s not like yours. He’s lovely, and he’d never do anything like that.’

  ‘So lovely that your mam stabbed him,’ Chloe reminded her nastily. ‘Normal people don’t go around stabbing people for nothing.’

  ‘She’s ill, if you must know,’ Skye admitted, her eyes glittering with tears of anger. ‘And don’t you ever talk about my dad again, or I’ll—’

  ‘You’ll what?’ Chloe challenged, fronting up to her and giving her a shove. ‘If you’re gonna do it, do it – don’t just stand there saying it.’

  ‘You’d best back off.’

  ‘Or what?’

  Neither girl had heard Tom’s car pulling up outside, and they both jumped when the door suddenly opened and he marched in.

  ‘What the hell’s going on in here?’ he demanded, dropping the carrier bags he was holding and placing his hands on his hips. ‘I could hear you from outside.’

  Offended that he was directing his angry glare at her, Skye spluttered, ‘It’s not my fault. She’s the one who started it!’

  ‘No, I didn’t,’ Chloe protested. ‘All I did was ask for my gear, and she went for me.’

  ‘You liar!’ Skye squawked. ‘You went for me!’

  ‘Look what she did.’ Chloe rushed over to Tom and raised her cheek to show him the fingernail marks. ‘And she tried to set the dog on me.’

  Skye’s mouth fell open in disbelief. ‘I did not! He was only trying to protect me ’cos you were ripping my hair out.’

  ‘I was scared,’ Chloe whimpered, clutching at Tom’s arm. ‘I thought they were going to kill me.’

  Tom placed a protective arm around her shoulder and said, ‘I’m here now. Don’t worry; I won’t let them hurt you.’

  Skye felt as if a knife had been plunged into her heart when Chloe flashed a triumphant grin at her, and she burst into tears and ran for the door.

  ‘Where do you think you’re going?’ Tom demanded, pushing Chloe out of the way and stepping in front of Skye to block her path.

  ‘Away from her,’ she sobbed, struggling to get past him.

  Tom gripped her firmly by the arms and peered down into her tearful eyes. ‘Are you forgetting that you’re wanted for attempted murder, you stupid girl? You’ll go to prison for life if the police get their hands on you.’

  ‘I don’t care!’ Skye tried to wrench herself free. ‘I’d rather go to prison than put up with her.’

  ‘Pack it in!’ Tom shook her roughly. ‘If you think I’m just going to let you walk out of here and land me in it, you can forget it. You’re going nowhere!’

  ‘You’re hurting me,’ Skye cried, wincing when he dug his fingers into her arms.

  ‘I’ll do more than hurt you if you ever try to leave me again,’ he warned her. ‘You’re mine, and I’ll never let you go. Never.’

  The breath caught in Skye’s throat when she saw the fury in his eyes, and she immediately stopped struggling, scared that he might hit her.

  ‘Go upstairs and wait for me,’ Tom ordered, loosening his grip at last. ‘I’ll be up to see you when I’ve dealt with him.’

  More afraid now for Bernie than for herself when Tom glared at the dog, Skye asked, ‘What are you going to do?’

  ‘What I should have done a long time ago,’ he hissed, marching over and kicking Bernie viciously in the ribs.

  ‘Stop it!’ Skye cried. ‘It’s not his fault! He hasn’t done anything!’

  ‘Shut up,’ Tom snarled, seizing the squealing dog by the scruff of its neck and hauling it off its blanket. ‘He needs to learn who’s boss round here.’

  ‘Leave him alone!’ Skye ran after him when he dragged the dog to the back door, and pummelled his back with her fists, screeching, ‘Don’t you dare hurt him, or I swear I’ll go and I’ll never come back!’

  Tom pushed her away roughly, sending her flying back against the table. Then, dragging Bernie outside, he slammed the door and locked it from the outside, preventing her from following. Helpless, Skye stumbled over to the window and let out an anguished sob when she saw him pick up a stick and start beating the dog with it.

  Chloe hadn’t spoken during the confrontation, but she wandered over to stand beside Skye now and shook her head as she watched what was happening outside. ‘Wow, I wouldn’t like to be that mutt right now.’

  ‘This is your fault!’ Skye reminded her accusingly. ‘He’s only doing it ’cos you lied about me trying to set Bernie on you.’

  ‘I know,’ Chloe admitted guiltily. ‘Soz. I didn’t think he’d flip out like that. Are you okay?’

  Unable to stand it, Skye shook her head and moved away from the window. Watching as she paced the floor, Chloe asked, ‘Was it right what he said about you being wanted for attempted murder?’ A look of admiration cam
e onto her face when Skye nodded, and she said, ‘Cool. No wonder he didn’t want to let you leave. He’d probably get life for hiding you.’

  ‘I know,’ Skye croaked, wiping her nose on the back of her hand. ‘But he knows I’d never tell on him.’

