This story's going strong, hope you are enjoying the humour and the drama! A new chapter for you guys - enjoy! xx
She felt a hand on her shoulder, shaking her. She opened her eyes slowly, squinting at the bright sunlight. She saw an older girl's concerned face. The girl had dark skin and short dark hair that was braided back.
"What happened?" Emily asked groggily. "And who are you?"
"My name is Kaz," the girl replied, and Emily guessed her accent was from somehere in Africa. "I think you fainted. You weren't unconscious for long, but Mo called me for help."
"Mo?" Emily mumbled, remembering having heard Mike mention the name before. She slowly sat up.
"That's me," said a boy who stood nearby. He was wearing a white shirt with a blue knitted vest on top and wore large glasses with clear plastic frames. "When you didn't wake up, I got worried so I called Kaz. Do you want me to get Mike?"
"No," Emily said, "It was your stupid dog that knocked me over." She shot Bailey a glare.
"No, you just fainted," Floss said loudly, her Geordy accent making her sound more obnoxious.
"Hey, who are you calling stupid?" Bailey asked, sounding dangerous.
"Just drop it Bailey," said Kaz, and Bailey stalked off, tugging at Mischief's collar, and the dog followed.
"Are you sure we shouldn't fetch Mike?" Kaz asked.
"No, I'm fine," she said, clambering to her feet, looking around her. Ryan was nowhere to be seen. She sighed.
"Grub's up!" She heard a shout for the kitchen followed by, "come and get it!"
Kaz headed back into the house. Mo lingered a moment, seeming unsure.
"Are you sure you're all right?" He asked, his blue eyes concerned behind his glasses.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Emily said, forcing a smile. She felt more confident all of a sudden, so she continued. "Sounds like they're calling us for tea, I'll catch up with you, yeah?"
Mo nodded and smiled, before turning and going back into the house. Emily breathed a sigh of relief, passing a hand across her eyes. Her first day there and already she had caused a scene. Hopefully Kaz and Mo wouldn't say anything. Ryan appeared from behind the shed and skulked past her. He paused, turning to look at her.
"You comin'?" He asked. She nodded and followed. She thought she would never understand the kids here, especially Ryan.
The kitchen was noisy as everyone was sat around the large dining table.
"Fainted?" Carmen scoffed. "It was probably from the smell!" A few of the kids laughed, but Bailey, who was sitting on the other side of the table, frowned but said nothing. Ryan looked unimpressed.
"Carmen!" Johnny said, appalled. Tee, too, looked at her friend reproachfully.
"What, she does," Carmen defended herself.
"I remember you said that about me when I first arrived," said Jody, punching her on the arm across the table.
"And me," Kaz added.
Ryan caught Emily's eye from where he sat. She lingered in the doorway and soon, all the kids were staring at her. May-Li entered and motioned for Emily to come and sit down. The only spare seat was between Carmen and a young boy with brown hair, and opposite Ryan. When Emily sat down, Carmen glanced at her in distaste. Emily wished the ground would swallow her up as she stared at her plate.
"Help yourselves, everybody," said May-Li, "But make sure everybody gets some!"
Everyone started to help themselves and May-Li laid a hand on Emily's shoulder.
"All right, Emily?" She asked quietly. Emily nodded and May-Li smiled, then left the room.
"Hi, I'm Finn," said a young voice to her right. She looked to see the young boy with brown hair smiling shyly at her.
"I'm Emily," she said, smiling back. She couldn't help but smile at the boy, he seemed so cute.
"I'm quite new here, too," he said, "It's really nice here." Emily nodded in reply. She wasn't sure she completely agreed.
"Hey, Emily, want some lasagne?" Johnny asked. He was sat across from her, next to Ryan. She nodded, holding out her plate. Johnny gave her what seemed, to her, to be a massive helping of lasagne, Emily wondered if she would be able to finish it. Everyone around her had started eating, so Emily picked up her fork and tasted a bit of the lasagne. It was delicious, nothing like anything she would eat at home. Of course, she couldn't afford much since her dad spent most of his salary on alcohol these days.
"So," said Jody, "Have you met everyone yet?"
Emily swallowed. "Not everyone... properly."
"Right, let's all introduce ourselves," Tyler announced. "Carmen, you start."
"I'm Carmen," Carmen muttered, not even looking at Emily. Tee sighed.
"I'm Tee," she said.
"I'm Tyler," said Tyler, who sat next to her.
"Jody," Jody said with a grin.
"I'm Kaz, but you already know that," the dark girl said with a smile. Emily decided she liked Kaz.
"I'm Mo," Mo said next.
"Ryan," Ryan said curtly, with a brief nod.
"I'm Johnny," Johnny continued the introductions.
"Bailey," said the boy next to him. He didn't look quite so angry now.
"I'm Floss," said the young red haired girl that Emily had met earlier.
"I'm Harry," said the skinny boy with blond hair.
"And I'm Finn," said Finn in conclusion.
