'Shan, slow down!' Maddy spoke into her mobile.

'What's wrong?' Daniel asked, pausing The Breakfast Club.

'Daniel, I was watching that!' Emma protested.

'Shh!' Maddy said to her parents. 'Say that again, only slower.'

'Play the movie!' Emma whispered.

'Fine,' Daniel huffed. 'Don't get your knickers in a twist.'

Maddy reddened in anger and elbowed her Dad.

'Okay, now pause it!'

He threw the remote at her.

'Oi!' Emma shouted.

Maddy swatted her hand at them.

'Now look what you've done,' Daniel hissed.

'It was you who didn't do what I told you to!' Emma argued.

'Emma, stop being a complete and utter…'

'You two are impossible! You're like two little cubs!' Maddy shouted, storming off to her bedroom.

She closed the door. 'Shannon, I need you to come over.'

'I can't,' she said. 'I'm babysitting my cousin. You can come over, though. We really need to talk.'

'I know. But my Mam and Dad are doing this movie night bonding thing. Actually…I'll be right over.' Maddy hung up, and grabbed her jacket.

'Where do you think you're going, Missy?'

'To Shannon's.'

'What about our movie night?'

'I hate The Breakfast Club,' said Maddy, making a face.

'Be back at eight.'

Maddy arrived ten minutes after the phone call. She strongly preferred running, compared to public transport; or in her usual case, parental transport.

The door opened. 'Who are you?'

Maddy put her hands on her knees and bent down. 'I'm Shannon's friend. Can I come in?'

The little boy crossed his chubby arms over his narrow chest. 'My mummy said I can't talk to strangers.'

'Henry, what are you doing outside…' Shannon trailed off when she saw Maddy stood in the doorway. 'Oh, that was fast. Sorry, Mads.' She turned to her cousin, 'go and play upstairs.'

'But my mummy said…'

'Yes, and Aunt Helen isn't here now. Henry, do as you're told.'

The little boy stomped inside the house, and up the stairs; mumbling to his tiny stegosaurus in the process.

'Sorry about that.'

'Nah, it's okay,' Maddy said, closing the door, and taking off her jacket. 'So where are your parents?'

Shannon led Maddy up to her bedroom. 'Well, my Aunt Helen and Uncle George came back from Hull this morning. And they all go out and see my Gran. So, I got stuck with Henry.'

'Oh yeah, I forgot they moved out to Hull…' Maddy babbled, laid on Shannon's bed.

'Maddy…'

'…I wonder if it's nice there. Have you visi..'

'Maddy!'

She sat up and looked at her friend. 'Did I say something?'

Shannon sighed, and crossed the room. 'Do you remember when I called you earlier?'

'Yeah, you said that you had something really important to tell me. And then my Mam and Dad started throwing the remote at each other. Well?'

Shannon stared at the ground.

'Shannon?'

'I followed Rhydian, earlier,' she blurted out.

'You followed him,' Maddy arched her eyebrows. 'Why?'

'He met up with Melinda Romero in our French classroom.'

Maddy bolted up, feeling sick to her stomach. 'The Spanish one?'

'Maddy, they were talking about prom, and not telling you something.'

'No. He wouldn't.

'He did.'

'Shannon, he couldn't!'

'I'm hungry!' a voice moaned from the next bedroom.

'Yeah, coming!' Shannon shouted. She turned to Maddy, 'call him.'

'You know what happened the last time I accused him of something,' Maddy raised her voice, panicked.

'Then, don't. Just ask him where he's been or something.' Shannon turned and left.

Maddy pulled out her mobile, scrolled down and pressed call.

'Hello?'

'Hi,' Maddy said, as happily as she could bear.

'Mads, what's up?'

'Nothing much. Just wondering where you were earlier, I suppose.'

'I was at home, studying for the history thing. Why, what's this about?'

Maddy took a chance, if she slipped up, then it was game over. 'That's funny, I went to your house earlier and the Vaughan's said you hadn't come home from school yet.'

'I went to Bernies on the way home.'

Maddy lied, again. 'Oh, did you see Tom? He was on a study date with Christy.'

'Oh, yeah. I saw him. Maddy, I really have to go. Talk to you later.'

The line disconnected.

There was no study date.

Shannon walked back in with a packet of cookies. 'Did you call him?' she said with her mouth full.

Maddy nodded, eyes stinging with tears. 'When was our history essay due in?'

Shannon's eyebrows knitted. 'We handed it in last week, why?'

'Oh, no.' She was on the verge of tears. 'You were right. What do I do now?'

'We need to catch him in the act.'

'I can't, Shan.'

'Yes, you can.'