CRUEL SECRETS Read online

  “Don’t you ever bring pornography into this house again! Understood?”

  Eager to get away, Kelly didn’t bother to answer, so she left the house and headed for school. By the time she reached the bus stop, the September chill had reached her bones. She wouldn’t go back to grab her jacket – it just wasn’t worth the grief. Penny jumped on at the next stop; she had dyed her fringe purple and it looked so pretty. She ignored Kelly – pretty much par for the course these days – and sat at the back of the bus with two other girls.

  More kids bundled on at the MacDonald’s stop, and by the time they reached the school, the bus was packed. Kelly was in her own world. Her face was bruised and she was too, inside that is. She hadn’t noticed Jody and her mates standing outside the school, and of course she had completely forgotten about the incident getting on the bus two days ago. Jody, Helen’s older sister, was waiting for her. Helen had exaggerated the small conflict from earlier, saying that Kelly had pushed her to the ground to get on the bus and called her a whore.

  Walking along with her head down, Kelly headed towards the main gate. So, she didn’t see Jody lunge forward at her. The girl grabbed her by the hair and swung her around. The first punch hit Kelly in the stomach, and as she doubled over, one of the other girls swiped her bag, throwing the contents into the air. Jody hit her again, this time in the face. Kelly was still in shock and didn’t retaliate. Then Sarah Jones, known as a vicious bitch, kicked her hard in the leg, and she felt the girls rub her hair and laugh. Kelly went down and curled herself into a ball. She could have beaten every one of them but lacked the confidence to do it. An unexpected voice screamed out, “Oi, leave off, Jody!” It was Penny.

  “Not your business, Pen, she was bang out of order. She pushed me little sister over, trying to get on the bus!”

  “Fuck off, Jody, she never did. Ya sister’s a cocky little mouthy prat and is using your name to bully people!” she retaliated.

  There was silence, except for the sound of people walking away. Penny grabbed Kelly by the arm and lifted her to her feet. Kelly was in pain, and worse, she felt humiliated. All she wanted to do was run to her aunt’s, but she couldn’t. The school would inform her mother of her absence and then she would be in for another beating.

  “Are you all right, Churchy?” asked Penny.

  Kelly shyly nodded and tried to flick her hair out of her eyes but something stopped her hair from moving. She put her hands to her head and then gasped when she felt the thick, sticky chewing gum. She looked up at Penny to thank her but Penny’s eyes widened, “Fucking ’ell, you need to go to the doctor or something. The state of your face!”

  With her head tilted, she asked, “What’s wrong with my face?”

  Penny pulled out a mirror. “’Ere, have a butchers!”

  Kelly was still shaking when she held the mirror. Her face was black down one side and she had a gash above her eye on the other. But it wasn’t her face that hurt, it was her leg. She looked under her skirt to see what was causing so much pain, and then she saw the enormous blue swelling.

  “Jesus, that’s a nasty bruise. You have to go to the med centre.”

  As Kelly tried to walk, she almost buckled, as the sharp pain shot up her leg.

  Penny put her arm around Kelly’s shoulder. “I absolutely hate bullies. I can’t stand that bitch Jody, and her shit-leg friends. I ’ave ’alf a mind to give her a good beating meself. Anyway, ya gotta get that poxy chewing gum outta ya hair, before it starts sticking all ya barnet together. Come with me. I’ll sort it for ya.”

  The pupils were already in their first lesson when Penny helped Kelly to the girls’ toilets. Kelly could get a better look then, and sure enough, she did look a wreck. Her hair was matted and glued together.

  “Right, I’ve got me hairdressing scissors. Let’s see if we can cut that crap out!” Penny was smiling, holding her tools of the trade. Yet, Kelly was nervous and the fear was written all over her face.

  A high-pitched chuckle left Penny’s mouth. “I ain’t about to cut all ya fucking hair off, ya know. I ain’t that twisted.”

  With an anxious smile, Kelly nodded. Penny got to work, easing every glued strand, snipping only the pieces that were stuck together. Slowly, but surely, the blobs of gum were removed and dropped into the sink. She then pulled out her soft brush and began brushing Kelly’s hair.

