Two-Faced (6 page)

Well, yes, she bloody well did,
actually
!

Kim marched into the kitchen and came back with a large knife. Shoving the couch away from the wall, she got down on her hands and knees and set about slashing a large gash into the material at the back.

Walking in at that moment, Michelle gasped, ‘Mum, what are you
doing
? Stop it – it’s not worth it!’

‘Oh, what, ’cos it’s your sister I’m doing it for and not for you?’ Kim snapped, shoving her hand through the gap she’d created and feeling around in the dust and accumulated junk in the base of the couch. ‘Just piss off round to Pam’s before you make me mad. And tell her it’s urgent, so I don’t want no messing about.’

Traipsing miserably down the short path from her house and up the neighbouring one, Michelle knocked on Pam’s door.

‘She can’t do that,’ Pam protested when she heard what Kim had sent her for. ‘I’ll lose my commission. And what am I supposed to tell the collector when he sees I’ve got more written down than I’ve got in cash? He’ll think I’m on the fiddle.’

‘I’m really sorry,’ Michelle apologised, fully understanding why Pam was so pissed off. ‘But she says it’s urgent.’

‘I’ll give her bloody urgent,’ Pam grunted as she snatched a cardigan off the hook behind the door. Pushing Michelle ahead of her, she marched into Kim’s house and demanded to know what she thought she was playing at.

Sucking on yet another cigarette, the floor around her littered with heaps of gunk she’d pulled out from the bowels of the couch, Kim said, ‘Our Mee’s going to be a model, and I need the money for her portfolio.’

‘You’re bang out of order,’ Pam argued. ‘And I wouldn’t mind, but it’s a pure waste of money.’

‘You trying to say my daughter’s not good enough?’

‘Well, she ain’t no fucking Jordan, is she?’ Pam retorted scathingly, never one to shy away from telling it as she saw it. ‘We all know you think the sun bounces off her backside, but she ain’t nothing special, and you’re a mug if you blow that kind of money on her. You might as well chuck it down the flaming grid!’

‘It’s got nowt to do with you,’ Kim informed her angrily. ‘It’s my money, and I want it back. All one hundred and twenty of it.’

‘In your dreams!’ Pam snorted. ‘You’ve only paid in eighty-five, so that’s all you’ll be getting back.’

‘You bloody liar,’ Kim gasped, staring up at her in disbelief. ‘I’ve paid in regular as clockwork.’

‘Yeah, and borrowed half back along the way for bingo and what have you,’ Pam reminded her. ‘I’ve got it all written down if you don’t believe me.’ Turning to Michelle now, she said, ‘You’re the only one around here with any sense – can’t
you
talk her out of this?’

Michelle gave a helpless shrug.

‘Oh, get out, you jealous bitch!’ Kim barked, losing patience. ‘Coming round here bad-mouthing my daughter, just ’cos
yours
are a load of speccy four-eyed little retards! Go on – piss off!’

‘Don’t worry, I’m going,’ Pam spat. ‘But that’s me and you done for good, so don’t come crying to me when you’ve spent all your money on that little trollop and can’t even afford a tin of fucking beans!’

‘Like I’d ask
you
for anything,’ Kim yelled as Pam headed out of the room.

Wincing when Pam slammed the door, Michelle watched as her mum moved away from the couch and set about ripping open one of the chairs.

‘Why are you still here?’ Kim demanded. ‘You know the post office shuts at twelve.’

Leaving her mother to her destruction of the furniture, Michelle went to her bedroom to get her savings book.

3

Mia was on cloud nine when she got to school on Monday. She’d had a brilliant weekend, and she was dying to tell her friends all about it. Well, not about her and Darren, obviously, because she hadn’t spoken to him since Sunday morning and didn’t know what had happened with Sandra yet. But she couldn’t wait to see their faces when they heard about the modelling. They’d probably say she was lying to start with, but they’d soon know she was telling the truth when they saw the pictures she was getting done after school this evening.

She bundled them into the toilets now, leaving Laura as lookout, and perched on the loo to tell them her good news. But Lisa Holgate started talking before she had a chance.

‘What happened with you and Darren Mitchell at the youthy the other night?’ she asked. ‘Don’t think we didn’t see you sneaking off with him. And you’d best watch yourself, ’cos Sandra will batter you if she finds out.’

‘Like to see her try,’ Mia snorted, snatching the cigarette that one of the others had just lit out of her hand. ‘Anyway, it’s none of her business, ’cos Darren will have finished with her by now. He was going to tell her when she got back from her dad’s last night.’

