CHAPTER TWO

THE ONE WHERE KEIRA COMES BACK

That day in The Boozer, a major conversation was going down between the gang.

'What you guys don't understand is, for us,' explained Molly, 'sweet-talk is as important as any part of it.'

Felix scoffed. 'Yeah right!' The girls glared at him. 'Wait, y'serious?'

'Oh yeah!' Joanna rejoined.

Diana clapped her hands. 'Everything you need to know is in that first line.'

'Absolutely!'

Chris winced consideringly. 'Yeah, I think for us, sweet-talk is just an opening act, y'know? I mean, it's like sitting through the sponsors before the band comes out to play.'

Oscar nodded. 'Yeah, and it's not that we don't like the sponsers, it's just that… that's not why we bought the ticket. Think Boyzone, 2009.'

They 'aah'ed knowingly.

'The problem is though,' continued Felix, 'after the concert's over, no matter how great the show was, you girls are always looking for the sponsors again, y'know? I mean, we're on the tube, we're beating off moochers…basically just trying to stay awake.'

'See, you're OK,' Chris informed Dave. 'You're gay; everyone feels the same.'

Dave's face fell in irritation. 'I like the sponsors. Mark doesn't.'

'Yeah, well, word of advice,' Molly advised the others. 'Bring back the sponsors. Otherwise next time, you're gonna find yourself sitting at home, listening to their album alone.'

There was a pause.

'Are…are we still talking about relationships?' requested Dave.

Chris was at gym club, where the activity that day was climbing. Having heard this, his friend (from certain sports) Luke had joined him. They gazed up at the climbing wall nervously.

'Doesn't that look a bit more dangerous than last time?' asked Chris anxiously.

'Oh don't be stupid,' snorted Luke. 'Looks like fun!'

Chris swallowed. 'Mmm-huh.'

Luke gazed at him. 'Dude; you OK?'

Chris grabbed hold of a helmet cautiously. 'The person who invented rock-climbing must have issues. Scaling jagged cliff-faces where there is every chance one might fall to one's death? Please.'

'Hey, talking of issues…Isn't that Kiera on the radio?'

Chris very deliberately jammed the helmet over his ears so he could miss the last bars of 'Stars Are Overrated' – but not what the announcer read out next. 'And as we all know; Kiera has come back to Manhattan for a visit – and is even staying in her old house!'

Chris let go of the rope and crashed to the gymmats below. The last thing he thought was: What are the odds?

Once at Oscar's apartment, which he shared with his Dad, the gang settled down to watch an old rerun of The Simpsons.

'Baaaaart!' roared Homer onscreen, his mouth taking up more than half of his great yellow face.

'Oh, wait,' announced Felix. 'I think this is the episode of Simpsons where Homer strangles Bart.'

'Oh, then I've already seen this one,' dismissed Molly, turning off the TV.

'Ew!' exclaimed Diana, looking out of the window. 'Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew, ew!'

'What is it?' Joanna called concernedly.

'Some guy in the flat across is screwing someone on the carpet!'

Oscar didn't bother to look up. 'Yep; Will's always going at it.'

'In broad daylight!' Dave didn't actually look too shocked. 'How does he get away with it?'

'Oh, I know!' disrupted Felix. 'I have got to ask him that one day!'

Chris entered. 'Hey.'

'Wow. What happened?' asked Molly.

'I'm just surprised,' he answered. 'Kiera's back in town.'

'What?' gasped Oscar.

'Yeah, it was a bit of a shock,' verified Chris.

'Kinda puts the whole 'homophobic' thing in perspective, huh Dave?' Felix addressed.

'No!' protested Dave.

'So…are you gonna do anything about it?' queried Joanna.

'Well, I'm not sure if I should,' he replied. 'Kiera never liked me and – what if Deniz isn't there?'

'I think you should go,' retorted Oscar.

'Yeah, she's having an autograph signing tomorrow,' Dave informed them. 'Want us to go with you?'

'No, I'll manage.' But he thanked them anyway.

Molly checked her watch and then looked up, wide-eyed. 'Oh God, my Mum and Lex's Dad are dropping round this afternoon! Everyone, SCRAM!'

There was a scared hush.

'Don't look so surprised, GET OUT!' yelled Felix.

Felix and Molly sat stiffly, while their parents poured out tea.

'Have you been hanging out with Dave Davis again?' their mother asked irritably. 'You know I don't approve of his…choices.'

Molly pulled a face. 'Mum, he's gay. And he happens to be very sweet and considerate.'

'He's too young to be completely sure,' their Dad pointed out.

Felix raised an eyebrow. 'Dad, he's fourteen. He can't get much surer.'

'How's Mona treating you, then?' enquired their Mum.

Molly shrugged. 'S'all good.'

'You don't need us to dock her pay or –'

'Mum!'

'Well sweetie we want you to be perfectly safe. I'm sorry we can't be home more often but –'

'They're too busy screwing each other in their country house,' Felix hissed at Molly.

'Shut up,' she advised. Then, slightly louder. 'So what's up with you guys?'

Their Mum immediately lit up as they moved on to the subject she loved the most in the world: herself. 'Well you won't believe what happened the other day: I bumped into Arthur!'

