The two arrived at Lorraine's, entering the front door.
"Nice place" Brooklyn smiled
"Thanks, it can be" Lorraine smiled back
Brooklyn had no idea what Lorraine meant by that, but shrugged it off. Lorraine passed Brooklyn a glass of wine, one surely wouldn't hurt. The two sitting on Lorraine's plush sofa, drinking wine and reminiscing.
"You remember that time we went to the beach? When we held hands and watched the sunset, wow that doesn't sound cheesy at all haha" Lorraine grabbing a pretzel from the snack bowel she'd brought through.
"Yeah the only time we could be a proper couple, the times we got away to where no one knew us" Brooklyn looking at Lorraine innocently, but her words reminded Lorraine of the struggle they had been though. One glass of wine turned into many glasses of wine.
"No more, I'm not allowed to give you drink" Lorraine not even tipsy, but the same couldn't be said for Brooklyn.
"I'm not a pussy, I can handle my dribk. I shouldn't evben be driwinkin this" Brooklyn slurred her words and laughed.
"What do you mean? You shouldn't be drinking?" Lorraine's frown in her forehead deep, her voice angry and concerned all at the same time.
"It's my pills, hahaha. Stupid pwilllss, Fukin gon in the heaad" Brooklyn still laughing at herself.
"Why what pills, are you ok?" Lorraine firmly asked
"Dwous it evben matter? No it dobsonet" Brooklyn now trying to down wine from the bottle.
"Stop, just stop" Lorraine pulled the bottle away from her, dropping a little wine on the floor. It was now half 7 and Nikki was due to be round at 8.
"Brooklyn get up, and drink the fucking coffee" Lorraine having trouble trying to get Brooklyn sober. She needed her sober, so she could take her home and get back in time for Nikki.
"I don't want coffee, I love you Lo. Like really love you" Brooklyn slurring her words even more now and was becoming even worse to handle. Lorraine couldn't do anything, she had tidied around Brooklyn, she had tried making her sober, but nothing was working, Brooklyn was being stupid; A stupid teenager Lorraine thought. A sudden knock on the door made Lorraine jump. "Shit Brooklyn, why did you do this? I told you Nikki was coming. You never told me you were on meds. You stupid girl!" Lorraine couldn't do anything, but answer the door to a what sounded like a frustrated Nikki.
She opened the door.
"Hey Nikki" Lorraine now crying, suddenly in the door way.
"Hey what's wrong?" Nikki soothed
Then in the background all you could hear was a young girl shouting party.
"Who's that?" Nikki pulled away from Lorraine's grip.
"It's Brooklyn, I let her come round as she looked upset and I give her one glass of wine and she drank more than half the bottle. She then decides to tell me she's on medication and, and..." Nikki could see how distraught Lorraine was, how upset and guilty she looked.
"Look we will get some coffee down her, get her to bed and then we can chill, yeah?" Nikki seemed so calm and collected
"She won't even drink the coffee I gave her" Lorraine's tears now dry, but her cheeks sticky.
"Lorraine, if I can handle Barry Barry, I'm sure I can handle a stupid teenage girl" Nikki said, grabbing Lorraine's arm.
Lorraine and Nikki both walked into the living room where Brooklyn was now dancing to no music.
"Hey!" Nikki shouted, she grabbed Brooklyn's arm and brought her to the sink. She ran the tap and shoved Brooklyn's head underneath the stone cold running water. Brooklyn's arms waving around, trying to shout through the water that fell in her mouth. Nikki lifted Brooklyn up again whilst Lorraine watched in horror.
"What the fvuck! You stupid cow, I could get you dvune" Brooklyn's words still a little slurred, the cold water had stunned her. Brooklyn was soaked, even her top was wet.
"Look little girl, listen. Lorraine was only trying to be nice, but you took advantage of the situation. You're not her girlfriend anymore" Nikki's words harsh. She still had hold of Brooklyn, her face close to hers, almost touching.
"Lorraine make some fresh coffee" Nikki looked back at lorraine her tone completely changed, it was warm and soothing.
Lorraine made fresh coffee, black no sugar, She passed it to Nikki.
"You drink, you go upstairs and you sleep. Brooklyn you need sleep" Nikki being firm, but reasonable.
Brooklyn took the coffee, sat on the sofa and started drinking it.
"Thank you so much, she just wouldn't listen to me" Lorraine's hand on Nikki's, stroking the back of it.
"She knows you, she thought she could get away with it" Nikki's eyes fixed on Brooklyn making sure she drank the whole cup. Nikki and Lorraine stood in the kitchen watching Brooklyn slowly drink the hot liquid. They kept their voice low, so Brooklyn wouldn't hear them. Brooklyn had finished her coffee and turned to Nikki and Lorraine.
