As Kacey came to the end of her presentation, everyone clapped. Hollie grinned at Dynasty, who was beaming proudly at her little sister. The younger Barry stepped forwards, waiting until the applause had died down.

"When I first got offered the place, I didn't think that I was good enough." Kacey admitted, looking around at the year 13's who were staring back at her. "Then Miss Boston said I was good enough and she told me to believe in myself. Umm… well… I'm glad she got through to me. And me coach… Coach Matthews said that she did a great job. 'Cos Coach says it's all about the top two inches."

"The what?" Rhiannon asked, causing Hollie to roll her eyes.

"What you've got up here," Mr Reid informed her, tapping his head with his index finger, "in between your ears."

"Mind over body." Kacey agreed. "Coach Matthews says that if you want your body to do something that badly, then it will do it. It just might take some time to get used to the idea. So never give up."

"Getting your body used to the idea of being battered seems pretty mindless to me." Gabriella piped up, causing the entire front row to turn and shoot her a look.

"Boxing isn't about getting battered." Kacey retorted quickly.

"If it was, Gabriella would be world champion." Hollie muttered, loud enough for her voice to carry across the room. Scout snorted with laughter and Zoe high-fived her.

"It's about using your speed and agility to avoid that." Kacey continued, pretending that she hadn't heard what the older girl had said. The smirk on her face said otherwise.

"Can you give us a demo, Kacey?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Do we have a volunteer?" When Gabriella leant over and muttered something to Rhiannon, Mr Reid narrowed his eyes. "How about you, Gabriella?"

"Well, getting punched is preferable to hearing more about Coach Matthews." She muttered, sounding bored.

"Got any tips for our Kacey, Hol?" Dynasty asked loudly.

"Not really… hitting Gabriella is pretty easy." The brunette shrugged.

"Settle down, girls." Mr Reid ordered blandly, as though he didn't much care either way.

"You see, basically boxing is more than just fighting. It's about wrong-footing your opponent." She darted behind the blonde, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet. "Knowing when to attack," she lunged forward, "and when to drop back. You need to find their weaknesses, all the time trying not to give yours away." Kacey tapped Gabriella underneath the chin and grinned. The older girl was doing her very best not to flinch. "So, by the time you finally make contact," she tapped Gabriella under the chin again, adding a soft slap to the back of her head, "they're unbalanced."

Evidently having had enough, Gabriella lashed out. Kacey ducked and dodged. Gabriella fell, landing on the floor at Kacey's feet. Everyone burst out laughing at her tumble.

"And they go down like a sack of spuds. That's what Coach Matthews says anyway."

Hollie joined in with the standing ovation that Kacey received. It was more for the fact that she'd floored Gabriella than anything else.

They filed out of the lecture room and decided to head to the canteen for lunch. Kevin was less than happy to be the centre of attention, so his friends decided to distract him by filling him in on all the latest gossip. As soon as they'd settled themselves at a table at the back of the canteen, Scout spotted Mr Reid talking to Miss Boston near the hatch and nudged Hollie hard in the ribs.

"Ow! What?" The brunette demanded, rubbing her side irritably, before following her friend's gaze to where her mother was standing. "Oh!"

As Nikki walked away, her daughter was intrigued to see that she was smiling. Slipping out of her seat, she wandered casually across the room and leant against the barrier that separated the queue to the hatch from the seating area. Mr Reid smirked, knowing exactly what the teenager wanted.

Pretending to be more interested in choosing his lunch than the girl, the PE teacher pointedly ignored her. Hollie shifted from one foot to the other, impatient to hear what he had to say. Finally, after he'd picked up and replaced a tuna and cucumber roll for the third time, she snapped.

"Sir… what were you talking to my mum about?" She demanded in a low voice.

"That's between me and Miss Boston." He replied lightly. Then he winked. "But I think I'm wearing her down."

Hollie grinned, nodding sharply and turning away, intending to head back to the table where her friends were sitting. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed Dynasty and Kacey arguing with Gabriella. Her face turned thunderous as she realised that, somehow, Kevin had been dragged into the argument. His eyebrows furrowed as Gabriella climbed to her feet, addressing the whole room.

"That's right, everyone… Kevin pees in a bag now. I can smell it from here."

"Oh, you bitch…" Hollie was across the floor in seconds, before anyone could stop her. She raised her hand and smacked Gabriella around the face before the blonde could react, grabbing her hair and yanking her head downwards. "I'm gonna make you so sorry–"

"Stop right now! That's enough!" Mr Reid shouted as Scout and Zoe grabbed hold of Hollie and hauled her backwards. "Gabriella, cooler!"

"She's not worth it, Hollie!" Dynasty exclaimed as the blonde turned an outraged eye on the PE teacher.

"I don't see why I'm the one getting in trouble." Gabriella whined as Mr Reid marched her out. "She attacked me."