‘She didn’t look upset when I saw her and Tina Molloy getting off the bus just now.’

‘He probably hasn’t had a chance to tell her yet,’ Mia said, annoyed that Lisa wasn’t letting her get on with her story. ‘Anyway . . . I don’t want to talk about
her
, I want to tell you about my photos.’

‘What photos?’ Jenny Marsh asked, watching the cigarette closely to make sure it didn’t get finished before she’d had some.

‘The ones I’m getting done after school tonight,’ Mia announced. ‘I’m going to be a model,’ she elaborated, crossing her legs. ‘So I’m getting my portfolio done – by a
professional
photographer.’

‘What you going to do with them when you get them?’ asked Lisa. ‘Only I’ve heard you can end up paying loads of money out, and then no one ever sees them.’

‘Not if you haven’t got an agent,’ Mia agreed. ‘But Darren’s setting me up with his cousin’s one. She’s only eighteen, but she’s already got her own flat, and everything.’

‘You what?’ Lisa smirked. ‘I hope you’re not talking about Lorraine Braithwaite, ’cos there’s only one reason
she
’s got all that shit, and it ain’t what
I
’d call modelling.’

Mia narrowed her eyes and was about to demand to know what Lisa meant when Laura hissed that someone was coming. Dropping the cigarette into the toilet, she whispered that she’d tell them the rest later.

‘Who’s smoking in here?’ Sandra Bishop shouted, banging on the door.

Cheeks flaming when her friends looked at her, Mia pretended that she thought it was a teacher and put a finger to her lips.

‘Caught you!’ Sandra barked, popping her head up over the cubicle divider. ‘Give us a fag and I’ll think about letting you off.’

‘They’re hers,’ Mia said, pointing at Jenny.

Glaring at Mia for opening her big mouth, Jenny slid a cigarette out of her pocket and handed it up. Snatching it, Sandra jumped back down.

‘God, I hate her,’ Lisa muttered – quietly, in case Sandra heard. ‘And how come you didn’t tell her about you and—’

Hissing ‘Shut your mouth!’ Mia got up and yanked the door open.

Lisa followed her out into the corridor and said, ‘I don’t see what your problem is. I just reckon you should have told her – if you’re so convinced Darren wants you instead of her.’

‘It’s not for me to tell her
any
thing,’ Mia replied defensively. ‘Darren wants to do it himself.’

‘I bet,’ Lisa snorted, voicing what they were all thinking: that Darren Mitchell had played her, and had no intention of chucking his girlfriend for her.

‘He
will
,’ Mia insisted. ‘And anyone who thinks different can piss off, ’cos I don’t need to listen to you talking shit about my boyfriend.’

‘Boyfriend, my arse! He’s using you, you stupid cow.’

‘Who you calling stupid?’

‘We’re only looking out for you,’ Jenny said calmly, sensing that Mia was getting upset.

‘
I
’m not,’ Lisa countered sharply. ‘She shouldn’t be doing the dirty on Sandra.’

‘And when did
you
start being Sandra’s best mate?’ Mia demanded.

‘I’m not,’ Lisa retorted. ‘Like I said, I hate her. But if you’re going to brag about it, at least have the balls to tell
her
.’ She jerked her thumb back towards the toilet door – just as Sandra walked out.

‘Tell who about what?’ Sandra asked.

‘Nothing,’ Lisa muttered.

Tutting, Sandra pushed them out of the way.

‘Wow, you’re brave,’ Mia said sarcastically when she’d gone.

‘Maybe I’m just not stupid enough to piss her off and get my head kicked in,’ Lisa spat. ‘But if you want me to go and tell her what I was really talking about, just say the word.’

‘No one’s stopping you,’ Mia said coolly, knowing that Lisa wouldn’t dare.

‘Oh, piss off.’ Lisa jerked her chin up proudly. ‘At least I’m not a slag who’d flash my tits for money.’

‘Neither am I!’

‘Oh, really? So how come you’re hooking up with Lorraine Braithwaite’s agent, ’cos that’s the only so-called modelling she’s ever done. And don’t act all innocent, ’cos
everyone
knows what’s she’s like.’

‘I’m not talking about
her
, so get your facts right,’ Mia drawled. ‘I’m talking about Darren’s
cousin
Lorraine.’

‘Lorraine Braithwaite
is
his cousin,’ said Laura, shrugging guiltily when Mia glared at her. ‘Sorry, I thought you knew.’

