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At the bottom of the hill the hulk of St Petroc’s church stood formidable against the black sky. Kate took a left at the church, feeling warmth return to her body as she pushed herself onwards uphill. This area of town felt a world away from the closely packed terraces of her own street. Here, the houses were mostly detached, a mix of old and new sharing a common thread of money.

Light glowed from behind curtains and smoke rose from chimneys. Kate paused at each driveway, searching for Bob’s car with no success. At the top of the hill Kate paused to catch her breath. The view would be magnificent on a clear day, but as Kate looked across the town, even the omnipresent Beacon monument was hidden by low hanging cloud.

Kate retraced her steps, turning onto a smaller lane half way down the hill. She passed four houses before spotting Bob’s car, parked beside a Mercedes on a large gravel driveway. Kate stood beside a tall hedge questioning the wisdom of turning up unannounced. The faded grandeur of the house made her feel small and insignificant. She wasn’t made for places like this. Where her thin terrace felt homely, this house felt cold and unwelcoming. A light was on downstairs, but most of the windows were dark.

Kate thought of her gun loving guests and remembered not to judge a book by its cover. Perhaps Bob and his parents were in the back of the house. Maybe the smell of freshly baked cakes filled the rooms. Looking at the building in front of her, Kate struggled to imagine such a homely scene.

With a deep breath, Kate crunched across the driveway and hit a metal knocker three times. She heard muffled voices coming from the house, but no one came to let her in. She tried again, tapping out a jaunty rhythm so they’d know their surprise caller was a friend. The muffled voices grew in volume and Kate felt sure she heard a scream.

She knocked again, then noticing a rusty bell hanging from the door frame, pulled its metal chord. The door opened with such force Kate jumped back. Bob stood staring at her, a tissue hanging from his nose, his eye various shades of purple.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

Kate took another step back. Despite his words, his voice was quiet, as though he wanted to be angry but couldn’t quite muster the energy.

“Sorry for just turning up. I was worried about you.”

“Worried about me? Why?”

“Um…because you haven’t wanted to chat or meet up.” Her words sounded ridiculous even to her own ears. It was only a week since she’d last seen him. Was she really so needy she couldn’t leave him in peace?

“I said I’d speak to you soon.”

“Yes, I know. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come.”

“How did you know where I lived?”

“I figured it out from a few things you said.”

“If I wanted you to know where I lived, I would have told you my address.”

“Sorry.”

“I’d like you to leave please. I’ll call you.”

Kate flinched as the door slammed in her face. Anger seeped through the shock as she considered how he would feel if he received that kind of welcome at her door. Kate stepped forward and knocked again. No one answered. She continued knocking and knocking until she heard heavy footsteps pounding along the hallway.

“Why can’t you just leave me alone?” Blood had escaped Bob’s tissue and was dripping on his shirt.

“I’m worried about you. Why won’t you tell me what’s going on? Why don’t you want to answer my calls?”

“This is all about you isn’t it?” Bob’s voice was no longer quiet, growing louder with every word. “I tried to help you when you first got here, tried to help you get a bit of independence, but no. You can’t even manage by yourself for a week. A WEEK! I’m not a babysitting service.” He slammed the door once more and this time Kate didn’t try knocking. She turned from the house and ran all the way down the hill until she reached the church. She found the ruins of a chapel in its grounds, and sat against its walls, her tears mingling with the rain that streamed down her face.

Kate pulled out her phone and dialled Maddie’s number.This is Maddie Price, sorry I can’t get to the phone right now…Kate hung up and tried again.Please leave a message after the beeeeep. Maddie’s chuckle made Kate long for her friend. Her tears intensified as she scrolled up to Alex’s number. Her finger hovered over the call button. No, she didn’t want to talk to him. The realisation shook her. Why didn’t she want to speak to him, weren’t they supposed to be trying to rebuild their relationship?

Kate looked down at the puddle forming around her. Alex should be the first person she’d wanted to call. She thought back to when her mum died. He’d been great then, hadn’t he? In her mind, she went back to that time. She remembered Maddie bringing round meals to heat up, even though Maddie hated cooking. Then there was that time Maddie had stayed up all night listening to Kate crying over Mum. Why wasn’t Alex there? Oh yes, he had an essay deadline looming.So had Maddie,said a little voice in her head. Then there was graduation. She’d gone along to support Alex, but he was having a boys’ night out to celebrate and Kate hadn’t been invited. But Maddie had organised a tea party and mock graduation, telling everyone who would listen that Kate would be graduating with a first as soon as she was back on her feet. She even bought Kate a cap and gown so she didn’t feel left out.

Kate scrambled to her feet, the memories leaving her dazed and unsteady. She staggered her way up the hill past closed shops, the occasional drunk lurking in a doorway and presuming she was a kindred spirit. Gasping for breath, Kate collapsed against the door of Joy’s house. She had always been curious to go inside, having only ever waited on the doorstep, but right now Kate didn’t care what it looked like, just that her friend was home.

Joy answered on Kate’s second knock.

“Oh my goodness, girl, what’s happened to you?”

“Everything’s a mess,” said Kate, wiping her nose on the sleeve of her waterproof jacket.

“Right, dear, come in, but take those wet things off first, will you? They’ll leave a lake on the floor.”

Kate stood in the lobby, peeling off her wet clothes. Joy appeared with a towel and began patting down Kate’s hair. “No one’s dried my hair since I was a little girl,” said Kate, tears falling uncontrollably. Joy mopped them up with the towel. “Mum used to do that when I got out of the bath. It was one of the few times I felt I had a proper mum.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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