His reply disappeared into the air as they left the room and the doors banged close behind them. Hollie was still shaking with anger, but turned her attention to her boyfriend, guessing that he would be more shaken by the events than she was. Kevin tried to brush her attention off, announcing that he was tired and wanted to go home. With a sigh, Hollie agreed to take him to find Maggie.

They were heading through the lobby to the main entrance when a voice behind them made Hollie stop and turn to look over her shoulder. She frowned as her eyes fell on Mr Lowsley who was heading quickly towards them.

"Hollie? Cooler."

"What?" She frowned.

"What d'you think?" The man asked her, folding his arms. "You punched Gabriella Wark."

"So?"

"So, Cooler."

Rolling her eyes exasperatedly, the girl bent to give Kevin a quick kiss and apologised for leaving him, before stalking away through the corridors with the deputy head several paces behind her. Hollie pushed open the Cooler door and stamped inside, dropping her bag onto one of the desks and dropping into the seat behind it. She pointedly ignored Gabriella, who had smirked triumphantly when the brunette walked in.

"I don't know why you were so keen to defend him… weren't you going to break up with him before he had the stroke? Or is that why? Guilt?" Gabriella taunted her in a low voice. "Is that why you're still going out with him? Because you're guilty about what you did?"

Hollie clenched her hands into fists, grinding her teeth and doing her level best to ignore the girl behind her. The teacher at the front was keeping a close eye on her and she knew that if she reacted she'd be in serious trouble.

Time in the Cooler seemed to pass more slowly than time outside it. Hollie resorted to resting her head on her arms on the desk, rather than concentrating on the feeling of Gabriella's eyes boring into the back of her head. She didn't care what the blonde thought of her, but fighting the urge to turn around and punch her once again for words about Kevin.

Finally, the Cooler door opened and Nikki's head appeared around it. She fixed her gaze on her daughter straight away.

"Hollie?"

The teenager looked up at the sound of her voice, but Gabriella sighed loudly. Hollie turned sharply, her eyes narrowed. She was about to say something, when a firm hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Come on, Hollie."

"That is so unfair!" Gabriella whined. "Just because she's your–"

"That is enough." Nikki snapped, barely looking at the blonde.

Outside in the corridor, Hollie folded her arms over her chest defensively. "I'm not sorry."

"I didn't think you would be." Her mother agreed calmly. "And, I have to admit, I don't think I would be either."

"Really?"

"Mr Reid told me what happened. What Gabriella said was disgusting."

"Yeah, it was." She smiled. "So, can you bust me out of the Cooler?"

"Unfortunately not." Nikki said with a grin, identical to her daughter's. "You did punch her in the face and threaten to make her sorry."

"She deserved it."

"Officially I cannot condone your actions. Unofficially…"

Hollie laughed, smirking at her mother. Then she remembered that things were strained between them. "So… you OK?"

Nikki arched an eyebrow. "Am I OK?"

"Yeah… well… you know."

"What?"

"Her."

With a deep sigh, the woman leant heavily against the wall, running a hand over her face. "Hollie… not today. Not now."

"Why not?"

"There's… a lot going on."

"Like what?"

Nikki sighed again. "Hollie, you know I can't tell you about official staff business."

"Good, great, whatever."

As the teenager turned to head back into the Cooler, Nikki reached out and grasped her upper arm gently. "Hollie…"

"What?"

"Why are you being like this?"

"Because I don't like her, Mum. I don't trust her and I don't think she's right for you. You… you're different around her and it's not right."

"Why don't you trust her?" Nikki asked. Seeing her daughter hesitating, she exhaled deeply and shook her head. "Please, Hollie, talk to me. I'm trying to understand, but I…"

"You're not trying at all. You're blindly listening to everything she tells you. She told me that you think it's my fault Kevin had the stroke… that because I upset him it caused the clot."

"Hollie."

"I know she just told me that to make me think you said it, but–"

"Hollie, why would Vix tell you that? It makes no sense."

The teenager blinked, not having expected her mother to dispute what she'd told her. "She's… she's a… she…"

Rolling her eyes, her mother frowned. "You can't even form a coherent response, can you? You're just… what? Jealous?"

"I can't believe you!"

"Then talk to me!" Nikki demanded, grasping her daughter by the upper arms and almost shaking her. "I want to understand. I want to know why you're acting like this, but you won't tell me!"

"I can't!"

"Why not?"

"Because… oh, just… forget it."

Hollie attempted to turn and head back into the Cooler, but her mother kept her tight hold on her arms and prevented her from leaving. "Hollie."

"Let go."

"No. I want to sort this out, once and for all."

"You don't really want to hear it."

"I do."

"No, you don't. You just want to live in your little bubble and pretend that I don't exist. You've got the perfect daughter and gorgeous baby son. What do you need the ex-prostitute fuck up for?"

