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Back The Bad Place Save as PDF
Chapters (72)
  1. Cover
  2. THE BAD PLACE
  3. Contents
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. Acknowledgements
  71. About the author
  72. An Invitation from the Publisher

‘Yeah.’ Angel grimaced, as if she was doing her best to cope with the fever burning inside her. ‘I really think I should.’

Sasha saw her daughter’s eyes were red and swollen – she looked like she’d been crying.

‘Let’s get some air in here.’ Sasha opened a window. ‘You will talk to me, won’t you, if there’s anything on your mind?’

Angel promptly burst into tears.

‘Oh, baby.’ Sasha took Angel in her arms, held her tight. ‘What’s happening?’

‘Idontwanttogotoschool.’ Angel’s words tumbled out quickly, and Sasha gently asked her to repeat what she’d said. ‘I feel really uncomfortable there, anxious, it’s really… not nice. Tilly, she’s—’

‘What?’ Sasha asked sharply. ‘Has something happened between you?’

‘It’s… not been nice,’ said Angel. ‘It’s just, I don’t want to see her.’

Sasha’s heart leapt. ‘Is she bullying you?’

Her daughter began to cry. Between sobs, Angel spoke about nasty texts and messages on Snapchat – cyberbullying! – and intimidation. Sasha was shocked. The idea that Tilly was bullying her daughter made her blood boil. She took out her phone and scrolled through her contacts for Rachel’s number.

‘What are you doing?’ asked Angel.

‘Calling her mum.’

‘Please don’t!’ Angel practically launched herself at the phone. ‘I’d die!’

‘I’m going to speak to her, Angel. You were always such good friends with Tilly, I don’t know what’s got into her.’

‘Promise me you won’t phone her,’ wailed her daughter. ‘Just leave it!’

‘No wonder her mum blanked me in the street this morning. God knows what Tilly must be telling her.’

‘I know, right?’ Angel threw herself down on the bed and pressed her face into the pillow. ‘I used to think she was really nice.’

‘Have you spoken to your dad about this?’

Angel made a face. As if. ‘He’s off with the fairies!’

And that made Sasha even more annoyed with Kev. Because the old Kev would have been thunderstruck to discover his little girl was being bullied and would move mountains to get the situation sorted. He’d phone the school to try to find a solution, yes, but also demand to know how teachers could let such a thing happen in this day and age. It broke Sasha’s heart to think that Kev probably hadn’t even noticed that his daughter was unhappy. But then it occurred to her that she hadn’t realized anything was wrong either.

‘Please tell me I don’t have to go to school tomorrow,’ begged Angel. ‘I really don’t want to!’

‘You don’t have to go to school tomorrow,’ Sasha told her, and she held Angel tight, mortified that she’d let her down.

22

The best part of the day for Karin was when she could come home, lock the door, and shut out the rest of the world till morning.