Laura had managed to get home without raising any suspicion and had gone to her room willingly. She lay on her bed and wondered what her mother was doing right now. Without her realising, tears started trickling down her face. She missed her mother, more than she thought she would.

The next day at school Connie had asked her if anything was wrong so many times she had plastered a fake look of cheerfulness on her face which was convincing enough to deter anymore questions or maybe it was just obvious enough for Connie to realise she didn't want to talk about it. Whichever was the case hadn't mattered in the end as Laura found the more she had forced herself to smile, the better she had felt.

"Hello beautiful," Ace said as he greeted her that afternoon, dropping his cigarette to give her a one armed hug, his other hand occupied by a bottle of beer.

"Want a ride?" he asked.

"I dunno, if Mrs Morris sees you she might snap," she sighed, "I don't want to get into an argument again."

"Jesus Christ Laura. Don't let that stupid bitch tell you off, she's not your mother," Ace said exasperatedly. "I've been meaning to have a word with her anyway," he said starting to fire up.

"I just want to go home," Laura said tiredly, moving his arm over her shoulders and kissing him lightly. "You shaved," she noticed, rubbing the much smoother surface of his cheek.

"Yeah you like it," he asked with amusement.

She shrugged, "looks good both ways," she decided.

"Is that right," he smirked leaning down to kiss her again.

"I better get going," she said resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'll drive you," he said.

"But..."

"I'll stop a bit up the road from your house so she doesn't see me," he said as he opened the passenger side door.

"Okay," she agreed.

They got in the car and made their way over. When the car stopped Laura turned to open the door but Ace grabbed her arm and pulled her around to kiss him.

"We have a few minutes if she thinks you're walking," he pointed out before reclaiming her mouth.

It wasn't long before Laura found herself straddled over Ace's lap and in very great danger of ending up in an even more compromising position.

"I have to go," she reminded him.

"Not yet," he mumbled moving her hair over one of her shoulders so he could kiss her neck.

She pulled away from him and looked him face on.

"Tomorrow's Friday," she reminded him, "My Mom will be back then. Come to dinner and we can go out afterwards. I'll stay with you all night if you want me to," she said dropping her voice to a whisper.

Ace sighed in frustration.

"Okay doll," he said lifting her off his lap.

"Bye," she said leaning over to kiss him quickly before she exited the car.

She watched Ace speed away before turning to finish the much shorter walk to her house.

With nothing else to occupy his afternoon Ace decided to drop into his Uncle's Junk Shop.

"Hey boy, I was hoping you'd stop in," Reg greeted him through a cloud of cigarette smoke.

"Yeah I just wanted to see if you wanted me to hold onto anymore of your 'goods'."

"Don't worry about that anymore, I got something better in mind," Reg said elusively. "I'll pay you more," he added adding some extra incentive.

"What is it," Ace said, knowing his Uncle it could be anything.

"I have a man who does deliveries," he explained very quickly, "only not everything he starts with ends up at it's destination," he smiled grotesquely.

"So?" Ace asked hoping this wouldn't take any more explanation that would leave him open to his Uncle's witticisms.

"I just want you to meet him and pick up the stuff," Reg finished simply.

"You don't need me to hold on to it for you?"

"Know I have that sorted just bring it back here."

"When?"

"Tomorrow night," Reg said, looking around for some sort of schedule.

"I'm busy," Ace said bitterly.

"Well get yourself unbusy," Reg said unconcerned. "I'll give you the spare set of keys just leave the stuff at the front of the store, I'll sort it out later."

"Fine," Ace said leaning forward to grab them.