last time she was here.’
‘Thanks,’ Skye murmured, going into the bathroom and closing the door.
She’d been desperate for a wee for ages, but when she saw the state of the toilet she wasn’t sure she wanted to sit down on it. Tom had warned her that the room was a mess, but that was an understatement. The floor was littered with soggy newspapers, socks and towels; the old bath and sink unit had deep, ingrained tidemarks, and both sets of taps looked crusted and green; the window-ledge was cram-packed with old bottles of shampoo, razors, and various other junk. As for the toilet, the upturned seat was spattered with urine stains, and there were loads of tiny hairs stuck to the rim and the basin, while the water in the filthy bowl looked dark and murky.
Unable to hold it in any longer, Skye reluctantly unzipped her jeans and hovered over the seat, but almost jumped out of her skin when Tom tapped on the door.
‘I’ve left a towel out here for you,’ he called through the wood. ‘Come down when you’re finished; I’ll make us a drink.’
‘Okay,’ she called back, looking around for a toilet roll. Seeing none, she was forced to use a sheet of newspaper instead.
When she’d heard Tom going back down the stairs, she opened the door and reached for the small towel he’d left on the floor outside. She ran water into the sink and washed herself quickly, using the sliver of soap she’d found stuck down beside the bath taps. Then, ashamed of how greasy her hair was when she glanced into the pitted mirror, she dipped her head into the water and scrubbed it with the soap.
The house was freezing, and she shivered as she made her way to the room that Tom had pointed out to her. He had turned on the bedside lamp, and a nightdress and a dressing gown were laid out neatly on the bed. Skye gazed around in amazement. The wallpaper in here was every bit as faded and old-woman-like as in the other rooms, and the furniture was just as ancient. But in contrast to those rooms, this one was tidy, and the nightclothes and girly bedding looked so clean that they could have been brand new.
Skye guessed that Jade must obviously be tidier than her brother, and she smiled when she spotted the boy-band posters pinned to the wall facing the bed, most of which were of Blue – the band over which she and QTPye had first bonded on WhisperBox, and from where Skye had taken her screen-name BlueBabe. Hayley preferred One Direction, but Skye and Jade had better taste, which was probably why they had got on so well from the start – and why Hayley had always been jealous of their friendship.
At the thought of Hayley, Skye sighed and touched her angel. They had been best friends for as long as she could remember, and she missed her; but she just couldn’t shake off the niggling little thought that Hayley could have helped her if she’d really wanted to. Jade didn’t even really know her, but she hadn’t hesitated to offer Skye a place to stay when she’d heard how bad things were – and that made her a real friend, in Skye’s eyes.
Determinedly pushing Hayley from her mind, Skye towel-dried her hair and combed it with her fingers before changing into Jade’s nightclothes and heading back down the stairs.
Tom was sitting in the armchair with the laptop on his knee when she walked into the living room. He looked up and smiled when he saw her. ‘Feeling better?’
‘Yeah, loads.’ Skye smiled shyly back and took a seat on the couch.
‘Hope you don’t mind wine?’ Tom nodded towards a cup sitting on the coffee table in front of her. ‘I was going to make tea, but the milk’s off.’
‘It’s fine,’ Skye lied, reaching for it. She’d only tasted wine once before, and had absolutely hated it. But she wasn’t about to say no, because it was a thrill to be treated like a grown-up after being pushed around and treated like a kid by all the other adults she’d come into contact with recently.
‘I’m just catching up on
‘Thanks,’ Skye murmured, going into the bathroom and closing the door.
She’d been desperate for a wee for ages, but when she saw the state of the toilet she wasn’t sure she wanted to sit down on it. Tom had warned her that the room was a mess, but that was an understatement. The floor was littered with soggy newspapers, socks and towels; the old bath and sink unit had deep, ingrained tidemarks, and both sets of taps looked crusted and green; the window-ledge was cram-packed with old bottles of shampoo, razors, and various other junk. As for the toilet, the upturned seat was spattered with urine stains, and there were loads of tiny hairs stuck to the rim and the basin, while the water in the filthy bowl looked dark and murky.
Unable to hold it in any longer, Skye reluctantly unzipped her jeans and hovered over the seat, but almost jumped out of her skin when Tom tapped on the door.
‘I’ve left a towel out here for you,’ he called through the wood. ‘Come down when you’re finished; I’ll make us a drink.’
‘Okay,’ she called back, looking around for a toilet roll. Seeing none, she was forced to use a sheet of newspaper instead.
When she’d heard Tom going back down the stairs, she opened the door and reached for the small towel he’d left on the floor outside. She ran water into the sink and washed herself quickly, using the sliver of soap she’d found stuck down beside the bath taps. Then, ashamed of how greasy her hair was when she glanced into the pitted mirror, she dipped her head into the water and scrubbed it with the soap.
The house was freezing, and she shivered as she made her way to the room that Tom had pointed out to her. He had turned on the bedside lamp, and a nightdress and a dressing gown were laid out neatly on the bed. Skye gazed around in amazement. The wallpaper in here was every bit as faded and old-woman-like as in the other rooms, and the furniture was just as ancient. But in contrast to those rooms, this one was tidy, and the nightclothes and girly bedding looked so clean that they could have been brand new.
Skye guessed that Jade must obviously be tidier than her brother, and she smiled when she spotted the boy-band posters pinned to the wall facing the bed, most of which were of Blue – the band over which she and QTPye had first bonded on WhisperBox, and from where Skye had taken her screen-name BlueBabe. Hayley preferred One Direction, but Skye and Jade had better taste, which was probably why they had got on so well from the start – and why Hayley had always been jealous of their friendship.
At the thought of Hayley, Skye sighed and touched her angel. They had been best friends for as long as she could remember, and she missed her; but she just couldn’t shake off the niggling little thought that Hayley could have helped her if she’d really wanted to. Jade didn’t even really know her, but she hadn’t hesitated to offer Skye a place to stay when she’d heard how bad things were – and that made her a real friend, in Skye’s eyes.
Determinedly pushing Hayley from her mind, Skye towel-dried her hair and combed it with her fingers before changing into Jade’s nightclothes and heading back down the stairs.
Tom was sitting in the armchair with the laptop on his knee when she walked into the living room. He looked up and smiled when he saw her. ‘Feeling better?’
‘Yeah, loads.’ Skye smiled shyly back and took a seat on the couch.
‘Hope you don’t mind wine?’ Tom nodded towards a cup sitting on the coffee table in front of her. ‘I was going to make tea, but the milk’s off.’
‘It’s fine,’ Skye lied, reaching for it. She’d only tasted wine once before, and had absolutely hated it. But she wasn’t about to say no, because it was a thrill to be treated like a grown-up after being pushed around and treated like a kid by all the other adults she’d come into contact with recently.
‘I’m just catching up on
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