‘You’re not old! Or boring.’
‘That’s sweet of you to say. But anyway, at school I was pretty popular. Everybody wanted to be my friend.’ This is a blatant lie. But if I had my time again, I know without a doubt I would be the most popular girl at school. Everyone would love and fear me.
‘I wish I was popular,’ Eva says, slumping over her test paper.
‘I’m sure you are.’
Eva’s mouth turns down and her eyes brighten with unshed tears.
‘What’s the matter, Eva? You know you can tell me anything. I’m here for you like a best friend or a second mum.’ I know adding that last bit was somewhat of a risk, but Eva doesn’t seem to mind.
‘It’s just, Lauren and Emily are always saying mean stuff to me.’
‘Did you tell your mum about them?’
‘Yes. She just told me to play with someone else. But it’s not like that. If they want to be mean to you, then they just follow you around.’
‘I know,’ I say, sticking out my lower lip in a sympathetic pout. ‘They just won’t leave you alone, will they? It’s not fair.’
‘Yeah. It’s not. I hate them.’
‘Maybe that’s your problem,’ I say, as if I’ve only just thought of it.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, maybe instead of hating them, you should be more like them.’
‘But they’re mean.’
‘I’m not saying you should be mean, I’m just saying that if you want them to like you, you should do what they’re doing, but you should do it much better, with more style and confidence.’ I flash my eyes and flick my hair dramatically. Then I laugh to get Eva to cheer up.
The girl gives a grudging smile. ‘I don’t know how to do all that.’
‘Don’t worry. I’ll teach you.’
Eva picks up her pen and starts twirling it through her fingers.
‘Don’t you believe me?’ I ask gently.
Eva shrugs. But I persist. I’m dropping little seeds here and there which will eventually sprout fruit. Fruit that will hopefully prove to be highly toxic.
‘If you do what I tell you, pretty soon you’ll be the most popular girl in the school.’
Eva looks up at me, her eyes tinged with doubt. ‘Really?’
I reach across the table and link my little finger with Eva’s. ‘Pinky promise.’
Twenty-Eight
Putting on the back of my earring as I walk down the stairs, I think about how things have changed over the past ten days. It’s parents’ evening tonight, and if we didn’t have Sadie, I would have been racing around yelling at everyone to get ready, while not even having attempted to get ready myself. Instead, I got home from work to find Sadie cooking dinner while the girls were playing in the lounge without TV or devices – which is a miracle in itself. Although maybe I spoke too soon, because I can hear raised voices coming from behind the living-room door.
‘But I look more like her, so it should be me,’ Eva cries.
‘No you don’t. And anyway, we’re supposed to take turns.’
I push open the door and go in to see both girls standing in the centre of the room, scowling at one another.
‘What’s going on in here?’ I ask.
