Newt was walking alone from Lauren's house. He was in a pretty bad mood. Lauren started annoying him. She was going on about pulling pranks on people but Newt just wanted to leave everyone alone. He'd tried to give her so many hints to leave off but she just wouldn't stop planning. Her new victim is now Michaela McQueen. Newt didn't particularly like Michaela but he wasn't gunna go out of his way to make her unhappy. He also understood that now she didn't need anyone on her back at the moment now she was on drugs.
Newt stopped to look at the river before going in the Dog. He wasn't in the mood to be annoyed by Darren. He stood there leaning on the fence staring into the water. Until-
"Oi! You!"
That could only be Darren's irritating voice. Newt gritted his teeth and turned around. "What?"
"Dad wants you inside. It's your turn to clear out the bins," he said.
"Right," Newt replied and turned back to watch the water again.
"Are you gunna do it or what?" Darren said, bitterly raising his voice
"I'll do it in a minute," Newt retorted, raising his own voice.
"No, now!" he said.
Newt wasn't in the mood to argue so he went inside and went upstairs. The pub was packed with a lot more people than usual. Probably Karaoke night, tonight or something.
"He's in a mood today isn't he?" Darren blurted out after Newt had left. "It's only a load of rubbish."
"He's home awful late today. I was getting worried. It's dark already," Frankie said. "The show's almost started."
"Show?" Darren asked.
"The Talent Show!" Frankie said as though it was something everybody should be aware of like Christmas. "We've got quite a few people tonight."
"Well, it's just about ready now. I take it I'm the one announcing?" Jack said.
"If you wouldn't mind, love. You've just got a knack for that kind of thing," Frankie said.
"Alright, here I go…" and he left to go onstage.
As Jack announced the start of the show, Newt hung around upstairs. He heard his mobile phone roaring his music and a vibration in his pocket. Lauren had sent him a text.
But it wasn't Lauren. It was someone he didn't know. He opened the message and read:

Long time no see

He stared at the text. Who was it and how did they get is phone number? But mainly, what did that mean? He shook his head and put his phone back in his pocket.

Back in the pub Jack was just finishing his announcement.
"…now please give them a warm welcome. The Punk Freaks!"
There was a loud cheer and the start of Low. They were quite good dancers. The best was a girl who had black and red hair. Quite like Nancy's but longer. She dressed more emo-like but she obviously liked this music. She wore thick eyeliner and red eye shadow, black jeans and a red and black stripy shirt with a red skull on the back.
During the performance, Newt brought down the rubbish bag. He walked past all the people in the pub, which proved difficult. When he finally got out there the dance had finished. He put the rubbish bags down as he heard Jack announcing the second act. He started to walk back into the pub but he looked up and stopped in his tracks. He froze. There was a girl standing there, her upper arm flat on the wall as the leant on it and her other arm resting on her hip. She smiled slightly from the corners on her mouth. It was the dancer with the black and red hair.
"Long time no see," she said.

Raquel…

"W-w-what are you doing here?" Newt asked.
"I live here now" she said.
"You? Here? In Hollyoaks?"
"Yes. Why is that so hard to believe?" Raquel asked.
Newt stopped and came to his senses. "I thought you were dead!"
"Hey for a while I did too, you know!" she replied.
"Look, this isn't funny. I was taken away the day after that crash! Last time I saw you, you arrested in the hospital!" Newt yelled.
"Don't blame me!" Raquel yelled back. "It's not my fault!"
"You could have called, you know" Newt said.
"How? You changed your mobile number." She said.
Newt didn't know what to say at that one. Actually, he was so thankful he knew she was alive. She walked up to him and hugged him. He hugged back, gentle at first but then tightly.
"Newt?" Frankie said.
Newt and Raquel broke the hug to see Frankie outside the door. "Who's this, love?"
"Uhh...this is-"
"I'm Raquel," she said, saving Newt the trouble of explaining everything. "I'm Newt's old friend. We haven't seen each other for a long time."
"Oh, well come on in," Frankie said. Raquel turned around for Newt's approval. He nodded and allowed her to walk in first.
"D-do you wanna go upstairs?" Newt asked.
"Umm…sure" Raquel replied. She followed him upstairs and into his bedroom. She sat on his bed with a bounce from the mattress and looked around at the posters on his wall. "Still like Marilyn, then?"
"Yeh," Newt said.
"I'm still the same," Raquel informed him. "Never had a certain taste in music. Apart from R&B. It still sounds like a load of noise to me. I like some R&B though, like"
"What happened?" Newt interrupted.
"Pardon?"
"With the car? How come you were hurt and I wasn't? That was the last time I saw you. You were so ill you didn't even wake up. When your heart stopped beating, I was sure you'd die. Then they took me away"
"I don't know why I was hurt and normally when people are ill, people get better. Unless like some kind of incurable disease or something" Raquel answered. "But it wasn't exactly paradise for me either. When I woke up and found out you were gone, I felt so lonely."
"How did you know I was here?" Newt asked.
"I first came into school yesterday. You weren't in. I heard your name on the register. I also had a feeling about you. Like I was going to see you again"
Newt gave her a look as if to say she was slightly crazy.
"Yes, yes I know. These feeling I get aren't real. But if they weren't real then how come I knew we were going to crash in that car?"
"Because, Jason was so drunk he could swallow the ocean and it still wouldn't measure up to how much he drank," Newt stopped to think and added, "I hate Jason"
"Same," Raquel replied. She eyed him, curiously.
"What?" Newt asked. "I know that look. There's something you wanna ask me or tell me."
Raquel hesitated and started to breathe differently. "Why didn't you tell me about Jason, Newt?" She finally asked in a sort of whinge as though if she didn't she would cry.
Newt looked down and stood up, turned his back on Raquel changing his cd's.
"Newt, tell me," Raquel pleaded.
Newt sighed deeply. "Because I just couldn't. I knew if I told someone then he'd track me down. Besides, how do you know about…that?"
"My mum told me. Newt, you were my best friend and you couldn't tell me?" Raquel said.
"It's not just you, I couldn't tell anyone. It also seemed kind of weird telling people what he did to me." Newt said.
"Weird? He tied you up and locked you in the cellar. He abused you. Does anybody here know?" Raquel asked.
"No," Newt said immediately. "And that's how it's gunna stay."
"If that's what you want. I just wished you told me" she said.
"I knew you knew something was up. No one else did. You knew something was wrong. I could tell"
"See! Another feeling. It turned out to be true" Raquel said.
She stood up and hugged him. He hugged her back. Newt realised that this was the one person he could tell anything to. I didn't realise until now. "I'm so glad you're back" he said. He heard her breathe a smile. She looked at him.
"Shall we go downstairs?" she said.
He nodded.

