Nita

I pulled back the sleeve of my coat to look at the time on my watch again before pulling my coat around me tighter trying to protect myself from the bitter February weather. She was late, but she was coming; she'd promised.

I stood on the corner of the high street outside McDonalds. The smell of the food was making my tummy rumble. Hurry up! Trying to pass the time I watched people going about their lives. There were some girls from the year above me at school in the hairdressers across from McDonalds. They were larking around and reading magazines. It was common knowledge that the salon was owned by the Joley twin's mum and they hung around in there most days after school and weekends with their mates.

I checked my watch again, quarter to five. Where is she she's forty-five minuets late? She's not coming. She's chickened out. She was too scared to leave him. Up until last night she was too scared to talk. It was too soon I should have known that she wouldn't go through with it. I thought she'd stayed with him all these years for me but the whole time she was just too afraid to leave. Maybe it was all too fast for her. She is going to leave, she promised she would. Maybe she just needed more time, to think, to plan, to get money and a place to stay, somewhere to go when we finally did go. That was it, it was more sensible than just running away with nothing but a couple of bags. I had to go home act normal and we would leave soon just not now when we had no money and nowhere to go.

I sighed and took one last look down the high street before turning and pushing the door open to McDonalds. I was at Amy's house for tea so I had a couple of hours to kill before I could go home. I pushed my tray onto an empty table before sliding into the plastic seat. I had this horrible feeling that something wasn't right. What if dad had caught mum trying to leave? What if that was the reason she hadn't come because he had done something to her to teach her a lesson for trying to leave. Would he know that I was going to go with her would he be waiting for me when I went home? I was panicking slightly, she had promised but then again she'd made a lot of promises to me over the years and not kept them. It probably wasn't her fault that she didn't but it didn't change the fact that they were broken. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised that she hadn't turned up. She wouldn't be leaving if I hadn't asked her to. She might not even want to leave. No she had to want to leave, to get away. She couldn't want to stay, not after what he's done.

"Nita." My name woke me from my thoughts and I looked up to see who had called it.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Emily asked as she and Jay approached me.

"Eating." I was being rude but I didn't care. I had more on my mind, I wanted to go home and check if mum was alright.

"Alone?" Jay asked even though it was obvious that I was.

"Yer," I used my hands to jester around me asking them do you see anyone else.

"Do you mind if we join you." Emily asked taking the seat opposite from me. I shrugged, she'd already say down I couldn't really say no now. Jay left Emily and I and went to order.

"How's you mum?" She was just being kind but I really wasn't in the mood. We were meant to have gone and be far away from here but here I was waiting to be able to go home not knowing what to expect when I got there.

"Fine." I replied not looking up from my food.

"How are you?" She asked gently resting her hands on top of mine on the table.

"Fantastic," the sarcasm was strong in my voice and I pulled my hand out from under hers, "everything's fantastic."

"Nita."

"I'm sorry," I butted in, "I just didn't want to be at home." I shrugged my shoulders and looked back down into my food.

"Is it that bad?" I shrugged again not trusting myself to answer.

"Nita your mum will get better it's just a matter of time."

"I know; it's not that, its," I paused wondering if I could really tell her but she spoke first.

"Your grandma; I know that she's difficult but your dad needs her. He's trying to be strong for you and your mum but he's hurting as much as you are and he needs someone to look after him too." That would be a no, she'd already brought into dad's absurd stories just like everyone else, was there anyone who didn't believe him?

After that Jay came back with their food. Jay and Emily spent most of the time talking about the hospital and I sat opposite them listening to them and thinking what a cute couple they would make. Are they a couple? They looked like it but nobody had said anything about them going out. I'd heard that people thought that they would be well suited and I had to agree. They seemed so comfortable with each other and at ease and comparing them to mum and dad just made them seem even more perfect together and taint mum and dad even more.

"Right then shall we drop you home Nita?" Jay asked while pulling his jacket on.

"No, its ok I'll walk it's not far."

"It's freezing out," Emily said trying to make me accept their offer.

"I'll be fine," I said stopping myself from adding I'm not a baby.

"No we insist, it's on our way." Jay spoke firmly and I knew that I would be getting a lift whether I wanted one or not.

"Ok, I'm just going to the loo." They both eyed me cautiously as I made my way through McDonalds to the back where the toilets were. Heaven forbid I would actually need the loo.

Emily

As we pulled onto Kirsty's drive Nita rattled around on the back seat searching for her keys. She found them and pulled them out of her bag but when she looked up she looked scared and nervous.

"You ok?" I questioned wondering why she seemed so agitated.

"Yer." She shrugged it of quickly before quickly getting out of the car and making her way up the front stairs towards the front door. I looked at Jay before following her.

"I'm home," Nita called out into the quite house, "Emily and Jay are here too." For a moment we stood in the hall as if waiting for a reply and when one didn't come she lead us into the kitchen. We were sat around the kitchen table while she made coffees and gave them to us and then watched as she fumbled around looking for the biscuits we said we didn't want. Eventually she found them, platted them and placed them in front of us on the table.

"Thanks," Jay and I said in unison causing us to smile at each other.

"I'll be right back," Nita said before practically running out of the kitchen closing the door behind her. The door to the living room was closed when we passed it and now I thought of Kirsty sat in there alone. Nita returned not even a minuet later with seemingly on reason as to why she left.

"Did you want to see mum?"

Picking up our coffee's we followed her into the lounge. The first thing I noticed was the new bruise on Kirsty's cheek but otherwise she looked ok.

"How did that happen?" Jay questioned.

"I don't know, it happened a couple of days ago. Tess has seen it. She still won't speak though. You're going to section her now aren't you," Tears welled in her eyes but she didn't let them fall, "I heard you talking about her, just tell me the truth."

"Nita," I stepped closer to her, "your mum can't carry on like this and we can't let her. Sectioning her is a last resort but we will have to do it if she doesn't start talking or communicating with us." I was suddenly aware that Kirsty was still in the room with us but still she didn't batter an eye lid. Maybe she couldn't hear us maybe she was that detached from what was going on around her. I stepped forwards again and wrapped my arms around Nita.

"I'm sorry but there's nothing more we can do." Nita still didn't cry she just held me back. Jay joined the hug wrapping his arms around both of us.

Thank you to anyone who's reviewed. It's great to hear your thoughts and suggestions. Next chapter is what happened when Warren found Kirsty!