The Hornbeam Tree (53 page)

‘Oh, there you are,’ Katie said, coming into the kitchen. ‘I was just going to check on …’ Seeing Molly’s best coat, trainers and school bag she stopped. ‘What are you doing?’

‘I’m going out.’

Katie frowned. ‘But I’ve made a lasagne, and I thought … Well, I thought this was what you wanted, for us to spend a bit more time together.’

‘Yeah, but not tonight. I’m going to a party. And before you start having a go, you never said anything about us staying in together, so how was I supposed to know you were cooking? I’m not a mind-reader.’

‘You’re not very polite either,’ Katie retorted sharply. ‘And I don’t think I heard you ask if you could go to a party, so any more of that attitude and you won’t be going.’

Molly’s cheeks flamed. ‘I’m just saying that it’s not my fault you cooked,’ she said sulkily.

Katie eyed her closely, keeping a strict face to cover her disappointment. ‘Well, at least you can have something to eat before you go,’ she said.

‘No!’ Molly cried. ‘I don’t want anything. I’m not hungry, and it’ll just make me late.’

Wishing she could stop her, but knowing if she tried it would only turn into a row, Katie said, ‘I suppose it’s at Allison’s.’

Molly’s eyes slanted away. ‘So what if it is?’

‘Who else is going to be there?’

‘
I don’t know
. All her friends.’

‘And Brad?’

‘He might be.’

‘I want to know more about this boy, so let’s start with how old he is.’

Molly’s mouth pursed. ‘He’s the same age as me, all right?’

Katie sighed. ‘Molly, you’re such a bad liar.’

‘Well what difference does it make how old he is? If I was twenty-four and he was twenty-eight no-one would say anything.’

‘But you’re not twenty-four, you’re fourteen, and if he’s eighteen that is not acceptable. He’s too old for you.’

‘I never said he was eighteen. You did.’

Wondering how on earth she could reach across this horrible gulf, Katie inhaled deeply, then decided not to argue any further. ‘OK, I want you back here by ten,’ she said.

Molly’s eyes flew open. ‘Oh, no way!’ she cried. ‘It’s a party, Mum! It’ll just be getting going by ten, and then like, I’m supposed to leave? I don’t think so.’

‘Well, I do, and once again, let me remind you that your attitude is doing you no favours.’

Immediately Molly turned on the reasonable voice, saying, ‘Look, I’m going to be fifteen in January, and loads of girls my age stay out late on Saturday nights. Some of them even go to discos and things, so they don’t get home until gone two in the morning. I know you won’t want me out wandering the streets at that time, so I’ve asked Allison if I can stay over …’

Katie was shaking her head. ‘Oh no,’ she said. ‘You’re not staying over if boys are going to be there. I’ll come and pick you up …’

‘No!’ Molly raged. ‘It would be like, so fucking embarrassing having my mother turn up to take me home. Everyone would think I was a right baby …’

‘I’ll wait at the end of the drive, no-one need know I’m there.’

Molly’s expression was turning thunderous. ‘I’ve told Allison I’m staying now, and I’ve got all my stuff packed …’

‘Then you can just unpack it. And while you’re at it, I’d like to see what you’re wearing please, because this is hardly the weather for bare legs, so open your coat …’

‘For God’s sake,’ Molly seethed, slamming down her bag and spinning away in disgust.

Katie moved over to the back door, to block an escape. ‘Take your coat off,’ she repeated.

Bristling with resentment Molly flung her coat open and let it fall down to her elbows. ‘Satisfied?’ she demanded, planting a hand on one hip and tapping her foot.

Katie took one look at the thigh-top mini and skimpy red bustier and said, ‘You’re not going out dressed like that.’

‘What’s the matter with it?’ Molly shrieked. ‘It’s like, fashionable. I know you don’t know what that is, but it’s what girls my age are wearing.’

‘You look like a cheap tart.’

Molly’s eyes flashed. ‘Well you should take a look at yourself, see what you look like,’ she spat nastily. ‘And at least I don’t behave like a tart, the way you do when you’re around men.’

‘OK, that’s it,’ Katie said. ‘You’ve gone too far, now. You’re not leaving this house …’

‘Just you try and stop me.’

Katie turned round to lock the door and found, to her annoyance, that the key wasn’t there. ‘I don’t want to get into a fight over this,’ she said, turning
back
again. ‘You know very well how difficult you’ve been this week, so I’m afraid parties and sleepovers are out of the question until you can mend your ways and learn some manners. Now go back upstairs, take off those trashy clothes, then we’ll sit down and have something to eat.’