Everybody in class was shouting and laughing. Russ, or Mr Owen, hadn't come in yet. Paper aeroplanes were in the air, people showing off making the class laugh. Except, of course, the two at the back on the class. Raquel was sat in front of them and was talking to them.
"I remember those sketches you did of Mr Thompson. They were so funny. You're drawings have improved so much" Raquel said.
"You should see the one he did of that Summer Shaw. She saw that. That was funny" Lauren said.
"You labelled it." Newt replied.
"What did it say?" Raquel asked.
"I wrote Talent-less Wannabe" Lauren said. "It was only a joke. She took it too far"
"I think I've heard that name before, actually" Raquel said, looking away trying to place where she knew the name.
"She's Maria in the West End, now." Newt said.
"Not so talent less, then" Raquel replied.
"No" Lauren said.
A couple of boys came up to the three of them and started talking to Raquel. They looked quite up themselves. Like they could do whatever they want. Bullies, basically.
"Alright, sweetheart? What's a pretty face like you doing talking to these freaks?" one of them asked.
"Why don't you talk to us instead?" the other one asked.
"I'm, uhh, very flattered boys, but I'm actually happy here." Raquel answered.
"What with these pikeys?" the first one said. "I'm surprised you're able to talk to them at all. They never say anything. They're freaks"
Lauren was about to protest but Raquel had already jumped in.
"I'm surprised you'd even have to guts to say anything like. People like you are cowards. Always have been," she said.
"You what? I ain't no coward, you stupid slag."
Raquel stood up on a chair and turned him around fast and before he could turn back around, she grabbed his collar and dug her knuckles into his pressure points behind his ears and lifted him up.
"You were saying?" she said. Lauren and Newt were laughing. "Now, what do you say to Lauren and Newt?"
The boy didn't say anything so Raquel lifted him higher. "What do you say?" she said, raising her voice.
"Sorry. Sorry" he said. Raquel dropped him and he fell down. Raquel sat back down, sending him a threatening smile.
"Thought you said you weren't a coward?" Raquel asked. "I've never known cowards to say sorry like that."
"Whatever" the boy said and he walked away. By that time the whole class was laughing. Not many people liked him gathered from that nobody but the other boy was defending him. They were cheering her on.
Raquel stood back up and bowed. "Thank you, you may all kiss my ring" she said. The whole class laughed. Raquel suddenly stopped smiling and sat back down in her chair. "The teacher's coming!" she hissed at Newt and Lauren as she was getting out her books.
"What's she on about?" Lauren asked. Soon enough Russ walked in.
"Alright, settle down!" he yelled above the noise. Pretty soon the whole class went silent.

