Okay, I realise I basically abandoned this years ago. But for some reason I suddenly feel like writing another chapter, three years later, completely randomly. And I've got nothing better to do today, so here it is...
Now what was she meant to do? Robyn gave a loud sigh, which of course her Dad ignored, and put the phone down. She could call Alice, she supposed... but she'd never really hung out with her without Becky. They didn't really have all that in common, and she wasn't even sure she liked her.
Honestly, she didn't really have anyone else. She'd only moved to this part of London a year ago, when her Dad had got a new job, and at that point, everyone else at school had already been there a year and had friends. And she'd never been that great at meeting new people. She'd never had to. At her old school she'd had her own gang of friends, girls she'd known since she was at primary school, who were easy to blend in with. She'd never really been just Robyn, on her own. She'd always been one of a group.
That's what she'd liked about school. She always belonged, even when her parents only spoke to her to nag about homework, and she got left to play by herself at home, and told off for being a nuisance if she got bored. At school she'd had her friends; she was part of a crowd, always somewhere in the centre. And she liked that.
She'd thought she had that at Grange Hill. Becky had been nice to her from the start, that second day of term when she'd ended up sitting next to her in Science. She'd found it difficult to catch up at first - the course had been completely different at her last school - but Becky had filled her in on it, and joked about their teacher, and about how weird he was. They'd had a laugh. It had felt like Robyn finally had a friend again. Someone cool.
Only Becky already had a best friend, Alice. And Alice didn't want anyone else; not at first.
Robyn remembered sitting down with them at lunch time, that first day.
"Who's this?" Alice had asked. She'd looked at Robyn quickly, up and down, then turned away almost dismissively, to talk to Becky.
"Oh - this is Robyn," Becky said. "She's just joined our year. She's cool."
Robyn couldn't help noticing that there was something hesitant about the way Becky had spoken - like she was looking for approval. Alice raised her eyebrows.
"New then, is she?" She gave Robyn another quick look; then turned back to Becky. "This is mank, isn't it? One weeny slice of pizza, for that price - I mean, just look at it! Tastes stale, too. This term's off to a rubbish start."
"I know!" Becky was nodding along like her head was on a string. "And Miss Munroe's already given us that essay for Friday... 1000 words on the first day of term, can you believe it?"
"That's school for you," Alice said. "I swear, the older we get, the more of a total shithole this place is. Not that some people would agree, of course!"
They were talking like Robyn wasn't even there.
Becky raised her eyebrows. "And by some people, I'm guessing you mean...?"
"What do you think? Seriously, it shouldn't surprise me. Rubbish school, rubbish people. It just shows. She was right there the moment I got in, going on about some amazing new Geography project and how much she was looking forward to it. I swear, I had to run all the way round the other end of the corridors, just to get rid of her. She's doing my head in."
"Right? I honestly wouldn't be surprised if she actually fancies Miss Munroe or something. She's so weird. And she just won't leave me alone. I'm honestly thinking about getting Nat to take me along when she goes to the gym on Friday. Get some practise in, for dodging her."
"Not that it would take much exercise to outrun Julie Corrigan!" Alice sniggered.
"Julie? Oh, I know her!" Robyn burst out. Alice and Becky looked round at her, like they'd forgotten she was there. Robyn blushed; she hadn't thought about speaking. She'd just been so relieved that there was finally a part of the conversation she could follow.
"Do you, really?" Alice asked. Robyn held her breath, but Alice suddenly patted her arm. "Oh my gosh, poor you! I'm so sorry, that must be awful!"
Becky nodded, pulling a face of mock sympathy, though her eyes were glinting. "Is there anything we can do to help?" she asked. "We could show you some of the shortcuts round school. Or I could lend you some of my old running shoes. They're great."
They were both looking at her expectantly. Robyn thought about what to say; too late, she remembered the way Alice and Becky had been talking. She couldn't tell them what she'd been thinking; how Julie had actually been really nice to her, how she'd helped her find her way round when she'd got lost on the first day. How they'd got chatting, and they'd found they actually had loads in common. How she'd kind of been thinking they might be friends.
Now Alice and Becky were looking at her properly for the first time, still waiting for her to speak. It suddenly occurred to her that a lot rested on what she said next.
Their eyes were still glinting; but they were smiling at her. For a moment, it was like she was in on the joke. Like they were friends.
"Nah, I'm all right," Robyn said. Their smiles wavered just the tiniest fraction; they waited, confused.
"Like you said, Alice," she added. "I've seen the way she waddles around in PE. An elephant could outrun her. And she smells like one; you could tell when she's coming from a mile off, even without that whiny voice!"