"Have we all finished saying our names now? Thank you," Carmen said sarcastically. Ryan raised an eyebrow, reaching for the bread basket.
"Calm down, Drama Queen," he said mildly.
Tyler laughed. "Nice one, Ryan." Carmen scowled at him.
"Cheers," he muttered, ignoring Carmen and offering the bread basket to Emily. There were a few slices of baguette left in it.
"No thanks," she mumbled looking down at her plate. Ryan just shrugged and passed it to Jody who held out a hand for it.
Emily had eaten about half of her food and picked at piece of cheese with her fork. It was nice and all, but Emily didn't have much of an appetite lately. She glanced around the table but mostly kept her head down. She really didn't know what to make of this place. It had been a really weird day, and Emily's emotions were up in the air. She had this funny feeling in her stomach as well. She doubted that it was the food.
"Not hungry?" Ryan asked quietly.
"Not really," Emily muttered, not meeting his eyes.
"I get that," he replied, nibbling at a piece of bread. She looked at him, and she could have sworn she had detected an uneasiness in his voice when he'd said that. He understood that? So did that mean he, too, had-
Her inner thoughts were cut off by a loud burp.
"Eww, Tyler!" said Mo, aghast. Johnny, Bailey and the little kids laughed and Ryan looked amused.
"Bet I can beat that," Jody declared.
"By how much?" Bailey joked.
Jody paused, holding up one finger, before letting out a mighty belch that far surpassed Tyler's. Emily's eyes widened.
"Jody won!" Floss yelled.
"Stop it, that's disgusting," said Carmen, making a face. Tee wrinkled her nose.
"Yeah, better stop before this turns into a full scale burping competition!" said Johnny, laughing.
"Now, that's an idea," Harry said brightly.
"Maybe not," Kaz countered.
Most of the kids had finished. Emily didn't have much on her plate but she put her fork down, sipping at her drink instead. The last few pieces of bread were taken and everyone began to chat. She looked up to see Bailey staring at her.
"Why you here, then?" He asked. Emily just shrugged, not looking at him.
"Yeah, why come after school?" Jody asked. "Couldn't they wait until the weekend to transfer you?"
"Apparently not," Emily muttered, as May-Li and Mike walked in.
"What's that on your wrist?" Johnny asked, concerned. Tee leaned forward, peering round Carmen.
"Yeah, is that a bruise?" she asked, frowning.
"It's nothing." Emily quickly hid her hand under the table. Ryan looked alarmed. The younger kids looked at her in concern.
"Everyone done?" Mike asked, diverting the attention from Emily, and there was a chorus of 'yes' in reply, though Emily said nothing. "OK, pass the plates over, then." The plates were passed to the end of the table where Mike collected them up, comically balancing them atop one another. He pretended to lose his balance and almost drop the plates.
"Careful!" Warned May-Li. "Or you'll be mopping the floor."
Mike raised his eyebrows at the kids, and a few of them laughed. He then placed the stack on the worktop and May-Li scraped the few leftovers into the bin. The kids began to disperse and Finn tugged May-Li's sleeve shyly.
"Yes, Finn?" She asked with a smile.
"Please can Harry and I play with Mischief?" He asked her.
"Of course you can," May-Li said.
"Come on, Harry," said Finn, and the two of then ran outside into the garden.
"I'm coming too!" yelled Floss, running after them. Mike smiled and went to fill the kettle to make a cup of tea.
"Hey, Bailey, fancy a game of football?" Johnny asked him.
Bailey grinned. "'Course," he said. "I think the ball's in the shed." He made his way outside to find it.
"I'll play, too," Jody said. "Come on Tyler!" They ran outside.
"Ryan?" Johnny asked.
"Ehm, maybe later, mate," Ryan replied, walking towards the living room.
"OK," said Johnny, before going outside to join the others.
Ryan lingered in the doorway, a questioning look on his face, and Carmen and Tee were talking quietly, though Emily noticed they both glanced at her now and then. She caught snatches of their conversation and gathered that she was the subject of their conversation. But Emily was used to that. Kaz cleared the cups from the table and stacked them on the worktop. Mike added some milk to his tea and stirred it with a teaspoon. Emily approached May-Li shyly.
"OK, Emily?" May-Li asked. "Your new room all right?"
Emily nodded. "Need any help with the washing up?"
"Suck-up." She heard Carmen mutter and she made a fist, trying not to give away that she was angry.
"Oh, Emily, that would be great," Mike said.
"It won't last," laughed May-Li.
"Well, I'm used to doing it," Emily said, looking at the ground.
"Was she a slave at home or something?" Carmen commented.
"Carmen!" Tee hissed.
"Is that why she's in care, 'cause her parents made her do all the work?" Carmen continued.
"What did you say?" Emily asked, turning round to face the girl, who wore a pink jacket and lots of jewelery. Carmen tossed her dark hair over her shoulder one hand on her hip.
"I was only asking, Cinderella," Carmen sneered. "That's probably why you smell so bad." Emily was face to face with her, they were perhaps a metre apart.
