‘Good night, Brennan,’ he said, looking crestfallen.

He really didn’t want her to go, Sophie realised. She’d thought he just felt sorry for her but she understood now that getting dressed up and making a night of it had been as much for his benefit. She looked at him again, indecisive. Should I stay or should I go?

14

Indie kept her head down low as she hurried down Pemberton Road. It was only 2pm and she was supposed to be at school, but she’d had a big row with her best friend, Daisy, and she didn’t want to stick around anymore. That dive was bad enough at the best of times but with all her friends taking Daisy’s side and giving her the cold shoulder, it was unbearable. If only she hadn’t dumped her new boyfriend last week, she could have hung out with him but he was still pissed off with her so she was giving him a wide berth.

Fortunately her teacher hadn’t batted an eyelid when she presented him with a forged letter from her mum, explaining that she had to leave early for a dentist appointment, and she had rushed out of the school gates with relief, like a prisoner escaping their block. But once she was outside, she realised that she had nowhere to go. It was a cold, blustery, winter’s day and she didn’t fancy hanging around in the park all afternoon. She could go to a café but she might raise suspicion in her school uniform and she only had about 50p on her.

Then she remembered her parents telling her that Ellie and Freddy were going to football club after school and that they wouldn’t be home until 5pm, and she started heading home, already planning to raid the chocolate cupboard and play on her iPad undisturbed for a couple of hours. Benji would probably guess that she’d bunked off when he found her at home already, but he’d cover for her; he was all right like that.

There were only a few weeks to go until Christmas and many houses in Pemberton Road had their decorations up already. Some of them had tacky light-up penguins and Santas outside and Indie always pretended to cringe when she saw them, but secretly she loved them. Christmas was one of her favourite times of the year. It made her feel excited like a little girl again, although she’d never admit that to anyone. But seriously, what was there not to like? She got loads of cool presents, pigged out on chocolate and hung out with her older cousins, who were a right laugh. Plus no school – which meant no Daisy – for two weeks as well. Result.

As she walked past the Brennan’s house she glanced at the illuminated reindeers in the front garden. As neighbours went, the Brennans weren’t too bad. Their kids seemed to live at her house but they kept Ellie and Freddy busy which, in turn, meant that they didn’t pester her. Sophie was a bit mumsy but she’d always been good to Indie. She’d bought her an awesome present for her thirteenth birthday, a coveted bag that was sold out in most shops and had been the envy of all her friends. She had no idea how Sophie had managed to get hold of it: perhaps she was cooler than Indie had given her credit for. But as nice as she was, she doubted that Sophie would keep quiet about her bunking off school.