quite short, but i wasn't quite in the ff mood. Quite a bit of SZ, but SP will make tis return soon. How soon depends on the reviews :P

On that note, thanks Laura, Vikki, Becki, Sarah, Newsteadgirl and Stacie Ellen for the previous reviews

Chapter 10- In the Rain

Sam had to walk home alone for the first time since she'd moved house, and she instantly decided she didn't like it. She generally had Zain to walk beside her, and sometimes even Phil would join the pair, but now the loneliness was unbearable. Her heavy schoolbag was bumping against her side with every step, and to top it all off, the heavens had opened again, and she was soaking wet within a minute. As she passed Zain's house, she glanced up at his bedroom window, but she couldn't see him anywhere. She shook off the cold feeling she had when she thought of how he'd been bullied for so long, but yet how what scared him the most was telling his father of his suspension. Suddenly, she distantly remembered a comment someone had made long ago, about how Zain's father terrified even them, but then surely, his dad couldn't mind so much, once he heard of the reason for the suspension…

She was surprised to find the door unlocked when she tried it. Her parents were usually at work when she got home.

"Mum?" she called uncertainly up the stairs, "Dad?"

"Up here!" her mum shouted. Sam took the stairs two at a time, and opened her parents' bedroom door. Her mother was kneeling before an open suitcase and was frantically throwing clothes inside, while her dad riffled through the drawers of the bedside cabinet

"What's going on?" she asked, bewildered

"We're going away for a while" her dad didn't even look up at her

"Where?"

"On holiday. It'll just be for a few weeks. You're old enough to look after yourself, aren't you?"

"You're going away without me!" Sam couldn't contain her surprise

"We wanted to bring you, really, we did, but the travel agents only had two places left"

"So you just decided to go without me? What if I hadn't got back from school on time? Would you have just left without telling me?"

"We would have left a note"

"Well thanks a lot" Sam snapped, going to her bedroom and slamming the door.

Half an hour later, her mum came to her room.

"There should be enough food in the freezer to last a fortnight, but I've left you a hundred quid for emergencies only. I don't want you to have any sleepovers, or spend too long on the phone, okay?" Sam was sorely tempted to snap and tell her that it wasn't okay, but instead, she just nodded sullenly.

"I'll see you in a fortnight, then" her mum pulled her into a brief hug and walked out without a backwards glance. Sam waited for her dad to come up and say goodbye, but he didn't. He just got in the car and drove away, without as much as a 'See you in a few weeks'. Sometimes she hated her parents.

She was heating up her microwave meal when the rain started again, slamming against the window pane so loudly, that it was managing to drown out beeping of the microwave. She glanced at Zain's house again, and felt a pang of guilt. She hadn't thought about him, or his situation since her parents had made their little announcement, she'd been too wrapped up in her own little world of self pity to care about anyone else's problems. Then she felt even worse, for suddenly she remembered Phil and his black eye, and how she hadn't expressed any sympathy towards him whatsoever, despite him having received it for trying to protect his best friend.

She lifted her Motorola and sent both of her boys a text, just asking them how they were. Zain was the first to reply, saying, that he was alright, but that was only because his dad was still at work. He'd be dead in an hour when he got back. Phil didn't reply at all, but then he hardly ever did. He was forever losing his phone, breaking it, or just forgetting to turn it on. She had known that when she sent the message, and deep down, she knew she'd only sent it as an act of guilt, annoyed at herself to be thinking so much of Zain, the boy who'd cheated on her, when she had a good, faithful boyfriend, who never deserved this neglect.

She jumped when she heard a door slam outside, and she automatically moved to the window to see who it was. Zain's dad was getting out of his car, and he did not look pleased. Perhaps the school had contacted his work, or maybe he was just permanently on the warpath. It was hard to tell with that man. Sam couldn't help but move into a position where she could see the Nadir kitchen, and watched as Zain's dad approached him, and started shouting at him. Zain's back was to her, so she couldn't see him reaction, however the pair soon moved into the hall, out of Sam's sight, his father still seemingly roaring at him.

She had intended on leaving it be at that, but her curiosity got the better of her, and she sent Zain another text half an hour later, asking what was going on. She grew more and more concerned as Zain didn't reply, and was starting to consider going over to see him, when her mobile beeped twice. She raced to it, but disappointment flooded her as the name on the screen said 'Phil.' She didn't even bother to read the message, just dumped the phone back onto the kitchen table, and stared at Zain's window again, her worry for him increasing ten fold.

She eventually settled to watch Eastenders and immersed herself in the plotline, trying to blot out everything but the scandals that were unfolding on the TV screen. She flicked between channels for the remainder of the night, mindlessly flicking, and ignored her phone when the ringtone started. It would probably just be Phil. She could speak to him tomorrow anyway.

She locked the front door a few hours later, and she was just about to turn the key, when she spotted a figure in her back garden, sitting on what must have been soaking wet grass, with their back to the house. She opened the door slowly, cautiously and was hit by the gush of cold air. She shivered and called out, softly

"Hello?" the hunched over figure made no response. She stepped out slowly, onto her step, and the security lights came on, flooding her garden with light.

"Zain?" she asked, making out the jet back hair. The boy's head jerked up when he heard his name, and he stood, spinning to face her

"Hey" he said in a soft voice

"What are you doing out here?"

"Thinking"

"Thinking?" Sam was growing increasingly concerned with Zain's behaviour and responses. "In my back garden, in the pouring rain, at ten past midnight?"

"Yeah"

"Do you want to come think inside then?" she asked, stepping out of the doorway. However, he hesitated,

"Won't your parents mind?"

"They've gone away for a fortnight" she was surprised how little she cared about her parents' deserting of her now. He nodded silently, and followed her into the house, his trainers making a squelching noise as he walked. She led him to an armchair, and fumbled for the light switch.

"Did Johnny Peterson do that?" she pointed to a fresh looking bruise forming on his face. He shook his head,

"That was my dad"

"Your dad hit you?"

"Yeah. I told you he'd kill me"

"I didn't think you meant literally! Does your mum know?"

"She's not at home." There was a silence, which he broke, "I know I scared you before, by sitting in your garden… I'm sorry; I just needed to get away from him"

"It's okay."

"Can I stay here tonight?" he asked

"Yeah, you can have my parents' room. It's not like they'll be using it" she muttered, "And you'll need to get some new clothes. You're soaking"

"Am I?" Zain asked, looking down at his own drenched body for the first time

"Come on" she pulled him up and led him towards her parents room, feeling more sympathy for him than she ever had for anyone before.

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