Jenny Downham - You Against Me

His heart began to pound again. Sitting there, with her glasses and her polite cup of tea, she reminded him of all the reasons he’d hated school.

‘You know,’ he said, ‘Holly’s really clever. It’s not like if she misses a few lessons she’s going to mess everything up, because she’s the cleverest of the lot of us. She’s always reading and drawing and running about.’

‘I’m sure Holly’s very bright, but she also needs to go to school every day. Do you know how many days unauthorized absence she’s had this term?’

She’d spoken to the teacher already, so this was a trick. He shook his head and waited for her to tell him.

‘Her average attendance is currently below sixty per cent. That means she’s absent for at least four out of every ten days.’

‘I know what sixty per cent means.’

‘Of course, I’m sorry.’ She put the tea down. ‘The last two times I scheduled an appointment to see Karyn, nobody answered the door. When social services came round with me last week, they’d made an appointment with your mother, and Holly answered the door and told us she had no idea where Mum was. We were obviously concerned about that.’

He leaned back and folded his arms. It was like doing one of Holly’s jigsaws, trying to work out where the right answers were.

‘Maybe Mum went for a walk?’

That sounded healthy at least, but she sat there frowning at him.

‘Holly had a tummy ache,’ he said. ‘I remember now, that’s why she missed school. Maybe Mum went to the chemist to get medicine. Karyn was here, so Holly wasn’t alone. She probably said she didn’t know where Mum was to make everything sound more exciting. She loves making up stories. It’s a sign of intelligence.’

‘Where were you that day, Mikey, if you don’t mind me asking?’

His mind tripped to Ellie at the river, the challenge in her eyes as she dared him to jump. Her see-through shirt, the lace of her bra.

‘I was at work.’

Having a job was bound to be a point in his favour.

She took another sip of tea, glanced at her watch again. ‘OK, it doesn’t look as if Mum’s going to turn up, so maybe we should reschedule. But before I go, Mikey, I wanted to ask your advice. I’d like to get your view on Karyn, and how you think I could support her more. Is there anything you think she needs that she’s not getting at the moment?’

What was he supposed to say to that? Compensation? Revenge? Tom Parker dead?

‘I dunno, it’s just going on so long, isn’t it? She told me the other day she wished she’d never bothered reporting him. The thought of going to court really freaks her out, you know.’

‘I know, and I can help her with that, Mikey. I can liaise with the school on her behalf, I can talk to her GP if she wants me to, I can bring her up to date on all news relating to the case and help her prepare for court. It won’t be an easy ride, Mikey. But I’m here for her, believe me.’

‘She won’t leave the flat either, did you know that? She says she doesn’t want to bump into him, so she’s stuck in all the time.’

‘He’s not allowed anywhere near this flat, or in the centre of town, or near the school. I’ve told Karyn that.’

‘His mates could still get her.’

‘That would also be breaking his bail conditions. If anyone intimidates Karyn or passes on any messages from Tom to her, then you must let me know.’

‘And what happens when it’s over? You’ll dump her, won’t you? After the court case, we’ll never see you again.’

‘That’s why it’s important I put Karyn in touch with services that can help her now and will continue to help her. If you can persuade her to look at some of the leaflets I’ve given her, that would be great. It might take a burden from your shoulders too, Mikey, you never know.’ She put her cup down. ‘How’s Holly managing the situation with Karyn? Is she aware of what happened to her? Do you talk about it together?’

Mikey shook his head. ‘She’s a kid. She wouldn’t understand.’

‘Does she ever ask why Karyn isn’t going to school any more, or wonder why her sister’s upset?’

‘Karyn’s in Year Eleven, so was about to leave school anyway, and Holly thinks she’s sad because a boy dumped her.’

‘That’s what you’ve told her?’

‘Kind of.’

She nodded. ‘And what about you? It must be very tough being the older brother of a girl in this situation.’

He wondered what she wanted to hear. Was he supposed to want vengeance, or was it best to tell her that he was leaving the whole thing well alone? He remembered what Mum had said once and went with that.

‘I’m letting you lot deal with it.’

She nodded. He’d got that right at least.

‘And we will deal with it, Mikey. I know the police ask a lot of questions and those questions can be upsetting for Karyn, but they need to get their facts straight. You know that, don’t you? It’s very personal stuff, very difficult to deal with. It’s hard for all of you.’

He shrugged. How could this woman understand? No one would ever speak to her the way the cops spoke to Karyn, asking her if she’d slept with Tom before or if she usually got so drunk at parties. Women like her had been to university and knew all the right things to say. They had parents who came in pairs and grew up expecting the same for their own kids.

Mikey looked right at her for a second. For some strange reason, he imagined her eating an ice cream – strawberry and vanilla in some sunny back garden.

She smiled at him. ‘You said earlier that you have a job.’

‘I’m training to be a chef.’

‘Good for you.’ She was obviously impressed. ‘Do you work full-time?’

He made it sound brilliant. He was practically head chef in this little story and the pub couldn’t function without him. He described dishes he’d never made – coq au vin, cassoulet, choucroute garnie and a classic Russian coulibiac. No, he told her, he had no intention of leaving Norfolk. Yes, he said, the pub was sending him to college soon to do his NVQ. Yes, that would mean more hours, but he was completely up for it. He was a hard worker. He had a focused mind. He didn’t mention London and his dream that Karyn would get over this quickly so he’d be free to go there.

He finished with a flourish, told her he was bound to be promoted before the end of the year, then sat back on the sofa with his best grin.

But she didn’t smile back. In fact, she was frowning again.

‘That worries me, Mikey. That amount of responsibility and all those hours. I know your mum’s not well and I know how hard the situation with Karyn must be. It might be worth considering if there’s anyone else who can help you out for a while. A relative or family friend perhaps?’

‘No,’ he said, ‘there’s no one.’

Why wasn’t he getting this right? And what did she mean about Mum not being well? How much did she know?

He imagined her going back to the police station and telling all her cop mates that he wasn’t coping, then popping over to social services and telling them too. They’d all be tutting and fussing and making suggestions as to how he could do better in his sad little life.

‘Listen,’ he said. ‘We can manage this. We’ll make Holly go to school every day. It’s not too much. We can do that, she likes school, so it’ll be easy.’

‘There’s more to it than that, Mikey.’

‘Like what?’

He’d offer her anything, promise everything.

She told him what social services would be looking for: Holly needed to be at school by nine o’clock every day and she needed her PE kit and book bag with her. She mustn’t be smelly or dirty or tired and she must have had breakfast. Mum needed to call social services to see if they could offer support. Karyn needed to keep her appointments.