Molly groaned, and Felix automatically moved to put an arm around her shoulders. Molly had told him everything as they grew up together and he knew all about how he'd tried to feel her up in the car park on an outing. Then his face spasmed into a grin when he remembered her graphic description of how she'd kneed him where the Sun didn't shine.

Of course he'd ripped his face off and stuck it on backwards the very next day but that was purely for Felix's own peace of mind: Molly had always been able to look after herself.

Felix changed the subject before Molly's Mum could start going on about 'young love' and her disappointment that Molly was 'still single'. 'Um…Diana's back in town.'

Molly could have kicked him but it was her own fault – he didn't know the history between her and Diana's mother.

Their Mum shuddered delicately. 'And I am to understand that you are…seeing her?'

'Well I'm not a lesbian if that's what you're thinking,' Molly replied, purely to annoy. She knew how her mother felt about 'lazy girls'.

'Darling!' she exclaimed, affronted. 'You know how I feel about those lazy girls. Simply can't be bothered to discipline themselves to the level a man expects' – she patted her tightly curled hair, surgically plumped lips pursing – 'so they find another lazy girl and live in sin.'

'Mum, you don't even go to Church,' Felix pointed out. 'And how come you don't call Dave a lazy boy?'

'Darling! Being gay and being' – whispered – 'a lesbian are two completely different things. With men it's simply experimentation; they just want to be difficult and make themselves seem more attractive and mysterious to women.'

Felix leaned surreptitiously closer to Molly. 'At least they've forgotten about Diana.'

But he spoke too soon and Molly's mother was back on the scent like a bloodhound. 'So. She's back.'

'Yes mother, she's back, and I'll thank you to be polite to her,' Molly hissed. 'I know you think her mother's a rich bitch but hey, it takes one to know one.'

She sat back, scowling, and for a few minutes the air was so heavy with tension that it caught like dust in Felix's throat.

'Well!' Their Mum clapped her hands in false cheer. 'This was lovely my darlings and we shall get together again as soon as we can. Now, anything you need; money, clothes, more help…you have the maid's number, yes?'

Felix and Molly didn't reply; they didn't trust themselves to open their mouths.

'Lovely!' she beamed. 'Goodbye my beauties! Richard, say goodbye!'

Their Dad gave Molly a smacking kiss on each cheek – and then thumped Felix so hard on the back that he nearly fell face-flat on the floor. 'See you around, kids.'

Not if we see you first.

Needing to cool off after that little episode, Molly and Felix linked arms and ambled over to the Boozer. Their friends must have remembered that they were always depressed after meeting up with their parents and they were all gathered around – they had even dragged Diana along.

'Hey,' Joanna greeted them sympathetically, holding her hands out to Molly. 'Was it painful? Did anyone cry?'

Molly rolled her eyes. 'Anyone would think you enjoyed this.' But she let herself be folded into Joanna's arms and for a moment she allowed herself to relax.

'Tea?' Diana offered. 'Water?'

'No I'm OK –' Molly noticed the apron. 'Um…something you wanna tell us?'

'I couldn't stand moping around all the time,' Diana said briskly. 'Who cares if my boyfriend just dumped me, my friends are bitching about me on Facebook and I just got mugged? I got a Saturday job!'

By this time the others were flinching back a little. There was quite a fierce look in her eyes.

'Maybe I could get one too,' Chris mused.

'You have an appointment next Saturday,' Dave reminded him, tapping him on the nose. He withdrew his hand quickly. 'And you're about to break out.' He produced a pot of cream out of nowhere. 'Here, take this. Mark gets freebies from his Mum and I hate this brand.'

Chris nodded – and then promptly gave it to Diana, whose hand was already stretched out. 'Aw thanks Chris, I haven't moisturized in days! Dad hasn't unpacked my stuff yet,' she explained at Dave's horrified face. Then she took a decko at her watch. 'Whoops, time to go guys, I need to lock up.'

They all gave her a kiss before they left and Diana was smiling slightly when the doors shut.

Chris stayed. He'd been trance-like all afternoon. Thinking about Deniz.

'Hey,' Diana murmured, touching his shoulder. 'Are you OK?'

To his astonishment Chris felt tears in his eyes. 'Yeah, sure,' he gulped.

Diana gave him a hug and Chris relaxed so much that he nearly hit the ground. 'Thanks.'

Diana sighed and let him go. 'I feel so stupid.'

'Oh yeah, your boyfriend…' Chris felt like an idiot. 'I'm sorry.'

'God, we're hopeless,' Diana grinned, although her eyelashes were damp with emotion. 'Aren't we?'

It was almost like she wanted assurance that she was right so Chris agreed. 'Yeah. We are.'

They sat on the arm of the couch together and, for want of anything better to do, simply watched the sun set across the grimy sky of their neighbourhood.

The week had gone by way too quickly and as Chris stood in front of Keira's house he felt slightly sick. Getting past the paps had almost killed him but he was here and he was hale and he was himself.

Oh who was he kidding?

He turned to leave…

'Chris?'

Damnit all what had happened to his sanity? For a moment that had sounded like Deniz.

But it was only Keira. Keira, the spitting image of her daughter, a face that had made her famous, far more than her heavily autotuned voice.

Why hadn't Chris noticed it before? His best friend's mother…was beautiful.

That was when Chris started to cry.

More quickly than he'd thought possible, Keira had his arm and was hustling him inside.

Shutting the door behind them.