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right, Tampax. Where’s your mate?’ Mark Potter asked her.

      ‘Can you get out of my way, please?’ Tammy replied, glaring at the grinning buffoons.

      ‘Tell Steph that I will go out with her, but only if she sucks me dick first,’ Wayne said, laughing.

      ‘Steph is worth a thousand of you, Jacko. Now get out my way before I grass you up to Mr Jones.’

      Pushing past the lads, Tammy heard one of them refer to her as ginger minge. Furious that it was because of their idiocy that she and Steph had fallen out, Tammy turned around to face them again. ‘You think you’re so cool and hard, don’t ya? Well you ain’t. All three of you are complete knob-ends and you seriously need to grow up.’

      Thrilled that she’d had the bottle to stand up to her and Steph’s tormentors, Tammy ran towards her friend’s house with a smile on her face.

      ‘Steph, go round the shops and get me a carton of single cream. Lin’ll be home soon and I’m cooking her her favourite,’ Pam shouted up the stairs. She had rang the doctor’s earlier to check that Steph had been to see him and, even though she had, Pam was still positive there was nothing physically wrong with her daughter.

      Stephanie stomped down the stairs. ‘But I thought Lin’s favourite was chicken soup,’ she said, sulkily.

      ‘It is.’

      ‘What do you need cream for then?’

      Sick of the stroppy tone in her daughter’s voice, Pam couldn’t help but lose it as she handed her a fifty-pence piece. ‘Because I put the cream in the bastard soup! I know there’s sod all wrong with you, so get your arse round them shops before I really lose me rag. Oh, and tomorrow you’re going back to school, like it or not, young lady.’

      When Stephanie slammed the front door, Pam set to work on peeling the King Edwards. Her home-made soup was more like a chicken stew and Linda loved a big dollop of buttery mashed potato with it. Pam was pleased that Linda was now having an extremely fulfilling social life. In Pam’s opinion her mother had always wrapped Linda in cotton wool and forbade her doing things that other women of her age liked to do. Since moving in with Pam, Linda’s life had evolved somewhat. She now had a job working in the local Butterkist popcorn factory, had made plenty of friends there, and was always out with her workmates. This weekend was only Linda’s second ever independent holiday. In April she had gone to a soul event in Caistor with her mates and this weekend had seen her trot off to Margate for a hen party.

      ‘Hang on a minute,’ Pam shouted, as she heard a loud banging on the door. She rinsed her hands under the tap, dried them on her apron and went to investigate.

      ‘Is Steph there?’ Tammy asked, nervously.

      Unlike Angela’s best friend, Chloe, who Pam had never really liked, Pam adored Tammy. ‘Go and sit in the lounge, darling, and I’ll make you a cuppa. She’s only popped round the shop for me – she won’t be long.’

      Scuttling back into the kitchen to put the kettle on, Pam smiled. Her Stephanie was a strong kid, a chip off the old block, and Pam was positive that once Steph made things up with Tammy, she’d be back to her old jolly self again.

      Walking down Broad Street, Stephanie had a strange feeling that she was being followed. She bent down to tie the lace of her trainer and furtively glanced behind her. She recognized the culprit immediately. It was the same lad she’d seen in Marlene’s front garden earlier.

      Grinning like a Cheshire cat, the boy broke into a jog and caught up with her. ‘Hello. Barry Franklin’s the name,’ he said, holding out his right hand.

      Stephanie felt her heart flutter as she stared into Barry’s handsome face. He was tall and broad with big brown doleful eyes and a killer smile. ‘I’m Steph. I’ve gotta go, me mum’s asked me to get her some cream,’ she mumbled, ignoring the handshake.

      ‘I’ll walk with you if you’re going to the shop. I saw you come out your house. Just moved in opposite, I have, which makes us neighbours.’

      Remembering her mum and Cath’s conversations about Marlene’s hectic sex life, Steph decided to dig for gossip. ‘Are you Marlene’s new boyfriend?’ she asked, seriously.

      Barry Franklin burst out laughing. ‘You’re having a giraffe, ain’t ya? Marlene’s me muvver.’

      ‘Tammy’s here to see you, love. She’s in the lounge,’ Pam whispered, as she ran to the front door to greet her eldest daughter.

      Stephanie handed her mum the carton of cream. She was secretly pleased that Tammy had made the effort to come round, but she didn’t want to show it. ‘Tell her to come up to me room,’ she said, casually.

      Thinking how much brighter her daughter looked since getting a bit of fresh air, Pam relayed the message.

      Tammy cautiously opened her friend’s bedroom door. She knew Angie wasn’t at home as she’d dashed in, got changed, and shot out again about five minutes ago.

      ‘I’m really sorry about the other day, Steph, but I swear I only told Jacko you wanted to go out with him because you lied and said it was me that fancied Potter.’

      Stephanie smiled. ‘And I’m sorry an’ all. Are we mates again?’

      Tammy hugged her friend and then told her how she had stood up for her and insulted Wayne and his mates.

      ‘I wish I’d have seen their faces when you called them knob-ends,’ Steph said, laughing.

      ‘Their faces were a picture, mate. I mean, everyone’s frightened of them ’cause they’re meant to be the hardest fighters in the school, ain’t they, but I showed ’em that we ain’t scared.’

      Steph nodded. ‘I’ve got some major goss for you an’ all. You know Wayne said he had a bird? You’ll never guess who it is.’

      Tammy reeled off half a dozen names then, sick of being kept in suspense, begged Steph to tell her who the unlucky girl was.

      ‘It’s Angie,’ Stephanie said.

      ‘Angie who?’

      ‘My sister, Angie.’

      ‘No! Never! She’s only just turned thirteen. Oh my God! What a pervert!’ Tammy exclaimed.

      ‘Apparently he don’t know her age and he don’t know she goes to our school. Can you imagine what a dickhead he’ll feel when he finds out she’s only in the second year?’ Stephanie said.

      ‘Where did she meet him? How long they been going out?’ Tammy asked, excitedly. This was the juiciest bit of gossip she had heard in ages.

      ‘I dunno. I felt a right div when she first told me, as you can imagine, but I’m over it now, so I’ll find out more tonight.’

      ‘I can’t wait until the whole school finds out Jacko is some noncey cradle snatcher. Talk about spoil his street cred. He is gonna well get the piss taken out of him when everyone finds out,’ Tammy said, grabbing Steph by the hands and forcing her to dance. ‘Jacko is a pervert, Jacko is a pervert, la la la la, la la la la,’ she sang to the tune of the Conga.

      Stephanie reluctantly joined in. She would have laughed her head off if Wayne had been dating any other thirteen-year-old girl, but seeing as it was her own flesh and blood, she couldn’t help but worry. Angela might be a stroppy little cow at times, but Steph would always love her dearly.

      Cath let herself into Pam’s house with her own key. Both women had front- and back-door keys to one another’s houses, therefore never bothered to knock.

      ‘And where’s that dirty stop-out?’ Cath shouted out.

      ‘She ain’t bleedin’ home yet. Rang me from a callbox, she did. Her and the girls are having a couple of drinks in the Trades Hall apparently. All right for some, ain’t it?’

      Cathy laughed. She liked

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