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‘Do you ever wonder what he’s like? Where he is? If he had other kids?’

Dylan’s facedarkened. ‘I never think about him, just like he never thinks about us.’Kelly rolled over and propped herself up on her elbow. ‘Sometimes I wish he hadn’t abandoned us – that he’d stayed and supported Mum. Things could have been so different.’

Dylan turned his pillow over. ‘Who knows? They’d probably have split up and we’d have been with Mum anyway.’

He was right, Kelly thought. Still, she didn’tbelieve Dylan never thought about their dad. She knew he did – she’d seen him over the years, watching the other players on his team when a father ran over to hug his son after a big win, or walked off the pitch with an arm around his shoulders, laughing together. Dylan would get this look of longing on his face, which gave Kelly a pain in her stomach when she saw it. She knew how much he wantedthat too.

But then Lucy would rush over, hug him and tell him how wonderful he was, and if Billy could leave the shop, he’d be there to pat him on the back too. Dylan was surrounded by love, but having your dad there … He’d always missed that.

She’d missed it too. At her school plays, her mum would always be in the front row, cheering her on. But beside her, behind her and everywhere else, therewere mums and dads together. Dads taking time out from work, sitting in their suits and ties, filming their little darlings. Kelly saw their eyes shining with pride as they clapped and cheered. Fathers besotted with their daughters – ‘Daddy’s little princess’. It hurt like hell.

‘Don’t get back with Taylor, Dylan. I understand it’s hard for you, but she is a bad influence. I didn’t mind coveringfor you and lying about what time you came in, but I knew it would affect your football. Taylor’s a party girl. You can’t keep up with her and the late nights.’

‘I know,’ Dylan said. ‘But I really like her, and now the word’s got out that she’s available the guys are all over her.’ He was gritting his teeth.

‘It hasn’t even been a week. It’ll get easier. Things always do,’ Kelly lied. It hadbeen over two months and school had not got any easier for her. Every day felt like an eternity.

‘It feels like a year,’ Dylan muttered.

‘You’d better try to get some sleep – you have a big game tomorrow.’

‘Night, Kelly.’

‘Night, Dylan.’

She walked out of the room and said a silent prayer that Dylan would get over Taylor soon and concentrate on living up to their mother’s expectations ofthem.