Molly’s temper totally exploded. ‘I’ve already told you, I don’t want anything!’ she shouted. ‘And I’m going to that party, I don’t care what you say. It’s my life. I can do what I want …’

‘I’m your mother and you’ll do as I tell you. Now go upstairs …’

‘Just try and make me!’

‘Molly, please,’ Katie implored, feeling the situation moving out of her grip. ‘We need to talk, and you can’t keep on finding excuses to avoid it.’

‘I’m not finding excuses,’ she yelled. ‘I’ve been invited to a party, and I’ve got to be there.’

‘Why?’

‘I just have. You don’t understand.’

‘Try me.’

Molly’s face was shaking with fury. ‘Just shut up keeping on all the time!’ she shouted. ‘Now let me get past.’

‘You know what we have to discuss, don’t you?’ Katie stated, her eyes blazing the challenge.

Molly almost recoiled.

‘Yes you do,’ Katie said, ‘but you don’t want to hear me say it. Well, Molly, it has to be said. We have to face it.’

‘
Shut up
,’ Molly seethed, blocking her ears. ‘Just shut up.’

‘It’s not going to go away,’ Katie cried. ‘It’s here, it’s a part of me, and we have to deal with it.’

‘No, no, no,’ Molly gasped, shaking her head from side to side.

‘Yes, Molly. Yes! I’m going to die. That’s what we have to face, but Michelle will be here to take care of you …’

Molly lunged at her. ‘I don’t need anyone to take care of me,’ she seethed, as she tried shoving her out of the way. ‘I can take care of myself. Now let me get past.’

Katie grabbed her and started to shake. ‘Stop running away,’ she sobbed. ‘This is hard enough, can’t you see that?’

‘Stop crying!’ Molly shouted. ‘I don’t want you to cry.’

Not even realizing she was, Katie said, ‘Then let’s stop this now … Molly!’ she gasped, as Molly’s fists suddenly slammed into her, and as she fell back against the wall, banging her head on the corner of a cupboard, Molly tore open the door.

‘I’m going out, and I won’t be back till tomorrow,’ she raged. ‘And if you come anywhere near Allison’s tonight, I’ll never
ever
speak to you again.’

Still breathless from the blow, Katie stood where she was, listening to Molly running, the gate opening and closing, and the ducks squawking as she passed. She knew that those dreadful words had already been blocked from Molly’s mind, cut out as though never spoken, but they’d be back, how could they not, and as the full horror of the last few minutes began closing in on her, Katie wondered if she’d ever handled anything more disastrously in her life. If she had, she was at a loss to know when or how, and with her head pounding and the rest of her turning so weak she
feared
she might actually pass out, she stumbled to a chair and sat down with her face in her hands.

After a moment she was able to start taking deep breaths – in, out, in, out. It worked to a degree, but she was still shaking badly, and was so torn about what to do next that even to try and think of it was making her faint.

Starting as the oven timer shrilled, she forced herself to her feet and went to turn it off. Suddenly she was sobbing, and tearing off a piece of kitchen roll she attempted to dry her eyes. More than anything she wanted to call Michelle now and ask her to come home, but she wouldn’t. Nor would she go over to the pub later to join Judy. She simply couldn’t bear anyone to know how dreadfully she’d just messed up with Molly, for the shame of it was already taking hold of her as though to try and drown her in its depths.

So no, she was going to see this through on her own, because really it only concerned her and Molly anyway. The best thing to do was sit here and wait for Molly to come back, because she would, eventually – she just hoped to God it would be tonight.

‘If you drink any more of those now you’ll puke,’ Allison warned, grabbing a Breezer bottle from Molly before she could finish another.

‘Let me have it! Let me have it!’ Molly insisted, jigging up and down and already feeling drunk. ‘I’m like, so nervous, and excited,’ and throwing out her arms she started to spin. ‘I’m going to see Brad and you’re seeing Miles and we’ll be a real foursome … And wheeee!’

Laughing as she spun her round, Allison cried, ‘The DOLs are getting laid tonight!’

‘Getting laid! Getting laid!’ Molly echoed. Then, attempting to be serious, ‘You know, I reckon after tonight we should start going down to see them at weekends. Oh God, yeah! We can like ride on their motorbikes and hold on to them, which will be soooo cool … Do you think they’ll bring them tonight?’

‘Probably,’ Allison answered, going to change the CD.

‘Oh my God! I am just so excited!’ Molly squealed. ‘Where’s that bottle? I’ve got to have some more.’

