As the van pulled up to the house she let out a long sigh, she of all people could not believe that she was meant to call this small three bedroom house in this quiet but rundown neighbourhood home.
Her eyes moved sceptically over the exterior of the building surveying her new home, the word still didn't sound pleasing to her and it stuck in her throat like a vile lump. "Lizzie honey, we're here. How do you like it?" her mother's voice burst through her thoughts like an unwelcomed visitor, "It...It's...its really nice mum." Lizzie forced the weak smile across her face knowing she did not want to hurt her mother's feelings and before any more questions could be asked, which would definitely have meant more lies she stooped down and reached for a large cardboard box full of her packed possessions and stomped up the steps to the front door.
Once inside her hope that the interior would be much nicer was destroyed as she was faced with what the agent had called "a beautiful, family home in need of a few minor odd jobs." As far as Lizzie was concerned the house was certainly in need of more than a few odd jobs, if she had her way it would be torn down and her and her mother would go and live in the apartment her father had wanted to give them. After all what was the point of having a father with as much money as hers had if you couldn't exploit that a little bit, Lizzie was aware that that particular thought would have caused Yana her mother to jump into the long usual lecture that her ex husband had chosen this path, by "losing his mind in his mid-life crisis and having that affair" and she was glad that now she could prove that she could make a life for her and their daughter on her own, however her father Jackson Brocking the owner of the national bar chain "Devils Kiss" had doted on, some even said spoiled his little girl from a very early age and was certainly not going to allow Lizzie to suffer this humiliation for much longer, he himself had told her to call any time day or night if she needed anything. Content with thoughts of her father Lizzie found her room and started to unpack just to keep herself out of Yana's way.
Lizzie kept herself busy carefully arranging her things until the sun had melted into a watery sunset, she knew by this time her mother would know she was not overly happy to be here but she put a brave face on and settled herself on the sofa next to her mother who was busy with her pottery designs, "shall we go out for dinner?" Yana looked brightly at her daughters screwed up face "I'm sure there used to be a lovely little restaurant in town when I was young." Lizzie had almost forgotten that her mother had dragged her from her beloved London to her home town of Stevenage, in a bid to "find herself" she remembered the large argument it had caused when Lizzie bought up the fact she would miss her social life being so far away Yana had merely snapped "Don't be ridiculous Elisabeth, Stevenage is only 30 miles from London and if you get desperate it has a direct train link to London's Kings Cross train station!" but in her opinion it might just as well have been a million miles away, she caught her mother's gaze and saw the red rimmed eyes looking back and she realised not for the last time that her mother had been crying, "yeah mum why not," she replied feeling that dreadful pang of guilt she was sure only mothers could make you feel, "It'll be cool."
The first day in a new school was always the worst, or so she'd been told by some relative at some stage in her life, but Lizzie knew it would be far worse for her, as the door of her mother's black BMW shut behind her she knew it was going to be a very bad day. The school was old brick and felt as tired as it looked, the groups of teenagers that had hovered long after the first bell to signify the start of the school day had rang looked every bit a menacing as their clothing had meant them to look. Lizzie stepped tentatively forward a surge of resentment and anger building in her chest, after all how could her mother possibly expect Lizzie to go to school here, there was more high street gold jewellery on the snarling teenage girls then Lizzie had ever seen, she of course was only used to her father presenting her with the powder blue box of tiffany's and co.
