Hacker (14 page)

‘What? And give Dad and Mum more to quarrel about? Things are bad enough at home as it is,’ Maggie replied. Her eyes were shimmering, her lips turned down.

‘Maggie, I’m sorry. I really am. But I’m not going to let myself get excluded from school for you or anyone else.’

I felt like a right cow saying that, but what choice did I have?

‘Please, Vicky. I’ll make it up to you. I swear I will,’ Maggie pleaded.

‘No, Maggie. I’m sorry but I can’t.’ I shook my head. ‘Why on earth did you leave that message at the bottom of Crackly Bracken’s file anyway? It was a stupid thing to do.’

‘It … I was just showing off, I suppose,’ Maggie said unhappily. ‘It seemed like a funny thing to do at the time.’

‘Well, it wasn’t, it was stupid,’ I replied. ‘You should never have done it. You should never have cheated.’

‘Vicky, please …’

‘No, Maggie,’ I said firmly.

‘If you tell on me, I swear I’ll never speak to you again. And what’s more, I’ll make sure that everyone knows what a grass you are. No one will speak to you,’ Maggie threatened.

She shouldn’t have said that. I’d been feeling really bad up until then and wondering if maybe there wasn’t a way to keep Maggie out of it and get away with it myself. But when she said that …

‘Go ahead – if you think you’re bad,’ I replied.

Maggie drew herself up and gave me the filthiest look she could. She took her time over it too.

‘Get out of my way,’ she said, pushing me.

‘Fight! Fight!’ someone called out from inside the canteen. Looking at Maggie, I knew she wanted me to push her back. She wanted to fight. I was really tempted to push her back. I was just in the mood for a fight myself. But I didn’t. She pushed me again, before walking past me back into the canteen. I watched her as she walked towards her table. I saw her point at me as she started to speak to Gayle and Carolyn. I turned around and went to the girls’ loos. I put the toilet lid down and sat.

‘You had no choice, Victoria,’ I tried to tell myself.

It didn’t help. Now I wished I had pushed her back. Inside, I was raging angry – at everything and everyone. All the anger and the hurt sat inside my chest like a concrete football. Burying my head in my hands, I wished myself away on another planet in another galaxy. I just wanted to be as far away from school and home as possible.

I mean, what did Maggie expect? How could she possibly make it up to me? Detention was one thing, getting excluded was something else entirely. Over and over, I kept going through my reasons for not taking the blame. Each one was valid, reasonable. So why didn’t they make me feel better? Maggie had been my friend since we were in Infants together.

What was I going to do? If I told on Maggie, I knew she meant it. She’d never speak to me again.

‘WHAT HAPPENED TO
you this lunchtime? Chaucy and I sat like lemons waiting for you.’

Gib barged into my room after the barest knock. I’d been avoiding him all afternoon at school. I’d been avoiding everyone, but I knew he’d catch up with me eventually.

‘Sorry,’ I muttered. ‘Something else came up.’

‘Something more important than proving Dad innocent?’ Gib exploded.

I didn’t answer.

‘You don’t give a monkey’s what happens to Dad, do you? All you care about is yourself.’

‘That’s not true – or fair.’ I leaped out of my chair. ‘Something else came up that I had to deal with, that’s all.’

‘And meanwhile, Eric’s in the clear and Dad might go to prison. I got Eric’s phone number from the staff file we printed out and phoned his house. His wife said he was at work so he hasn’t skipped off to the Bahamas yet, but for all we know he might be planning to leave at any second,’ Gib fumed.

‘Talk sense, Gib,’ I snapped. ‘What would he use for money? That million was found in Dad’s account not his, and the bank hasn’t reported any more money missing …’

‘That doesn’t mean that Eric isn’t up to something. Dad still needs our help. If you keep dossing about, Eric will get away,’ Gib said furiously.

‘Then why don’t
you
stop him? Why leave everything to me?’ I snapped back.

‘If I knew how to use the computer to get the proof Dad needs then I wouldn’t bother you,’ Gib said. ‘But I don’t. And Chaucy might be good at computing but he doesn’t know the Universal Bank system.’

‘I said I was sorry,’ I sighed. ‘Besides, I think I’ve worked out how it was done …’

‘But what if it’s too late?’