‘Save some for the rest of us,’ Cecily drawled, as she and Donna came in the door.

‘There are loads in the fridge,’ Allison assured her. ‘But better hurry up because she’s going through them like they were lemonade.’

‘This is going to be like, the best night of my life,’ Molly bubbled.

Cecily shot a glance at Allison.

‘I’ve got some weed,’ Donna declared. ‘Let’s light up now, it’ll really get us in the mood.’

‘Oh yeah, definitely,’ Molly enthused, turning to look at herself in the mirror, pouting and posing.

‘What happened to the red top?’ Cecily demanded, putting a match to Donna’s joint. ‘It’s really sexy …’

‘I thought it looked a bit tarty, so I decided on the gold one,’ Molly told her.

‘But it doesn’t work as well as the red,’ Cecily protested. ‘You’ve got really great tits, so you should show them off. It’ll really get him going.’

Donna sniggered and coughed on the joint.

Taking it from her, Cecily said, ‘Where’s Toby?’

‘Getting ready in his room, I expect,’ Allison answered. ‘Or downstairs sorting out the music. Mother had some food sent in, by the way. It’s in the kitchen, all set out on the table. Sometimes I could almost like her.’

‘Do you think it’s going to hurt?’ Molly asked, lying back on the bed with Donna and taking a long drag of the joint.

‘It might, at first,’ Cecily told her, going to check on her make-up.

‘It’s going to be so cool,’ Donna chanted. ‘I want it now. Take me, take me.’

They were all laughing as Toby burst in the door to have a go at Allison about one of his CDs that was missing. Cecily sidled up to him, and slipping an arm round her he snogged her, then went on laying into Allison.

Molly giggled and hiccoughed and carried on lying on the bed with Donna. She didn’t care if Toby could see all up her skirt, because she was in a great mood, and anyway he might tell Brad that she had fantastic legs and was wearing a thong. She took another puff on the joint, held it, blew it out, then drank. Next to her Donna started giggling, so she did too. Allison took the joint away and they laughed even harder. Then Allison told Toby to shut up and get lost while they finished getting ready.

By nine thirty the den downstairs was starting to fill up with people Molly had never seen before. They were all like, really cool though, and everyone seemed to know each other. They’d brought joints
and
more booze and stuff. Molly had switched to wine now, because it seemed a bit more sophisticated, but her legs were starting to feel all weird and rubbery, and her head was all fuzzy and thick. They were having a real laugh though, with the music throbbing off the walls and everyone dancing and chilling out, except she was starting to get a bit worried about where Brad was, because all his mates were here, so he should be too.

‘Any sign of him yet?’ she shouted above the music as Allison shimmied up to her with a samosa in one hand and an alcopop in the other.

‘He’ll be here, don’t worry,’ Allison assured her. ‘Have something to eat.’

Molly pulled a face, and pushed the samosa away.

‘The guy with the E’s arrived,’ Allison told her, biting into it herself. ‘Are you going to try some?’

Molly started to answer, but a burp popped out instead, and they immediately dissolved into hysterical laughter. ‘Where’s Miles?’ she asked, when they were finally able to stop giggling.

‘Over there with Toby. You know what I did? Oh my God, this is going to totally freak you out, but I actually told him I want to go all the way tonight. Oh my God, you should have seen his face. He is like, so turned on now, and can’t wait for it to happen, but I reminded him, I’m like, one of the hosts, so I can’t just disappear straight away, I mean, can I?’

Molly shook her head. ‘No, definitely not,’ she agreed. ‘Do you reckon I should tell Brad, as well?’ she said, feeling a bit dizzy and like, so romantic at the thought of it.

‘If you like,’ Allison said, turning round as the music changed. ‘Oh my God, I totally love this!’ she declared, and putting down her drink and samosa, she grabbed Molly’s hand and dragged her out to dance.

Molly gulped down the rest of her wine, parked the glass on a table as she passed and went happily into the middle of the room. This was one of her favourites too, and everyone said she was a brilliant dancer, so it would be like, so cool if Brad came in while she was really letting go. There were other people up dancing too, all rocking and jiving about, and the music was wicked, just kept going and going, so she could dance and dance. Her arms were in the air, her hips were jerking from side to side, then back to front and round and round. She knew people were watching her and she loved it, because she knew she looked really cool, and hip and like she should be a professional. The beat slowed in the middle of the record, so she slowed too, gyrating sexily, hands still linked above her head, knees slightly parted, then quickly knocking back someone else’s drink, she launched herself vigorously into the last part of the song.