Page 132 of Our Secrets and Lies

‘Now you know what it feels like. It’s not nice, is it?’

Kelly shook her head. ‘I’m sorry, Taylor, I’m really so sorry about what happened. I swear I regret it every single day.’

Taylor sighed. ‘I know, you’ve apologized loads of times,but it doesn’t take it away – it doesn’t take away the shame of everyone looking at my boobs. I’m sorry Melissa is being a bitch, but maybe it’s, like, poeticjustice or something. It’ll blow over. You just have to brave it out, like I did. If people think you don’t care, they’ll stop. Look, I’ll talk to Melissa. I know she can be a bitch, but her mum is very hard on her so it’s not always easy at home.’

Easy at home? Try living in my house, Kelly thought. ‘Thanks, it’s really nice of you.’

‘Chin up, okay? You have to be ballsy.’ Taylor gave her ahalf-smile.

‘Thanks, and I’m sorry again for what I did.’

Taylor took Dylan’s hand. ‘Let’s just move on. Come on, Dylan, let’s go.’

‘I’ll see you later, Kelly. We can talk then,’ Dylan said, as Taylor led him away.

Kelly watched her brother choose his girlfriend. She was alone again.

Shannon sat on the wall looking at her phone, her jaw slack with shock.

‘Hi.’

Shannon jumped, she hadn’theard Kelly coming. She threw her phone into her school bag. ‘Hi, Kelly.’

‘Did you see it?’ Kelly asked.

Shannon didn’t want to admit it. ‘No.’

‘I know you did. Show me your phone.’

There was no way Shannon was going to let her see all the comments below the live Facebook stream. Thank God Kelly didn’t have her phone – she’d die if she saw what people were writing. The messages were awful.

WTF? Is she insane?

What did she get a scholarship for – being a freak?

Pig

LOL, loser

Go back to where you came from scumbag

Dog

Go live in a skip

Shannon held her bag close to her chest. Kelly narrowed her eyes. ‘You’re supposed to be my best friend, I need to know the truth. Has everyone seen it?’

‘No.’

‘A lot of people?’

‘Some people.’

‘How many views and how many comments, Shannon?’

Shannon shrugged. How could she possibly tell her that there were three hundred views and about a hundred comments? ‘Like, about twenty or so.’

Kelly bit her lip. ‘It must be bad if you’re lying to me.’

‘Looking at it and reading messages from horrible people isn’t going to make you feel better. It’s a good thing you have no phone. It’ll be yesterday’s news tomorrow. Just try to forget aboutit. Come on, let’s go to my house and I’ll do your make-up. I got some really cool new Charlotte Tilbury eyeshadow.’

Kelly bit her raw thumbnail. ‘No, thanks. I’ve got a splitting headache. I think I’ll just go home.’

‘Ah, come on, Kelly, come back with me. We’ll put on some music and eat ice cream and have fun.’

Kelly picked up her bag. ‘Thanks, maybe tomorrow. If Mum lets me.’

Shannon watchedher friend walk towards her house. Her back was hunched, like she was a hundred-year-old woman with the troubles of the world on her shoulders. Shannon didn’t know how Kelly was coping with all the crap that was being thrown at her. It was coming from every side. She wasworried about her. Shannon pulled out her phone and took screen shots of all the nasty messages on Facebook. Just in case therewas any trouble, she could help Kelly defend herself.

She’d call Kelly on the house phone later and check on her. House phone? It was like living in the Dark Ages.

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