Kemi: Oakhill Grammar. Hate it there. Stuck up cows! You?
Liv: I don't go to school
Kemi: Sweet! How'd you score that?
Liv: I mean here in England. I normally go to school in LA
Kemi: You're American?
Liv: Yep
Kemi: What are you doing here?
Liv: Visiting my mum
Kemi: You don't live with your mum?
…
Kemi: You live with your dad?
…
Kemi: You there?
Liv: Sorry
Liv: Hard to explain
Kemi: Spill
Liv: I live with my mum in LA
Liv: My adopted mum
Liv: Bio mum lives here in Manchester
Liv: Found out a couple of weeks ago
Kemi: Found out what?
Liv: That I'm adopted
Kemi: Wow
Kemi: That's deep
Liv: It's cool
Liv: My mums are best friends since forever
Kemi: You already knew her?
Liv: All my life
Kemi: You get on with her?
Liv: Yeah
Liv: She's great
"Liv!" Carla called out from the kitchen where she was stirring a pot of spaghetti noodles in boiling water, "go wash your hands, tea's ready soon."
"Mmmkay," Olivia muttered her reply from where she was slouched on the sofa.
Liv: Gotta go soon
Kemi: Why
Liv: Tea's almost ready
Kemi: What you having?
Liv: Spaghetti
Liv: Only thing mum can cook
Kemi: Spaghetti every night lol
Liv: It's cool step dad cooks most of the time
Kemi: What's he like?
Liv: He's cool
Liv: He's actually really nice to me
Kemi: Did he know?
Liv: ?
Kemi: About you
Kemi: Before a couple of weeks ago
Liv: Ha ha! NO
Liv: He was SHOCKED!
Kemi: He was mad?
Liv: No
Liv: Surprised
Liv: Mum's step mum to his kid so he can't really kick off about me
Kemi: Guess not
…
Kemi: What do you do during the day?
Kemi: If you're not at school
Liv: Not much
Kemi: Does everyone work?
Kemi: Your mum and step dad
Liv: Yeah
Kemi: What do they do?
Liv: Peter works downstairs at the cab office
Kemi: Peter? That's your step dad?
Liv: Yep
Kemi: Your mum?
Liv: She's in fashion
Kemi: Cool
Kemi: Designer?
Liv: Kind of
Liv: She's the big boss
Kemi: Brand?
Liv: Underworld
Kemi: Sounds like the mafia
Liv: They make underwear
Liv: Underworld
Liv: Underwear
Liv: Get it?
Kemi: Your mum makes pants?
Liv: No it's fancy stuff
Liv: Bras and knickers you know
Kemi: Cool
Kemi: Your dad?
Kemi: Real dad
Liv: He's dead
Kemi: Sorry
Liv: Thanks
"What's this?" Simon asked, snatching the phone out of Olivia's hands and falling back onto the sofa. "Who are you talking to?"
But before Simon could read any of the messages, Olivia launched herself at him, desperate to regain possession of her phone by whatever means possible.
"That's mine!" she screeched, grasping at the phone that Simon was now holding as far away from her as he could, amused by her, what he considered to be, overreaction. "Give it back!"
"Is it your boyfriend?" he teased her.
"Simon!" she beat at his arms with her fists. "SI! MON!"
"What's going on here?" Peter quickly strode to the living room and, grabbing Olivia's arm, gently pulled her off Simon.
"Si's got my phone and he won't give it back!" the words tumbled out of Olivia's mouth in a stream of righteous anger.
"Go on, give it back," Peter ordered his son.
"Fine," Simon agreed sullenly, adding cheekily as he handed the phone over, "I just wanted to see what she was saying to her boyfriend."
"Boyfriend?" Carla asked curiously, now joining the group in the living room. "Who's boyfriend?"
"Olivia's boyfriend," Simon declared with a grin.
"It's not my boyfriend!" Olivia cried indignantly, swatting Simon's arm to shut him up.
"Who is it then?" Carla asked, her curiosity now aroused. "Who are you talking to?"
"It's no one," she began her defence weakly.
"You're talking to no one? Really?"
"Yes."
"Give me your phone."
"No!" Olivia refused, panicking at the thought of her private messages being read. "Why?"
"I want to see what this no one has to say," Carla explained with an exaggerated shrug, "unless you want to tell me who this no one is? Hmm?"
"It's just this girl I met on this app."
"What app?"
"It's just for talking. To make friends here."
"Go on."
"What?"
"Tell me about your new friend. What's her name?"
"Kemi."
"How old is she?"
"About my age."
"About your age?"
"Like a year older."
"And where does this slightly older friend live?"
"She lives around here somewhere, she goes to Oakhill, you know, that snobby school."
"I don't know about this," Carla said, glancing with concern at Peter, "she could be anyone. You don't know who you're meeting on the internet."
"It's the same as if I met her at school!"
"Carla," Simon interjected.
"Not now, Si."
"Umm, I think now," he said, a little more urgently this time, nodding to the kitchen, "your pasta."
"Dammit!" Carla cried, immediately rushing back to the kitchen where her spaghetti was now boiling over onto the stovetop. "We'll finish this later, Liv. Now wash your hands, I asked you five minutes ago!"
Olivia didn't waste any time; with phone in hand, she rushed to the bathroom to carry out orders. But first she had to let Kemi know.
Liv: Have to go, tea's ready
Kemi: Wait
Kemi: You wanna hang out?
Liv: When?
Kemi: Tomorrow
Kemi: After school
Liv: Ok