"Uh, Carmen?" said May-Li, exchanging a glance with Mike.
"At least you do not have to share a room with her," said Kaz.
"If you say one more thing," Emily said dangerously, glaring at Carmen, clenching and unclenching her fists.
"What'll you do, hit me?" Carmen jeered.
Emily's eyes narrowed as she finally lost her cool and she went for her. She grabbed a fistful of Carmen's jacket and Carmen was quick to respond, trying to shove Emily off. Ryan's eyes widened as the fight ensued. Mike and May-Li looked at each other before going to step in.
"Get off me!" Carmen shrieked, grabbing at Emily's jacket there was a ripping sound as the shoulder seam gave way. Emily responded with a yell as she rugby tackled her. Johnny and Bailey came through the kitchen doorway having heard the commotion. They looked amused.
"Yeah, thrash her, Emily," he said with a smirk. Jody and Tyler ran back in from the garden and Tyler laughed when he saw the two girls fighting.
"Not helping, Bailey," May-Li said, sounding a little stressed. The two girls kept pulling at each others clothes and Carmen shrieked when Emily pulled at her hair.
"Girls, girls!" May-Li yelled, waiting for an opportunity to grab one of the girls as they spun round.
Carmen elbowed Emily in the stomach, hard. She doubled over and Carmen gave her a final shove before Mike restrained her. May-Li grabbed hold of Emily who struggled in her grasp. Carmen's hair was all messy and Emily's jacket was torn. Emily held her stomach and her lip had spilt in the struggle and was bleeding. Carmen's right cheek was red and she glared at Emily, who looked at the blood on her fingers from her split lip resentfully.
Mike and May-Li let go of the girls and Emily stormed off to her room and Ryan dodged out of the way as she rushed past him fiercely. She was still angry, and he watched as she ran up the stairs, one hand pressed to her face. May-Li stood with her hands on her hips and Mike folded his arms. They were both staring at Carmen. Tee looked at her friend, disappointed.
"All right, show's over," Mike said, gesturing for Jody, Tyler, Johnny and Bailey to go back outside. They all exchanged a glance before disappearing through the door.
"She started it!" Carmen spluttered. "Tee?"
Tee just shook her head and went outside to join her brother. May-Li had picked up a tea towel and Kaz was at the sink, organising the dishes to be washed up.
"My office, now!" Mike shouted and Carmen stamped out. Mike sighed, passing a hand across his eyes.
"I'll go and sort out Emily," May-Li said, following Mike out of the room. She passed Ryan who stood just outside the doorway and threw the tea towel at him. He looked peeved. "You can help Kaz with the dishes. Now," she added firmly when he didn't move. Ryan huffed and went back into the kitchen. May-Li went upstairs to find Emily.
Tee crossed the garden to where Johnny and the others were standing. They watched Floss and Harry play with Mischief. Finn approached them shyly.
"What happened?" He asked. He spoke quite slowly. "I heard shouting."
"Emily and Carmen had a fight," Tyler piped up.
"Best one I've seen all year!" Jody declared, high-fiving her friend.
"A fight?" Floss said. "I can't believe I missed it!" She sounded genuinely disappointed. Johnny smiled and shook his head at her.
"What were they fighting about?" Harry asked.
"Dunno, mate," Johnny said with a shrug. Finn looked concerned and Bailey put an arm around his shoulders. "You were there, weren't you, Tee?" Johnny turned to his sister. They all looked at Tee expectantly.
"Yeah." Tee looked distracted, thinking about what had just happened. "Carmen was saying stuff about Emily and she overheard. Emily challenged her and Carmen just carried on, so Emily went for her."
"I don't blame her," Bailey said. "Even if she did call Mischief stupid."
"It's only her first day and all," Johnny said, shaking his head.
"She was probably really nervous about coming here," Tyler added sympathetically.
"It's not like any of us know what's really going on with her," Jody said, sounding glum.
"I hope she's OK," said Tee, looking thoughtful.
They all nodded in agreement.
"Carmen, it's her first day!" Mike said, sounding angry.
"She started it!" Carmen whined, running her hands through her hair.
"I don't care who it started it," he replied, "It does not give you the right to say those things to Emily!" He added in a shout.
Carmen huffed, looking sullen. She rubbed at her cheek. Mike sighed.
"She's had a rough day, all right?" He said quietly. "If I hear of anything else going on, you won't be going to that party on Saturday."
"But Mike-" she began.
"That's the end of it," he said. "Now, go and help with the washing up."
Carmen stalked out of the office and across the hall. Ryan turned as she entered the kitchen, eyeing her with one eyebrow raised. He had been drying the dishes as Kaz washed them. Kaz also turned to look at her.
"Mike says I have to help with the dishes," she muttered. Ryan said nothing, but was looking at her disapprovingly.
"What?" She asked, throwing her hands up.
"Nothin'," he muttered, handing her the tea towel and leaving the room. Carmen looked at Kaz.
"I didn't say anything," Kaz said, "Are you going to dry these dishes, or what?"