Mia hadn’t known, and she was furious that Darren hadn’t thought to mention it.

‘I knew she was a whore from when she got caught giving that teacher a blow job and got expelled,’ Lisa was saying now, a disapproving sneer on her face.

‘Yeah, then I heard she got into porn,’ another girl chipped in. ‘But she picked up some disease that made her fanny go all manky and none of the men would shag her, so she had to go into Page Three instead.’

‘Well, I don’t care what
she
does,’ Mia told them defensively. ‘I’m going to be a proper model.’

‘If you say so,’ Lisa drawled. ‘Won’t hold my breath, though.’

Mia’s eyes flashed with rage. Whatever they thought of Lorraine Braithwaite, they had no right to try and tar her with the same brush. Even if she wanted to get into something dirty like that – which she didn’t – her mum probably wouldn’t let her; and Darren
definitely
wouldn’t. He probably hadn’t even realised what his cousin really did for a living.

‘You all right?’ Laura asked softly as the bell rang and the girls started heading towards their first classes.

‘Oh, yeah, I’m just fine,’ Mia snapped. ‘My mates think I’m a slag, and my so-called
best
mate couldn’t even be bothered to warn me.’

‘I’m sorry, but I honestly thought you knew,’ Laura murmured. ‘Anyway, Darren should have told you. It wasn’t fair, getting your hopes up for nothing.’

‘Who says it’s for nothing?’ Mia retorted proudly. ‘Obviously I won’t go to
that
agent now I know what he’s about, but he’s not the only one in the world. And soon as I’ve got those photos done, the others will be falling over themselves to sign me up – you watch.’

Sighing when Mia turned on her heel and marched off towards their first class, Laura set off after her. Mia was pretty, there was no denying that, but she was fooling herself if she believed that she was good enough to get into the big league.

Drifting through her lessons that morning, Mia barely heard a word that any of the teachers said. She was too busy mentally rehearsing her poses for the photo session and fantasising about being launched onto the world in a blaze of publicity.

If she’d been more alert, she might have picked up on the whispering that was going on all around her. But she didn’t realise anything was wrong until it was too late to avoid it.

Noticing that people were giving her funny looks when she walked into the canteen at lunchtime, she assumed that Lisa must have been slagging her off about the Page Three crap. She knew she’d done nothing wrong so she held her head up and joined the slow-moving queue. Turning to see what was going on when she felt a charge of excitement in the air a few minutes later, her heart lurched when she saw Sandra Bishop stalking in. She sensed that Sandra was coming for her and started pushing her way through the queue.

‘Get back here, you little slag!’ Sandra snarled. ‘I want a word with you.’

Prevented from escaping when some girls shoved her back, Mia glanced helplessly around. As usual, there were no teachers or dinner ladies in sight and it was obvious from the excitement on their faces that none of the other pupils were going to step in.

‘What’s this I’ve been hearing about you saying you’re seeing my boyfriend?’ Sandra demanded, punching Mia in the chest and knocking her back against the counter.

Her face scarlet with humiliation as everyone crowded around, Mia tried to walk away. But Sandra grabbed her by the hair and kneed her in the stomach, taking her breath away.

‘I’m still waiting to hear what you’ve got to say!’ Sandra yelled, dragging her out into the open.

‘I haven’t done anything wrong!’ Mia squealed. ‘It’s not my fault Darren’s finished with you!’

‘Don’t even say his fucking
name
!’ Sandra roared, landing a glancing punch off the side of Mia’s head. ‘And what do you mean, finished with me? Has he hell!’

Pushing her way forward, Laura said, ‘It’s not her fault, Sandra. He told her he wasn’t with you any more; I heard him.’

‘Oh, yeah?’ Sandra spat, tugging the collar of her shirt aside to reveal a large fresh lovebite on her neck. ‘So how come he give me this last night, then?’

Crying out when Sandra started laying into her again, Mia covered her face with her arms.

‘What the
hell
is going on here?’ Mr Ainsley, the deputy head barked, pushing his way through the crowd. ‘Bishop! Pack that in!’

Forced to let go, Sandra aimed one last kick at Mia as she lay sobbing on the floor.

‘Enough!’ Mr Ainsley snapped, shoving her away. ‘Go to my office. And you lot go and find something better to do,’ he ordered, turning his glare on the onlookers.

Michelle walked in just as Sandra and her friend Tina reached the door. Stopping dead, Sandra frowned, wondering how the girl had got round there so fast – and why she didn’t have a mark on her.