Worse Than Boys(16)

‘Never mind,’ Mum said. She was obviously reading my mind. ‘You can dye yours the same colour when you’re older.’ Then she carried on as if that shouldn’t hurt me. ‘I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. Your first grown-up night out without your mother tagging along. That’s a night to remember.’

And of course, it was a night to remember, but for a different reason.

Erin’s secret. No wonder she was ashamed to tell anyone. Erin was always so sure of herself, so cool. If anyone found out about that, she’d never be cool again. Everything about Erin fell into place now. No school trips, no sleepovers, never a night away from her mother.

And I was the only one she had entrusted with her secret. It made me feel special.

I phoned her later that afternoon, didn’t mention what she’d told me. We’d never talk of it again, I had told her, and I meant it. But it had brought a closeness between us that we didn’t have to put into words.

‘Want to come over to my place later?’ she asked me.

‘Sure. Want me to phone the others?’

‘No,’ she said. ‘Just for a change, it’ll be you and me.’

And now I knew I was really special.

It seemed to me that I was on top of the world when I went to school next day. The whole gang of us met at the front gates as usual, but it was my arm Erin linked in hers. And if Heather and Rose noticed, they didn’t say.

Wizzie and her gang were waiting for us in the corridor, blocking our way. ‘Heard the bride was a dog,’ Wizzie said.

Lauren had to get her bit in too. ‘She was nothing to the groom. It was not so much losing a daughter, as gaining a monkey.’

I remembered then that Lauren’s sister had been one of the waitresses. She probably told them everything about the wedding. ‘Jealousy’s a terrible thing,’ I said, and to Erin I added, ‘Wizzie hasn’t a hope in hell getting married. Who’d have her?’

Heather came charging up to me after registration. ‘Were you at Erin’s last night?’

Rose was right behind her. ‘Without us? How come you didn’t phone us?’

‘It was a last-minute thing,’ I said. ‘We don’t have to do everything together.’

But I knew I would have been miffed too if I’d been the one left out.

‘Sorry,’ I said. ‘I should have thought.’ I took the blame and was immediately angry at myself. It was just what my mum would have done, always the first one to apologise. So I added. ‘But for goodness’ sake, we’re not joined at the hip.’

It took the rest of the day for them to come round. In a way, I understood, but still I told myself, it wasn’t as if I’d committed murder.

But by the time we linked up after school we were all friends again, laughing and joking as we walked home.

I didn’t know then that it would be the last time we would ever be together … as friends.





Chapter Fifteen


It began like an ordinary day. I got up, had breakfast, went to school in the rain. I had an argument with Zak Riley. Not a hint anything was about to happen. I can’t be very psychic, can I? Or I would surely have felt it, seen it coming.

I was in the changing room in the gym, just finished netball practice. It was the only thing I did without the others. I was sweating buckets, laughing with the rest of the team, when suddenly, the door swung open and Erin stood there. She was blazing with anger, her eyes locked on mine. I leapt to my feet.

‘What’s happened, Erin?’

A silence fell in the changing room. What you might call ‘an ominous silence’. I know that now. It seemed an age before anything happened.

I asked again, ‘What is it, Erin?’

I saw then that her eyes had tears in them. As if she was desperately wanting to cry and determined not to. I took a step forward, sure it had to be a problem with Wizzie and her gang.

Erin didn’t answer me. As I moved, so did she, leaping towards me, bringing her hand up hard and slapping me right across the face. She took me so much by surprise I stumbled, lost my footing and fell back across a bench. My face stung.

‘Erin!’ It was all I could say. ‘Erin!’

‘You bitch!’

And then Rose was behind her, pulling her back. She was glaring at me too. ‘She’s not worth it, Erin,’ she said.

‘Is this a joke?’ I got back on my feet unsteadily, totally confused about what was going on.

‘Maybe it is to you.’ And with that Erin broke free of Rose and rushed at me again. She gave me such a punch that once again I went down in a tumble of arms and legs. Now it wasn’t just Rose who was holding Erin back. The rest of the netball team were grabbing at her too. Erin couldn’t hold back the tears then. They popped from her eyes like bubbles and tumbled down her cheeks. ‘I hate you, Hannah Driscoll. I’ve never hated anyone as much as I hate you.’