I tried hard to hold on to my temper. I gritted my teeth and said, ‘Gib, do you want to know my idea or not? You said yourself that Eric is at work, pretending everything is as normal. He has no idea we’re on to him.’

Gib glared at me. ‘I guess I can’t expect anything different from you. After all …’

My bedroom went deathly quiet.

‘After all – what? Go on. Finish what you were going to say,’ I prompted.

‘I was going to say, after all you are only a girl,’ Gib finished.

‘Yeah, I bet you were,’ I scoffed.

‘Yes I was,’ Gib replied vehemently.

‘Well, now that you’ve said it, get lost!’ I barked at him. ‘I’ve got things to do.’

Gib left the room, slamming my bedroom door shut behind him. I stared at the closed door. What was happening? I’d had more quarrels in the last few days than I’d had in my entire life. And I hated it.

‘Can I get you anything, Mum? A cup of tea? Coffee? Do you want anything, Dad?’

Mum and Dad exchanged a rueful glance before they both turned to look at me.

‘No thank you, pumpkin,’ Dad smiled.

It was seven o’clock and we’d just finished dinner. I’d helped Dad cook it and I’d loaded up the dishwasher all by myself, without being asked. I’d even volunteered to mop the kitchen floor afterwards.

This was it! Time to give Dad and Mum the letter from Miss Hiff. I couldn’t put it off any longer, but I had to choose my moment.

‘How are you feeling, Dad?’ I asked.

‘I think I’ll go and do my homework.’ Gib stood up quickly and scarpered. Coward!

‘I feel fine, Victoria.’ Dad raised his eyebrows but said nothing else.

‘Mum, why don’t you have a lie down? You should rest,’ I told her.

‘I am resting,’ Mum replied.

Mum and Dad exchanged another look. I wondered if I was overdoing it. I licked my lips nervously.

‘Come on, Victoria – out with it!’ Dad laughed. ‘The suspense is killing me.’

‘Out with what?’ I asked, playing innocent.

‘Vicky, we might have been born yesterday but it was early in the morning,’ Mum told me with a smile. ‘What’s the matter?’

Desperately, I tried to think of some suitable answer. Nothing came to mind, so I decided on the truth.

‘You’re not supposed to get upset, Mum,’ I muttered.

‘Oh dear! Is it that bad?’ Mum sighed.

I nodded slowly.

‘Then I’ll stay sitting down,’ Mum said. ‘Now, what is it?’

Reluctantly, I dug into the pocket of my jeans and got out Miss Hiff’s now severely crumpled letter. I gave it to Dad, who took it gingerly between his thumb and finger. Looking at it again, I had to admit that it did look rather manky. I watched as Dad opened the envelope.

‘I’ll put the envelope in the bin for you if you like,’ I offered eagerly, practically snatching the envelope out of his hands.

Dad put the letter between him and Mum and they both started reading. I had to force myself to walk, not run from the room. But I walked really quickly. Once I was in the kitchen, I tore the envelope into tiny pieces and dropped them in the wastebin. At least the problem of the envelope was out of the way. Then I legged it out of the kitchen and up the stairs – or at least, I tried.

‘Victoria! Get down here!’ Dad hollered before I’d even got halfway.

I was tempted to pretend I hadn’t heard him.

‘VICTORIA! NOW!’ Dad yelled.

I turned around and walked back down, dragging my feet. My heart was pounding like a pneumatic drill and tears welled up in my eyes. I suddenly felt so cold. I wondered if I should give in and cry and get Dad and Mum’s sympathy up front? In spite of how slowly I was walking, I reached the living room.

‘I didn’t do it. Honest I didn’t. I swear.’ I spoke before either of them had a chance.

‘It says here …’

‘I didn’t do it …’

‘It says here,’ Dad continued firmly, ‘that you hacked into Mrs Bracken’s PC account and read the maths file.’

Mum was shaking her head at me as Dad spoke. Both their faces were stern, grim.

‘You’ve already made up your minds that I did it, haven’t you?’ I shouted at them. ‘You don’t believe me, do you? You’d believe me if I were Gib.’

‘And just what does that mean, young lady?’ Mum’s voice was ice cold.