  ‘Who did you try to kill?’ Chloe quizzed. ‘Your dad?’

  Offended that the girl clearly thought she was guilty, Skye said, ‘I didn’t try to kill anyone, you stupid cow. I’m not like you – I don’t go round attacking people for no reason.’

  ‘You must have done something,’ Chloe argued. ‘The police wouldn’t be after you if you was innocent.’

  ‘Oh, think what you like,’ Skye snapped. ‘Just hurry up and leave, ’cos me and Tom were fine before you came and ruined everything. And here,’ she said then, pulling one of the wraps that Tom had given her out of her pocket. ‘Have your dirty drugs if you’re that desperate.’

  Chloe snatched the wrap and ran over to the drawer where she’d seen a roll of tin foil when she’d been rooting around a little earlier. Blind to the look of disgust that Skye flashed her before marching upstairs, she grabbed the lighter that was sitting on the ledge beside the cooker and settled at the table to prepare her fix. She could easily have done the whole lot in one go, but she decided to have just enough to take the edge off her craving.

  She had pegged Tom as a weirdo when he’d claimed not to want sex after getting her into his car yesterday, and had only flirted with him when they got back to the house in order to wind Skye up for treating her like something that had crawled from under a stone. But as much as she had enjoyed watching the jealous cow go off like a rocket, this set-up was a bit too freaky even for her and she didn’t plan on sticking around for too long. As soon as she found something worth nicking, she’d be off.

  Skye was sitting on the bed when Tom walked into the bedroom a short time later, her knees drawn up to her chest, her tear-swollen eyes downcast. He sat down beside her and held out his arms, but Skye shook her head and refused to come to him.

  ‘Stop being so stubborn,’ he said, pulling her towards him and holding her tight against his chest. ‘I’m sorry for shouting at you, but this fighting has got to stop. You’ve got no reason to be jealous of Chloe. She’s not special like you, is she?’

  ‘So why do you keep taking her side?’ Skye asked, torn between relief that he was being nice to her again and resentment that he had automatically blamed her for the fight that Chloe had started.

  ‘I don’t,’ Tom insisted. ‘I’m just trying to make her feel welcome, because she’s had a really tough time and she’s got no one else to turn to. You know how that feels, so you should understand why I’m doing this.’

  ‘I don’t like her,’ Skye said sulkily. ‘She’s trying to take you off me.’

  ‘Well, it’s not going to work, is it?’ said Tom. ‘You’re my number one, and you always will be.’

  ‘Promise?’

  Tom sighed and gazed down at her. ‘You should already know without me having to keep telling you. But if you don’t trust me, what’s the point? I can’t just keep on giving if all you ever do is take. I need to know you love me as much as I love you.’

  ‘I do,’ Skye told him sincerely. ‘It’s just her. She keeps laughing at me behind your back.’

  ‘Right, I’m getting sick of this.’ Irritated again, Tom pushed her away. ‘I promised Jade that I’d look after you, and I have; but how do you think she’d feel if she knew you were behaving like this towards that young girl down there after she went out of her way to help you? She wouldn’t be very happy to hear that, would she?’

  ‘No,’ Skye admitted. ‘But—’

  ‘But nothing.’ Tom cut her off sharply. ‘This stops now, so go and say you’re sorry and we’ll say no more about it.’

  ‘But I haven’t done anything wrong,’ Skye protested. ‘It was her who started it.’

  Tom raised an eyebrow. ‘Have I been wasting my time?’

  Skye bit down on her resentment and shook her head.

  ‘Good girl.’ Tom kissed her on the forehead and then stood up, pulling her up with him.

  Chloe was rifling through the books on the shelf unit when the pair came back downstairs, and she narrowed her eyes when she spotted that they were holding hands. The dirty bastard had to be at least thirty, and she’d bet the police would be very interested to know about him shacking up with a wanted fifteen-year-old.

  ‘Skye’s got something to say.’ Tom pushed Skye forward.

  ‘Oh?’ Chloe turned her head and gazed innocently over at them.

  ‘I’m sorry.’ Skye forced a tight smile. ‘I shouldn’t have scratched you, and it won’t happen again.’

  ‘’S’all right.’ Chloe shrugged. ‘It was my fault as much as yours. And soz for messing your drawer up. I’ll help you tidy it, if you want.’

  ‘No, it’s okay.’ Skye folded her arms. ‘I’ll do it.’

  ‘There we go.’ Tom gave them an approving smile. ‘Now isn’t that better?’

  ‘Yeah, loads,’ Chloe agreed.

  ‘Mmmm,’ murmured Skye.

  ‘Right, well, since you’ve decided to behave I’ll show you what I bought while I was out,’ Tom said, heading back into the kitchen.

  The girls gave each other a wary look before following, neither of them convinced that the other’s apology had been sincere.

