Breaking the Circle (8 page)

‘I don’t know what to do,’ Maya told Zac when he came back. ‘If I dob them in they’ll be in real trouble. If I don’t tell and something happens to them, I
won’t forgive myself.’

‘So you were puttin’ it on when you said Gerard was cute?’

‘Yes, of course.’

Zac nodded. ‘I don’t think you need worry too much. Gerard’s probably sellin’ them a few Es and a bit of blow. It’s, like, not serious. More people get wasted by
alcohol than drugs.’

‘Yes, I know but it doesn’t feel right. And I can’t work out whether it’s more about them or me. I wasn’t around this summer and since I’ve come back
everything seems to have changed. It feels different, I feel like an outsider.’

‘They’re just tryin’ stuff – it’ll pass.’

Maya sipped her drink. ‘But what if it doesn’t? What if they get hooked and get into hard stuff and I stood by and did nothing about it?’ She made a sulky face. ‘OK. I
know you think I’m weird.’

Zac shook his head. ‘You’re not weird.’

‘You don’t know me,’ Maya said. ‘It’s like I see something’s wrong and I can’t leave it. I always want to sort it, to make things right. I don’t
know if it’s because of my mum’s job or what happened to me when I was little, but I have this massive need to interfere. Realistically, I know I can’t sort everything out, but it
doesn’t stop me trying.’

Leaning across the table, Zac took hold of Maya’s hand. ‘Because you’re brave and special.’

‘Not really,’ Maya said.

‘I think so. I heard a rumour that you nearly got yourself killed this summer savin’ your mum from terrorists.’

Maya smiled. ‘Yeah, but I’m still here, still crazy. Come on, let’s go. I need some fresh air.’

* * *

The rain had stopped and the sun was shining. As they walked up to the park, Zac took Maya’s hand and it felt good. People had come out onto the streets to enjoy what
could be the last of the summer sun. A dark, dangerous place by night, the park was claimed by families and joggers in the daytime. A little kid in bright red anorak came racing past them on her
tricycle, an anxious father running along after her. A couple of dogs sniffed at each other then trotted past.

By the edge of a lake, they stopped and sat down on a park bench. Above them, the leaves of a weeping willow rustled softly in the breeze, two swans glided on the water. It should have been a
romantic spot, but both were occupied with their own thoughts. Relieved to have delivered the drugs and got Gerard off her back, Maya sat gazing into the distance, planning her next move.

Meanwhile, Zac was glancing sideways, admiring Maya’s profile and wondering if a girl like her could possibly fancy him.

He slipped his arm around Maya and she leaned her head on his shoulder, looking down at his long, delicate fingers. She longed for him to kiss her. It would be great to have a boyfriend
who’d come round to the flat on cold winter nights – they’d study together, listen to music . . . get close. But she couldn’t relax and stop her mind working. Nagging
worries about Kay and Leona and Evie invaded her mind. Where had they gone, what were they up to? And where had Gerard gone with his stash of drugs?

‘If Gerard makes trouble, you can count on me,’ Zac said, as if he were reading her thoughts.

‘Thanks,’ Maya replied. ‘But Gerard’s a real nasty piece of work. I don’t want him going after you. The first time I saw him, he threatened me.’

She started telling Zac about her first meeting with Gerard and Gunner, but her story was interrupted by her mobile buzzing.

‘It’s Leona. I’d better see what she wants.’

When she put the phone to her ear, Leona’s voice came screaming through.

‘Maya! Thank God! Come quick. It’s Serena. She’s ODed, won’t open her eyes.’

‘Call an ambulance!’

‘I can’t. I’ll be in trouble.’

‘Get an ambulance! Now!’ Maya ordered.

‘All right I will, but please come. I’m frightened.’

‘Where are you?’

‘Serena’s flat.’

‘Is anybody else there?’

‘No, Gerard left.’

‘Hang on, I’m on my way. Call 999 now!’

She turned to Zac. ‘It’s Serena. She’s overdosed. Gotta go.’

‘I’ll come with you.’

‘No. Stay here. I’ll call you.’