Nikki scowled. "You're right; I don't want to hear this. You can't even give me a proper reason why you don't like Vix. I am marrying her, whether you like it or not."

"Yeah…" Hollie paused before re-entering the Cooler, "of course you are."

Mr Lowsley had demanded that both Hollie and Gabriella finish that week and spend the first half of the next in the Cooler. The brunette had simply rolled her eyes at the news and pushed past him to make her way to the room that was to be her prison for the next four school days, ignoring her nemesis' bitter complaining behind her.

The end of the next week signalled the end of term for the year 13s and the start of their exam period. As a treat Mr Lowlsey, in his capacity as the new Head Teacher, had ordered a climbing wall, which he had had installed in the yard in front of the school. Walking into school with Scout and Zoe on Friday morning, Hollie had sighed and rolled her eyes at the sight, declaring that there was no way on earth she'd be climbing it. Mr Lowsley had called out to her, but she'd ignored him, making her way inside instead.

Despite her reluctance and complete disinterest, Hollie was required to join the rest of the upper school in the hall for the prize giving assembly. She slouched in her chair, not really paying much attention to what was happening around her. Zoe nudged her a couple of times but, after receiving several furious scowls, she stopped trying to make her friend at least pretend to be listening to what was going on.

"… the winner is Gabriella Wark!" Mrs McFall was announcing.

At the sparse applause that echoed around the room, Hollie looked up. As the blonde, with a self-satisfied smirk on her face, headed up to collect her prize, the brunette shifted in her seat on the end of the row. Sticking her foot out, she laughed along with everyone else as Gabriella tripped over her outstretched foot and stumbled towards the front of the room.

"Hollie Boston!" Mr Lowsley shouted, irritably.

Moulding her face into her most innocent expression, the teenager shrugged. "What? It was an accident, Sir. I'm so sorry, Gabriella."

Clearly not believing her, but preferring to overlook the incident, the Head Teacher nodded and indicated that Gabriella should continue to the front. The blonde scowled at the other girl, returning a smirk in response, but held her head high as she accepted her cup from Mrs McFall.

"Congratulations, Gabriella, well done."

"Would you like to say a few words?" Mr Lowsley offered.

"Yes." She agreed with a nod. "I'd just like to say–"

"Our Kacey's going to the Commonwealth Games!" Dynasty interrupted her, bursting into the hall excitedly.

"I'm through to selection." Kacey corrected her sister as they walked to the front. "I'm not definitely going... yet."

The entire hall burst into cheering and applause and Nikki, who had risen to hug the teenager, earned herself a glare from her daughter. The two Bostons had barely spoken since their argument a week previously and Hollie was far from amused to see the warm, proud smile that twisted her mother's lips as she looked at the younger girl.

Hollie congratulated Kacey herself and then followed Zoe and Scout out of the hall. They made their way up to the English corridor for their English lesson with Hollie's mother. Throwing her bag down under the table, the teenager settled herself in her chair, propping her chin on her hand and staring firmly out of the window.

Scout nudged her with a frown. "We're doing exam prep… you've gotta pay attention, Hol."

"No, I don't."

"Yeah, you do." Her friend argued. "Don't risk your chances of doing well just because you're pissed off. This could be your ticket out of here… ace these exams and you can go to uni."

"I'm not going anywhere, Scout. I promised I'd stick by Kevin, didn't I?" She reminded her.

"Hollie…"

Rolling her eyes, Hollie turned her attention towards the front of the class, seeing the sense in what Scout had said. She still wasn't sure whether she wanted to go to university or not, but having the option was better than not having it, whatever she said.

"Right, we're gonna look at the role of the mechanicals in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Are they just there for light relief?" Nikki announced, striding into the classroom and launching straight into the lesson. "So, discuss it in your pairs and we'll share in about five minutes."

Hollie sighed. "The mechanicals serve the role of portraying the theme illusion versus reality." She recited, having revised that already. "They're also the only characters who allow their own reality to be manipulated by their illusions. All other characters have their realities manipulated for them or despite them."

Scout arched an eyebrow at her. "You're such a geek."

"Please can I sit with my friends, Miss?" Rhiannon called, causing both of them to turn and look at her. She was sitting beside Gabriella, but looked thoroughly annoyed.

"Yeah." Nikki agreed readily. "Course." She watched as Rhiannon moved to sit with Dynasty and Imogen. "Actually, Imogen, would you mind paring up with Gabriella, please?"

"Oh, do I have to, Miss?"

At her words, Gabriella stood up, grabbing her things and moving towards the door. Nikki barely reacted, other than sighing and half-heartedly attempting to stop her leaving. "Gabriella, we've not started yet."

"Quite frankly, I don't give a damn about the mechanicals. In fact, I hate them."

"They hate you too, Princess, just like everyone else." Hollie called after her as she wrenched open the classroom door.

"That's enough." Nikki snapped, sending her a hard stare as the door banged.