Eva and Lauren didn't last the whole two days. At 2P.M the next day, they retired.
"I can barely walk." Lauren staggered up the road.
"Tell me about it." Eva nodded. "MUM!" She screamed. Her voice echoed around the street.
"Yuh need yuh mabile." Lauren managed. Eva rummaged around for it and managed to produce it.
"Mammy. I'm weally drunk and I weed a lift home! Can you pet me? Also, I love you wery much!"
"Voicemail." Lauren groaned.
"What the hell?" Chris fumed.
"What's wrong now, Dad?" Tyler sighed. Chris was all stressed out over his little sister staying with their Mum.
"Listen to this, Tyler. Flaming listen to this!" Chris thrust the phone to Tyler's ear.
"Mammy. I'm weally drunk and I weed a lift home! Can you pet me? Also, I love you wery much!" The voicemail called.
"No way!" Tyler exclaimed happily. "She is in so much trouble!"
"Tell me about it." Chris nodded, dialling Mercy's number. "What the hell have you done?" He snarled. "Don't give me the innocent act, Mercedes. I've just got a voicemail from daughter saying she's really drunk and she needs a lift home. I knew I couldn't trust you but you've really done it. I will take this to the custody court and make sure you never see her again. She may well hate me for the rest of her life but she'll be safe from the likes of you. Hang up then, go on. I can't believe you!Mercy? Mercy?"
"Gone?" Tyler asked, watching his Dad nod.
Chris paced the flat, biting his thumb angrily. "I'm going to get her. It's not that far away."
"Don't be stupid, Dad. Mum'll be out looking for her now." Tyler sighed.
"Fat lot of use she'll be now. My baby could be anywhere, in a car, on a train, in an alleyway." Chris dropped into a chair, head in his hands. "I've got to ring Finn and get this house number."
"Hello?" Finn answered the house phone, gesturing to the girl to be silent. "Mr Mead?"
"What?" The girl frowned.
"Shhh!" Finn hissed. "I don't know. I'm not protecting her from you, I don't know! I'm not scared of being a snitch. I don't know, Mr Mead!" Finn sighed. "You're not allowed to do this. Pester a pupil out of hours. Leave me alone." Finn hung up. All that had been a lie, but he wasn't letting his girlfriend get into trouble.
"Relax, Finny." The girl wrapped her arms around Finn's chest and nestled into his neck.
"Get off of me." Finn ordered, throwing her shoes and jacket at her. "It's time for you to go."
"What?" The girl looked both confused and mortified. "What are you doing, baby?"
"Eva's in trouble. I don't want this anymore. This...this whole 'arrangement' is over." Finn felt guilt for the first time since this began a few days ago. "Lock up behind you." He tossed her a key and ran out the flat.
"Your Dad's on his way up." Mercy looked up at the girls in her inside mirror. "Why the hell did you ring him?"
"I clicked Mum, I thought." Eva said innocently.
"You thought wrong, you stupid cow!" Mercy shouted.
"Don't shout at me!" Eva sobbed.
"I'm in so much trouble now! Do you have any idea? I-I-If the police found out I could be arrested, if the social found out my kids could get taken off of me, if this is taken to custody court I could be banned from ever seeing you. Do you know what you've done?" Mercy yelled. Lauren sat in the back, silent. She was terrified of what would happen when her parents found out, when she saw Mr Mead, when Mrs Fisher found out. Eva reached across and grabbed her hand, giving it a supportive squeeze. "We're in this together." She whispered and Lauren nodded.
"What the hell were you doing?" Chris shouted. Both girls were stood in his apartment, looking sorry for themselves. "Is this even going in? I bet you're still too filled with drink to comprehend what the hell I am saying!"
"We weren't that bad." Eva piped up.
"If you weren't 'that bad' that message would have reached your Mum and not me!" Chris yelled. "When this gets out, I am in so much trouble."
"It won't." Eva said. "Lauren can stay here, until she sobers up and looks like we've just been chilling at Mum's. Neither me nor Finn will tell."
Chris considered the possibility for a minute and Lauren looked hopeful. "No way. You two will suffer for five minutes and then be right back out there again. We are going to teach you the dangers of alcohol." He grabbed his phone of the side and dialled Mrs Fisher's number.