  “See, I told ya, I wouldn’t scalp ya. You have got gorgeous hair. It needs a good trim though, to put some life into it. I learn about all that stuff in the salon, ya know. They reckon I will be better than Vidal Sassoon, one day.”

  Kelly was listening, imagining Penny working in a top salon, and admiring the girl. She had obviously secured herself a Saturday job and was working towards being the best hairdresser she could be. No wonder school wasn’t important to her because she was already going places.

  “It’s kind of you, Penny, to help me. Weird, I thought you would be the last person ...”

  Still brushing Kelly’s hair, Penny calmly asked, “Oh yeah, and why’s that, then?”

  Surprised by Penny’s so matter-of-fact expression, she bravely said, “Well, you don’t like me much, do you? You normally take the mick.”

  Penny laughed. “Nah I don’t, well, except to call ya Churchy, but we’ve all got a nickname.”

  “So, you don’t dislike me, then?”

  Penny put the brush back inside her bag. “I don’t hate ya, but I gotta tell ya, ya just boring. I mean, ya don’t talk, and ya wear … well, shit clothes, really, and I ain’t ever seen ya with a boy or even with lippy on for that matter. To be honest, behind ya back, they call ya Carrie, off that Stephen King film.”

  Kelly knew the film well – she had seen it twice at aunt Bet’s. She laughed. “I’m not surprised, really. I guess I kinda do look like that, what with me mum being a born-again Christian lunatic.”

  Penny roared with laughter. “Ya know what, Kel, ya all right you are. Now, we better get that cut on ya face cleaned up, or they will all be freaking out, all that blood over ya boat.”

  After wetting some tissue, Penny started cleaning the cut above Kelly’s eye, but then she stopped. “Cor, that Jody hasn’t ’arf bruised ya face.”

  Kelly shook her head. “That was me mum. She did that one.”

  Shocked, Penny stopped, dropped the tissue in the bin, and stared for a while. “Why did she do that then, Kel?”

  Kelly bit her lip and shrugged her shoulders. “She caught me with a celebrity magazine.”

  Penny frowned. “What was ya doing with it? Shoving it up a cat’s arse?”

  “No,” she laughed. “Just reading it. She hates that sort of thing.”

  The usual wry expression on Penny’s face softened. “Does she clump you a lot, then?”

  Kelly shook her head. “No, I try not to give her a reason to. I go straight home from school, do the housework and me homework, then I cook dinner, and go to bed.”

  Penny leaned against the basins and pulled out a packet of fags. “Want one?”

  Kelly smiled. “I would have more than a bruise, if she smelled smoke on me.”

  “Ya know that’s wrong, don’t ya? I mean, ya mother treating you like that. Cor, if my mother did that to me, I would have it on me toes.”

  “Yeah, well, you have more guts than me,” smiled Kelly. “I have nowhere to go, and if she found me, I know she would kill me.”

  The rest of the day was spent sitting through boring lessons but lunchtime was a pleasant surprise. Ignoring the calls from the group of popular girls already seated, Penny made her way over to Kelly. “How’s ya boat?” she asked, as she dropped her heavy bag down on the table.

  “I’ll live,” smiled Kelly.

  The whole incident and the story Kelly had told her about her mum had bothered Penny. It had literally shaken her to the core. Part of the reason for sitting with Kelly at lunch was morbid curiosity but the other part was almost certainly guilt. She had snubbed her so many times and called her ‘Churchy�
�. At heart, Penny was the kindest and most sensitive girl you could find. But she wouldn’t admit that to anyone. She was one cool bitch and needed to keep up appearances.

  “So, I was thinking, Kel. Do ya fancy coming back to mine after school? I have a project and I think you would be perfect.”

  Kelly put her sandwich aside and took a deep breath. “I would love to but I can’t. My mum clocks what time I get in, and if I’m late … well, I’ll have another walloping.”

  Penny sipped her Fruit Shoot. “I’ve got an idea.” She pulled her mobile from her bag. “What’s ya mum’s number?”

  “Why, what are you going to do?” giggled Kelly, now entertained. She hadn’t had so much excitement in years.

  “Trust me.”

  She reeled off the landline number.

