I stop, stunned. ‘You mean, Scarlett? Scarlett wasdriving?’
‘Oh, was it Scarlett?’ she says. ‘I thought Holly was driving. It all happened so fast.’
I help Teri into the back seat of my car, my head pounding with fury. Then I straighten up and turn to Scarlett. ‘You weredriving? Was Holly in the car?’ I raise a hand and shake my head. ‘Don’t answer that. I don’t think I want to know. What the hell were you thinking, Scarlett?’ I say in bewilderment. ‘How could you be so irresponsible? How could you?’ I keep going, my voice rising with each word, vaguely aware that it’s the fear and anxiety over the last twenty-four hours that are bursting out of me, but I can’t help it. ‘For Christ’s sake! You’re not supposedto be driving without an adult present! You know that! Do you know what could have happened here? You could have—’ I was going to say ‘killed her’ but I catch myself.
But Scarlett isn’t looking at me – she’s looking at Holly. Only then do I realise that Holly doesn’t look well. In fact, she looks really very pale, tugging at her fingers, the way she does when she’s really, really upset.
I swallow. ‘Holly?’
She doesn’t reply, but her eyes fill with tears and her face is awash with fear.
And guilt.
‘Oh, God. No…’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘You have got to be kidding me.’
‘I’m sorry…’
I blink. ‘You were driving?’
‘We were just trying it out.’
‘Trying it out?’ I cry.
‘I’m sorry!’
‘Oh, my God.’
‘It’s fine,’ Teri says from the back of my car.
‘It’s not fine,’ I say, my mouth trembling. ‘Not at all! Not by any stretch of the imagination.’
‘I would really like to go home now,’ Teri says, making a face. She’s sitting at an angle, her leg half propped up. I glance at her ankle. It’s not swollen yet, but judging by the look of pain on her face, it wouldn’t surprise me if it blew up to the size of a small tree trunk.
‘I’ll drive you to the hospital,’ I say.
‘Kate, don’t. I just want to go home and put some ice on it.’
I turn to Scarlett. ‘Where are your parents?’
She wipes her eyes with her sleeve. ‘I didn’t call them.’
‘For goodness sake!’ I pull out my phone. My hand is shaking so much I almost drop it. ‘What’s your mother’s number?’
‘No, please, Mrs Price, don’t call my mum. She’ll be really angry.’
‘You think?’ I snap.
‘Kate, don’t,’ Teri says softly. ‘We don’t need to make a bigger deal than it already is.’
‘But it is a big deal!’ I cry. ‘It’s a very big deal! Do you have any idea what could have happened?’ I point at Holly. ‘She can’t drive!’
Teri looks at Holly.
‘I’m sorry…’ Holly says.