Raquel was in her room. She had a pretty big bedroom. The second biggest. Her older brother, Ricky, got the smallest bedroom because he was moving out soon. Her room was clear and she had break dancing music on. She could break dance quite well but she wasn't exactly a professional. She was practising her moves when her phone rang. Her concentration span went right out the window and she tripped and banged her head on her bed. She gasped and hugged the back of her head for a few seconds to bear the pain and then answered her mobile.
"Yeh?"
"Where is he?" she heard a low, dark, cold voice say. She knew instantly who it was.
"Who?" Raquel replied.
"You know exactly who. Where's that emo-brat?"
"Away from you, I'm happy to say"
"His mum wants him home,"
"Well, then get her to clear her act up because from the way she was last time I saw her, she'll never see him again," Raquel said.
"I'll do whatever it takes to get him back, you know," the caller said. "You know me, Raquel"
"Jason, I'm not scared of you. You're not going to find him" Raquel told him. "And you know me. I'll do whatever it takes to keep him here. Goodbye, Jason"
Raquel hung up but had this horrible gut feeling that wasn't the end of it. Like, this wasn't the last she was going to hear from him. She then received a text. From Jason himself.

Wait for tomorrow.

Tomorrow. What was he planning for tomorrow? Raquel thought and thought. And then it came to her. She gasped at the thought and said under her breath:
"He knows."

"Darren, leave it. Alright?" Newt said to Darren. "She's just someone I've known for a long time."
"No, no, no, no, no it's more than that. Come on. What's going on between you two?" Darren riled on.
"Nothing!"
They were downstairs in front of the bar. The bar was closed and no one was in. Jack was cleaning up behind the bar and Frankie was clearing up glasses. Darren was sitting on one of the stools near Jack with Newt standing beside him, reading his text messages.
"Well I suppose not. She looks emo but seems happy. That some screwed up emo," Darren joked.
"She's not an emo. She just prefers rock that's all. She anything but chav" Newt reassured him.
"So? Why would she like some voodoo master freak if she's not emo?" Darren asked.
"Just leave it. Nothing's going on!"
"Darren, leave him alone," Frankie said with a smile on her face, reaching past them to give Jack the dirty glasses. "At least he's got a girlfriend. Unlike someone, Darren."
"Yeah, ha, ha!" Newt said and looked back down at his phone. Darren gave him a wide-eyed look and wooed him without any sound coming out. Newt then shot up after realising what Frankie said. "Hey, wait she's not my girlfriend!"
"I think that just proved it," Darren laughed.
"Leave it, Darren. It's Newt's business." Frankie said reaching past them once again to give Jack more glasses. She then stood beside Newt. "If he doesn't want to tell you, then he doesn't have to."
"Yeah, and there's nothing to say." Newt added.
"Whatever, mate" Darren said.
"She's just a friend I haven't seen for a long time."
At that moment, the door opened and a tall, big man who looked incredibly strong and hard with dark, short hair walked in. Put it this way, he's someone you wouldn't want to fight!
"Sorry, the bar's closed. It'll reopen tomorrow" Jack told him.
"Thanks but I'm not here for a pint. I'm actually looking for someone. Barry Newton" said the stranger.
Newt knew that voice but hoped it wasn't him. But he knew it was. He looked up past Frankie and saw Jason stood there.
"Hey there, Barry! How long has it been? Four, five years?" Jason said.
Newt said nothing.
"I'll keep it short and sweet. Your mum wants you back." He said. "Just come home with me. It'll be fine"
"I'm not going anywhere with you" Newt said. He was shaking.
"Newt?" Darren asked. "You alright?"
"Just keep away from me" Newt said.
"Or what?"
Newt kept quiet.
"You're coming home! That's final!"
He began to walk towards him. Newt backed away.
"Look, whoever you are, get out now! Before I call the police!" Frankie yelled at him.
"No." Jason said.
"Don't worry Frankie, I'm on it," Jack said from the other end of the bar with the phone in his hand. "Are you going to go or am I going to have to call the police?"
"Neither." He still tried to walk towards Newt.
Darren stood up in front of Newt. "Hey back off, mate!"
"What are you gunna do about it, you weasel?" Jason asked.
"Look in a mirror before you call anybody weasel. Maybe you'd realise how ugly you are. Oh, I'm sorry. You cracked them all before you even had a chance to, didn't you?"
Jason got angry. He raised his arm about to hit Darren. But he didn't. Someone had locked their arm around his neck, which made him tumble back. Jason yelled and shouted for him to get off but by the time he was finished, Warren had chucked him out and locked the door.
"Everyone alright?" he asked.
They all nodded. All apart from Newt who pushed past Darren and Frankie and ran upstairs.

Chapter 2 Preview

It was school again. Period 3. In Russ' class again. Russ was late for the lesson and again everybody was shouting and laughing. Raquel wasn't talking at all. There was something eating at her. She brushed her fingers on her lips, thinking. She was nervous. Something was supposed to be happening today. And it wasn't good.
"Hey, you alright?" Lauren asked. "Neither of you are talking. What's up"
"Nothing" Newt said.
Raquel looked round at him, fast. "What happened?"
Newt said nothing.
"Was it that bad?"
Still nothing.
"Was it Jason?"
Newt looked up, telling her it was by accident. She exhaled and said, "Newt, what happened?"
"Nothing. Really."
"Newt-" Raquel began but stopped. She knew what it was. She knew what was happening today. But it was too late…
Somebody had already turned on the gas taps that Jason had meddled with.
And now the school explodes...