  “Oh, hello, it’s Mrs Green here. I am calling to ask if it would be okay with you if Kelly stays behind today … No, no, she is not in any trouble. We have a speaker arriving to help the class with their English Literature course and we are inviting the top-grade students to stay behind to benefit from the talk.” She smiled at Kelly. “Oh, yes, it is indeed a worthwhile talk … It will finish at eight. Ah, good, thank you. I will tell her she can attend.”

  Kelly’s face lit up. “I didn’t know you could put on that posh voice.”

  “All sorted, so I will meet ya outside the gates at 3.30.” With that, she winked and left.

  Thrilled, Kelly finally had one over on her mother and was about to break her boring routine.

  She waited by the gates, and sure enough, Penny appeared with a big grin on her face. They jumped on the bus. No one this time tried to push in front. Penny was talking for England about fashion, make-up, and her latest boyfriend. Kelly was in awe of her and wished she could be like Penny; life would be so much more exciting.

  Much like her own house from the outside, Penny’s was the same, but inside, it was warm and homely. There were pictures, photos, and ornaments. Her dad was asleep in the armchair, still wearing his work clothes, whilst her mum, a pretty woman, was cooking in the kitchen.

  “Pen, love, fancy some egg and bacon ... Oh, I didn’t see you had a mate with you. All right, love, fancy a bit too?” She nodded at Kelly.

  “Yeah, me and Kel, we’ll have some, but chuck in a few chips, I’m fucking starving.”

  Kelly gasped. Penny had sworn in front of her mum.

  “Crinkle or straight cut?” she replied, as if she hadn’t batted an eyelid.

  “Anything, we will be upstairs. Shout us when it’s ready, will ya?”

  Frozen to the spot, Kelly awaited the backlash, but there was none. Incredible. Were other homes like this one? she wondered enviously. If that had been her mum, she would have had the frying pan wrapped around her head. Instead, her mum had just laughed and carried on as if it was normal, which, of course, it was. Maybe all this was normal, thought Kelly. They headed upstairs to Penny’s bedroom. It was larger than Kelly’s, with a huge flowered quilt cover on the bed, wall-to-wall wardrobes, an enormous dressing table, and boxes upon boxes of hair products and make-up. Kelly was wide-eyed and tried to take it all in. It was beautiful, untidy, but just a dream room.

  “Penny, are those wardrobes full of clothes?”

  As Penny spun around, she found Kelly gazing with eyes like a child at Christmas, and for a second, she felt sad. “Yeah, but they are not new. Some should be thrown out, really. So, this project of mine …” She tried to change the subject, for she knew only too well that Kelly never had decent clothes; she had seen her outside school dressed like a little kid with knee-length skirts and old-fashioned tops.

  “Yeah, go on,” urged Kelly, eager to find out what it was Penny was proposing. This was like heaven to her. A new friend, having tea, and sharing whatever it was in this perfect bedroom, what was there not to like?

  “I have to do a makeover for the salon. They said, if I want to get into hair and beauty, I have to start practising, so I thought I could take a before-and-after picture of you. Ya got a pretty face and with make-up you’re gonna look like a model. Up for it?” She raised her neatly plucked eyebrow.

  Kelly was nodding with excitement. She had never worn make-up and she longed to try it.

  Once she had taken a headshot of Kelly, she positioned her in front of the dressing table, with her back to the mirror, and for half an hour she worked away. They laughed and chatted about nonsense, and then, finally, Penny stepped back and grinned. “Cor, blimey, Churchy, if ya went to school like that, you’d ’ave all the boys after ya. I have managed to cover the bruises too.”

  Kelly chuckled, “If I went to school all made-up, my mum would call me a dead girl walking.”

  As soon as Penny turned the chair so that Kelly could see herself in the mirror, there was stunned silence, as she just gazed for a while, hardly believing it was her own face staring back. It was as if her face had come alive and she was like the girls at school; she could fit in, if only her mum would let her. Tears welled up and without thinking she leapt from her seat and hugged Penny.

  “Yeah, all right, mate, no need for fussing,” blurted Penny, who was surprised by the emotional reaction. “It’s only a bit o’ slap.”

  Feeling awkward, Kelly let go and smiled with embarrassment. “Oh, sorry.”

  Unable to believe she could actually look like one of the models in the magazine, Kelly stared again.