She started running. It was quicker to get there on foot – a taxi would have to go the long way round. Out of the park gates, past the shops, cut through the alley to the estate. She raced
through the joggers and pram pushers, her long legs striding out, hair flying, heart hammering.

Gasping for breath, Maya reached the block of flats and found what she hoped was the right staircase. She sprinted up the steps onto the concrete landing. Which way to go? She
hadn’t been to Serena’s flat for ages and wasn’t sure. Which number was it – 201, 203, 205, 207? At 209 the door was slightly open, pairs of high heels lined the hall
– they could be Serena’s. She pushed and went in.

‘Leona?’

‘In here.’

Serena was lying flat on her back, one arm thrown out, her head at a slight angle, her eyes half closed.

‘Get her up!’ Maya ordered, stooping down. She slipped an arm underneath Serena’s back and lifted her. ‘Help me! She’s heavy. We have to walk her, keep her
awake.’

Between them, they managed to pull her upright, but as they walked into the kitchen, Serena’s legs dragged behind her.

Leona’s voice was shrill with panic. ‘Oh, my God, she’s not moving, she’s dead!’

‘No, she isn’t. She can’t be,’ Maya said, desperately. Propping Serena’s head back against the wall, she slapped her cheeks. ‘Come on, Serena, wake up!’
Briefly, Serena’s eyelids flickered, showing the whites of her eyes.

‘Oh, my God,’ Leona sobbed. ‘She’s totally gone.’

Maya put her fingers on Serena’s wrist. ‘No, she has a pulse. When did you ring for the ambulance?’

‘I don’t know! Ten minutes ago, as soon as you told me.’

‘Good. What did she take?’

‘I don’t know.’

Maya’s face tightened, she glared accusingly at her friend.

‘I don’t know, honest,’ Leona protested. ‘She was with Gerard, they were out of it when I got here. ‘

Although Serena was slim, her lifeless body was heavy.

‘I can’t hold her no longer,’ Leona moaned.

‘OK. We’ll sit her down,’ Maya said.

They managed to manoeuvre Serena onto a kitchen chair and hold her steady between them. Leona, kneeling at the side of the chair, started to sob, spilling the story out in spasms.

‘When I got here she was wasted. Her arm was tied and she was, like, droopy – I knew she wasn’t right. Gerard just laughed at me, said she’d be OK – it was her
first time mainlining so it had, like, a big effect. But then she fell sideways. He tried to get her to open her eyes. I could tell he was spooked. He pulled her up and she just went over again,
then he got his stuff together and took off, cleaned up – needles, everything.’

Maya leaned forward and saw that Serena’s face was covered with a sheen of sweat and her lips were white. Slapping her cheek again, she spoke loudly, urgently, ‘Serena, wake up.
Serena, can you hear me? Wake up!’

Leona was adding her own cries. ‘Where’s the ambulance? Where’s the ambulance? Please, please, come quick.’

‘Did you call her mum?’ Maya asked.

‘No, I. . .’

At that moment they heard a siren. Relief swept through them. Maya told Leona to hold Serena steady on the chair while she ran down to meet it. When she returned with the paramedics,
Serena’s head and arms were hanging down lifelessly and Leona was sobbing. Maya felt helpless as the medics lifted Serena and laid her down on a stretcher. They were unhurried, calm.

Leona came over to Maya, her face streaked with tears. ‘It’s bad, isn’t it?’

Maya put her arm round Leona. ‘She’ll be OK. She has to be.’

‘One of you will have to come with us,’ the woman medic said. ‘They’ll want to know what she’s taken.’

‘I don’t know,’ Leona spluttered.

Maya took her by the shoulders, hugged her and then said, firmly, ‘You go. Tell them what you know. I’ll try and find Gerard. All right?’

Leona nodded.

‘Come on, love,’ one of the paramedics said. ‘We have to get her to hospital fast.’

* * *

A crowd had gathered outside, emergencies being a regular source of entertainment on the estate.

‘What’s wrong with ‘er?’ a sharp voice asked, as they loaded Serena into the ambulance.

‘Get lost,’ Maya snapped.

‘She’s a goner, innit?’ the boy said.

‘No,’ Maya said. ‘She’ll be fine.’