"I'm now gonna go to bed" Brooklyn's words finally not slurring.
"Go up, it's the last door on the left" Lorraine told Brooklyn where the spare room was, refusing to look Brooklyn in the eyes. Brooklyn got up and left to go upstairs.
"Wow,I thought you were a handful" Nikki joked, Lorraine laughing.
"Right I doubt you've eaten, so Chinese? With no wine" Nikki grabbed her phone and called for food.
"Yes please, no wine!" Lorraine giggled
The Chinese arrived, Lorraine and Nikki sat down together to eat. Nikki turned Lorraine's big TV on, the two women watched re-runs of Birds Of A Feather, both laughing at the comedy. Then a sound came from the front porch, a crashing sound. The two woman jumped, then looked at each other with confused glares.
"What the fuck was that?!" Nikki whispered
"How am I supposed to know, all I want to do is finish my Chinese" Lorraine's face serious, half a noodle hanging out of her mouth.
"Lorraine! We need to go and check it out" Nikki looked scared out of her wits.
"Ok, ok Miss" Lorraine put her plate down, laughing at the fact she called Nikki Miss. Nikki gave Lorraine the look, the look that put Lorraine in her place, even though she hadn't spoken a word. Lorraine went first, Nikki pushed her to go first, so she really didn't have a choice.
"You wuss, you handle the PRU kids daily and you're scared of a little bump" Lorraine chuckled. Nikki wasn't impressed, but knew Lorraine was joking.
"What was that?!" Nikki grabbed hold of Lorraine's arm, squeezing it tightly.
"Ouch, I'm not completely numb y'know" Lorraine pulled Nikki's hand off of her arm and carried on walking closer to where the noise was coming from.
The closer they got, the louder the noise was. The two women crept up to the front door.
"What's that?!" Nikki screeched
There was a tall dark shadow figure, that could be seen moving in the windows. The front door had two big windows either side, frosted, but you could still make out shadows. Lorraine went to turn the door handle.
"Lorraine, what if it's a burglar" Nikki's face now white as she gulped on her own saliva.
"Don't be stupid, it's probably nothing" Lorraine turned the knob and opened the door quickly.
"Oi!" Lorraine shouted, but the person dressed in all black ran away, neither of the women could make out their face.
"What the...?" Nikki scratched her head and held onto Lorraine once again.
"Look, whoever that was they're gone now, so lets just not worry and carry on with our evening. My Chinese is getting cold" it was as if Lorraine was oblivious to what the two had just witnessed. They both returned to the living room, Nikki petrified still.
"Before we go to bed, I will check to see if anything has gone. They probably thought, big house; nice things" Lorraine sat to carry on eating, the fact someone had been to her house, didn't seem to phase her.
Lorraine checked everywhere, Brooklyn was still asleep and Nikki waited downstairs. It look her a little while to look, as Lorraine had a pretty big house.
"Nothing has been taken" Lorraine told Nikki.
"What the hell did they want then?!" Nikki concerned, what would someone be doing at Lorraine's?
It was soon the next day, Lorraine and Nikki had woken up at the usual time. Lorraine had made them both coffee after a nice swim in her pool. The two weren't intimate the night before, just cuddles and kisses. Nikki still had last night on her mind, who would be creeping around outside Lorraine's? The thought still scared her.
Lorraine passed Nikki her coffee.
"Hey, what's wrong. You look pale" Lorraine asked
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. After this cup of coffee, I should be as right as rain" Nikki quavered, her tone filled with uncertainty.
"I better get Brooklyn up" Lorraine pulled herself up off of the chair that sat in her kitchen and made her way upstairs. Lorraine got to the room where Brooklyn was sleeping, she opened the door, but there was no one there. The room was empty and the bed had been made, it looked as though nobody had been there.
"Everybody can't wait to get away from me" Lorraine huffed to herself.
Nikki called up to Lorraine as it was time to leave for Waterloo Road.
Lorraine got downstairs, Nikki expecting a smile to be on Lorraine's face, but just a sadness danced across.
"Is she up?" Nikki asked
"She's not there, she probably decided to leg it instead of facing us" Lorraine moved her body towards the front door, her hands shook for no reason and avoided every chance of eye contact with Nikki. Her nerves twitched in her eyelid, cold sweat appeared on her hands. Lorraine had always suffered with anxiety, but she pushed it aside most of the time; part of the reason she keeps relationships with anyone at bay. The cold sweat stuck to the door handle, then it reminded Lorraine.