‘You haven’t even heard my side yet but I’m guilty,’ I screamed at her. And suddenly all the hurt and anger that I’d been through over the last few days came flooding out of my mouth. ‘I bet you’d believe me if I was your real daughter. My real mum and dad would have believed me …’

Silence.

I don’t know who was more stunned at my words – me or Mum and Dad. I hadn’t meant to say that. I don’t know where it came from. Then again, maybe I did …

Now that the words were out, they hung between us like a curtain. Something warm and salty ran into my mouth. Only then did I realize I was crying.

‘Victoria, how could you say that?’ Mum said quietly. ‘If you say you didn’t do it, then we believe you.’

‘No you don’t,’ I sniffed. ‘I saw the look on your faces.’

‘You’re not being fair, Victoria,’ Dad began.

‘Yes I am,’ I argued. ‘You read Miss Hiff’s letter and made up your minds instantly. Well, it wasn’t me. I know who really did do it and it wasn’t me.’

‘I think we all need to calm down, Victoria,’ Dad said. ‘I think you should go to your room.’

‘With pleasure,’ I retorted.

I ran out of the room and upstairs. Dad didn’t call after me to walk not run. That made me feel worse. Gib was on the landing at the top of the stairs, listening. He stood back when he saw me. I ran past him into my room, slamming the door shut. I threw myself down on the bed, burying my face in my pillow. Giving Mum and Dad the headmistress’s letter hadn’t gone the way I’d wanted it to go at all. I’d spent all afternoon rehearsing what I would say and how I would say it, but when the moment had arrived …

Why was nothing ever simple? I stood up and got out the photograph of my real mum and dad from my sock drawer. I returned to my bed and lay down on my back, holding the photograph out in front of me. I felt so lonely.

A few minutes later there was a knock at my door. I ignored it, hoping whoever it was would go away.

‘Can I come in?’ Dad popped his head around the door.

I nodded reluctantly.

Dad came into my room, carefully closing the door behind him. I sat up but I couldn’t look at him. I stared down at my duvet instead. Dad hovered in the middle of the room.

‘Victoria … your mum and I are worried about you,’ Dad began.

‘Why?’ I mumbled. ‘I’m all right.’

‘But you’re obviously not. Have all my problems with the bank made you angry with us, with me?’

Shocked, I looked up. ‘No! No, of course not.’

‘Then what’s the matter?’

I shrugged, looking down again. Nervously, I laced the duvet in and out between my fingers.

‘Do you mind if I sit?’ Dad asked.

I shook my head. I felt the end of the bed sink as Dad sat down heavily, but I still couldn’t look at him.

‘I know that sometimes it’s difficult for you, Victoria,’ Dad said softly. ‘I know sometimes you feel a bit like a sore thumb, especially when people see you with your mum and start staring at you. But I want to say one thing. As far as your mum and I are concerned you
are
our daughter, as if you were born to us. Sometimes we have a job to remember that you weren’t. But it makes no difference to how we feel about you. So that’s how we treat you, like our daughter, ’cause that’s who you are. And if you think we don’t treat you like that then you’re wrong. Dead wrong. Do you understand, Victoria?’

‘Dad …’ I began tentatively. How should I put this? ‘Dad, are you and Mum sometimes sorry you adopted me?’

‘Never,’ Dad replied immediately. ‘Never, ever.’

‘Why … why did you adopt me?’ I asked, my head still bent.

‘Well …’ Dad began slowly. ‘We had our names down to be foster parents and when your parents were killed and it was found out that you had no close relatives, the social services asked us if we would foster you. And of course, once we’d seen you, there was no way we could give you back, even when we un-expectedly discovered that Laura was pregnant with Gib. So we applied to adopt you.’

‘Oh, I see,’ I said. ‘Weren’t you s-sorry when you knew you were going to have Gib?’

‘Of course not,’ Dad said. ‘We thought and still think we’re the luckiest people in the world.’

‘I bet lots of people told you not to adopt me,’ I whispered.

‘One or two people. Laura and I soon told them where to go. Your Aunt Beth was one of the few people who understood our decision. She was great. She really supported your mum and me.’ Dad smiled. ‘Victoria, you can’t go through life trying to please everyone. You’d never do it – it’s impossible. You just end up pleasing no one. So you just have to please yourself.’