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He turned and stalked out of the café, leaving the envelope on the table in front of Lucy.

Lucy felt adrenalin pumping through her veins. She had stood up to him. She had rattled him, too. Good. Let him have a few sleepless nights wondering if she’d had the abortion or not. Of course she was going to have it, but it wasnice to see him wrong-footed. What a bully. She felt sorry forTom, growing up with him as a father. Although, she thought angrily, that didn’t excuse him abandoning her.

The adrenalin soon drained out of her and Lucy felt really alone. Her hands were trembling as she put the envelope into her bag. She wanted to weep. She needed to talk to someone, to process what had just happened. She knewwhere she had to go.

Lucy hurried past the shop, hoping her father wouldn’t see her through the window, and ran up the road to Sarah’s house. Her mind was spinning. Tom had said he loved her but he wasn’t coming with her. Then again, he had promised to be there for her afterwards. She was feeling so many different emotions and couldn’t make sense of anything.

She went to the back door of Sarah’shouse and found her friend in the kitchen. She could see Sarah’s mum through the glass door. She was, as usual, plonked in front of the TV, watching soap operas.

Since Sarah’s dad had walked out all those years ago, Mrs Hannigan had become a very bitter woman. Between Sarah’s dad and Gabriel, Lucy felt incredibly lucky to have her lovely parents. Billy and Tina were worlds apart from Tom’s andSarah’s.

‘Oh, my God!’ Sarah exclaimed. ‘You look awful. What happened?’

‘Can we go to your room? I need to talk to you,’ Lucy said, fighting back tears.

Sarah ushered her upstairs and locked her bedroom door behind them. ‘Okay, tell me what’s happened.’

‘God, it’s a mess.’ Lucy collapsed onto the bed, crying. When she’d calmed down enough to talk, she filled Sarah in on the whole encounter.

‘What?’ Sarah was in shock. ‘He actually came in and threatened you and basically called you a slut? Oh, my God, what a psycho.’

‘It was awful, Sarah. He’s so intimidating. I was actually really scared.’

‘Yeah, but you stood up to him, which is more than Tom did.’

‘I know, but I kind of understand Tom more now. If I’d grown up with Gabriel as a dad, I might not stand up to him. He’s a bullyto the core. And Tom really did want to come with me.’ Lucy wanted to defend him. She wanted to think well of him, although it was hard right now.

‘So why doesn’t he?’ Sarah asked.

‘Well, when Tom told his dad, Gabriel totally freaked out and said he’d pay for me to have proper medical care because he wants to make sure I don’t die or get an infection, but he ordered Tom to stay at home. He’skind of locked him up since he found out. But Tom said he’d collect me from the airport when I get back.’

Sarah felt her blood boiling. Collect her from the airport? Big bloody deal. Was this guy for real? Sarah looked at Lucy, her lovely friend. Lucy, the strong, brilliant, determined one, the one who never put a foot wrong. The girl everyone in the neighbourhood knew as Lucy Murphy, the straight-Astudent. The Lucy Sarah was facing now looked shattered, frightened and alone. Sarah wanted to hunt Tom down and kill him.

She had to be honest with her friend. ‘Lucy, it’s not fair for you to go on your own. It’s not right. Tom should be with you.’ She thought he was a spineless git for saying he couldn’t go. What kind of bullshit excuse wasMy dad won’t let me?

Sarah knew that Darren wouldnever let her have an abortion on her own. He’d be there, holding her hand all the way. Darren was her rock. He’d never let her down. Lucy deserved better than this. But Sarah didn’t want to upset her friend any more than she already was.

Lucy began to cry again.

‘Look, Lucy, if he really can’t go, we’ll go without him.’

‘You’ll still come with me?’

‘Of course,’ Sarah said. ‘There’s no wayon earth I’d let you go through all that by yourself.’

‘Thank you so much,’ Lucy said, her voice shaky with relief.

‘But do you still want to do it? You told Gabriel you weren’t going to. Have you changed your mind?’

Lucy shook her head. ‘I was just angry with him and wanted to say no to him and piss him off. But I have to do it, Sarah. I mean, it’s the only way out, isn’t it?’

Sarah saidnothing. She watched her friend, trying to gauge her thoughts.

‘Yeah,’ Lucy said, nodding to herself. ‘We’ll go and just get it done.’

‘All right. So what are the arrangements, then?’ Sarah asked.

Lucy picked up her bag and took out Gabriel’s envelope. Even looking at it brought back an image of his glowering face and made her feel ill. She opened it and looked at the tickets.

‘Flight tomorrowat twelve forty-five,’ she said. ‘Can you get away without your mum going mad?’

‘Yeah, that won’t be a problem.’

Lucy looked at the brochure included with the tickets. ‘It’s a clinic in Marylebone Lane,’ she said, reading it. ‘Looks really nice. And the hotel is …’ she pulled out another piece of paper ‘… the Village Hotel. Looks very nice too.’ Her eyes welled. ‘I guess if I’m going to do it,I might as well do it in style. God, Sarah, I can’t believe this is happening.’ She broke down in tears.

Sarah pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly. If she ever she got her hands on that Tom, she’d tell him exactly what she thought of him.