As soon as the ambulance drove away, siren blaring, Maya started running, racing up the road to the boarded-up houses, running furiously, fire in her eyes and heart. If she got her hands on
Gerard, she’d punch the truth out of him.

A black BMW was parked in front of the house. Gerard was in the passenger seat, slumped forward with his head in his hands.

Maya banged on the window, yelling, ‘What did you give her? What did you give her?’

Gerard looked up. His eyes were bewildered, his face was tense; he actually looked scared. Then he turned to the driver, a big, thick-set man, and said something. The engine started. Maya
hammered on the window but it was no use, the car accelerated and sped off down the road. ‘OM 6’ was all she could distinguish from the number plate.

* * *

Drained and anxious, Maya arrived home. Helen was in the kitchen cooking dinner.

‘I wondered when you were going to turn up,’ she said.

‘Did you get my message?’

‘Yes, but you missed Simon. He called round to see how we were. He had some news about Pam. She’s fine, nothing to worry about, her mission’s going well but she’s going
to be out of touch for a few days.’

‘Where is she?’

Helen dished up a steaming shepherd’s pie as she spoke. ‘He didn’t say.’

‘I hate it when I don’t know where she is. It never used to be like this. Mum always trusted me.’

‘I know,’ Helen said, putting dinner plates on the table. ‘And she still does trust you, but you know what her thoughts are. She feels more protective after what happened in
the summer. It all worked out fine, but it could have gone either way.’

Maya sat down at the table. She hadn’t thought about eating all day. The dinner smelt delicious but she was on edge, worrying about Serena. Maya had gone back to her flat after Gerard had
driven away. Serena’s mother had arrived on the scene and looked to Maya for explanation. There was no way to soften the news – her daughter had overdosed.

In a state of shock, Serena’s mum had reacted as if Maya were responsible, hurling questions at her that she couldn’t answer.

‘So, how was your day?’ Helen asked.

Maya blinked and almost choked on a piece of broccoli. Helen, sitting opposite her, was eager for news, anxious to know that her granddaughter was settling back into her old life after the
trauma of the summer.

Maya’s mind flashed over the day’s events. A battered friend, a drugs drop, a life-threatening emergency. She looked up at Helen’s expectant face, her soft grey eyes shining,
silver-streaked hair framing her face. She smiled and forked up a piece of pie.

‘Fun,’ she said.

‘And the party? Did it go OK?’

‘Yes, it was great. They’d gone to so much trouble.’

Throughout the rest of the meal, Maya tried to keep her tone light while she chatted to her gran. It would have been a relief to explain what had happened to Serena and share the worry about her
friends, but any mention of drugs would send Helen into a mad panic, particularly with Pam away.

All the time she ate, Maya was waiting for a call or a text from Leona. It was hard to get the picture of Serena’s wasted face out of her head.

Please be all right, she said over and over again to herself. Please, Serena, you have to recover
.

If only she could talk to Pam she’d feel better, but Pam was out of reach and that must mean her mission was delicate and dangerous.

‘Have you got any homework to do?’ Gran asked.

Jolted back to reality, Maya remembered she had a History assignment to finish.

‘Bring your books into the sitting room. I’ve got some emails to write. We’ll have a cup of tea in there and I made a chocolate cake.’

Maya cleared the table and filled the kettle before going up to her room to collect books and paper.

Before she went down to sit with Helen, she quickly called Zac. He answered right away.

‘What happened? I’ve been waitin’ for your call.’

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to cut you out. I just thought if Serena was in a state it was better to go on my own. Oh, Zac, I’m so worried about her, she was totally out of it. We
walked her round but she wasn’t responding at all.’

‘So, she went to hospital?’

‘Yes, Leona went with her. She promised to call but I haven’t heard a thing.’

Zac was positive and comforting, reminding her how difficult it was to make phone calls in hospital. ‘Soon she’ll be callin’ you and tellin’ you Serena is
home.’

Maya wanted to believe him and it made her feel calmer just talking to him. She gathered her books, went down to the sitting room and tried to concentrate on writing up her History project. But
the picture of Serena’s ravaged face, her bloodless lips and blank eyes haunted her.