Page 29 of One Step Behind
‘Are you OK?’ Christie asks, frowning as she looks at me.
‘Yes, sorry. I was miles away for a second.’
‘I know the feeling. The swimming lesson ran over. I feel like I’ve been running around like a headless chicken all day. Are we late?’
‘No, they’ve not started jumping yet.’
‘Oh great. What are your plans now? Want me to drop the kids home after the party? It’s on my way.’
‘Thanks, but I’m just popping to the hospital quickly. I’ll be back in plenty of time.’
‘There’s no such thing as popping anywhere in Saturday traffic,’ she laughs. ‘Well, text me if you change your mind. I’m staying to help Rachel set up the party food so I’ll be here.’
Christie pushes Niamh towards the entrance and we say a quick goodbye.
I feel myself being torn right down the middle as I pull into a line of traffic moving slowly towards town. I don’t want to leave Beth and Archie, but I have to know if we’re safe. I have to see you for myself.
Chapter 15
Sophie, aged nine
‘Sophie, Sophie, Matthew’s locked himself in the toilets,’ Laura’s voice shouts from the ground.
Sophie pretends not to hear. She doesn’t like Laura Newman.
She doesn’t like Laura’s sing-song happy voice when she’s telling Sophie something that only Laura knows. Sophie also doesn’t like the way Laura puts her hand up in class all of the time, even when Mrs Noakes hasn’t asked them anything.
‘Why does Laura have to be such a know-it-all?’ Charlotte used to whisper to Sophie before Charlotte’s mum got a job in Liverpool and they moved away. Now Sophie doesn’t have a best friend.
‘Did you hear me, Sophie?’ Laura calls up.
Sophie opens her eyes and watches the world from upside down. Her head is starting to feel woozy, but in a nice way. Sophie likes to count how many seconds she can hang like this before one of the other kids wants to use the monkey bars. Last week she managedten minutes. Half of break time just spent swinging upside down.
Sophie focuses her eyes on Laura’s bright-blonde hair and freckly nose and tries a shrug. Inside, her stomach knots and she wishes she could block out the world like Matthew can.
Matthew is always getting into trouble. Last week he stole the football from the older boys and threw it over the fence into someone’s garden because they called him names. Sophie grabbed his arm and pulled him into the school before the boys could do anything to hurt him.
Two weeks before that Matthew tried to climb the fence and run home. Mrs Carlson, the dinner lady, spotted him just as he was going over the top. They got him back, but Sophie’s mum was called and she had to take another afternoon off work.
‘Where were you, Sophie?’ her mum had asked that night. ‘I thought you were going to watch your brother at break times for me?’
Laura spins away, running back to the big oak tree where her friends are waiting in their stupid little circle.
Mrs Carlson is making her way towards the climbing frame now. Sophie watches her approach and wishes her nan could be a dinner lady or work in the kitchens. Sophie and Matthew would be first to get the extra helpings of leftover mash.
‘Sophie, dear, Mrs Noakes wants you,’ Mrs Carlson calls out.
Sophie nods, pulling herself up and swinging to the ground. Her head rushes with the sudden change in position.
‘She’s outside the boys’ cloakroom.’
Sophie runs across the playing field at full speed. She’s the fastest girl in the school. Faster than most of the boys, too.
‘Sophie, Sophie,’ Laura trills. ‘Do you want me to come with you?’ Laura runs up to Sophie, ponytail swinging, and loops Sophie’s arm through hers. ‘I want to help Matthew.’
‘OK,’ Sophie says even though she doesn’t want Laura to come. Laura will laugh and tell everyone Matthew is a baby, and that’s the last thing he needs.
Sophie steps into the school and makes her way to the cloakrooms. Coming in from the bright yellow daylight, the school feels dark and gloomy.
