Page 30 of One Step Behind

‘Hello, Sophie. Sorry to drag you away from your lunchtime play,’ Mrs Noakes says.

‘It’s fine.’ Sophie isn’t used to teachers apologizing. It’s normally Sophie who has to say sorry all of the time.

‘I’ve come to help too, Mrs Noakes,’ Laura trills with a big smile that makes Sophie’s insides tighten.

‘That’s very thoughtful of you,’ Mrs Noakes says, giving Sophie a kind look. ‘But I think Sophie can handle this on her own, don’t you? Now off you go and play. Sophie will be out in a little while.’

Laura sticks out her bottom lip in the babyish way she always does, but she turns and runs off.

‘Thank you,’ Sophie whispers to Mrs Noakes.

‘You’re a good girl to look after your brother,’ Mrs Noakes says, laying a hand on Sophie’s shoulder and guiding her into the boys’ cloakroom.

Sophie has never been in here before. It’s painted a dull blue and smells funny, like the bottom of the laundry basket. She can hear Matthew crying. Hesounds like Lady inLady and the Trampwhen she’s left in the kitchen by herself.

‘I just thought you might have a little luck getting Matthew to open the door for us,’ Mrs Noakes says, ‘before we call your mum.’ She runs her hand through her short hair and lets it flop back into place. Sophie’s dad calls Mrs Noakes a born-again hippy, but Sophie isn’t sure what that means. Maybe it’s something to do with the brightly coloured clothes Mrs Noakes always wears.

‘I can do it.’ She hopes.

Sophie has to fix this. After the time he climbed the fence, she promised her mum she’d try harder to look after Matthew at school, and most of the time she does, but she also loves the monkey bars and Matthew is too young to go on the climbing frame with her.

The thought of her mum’s disappointment makes Sophie feel sick.

Sophie knocks on the toilet door. ‘Matthew, it’s me, Sophie,’ she says, even though she’s sure he heard her talking to Mrs Noakes.

The whimpers soften and Mrs Noakes gives a big smile before backing away and leaving her alone.

‘The bell’s going to go in five minutes,’ Sophie says. ‘Don’t you want to come outside and play with me? We can play hide and seek or pretend to be Power Rangers. You like doing that.’

Silence.

She inches closer to the door and pokes her foot underneath so Matthew can see it. ‘Aren’t you going to say something?’

Another whimper.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘I want Mummy,’ he whispers, before unleashing another round of sobs.

‘Mummy’s at work,’ Sophie says. ‘She’s going to pick us up from Nan’s house later.’

‘I … I want her now.’

‘Has someone been mean to you?’

Silence.

‘Mummy can’t leave work all the time, Matthew. She’ll get fired.’ Sophie isn’t sure what fired means, but judging by the argument her mum and dad had last week, it’s bad. Sophie’s mum takes a lot of time off work already for Matthew’s speech therapy sessions. She has to work late on Tuesdays and Thursdays to make up the hours.

‘Come on, Matthew.’

There’s another silence, followed by the shuffle of feet and the sound of the lock sliding to one side.

She waits for the door to open, but when it doesn’t Sophie pushes her way in, feeling suddenly cross at Matthew for the break time she’s missed and the letter home that will cause another fight between her mum and dad. Her dad will storm off to the pub and her mum will spend the evening in tears, and Sophie and Matthew won’t be allowed to watch TV.

She puts her hands on her hips, about to say something sharp, when Matthew launches himself at her, wrapping his arms around her and crying into her waist.

‘How’s everything in here?’ comes Mrs Noakes’s voice. ‘It’s almost time for afternoon registration.’