  Tom passed one of the carrier bags to Chloe and the other to Skye, and then sat down to watch as they opened them.

  ‘Oh, wow,’ Chloe gushed when she pulled out a frilly flower-print dress. ‘Thanks, Tom, it’s gorgeous. No one’s ever bought me anything like this before.’

  ‘Well, they should have,’ he said magnanimously. ‘You’re a pretty girl, and pretty girls deserve to have nice things.’

  He glanced at Skye now, and raised an eyebrow when he saw that she hadn’t opened her bag yet. ‘Aren’t you going to look at yours?’

  Skye had been staring at the dog’s empty blanket, but she turned to him when he spoke, and asked, ‘Where’s Bernie?’

  ‘Chained up outside,’ Tom told her. ‘And that’s where he’ll be staying,’ he added firmly, letting her know that he wouldn’t tolerate any argument on the matter. ‘I warned you not to spoil him, so you’ve only got yourself to blame.’

  Upset to think that she was the cause of Bernie’s suffering, Skye vowed to herself that she would sneak out to see him as soon as she got the chance.

  ‘Oh, wow, this is ace,’ Chloe exclaimed just then, lifting a polka-dot blouse from the bag and holding it against herself.

  Sure that she had to be joking, because the blouse was Tom’s usual flouncy, childish style, Skye flashed a disbelieving glance at her. Shocked to see that Chloe seemed to genuinely like it, she decided that the girl was either a really good actress or was even younger and more stupid than she looked.

  Annoyed, when she opened her own bag, to see that Tom had bought her a dress identical to the one he’d chosen for Chloe, Skye gritted her teeth. But, determined not to make the mistake of under-reacting and have Tom accuse her of being ungrateful again, she forced a smile, and said, ‘Thanks, Tom, I love it.’

  ‘I knew you would.’ He grinned and lit a cigarette. Then, his eyes gleaming darkly, he said, ‘Why don’t you go and get changed, then you can do a little fashion show for me.’

  ‘Ooh, yeah,’ Chloe cooed, as if she was really excited by the idea. ‘Come on, Skye.’

  Suspicious of this sudden friendliness, Skye followed as Chloe galloped up the stairs. When they reached the landing and the girl headed towards her and Tom’s room, she said, ‘Don’t go in there – that’s ours. You can get changed in the spare room.’

  A spark of anger flared in Chloe’s eyes, but she quickly blinked it away and gave Skye an innocent smile. ‘Okay, you’re the boss. But have you got a brush so I can do my hair? Only I don’t want to look a mess when I’ve got my new dress on.’

  ‘Wouldn’t you have been better off having that bath yo
u were supposed to have last night?’ Skye suggested, flicking a look of disgust at the other girl’s greasy locks. ‘There’s no shampoo but you can use soap, like I do.’

  ‘Yeah, it could probably do with a wash,’ Chloe agreed. ‘But only if you don’t mind. I mean, it is your house, and I wouldn’t want you thinking I’m taking liberties.’

  Sure that she was being sarcastic, Skye narrowed her eyes. ‘Are you trying to be funny?’

  ‘No, course not,’ said Chloe. Then, sighing, she said, ‘Look, I know we got off on the wrong foot, and I probably shouldn’t have got so lippy – but I can’t help it. People always think they can treat me like shit, and it makes me dead defensive. Girls are the worst,’ she went on bitterly. ‘They act like they’re your best mate and get you to tell them all your secrets, then run round telling everyone. I hate them.’

  Skye knew exactly how that felt, because it had torn her heart in two to learn that Hayley had been slagging her off on WhisperBox – and she imagined that the bitch had probably gone back to school and told everyone what she’d been saying about them behind their backs, as well.

  ‘We’ve both said nasty things,’ she conceded, giving Chloe the first genuine smile since they’d met. ‘Let’s forget it and start again, eh? Friends?’ She held out her hand.

  ‘Friends.’ Chloe grinned and shook it. ‘And don’t worry, I’m not after your Tom,’ she added quietly. ‘I only said that to wind you up ’cos I thought you didn’t like me. But I wouldn’t bother trying it on with him, ’cos he’s mad about you.’

  ‘Do you think so?’

  ‘God, yeah, it’s dead obvious. Wish I could find someone nice like him, but all I ever get is horrible old pervs like me dad.’

  Unaware that Chloe’s last comment had been a dig at her and Tom’s relationship, Skye said, ‘Don’t worry about your dad: he can’t get to you here – me and Tom will make sure of that.’

  ‘You’re ace, you,’ Chloe gushed, lurching forward and giving her a hug. ‘We’re gonna be best mates, I can tell.’

  Skye wasn’t sure she’d go that far, but it was a start, she supposed. Disentangling herself when she caught a whiff of Chloe’s smelly head, she said, ‘Right, go and wash your hair. Then you can come to my room and I’ll give you the brush.’