  “Girls, ya dinner’s up!” shouted Penny’s mum.

  Penny angled Kelly’s face in the light and snapped away with her small digital camera. Then they both skipped downstairs for tea. Debra, Penny’s mother, raised her eyebrows. “Cor, look at you! All ya need is a long dress and you would be ready for the red carpet.”

  A warm, comfortable feeling swept over her. Penny’s home, her mother so charming and funny, the whole atmosphere, it was all incredibly relaxed. To top it all, they didn’t correct or criticise Penny, even though her mouth was like a sewer at times. When it was time to go, Penny saw her to the front door. As Kelly stepped down one step and looked back, she whispered, “Thanks, Penny, for being my friend.”

  Penny frowned. “I wouldn’t go that far.”

  “Well, thanks for being err…Thanks for being kind,” replied Kelly, with a sudden lump in her throat. Of course, Penny wouldn’t be her mate – no one was.

  Just before she walked away, Penny noticed the sadness that crept across Kelly’s face and she felt guilty. “’Ere, Kel, I was joking. ’Course you’re me mate. See ya on the bus on Monday.”

  Kelly’s face lit up; just hearing those words gave her a huge lift and a spring in her step. Finally, she had a friend she could chat to and have a laugh with, and that’s all she had ever wanted – a mate who would understand her. For Penny to be her new-found friend, the most popular girl in the school, was a dream come true. She had no idea that it would be the last time she clapped eyes on Penny for five years.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Kelly walked back towards her house; there was no need to catch a bus. The short walk was spent dreaming over her own face all made-up. Luckily, Penny had had enough wipes to take it all off. She noticed a car driving at a snail’s pace in front of her. Nervously, she looked around and realised the street was quiet with not a soul in sight. The street lamps were on but not fully lit up, so she couldn’t see who was in the car but she did notice a plume of smoke billow from the small gap in the window. Maybe they were looking for a house number. She was virtually home when she spotted the vehicle pull over. She hastened her pace, but as soon as she reached her house, the driver stepped out.

  “Where have you been, Kelly? Only, ya mother said you were at school, which means you should have got off the bus, but ya didn’t, did ya? I saw you walk down the hill.” His voice was slow and demeaning.

  Kelly stared at Patrick and shivered; he was strange and almost threatening.

  She had to think quickly before he told her mum. “I, err … I missed the stop and jumped off up the road and walked back.�
��

  Patrick laughed. “Nah ya never, there was no bus. Anyway, ya mother’s gone to the church. She said to make sure you were home by 8.15, and by my watch, it’s 8.20. But I’ll keep it a secret.”

  Kelly didn’t know whether to run or go inside. He was fast approaching and she was rooted to the spot. He pulled out a key and shoved it in the keyhole. As the door opened, he gave her a devious nod and waited for her to go in first. He was not as pleasant as he had been on their first meeting. Not for love nor money would she wish her mother was at home – until now.

  “Right, Kelly, go on upstairs, get yaself bathed and ready for bed,” he said, with a firm voice and a sly grin.

  His tone uneased Kelly and his inappropriate words made her shiver. Nevertheless, the sanctuary of her bedroom was as good a place as any. She fled up the stairs and into her room, trying to push the metal doorstop quickly up against the door. She slowed her racing heartbeat by taking deep breaths. Then, she heard him climbing the stairs. In a blind panic, her eyes darted around the room, looking for a weapon, anything, to protect herself.

  Petrified by his heavy breathing outside her door, she shouted, “Go away!”

  Her mother had drummed it into her that all men were after one thing – sex.

  The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and a prickly feeling swept over her scalp. Her hearing senses were on high alert. He was still there, his deep breathing almost in time with her own, and then she saw the door gently being pushed open, the doorstop having little effect. Her eyes widened and her pulse quickened. His chunky, grubby fingers gripped the door and caused her stomach to churn as fear absorbed her. Then, he was there, inside the room, with his belt hanging from his trousers, and a sick, twisted grin spread across his face. Enjoying the look of terror in her eyes, he took another step forward and was now at the foot of her bed.

  Kelly wanted to close her eyes and pretend he wasn’t there, like a small child afraid of the bogeyman, but this was real.