Mum was going out herself. She was dead cagey about it too. “Just a drink and a bite to eat with a friend, Luke, sweetheart. You can sort yourself out some tea, can’t you? I’ll be back about eleven.”
She spent ages getting ready – even asked me how she looked when she came downstairs.
“Nice,” I said, suspiciously. God, Chloe was right. Mum was on a bloody date. She left at eight. Chloe slipped out through the front door five minutes later, having locked her bedroom door. I was on my own.
The jealousy kicked in almost immediately. It was like the numb haze of misery lifted and someone stuck a knife in the middle of my chest. My head filled up with these images of Ben and Eve. Kissing. Touching. I knew now that Eve’s birthday was next Friday, and my mind was on fast rewind to Ben’s words back in the burger bar.
It was a kind of torture. I wandered round the house, the images of Ben and Eve forcing their way in front of my eyes.
If I’d known where they’d had gone, I think I might have marched down there and punched Ben hard, until he agreed to leave her alone. Well. That was what I fantasised about doing. In the back of my head I knew I wouldn’t have really done it. I mean, I might have been obsessed with Eve. But I wasn’t stupid.
I paced up and down in my room, getting angrier and angrier. I tried browsing the net, watching TV, listening to music. It was always there in the back of my mind. What was she doing? What was he doing? What was going to happen next?
After a couple of hours I found a half-empty bottle of whisky, left over from Dad’s funeral, at the back of one of the kitchen cupboards. I’d unscrewed the top and was on the verge of taking a swig, when a key sounded in the door. “Hi, guys.” It was Mum.
Quickly I put the whisky back in the cupboard.
Mum and Matt came into the kitchen. Mum was glowing. Matt looked slightly sheepish.
My fists unclenched. I could feel the rage in my head subsiding and the numb misery sliding back into place.
“Where’s Chloe?” Mum smiled.
Oh, crap.
“Up in her room,” I lied. “She said she had a headache.”
“I’ll go and check on her,” Mum said. Before I could say anything else, she’d vanished upstairs, leaving me alone in the kitchen with Uncle Matt.
“Just thought I should make sure your mum got home all right,” Matt said, gruffly.
I glared at him. “Where d’you take her?” I said.
He looked slightly shocked.
Yeah. I sussed you, you jerk.
The sound of Mum hammering on Chloe’s door drifted downstairs towards us. “Let me in, Chloe,” Mum was yelling.
Matt muttered something under his breath.
A minute later Mum came flying down the stairs. “Matt, I’m really worried. Luke says she’s not well and the door’s locked again. She could have collapsed, be lying there unconscious.” She gripped his arm. “Oh, God, suppose it’s drugs?”
Matt looked at her. “D’you want me to break the door down?”
“Hey, Mum,” I said quickly. “There’s no need for that. Chloe isn’t on drugs. I’m sure of it.”
“But she could be really ill in there.” Mum twisted her hands together. “Yes, Matt, I think you better had.” She and Matt headed upstairs to Chloe’s room.
I couldn’t believe it. I checked my watch. Ten-forty. Maybe I could call Chloe. If she wasn’t too far away, perhaps I could get her to come back right now and somehow sneak into the house unnoticed. I tried her number on my mobile. It went to voicemail.
I started to get worried. Suppose something had happened to Chloe? Maybe this guy she was seeing – this older man Eve reckoned she must be going out with – maybe he’d done something to her.
I went upstairs. Mum and Matt were on the landing outside Chloe’s room. Matt was squaring up against the door, his right shoulder turned towards it. He saw me. “Good, Luke. I might need your help for this.”
I swallowed. It was quarter to eleven. There was no chance Chloe was inside that
She spent ages getting ready – even asked me how she looked when she came downstairs.
“Nice,” I said, suspiciously. God, Chloe was right. Mum was on a bloody date. She left at eight. Chloe slipped out through the front door five minutes later, having locked her bedroom door. I was on my own.
The jealousy kicked in almost immediately. It was like the numb haze of misery lifted and someone stuck a knife in the middle of my chest. My head filled up with these images of Ben and Eve. Kissing. Touching. I knew now that Eve’s birthday was next Friday, and my mind was on fast rewind to Ben’s words back in the burger bar.
It was a kind of torture. I wandered round the house, the images of Ben and Eve forcing their way in front of my eyes.
If I’d known where they’d had gone, I think I might have marched down there and punched Ben hard, until he agreed to leave her alone. Well. That was what I fantasised about doing. In the back of my head I knew I wouldn’t have really done it. I mean, I might have been obsessed with Eve. But I wasn’t stupid.
I paced up and down in my room, getting angrier and angrier. I tried browsing the net, watching TV, listening to music. It was always there in the back of my mind. What was she doing? What was he doing? What was going to happen next?
After a couple of hours I found a half-empty bottle of whisky, left over from Dad’s funeral, at the back of one of the kitchen cupboards. I’d unscrewed the top and was on the verge of taking a swig, when a key sounded in the door. “Hi, guys.” It was Mum.
Quickly I put the whisky back in the cupboard.
Mum and Matt came into the kitchen. Mum was glowing. Matt looked slightly sheepish.
My fists unclenched. I could feel the rage in my head subsiding and the numb misery sliding back into place.
“Where’s Chloe?” Mum smiled.
Oh, crap.
“Up in her room,” I lied. “She said she had a headache.”
“I’ll go and check on her,” Mum said. Before I could say anything else, she’d vanished upstairs, leaving me alone in the kitchen with Uncle Matt.
“Just thought I should make sure your mum got home all right,” Matt said, gruffly.
I glared at him. “Where d’you take her?” I said.
He looked slightly shocked.
Yeah. I sussed you, you jerk.
The sound of Mum hammering on Chloe’s door drifted downstairs towards us. “Let me in, Chloe,” Mum was yelling.
Matt muttered something under his breath.
A minute later Mum came flying down the stairs. “Matt, I’m really worried. Luke says she’s not well and the door’s locked again. She could have collapsed, be lying there unconscious.” She gripped his arm. “Oh, God, suppose it’s drugs?”
Matt looked at her. “D’you want me to break the door down?”
“Hey, Mum,” I said quickly. “There’s no need for that. Chloe isn’t on drugs. I’m sure of it.”
“But she could be really ill in there.” Mum twisted her hands together. “Yes, Matt, I think you better had.” She and Matt headed upstairs to Chloe’s room.
I couldn’t believe it. I checked my watch. Ten-forty. Maybe I could call Chloe. If she wasn’t too far away, perhaps I could get her to come back right now and somehow sneak into the house unnoticed. I tried her number on my mobile. It went to voicemail.
I started to get worried. Suppose something had happened to Chloe? Maybe this guy she was seeing – this older man Eve reckoned she must be going out with – maybe he’d done something to her.
I went upstairs. Mum and Matt were on the landing outside Chloe’s room. Matt was squaring up against the door, his right shoulder turned towards it. He saw me. “Good, Luke. I might need your help for this.”
I swallowed. It was quarter to eleven. There was no chance Chloe was inside that
Similar Books