Alice smiled at her properly now, and so did Becky; smiles that drew her in. And Robyn almost felt good enough to squash down the pang of guilt niggling inside her.
11 months later, the pang rose back to the surface as Robyn sat down on the chair next to the phone, and thought what to do next. She'd been sitting in the exact same place that day when everything had come to a head; when she'd spoken to Becky on the phone about how Julie had run away. She didn't like to think about that; but sometimes, it was difficult not to.
And here she was, on her own again, even after everything. Of course she was.
She had some money; she could go to the cinema, she supposed. Like watching TV, only in front of a bigger screen, that you had to pay for. She wasn't even sure what was on, but it had to be better than wandering round the streets aimlessly, or going down the shops. The weather was rubbish, anyway. Of course it was. It was London.
10 pounds. That was all she had; from when her Gran had been round visiting. It seemed dumb to waste it on watching a film all by herself, but it wasn't like she had any choice. Maybe Dad would pay her back later; she knew if she went and asked him for money now, he'd only yell at her.
So she stuffed it into her purse, grabbed an umbrella and went off. It was freezing and wet and rubbish, even though it was the middle of July. Of course it was.
"Thanks a lot, Nat!" Becky said, when she'd put down the phone. Both of the twins looked up. Becky rolled her eyes.
"Natalie, obviously! Seriously, I'm never going get used to this. I can't believe I'm stuck in this hellhole the whole summer. It's like prison. With inmates who won't stop fighting and no visitors whatsoever."
"Think how I feel," Natalie said. "I can't even see Matthew! And I know Chrissy still hates me because of those rumours she thought I was spreading about her last year - thanks to you, might I add!"
"Hey, it's not my fault your mate got herself pregnant!"
"Natalie's mate's pregnant?" Natasha chipped in. "Wow, Nat, I knew you were a loser, but even I didn't think you were so low in the popularity stakes you had to hang out with that sort of person. Or is every girl at that school just a slag?" She wrinkled her nose. "Wouldn't surprise me!"
"Excuse me?" If Natalie had been angry before, now she looked ready to throttle Natasha. "You want to watch what you're saying about my mates! Anyway, I reckon you're just jealous - people at your old school probably couldn't stand being near a snobby cow like you!"
"Natalie!" Becky's Mum said sharply. "That's no way to talk to your sister. You know how much she's been through."
"Seriously? I'm the one in the wrong here?" Natalie shook her head. "This is ridiculous. I'm going to my room."
She stalked back upstairs. Becky looked at her Mum pointedly.
"What?" Becky's Mum stared back at her. "I only said - I mean, Natasha's our guest here -" she tailed off. "No, Nat - Tash - that's not what I meant - you're my daughter, this is your home as much as ours. You know you're always welcome here."
"Course I do, Mum!" Natasha simpered, giving Becky's Mum a big toothy grin that didn't quite meet her eyes. "I know how much you've done for me. I can appreciate nice things - unlike some people."
Becky rolled her eyes. Natasha smiled sweetly back at her. She knew she'd won.
There was nothing on at the cinema. Nothing good, anyway. Robyn wasn't surprised; there were three cinemas in her area. The cheap one about half an hour away, down where the Bowling Alley and the Pizza Hut were, where she went after school sometimes. The slightly more expensive one a few streets further, with the comfy chairs. And the posh one, right round the corner from her house, where they only showed weird foreign films and period dramas for old people.
It was raining. There was no way she was willing to walk to one of the cinemas where the films were actually good. So here she was.
She studied the listings, trying to find a film that was in a language she could actually understand. It was a challenge. There was one war documentary that was starting in ten minutes; she could just about afford to buy popcorn if she took that one. That was something, she supposed. And at least it would be warm in the cinema; not cold and wet.
She went inside and joined the queue, rubbing her hands together loudly. There were stands of food along either side, but no popcorn, at least none she could afford. It was all posh stuff. Ripoff popcorn, ripoff bags of sweets, ripoff crisps...
"This is ridiculous!" she muttered under her breath.
"Tell me about it!" someone said behind her. She swung round. Julie Corrigan was standing in the queue, right behind her.
"You should have done what I did," she told Robyn. "Brought your own stuff. Here, look." She opened her bag a fraction, revealing just a glimpse of a packet of eclairs, and winked.
Robyn looked past Julie. There were about 10 people queuing behind her now; she guessed the old people must really like this film. And, clearly, she was stuck with Julie.
But suddenly, somehow, that didn't seem like such a bad thing anymore.