The bell for last lesson rang, and the pupils made their swift exit before the teacher could hand out homework for the weekend. Dynasty, Imogen, Connor and Kevin made their way to their lockers.
Connor looked to them as he put books away and took his bag out. "Dynasty if you don't wanna go back yet you can always come back to mine with us? If you think it'll be that bad.."
Dynasty shrugged. She'd remained quiet all lesson ever since Kacey had pulled her out at the start of the lesson to tell her their mum wasn't happy and would be having words. "After what I said earlier I don't think your mum would wanna see me..."
"Don't talk stupid she'll be fine, anyway shewon't be back yet." Connor looked to her. "Don't worry."
Imogen looked between the two and remained silent, putting her bag over her shoulder and made her way toward the doors.
The other three followed her.
Imogen looked as Connor joined her at one side, his arm going around her waist and Dynasty and Kevin joined her on her other side and the four of them walked toward Connor's home.
Dynasty looked as her phone went off and she stopped to read the message. She looked up to find them waiting for her. "I'll catch up. You go on."
Imogen shrugged and carried on walking, Connor followed while Kevin stayed where he was, waiting for her.
Connor looked to Imogen. "If you want, I can come back with you, tell her I'll be there for you." He spoke. "It would be a good time to tell her about us."
"Are you tryin' to kill her off? She'd have a heart attack if she found out about us being married AND have a baby on the way." Imogen looked up, wide-eyed. "To anyone else it would be perfect, and to me it is, but with mum it's..." she trailed off.
Connor tightened his hold around her, keeping her close. "You'll have to tell her eventually, I think she'd notice if you didn't come home for nine months." He joked.
Imogen giggled and lightly hit him in the side.
Connor smiled, glad he'd got her smiling. "Anyway... I get why you don't want anyone, especially your mum to know, but she has to. Both our parents need to know." He reasoned.
Imogen sighed and nodded. "Fine... but I'm not telling my dad. Don't give me that look, we don't get on at the best of times think about what would happen if I dropped that on him. He'd kick off at us both. Calling me whatever he can think of and demanding you step up."
Connor looked at her. "Okay, okay so we don't tell him." He spoke and looked behind him to Dynasty and Kevin. "D'you think she'll be okay?"
Imogen followed his gaze and she gave a small shrug. "I dunno... From what she was telling me it's like... she thinks her mum will throw her out if she knows she went to the police."
Connor shook his head. "After what happened?"
Imogen gave a nod. "You heard her. He'd be dealt with the Barry way. Any other person would do exactly what she did."
Dynasty looked up to see Kevin stood there. "Mum wants me back 'ome now...what if she knows? About me going to the police?"
Kevin closed the gap between them and held her hands in his. "I can always come with you. If you want me to."
She shook her head. "She'd only start puttin' the blame on you."
"She'd do that anyway. With Barry's help." Kevin stated.
"Just go back to the school-house. Or to Connor's. I'll be fine." She gave him her most convincing smile.
Kevin nodded, though he could tell she wasn't goingto be fine, looking at him with those sad blue eyes of hers.
She walked over to Connor and Imogen. "Mum said she needs me back. I'll catch up later?"
Imogen didn't look convinced. "Come find us if you need to yeah?"
Dynasty nodded and hugged her before walking in the opposite direction toward her home.
Kevin walked to the pair and the trio carried on to Connor's.
Dynasty turned in to her street and slowed her pace. The action didn't stop her from reaching her front door any slower
though. She took out her key to put in the lock but was shocked to find it already open. "Crap.." she muttered, pushing the door open, and walked inside, shutting the door behind her. "Mum?" She called, keeping her voice even.
"In the kitchen, love." Carol called back.
Dynasty put her key on the table and looked up as a floorboard creaked on the stairs, where she saw Kacey sat at the top.
"I'll be okay Munch." She said quietly before walking into the kitchen, shutting the door behind her.
Kacey knew she wouldn't be. 'Why do people think shutting a door conceals an argument?! It doesn't!' She thought and gave a frustrated sigh. Why couldn't she just have a family that stuck together without all the crime and wrongdoing?
Dynasty looked to see Barry by the back door, wearing the same expression as Kacey. A mixture of sympathy and fear and inner conflict. "What's goin' on?" She asked looking at her mother.
"I've had Steve-O's mum round 'ere. Shoutin' all the odds callin' you a liar." Carol told her.
"Well she would do wouldn't she?" Dynasty shrugged. "She was doin' that at school an' all."
Carol looked at her. "She also told me you'd gone and grassed him up to the police."
Dynasty looked, wide-eyed and glanced to Barry, who refused to look at her now.
"But I told her you wouldn't do such a thing. Then I asked Barry, and he wouldn't tell me."
Dynasty bit her lip. She had to think, and fast. If she admitted, she'd be thrown out, if she lied and got found out, she'd never be allowed back into the family again. But while she struggled with her inner torment something inside her clicked. Why should he still have a hold on her or her family.
"Yeah I did..." she spoke.
Carol looked taken aback. "What do you mean 'yeah you did'?"
"I wasn't gonna let him get away with it, and I knew if I told Barry all hell would break loose and we'd have someone else in our family banged up!"
"They wouldn't have known it was 'im would they. You know we don't involve the police in anything!"
"I already have my dad locked up for 10 more years for armed robbery! I didn't want me brother banged up for murder!" Dynasty snapped. "I wanted our family to stay together!"
Carol crossed the room in two steps and slapped her across the face. "Don't talk to me about keepimg this family together, lady, you have no idea. That school changed yer."
"Yeah maybe it did. But at least I wasn't made to feel I was in the wrong for doing the right thing. And like I was on my own."
"Get out. Go on get out of my house."
Dynasty looked to her big brother. The person who swore to protect her and Kacey. But all she was met with was a cold unfeeling stare. She hated that look. Too many horrible memories of their dad lashing out at them as kids were in that stare. "Fine." She spoke and turned and left the room. Her cheek should be stinging like hell, but with the adrenaline coursing through her veins she hardly noticed. She stormed upstairs, past Kacey who still hadn't moved from her spot and she stormed to her room, getting a bag from under her bed and started throwing her belongings inside.
She quickly grabbed her phone and sent a quick text to Imogen saying she needed to see her. There was no point worrying Kevin until she was out and safe. Her family may not know where Chalky's flat is, but they knew Kevin was at the school house, and they wouldn't look for her at Imogen's. She had just finished packing her bag when her phone sounded in her pocket. She looked and read the message; 'I'm over to see my mum, all's sorted but trying to get me to tell her who's it is, I can meet you if you want?' Dynasty quickly replied back saying; 'Yeah please, I'll explain all when I see youx' she she put her phone away. She looked up to see Kacey stood there.
"Please don't go, Dyn.." she pleaded.
"Mum wants me out cause I did the right thing for once so I'm goin'. You'll be fine." Dynasty told her, well aware she too was now in the cold unfeeling mentality like her brother. She picked up the bag and walked out, ignoring Kacey's pleas and she walked down the stairs and out the door, slamming it behind her. Only then, when the cold air slapped her in the face, did she gasp, the stinging feeling returning to her cheek and her eyes filled with tears. She made it to the end of the street, and the sobs that were building in her chest had finally escaped her. She really was on her own.
