Page 155 of Good Girl, Bad Blood

‘We need to have a proper conversation about what’s going on with you, this weekend.’ Her mum’s eyes were stern, but her voice was trying not to be. ‘I know you’re under a lot of pressure, but we agreed that wouldn’t happen this time.’

‘No pressure, not any more,’ Pip said, the knot coming loose. ‘And I’m sorry about getting suspended.’ She wasn’t, not one bit. Ant deserved it, as far as she was concerned. But if that’s what her mum needed to hear to leave it alone, then lying it was. Her mum had the best intentions, Pip knew, but right now, those best intentions would only get in her way.

‘That’s OK, sweetie,’ she said. ‘I know the verdict must have hit you hard. And everything with Jamie Reynolds. Maybe it’s best if you stay in today, get some studying done. Some normality.’

‘OK, I’ll try.’

Pip waited, listening at her bedroom door to the sounds of her mum telling Joshua to put his shoes on the correct feet and ushering him outside. The car engine, wheels on the drive. She gave them a three-minute head start, and then she left.

Nat’s face appeared in the crack, her eyes swollen, white hair pushed back, broken up by visible finger tracks.

‘Oh, it’s you,’ she said, pulling the door fully open.

‘I got your message,’ Pip said, her chest constricting as she met Nat’s sad eyes.

‘Yeah.’ Nat stepped back. ‘You should, um, you should come in.’ She beckoned Pip over the threshold, before closing the door and leading them down the corridor to the kitchen. The furthest Pip had ever been invited inside this house.

Nat took a seat at the small kitchen table, gesturing for Pip to take the one opposite. She did, sitting awkwardly at its very edge. Waiting, the air thickening between them.

Nat cleared her throat, rubbed one eye. ‘My brother told me something this morning. He said Max Hastings’ house was vandalized last night, and someone paintedRapistacross his door.’

‘Oh . . . r-really?’ said Pip, swallowing hard.

‘Yeah. But, apparently, they don’t know who it was, don’t have any witnesses or anything.’

‘Oh, that’s a . . . that’s a shame,’ Pip coughed.

Nat looked pointedly at her, something different, something new in her eyes. And Pip knew that she knew.

Then something else happened; Nat reached out across the table and took Pip’s hand. Held on to it.

‘And I saw you uploaded that audio file,’ she said, her hand shifting around inside Pip’s. ‘You’re going to get in trouble for that, aren’t you?’

‘Probably,’ said Pip.

‘I know how that feels,’ Nat said. ‘That anger. Like you just want to set fire to the world and watch it burn.’

‘Something like that.’

Nat tightened her grip on Pip’s hand and then she let it go, drawing hers back flat against the table. ‘I think we’re quite alike, you and me. I didn’t before. I wanted to hate you so badly, I really did. I used to hate Andie Bell that much; for a while it felt like the only thing I had. And you know why I wanted to hate you so much? Apart from you being a pain in the arse.’ She tapped her fingers. ‘I listened to your podcast, and it made me not hate Andie quite so much any more. In fact, I felt sorry for her, so I hated you even harder instead. But I think I’ve been hating the wrong people all along.’ She sniffed with a tiny smile. ‘You’re OK,’ she said.

‘Thanks,’ Pip said, Nat’s smile passing to her and then out of the open window.

‘And you were right.’ Nat picked at her fingernails. ‘About Luke.’

‘Your boyfriend?’

‘Not any more. Not that he knows it yet.’ She laughed, but there was no joy in it.

‘What was I right about?’

‘What you noticed, when you asked where we were the night Jamie went missing. Luke said he was home all night, alone.’ She paused. ‘He was lying, you were right.’

‘Did you ask him where he was?’ said Pip.

‘No. Luke doesn’t like to be asked questions.’ Nat shifted in her chair. ‘But after Jamie never showed up and was ignoring my calls, I went over to Luke’s house to see him. He wasn’t there. And his car was gone.’

‘What time was this?’