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to go back to her room but I’m moved by her sadness.
    â€˜Okay, you can go,’ I call after her. Cassie turns back and looks at me in disbelief.
    She smiles like the little girl she once was and still struggles not to be.
    Her eyes are wide. ‘Really?’
    â€˜Yes really, but make sure you’re back bright and early to get on with your revision.’ She sighs again but she has to, it’s compulsory for teenagers. She’s still smiling though. I smile back.
    Maisy’s giving her a lift. Having recently passed her driving test Maisy wants to drive everyone everywhere – except me of course – which is great except I can’t extricate the driving instructor’s comments to me just before her test. “Maisy, or should I say, er, ummmm …” He paused and coughed at this point, his face reddening a little. “Maisy or Mania” he eventually continued, “is err, well … ahem … a slightly overconfident driver, who talks very little except to call other drivers expletive words”. I can feel myself worrying already.
    â€˜Please drive carefully Maisy,’ I plead. She looks at me, the regular, rhythmic movements of her jaw viciously chomping on the gum in her mouth.
    â€˜My name is
not
Maisy, its Mania’ she states, ‘and yeah, whatevs.’
    The girls, like a tumultuous cyclone, are gone as quickly as they came. I look across at Ruby. She is, thankfully, laughing.
    â€˜I’m sorry,’ I say again. ‘That was a shitty, thoughtless thing for me to say.’
    â€˜No, no, it wasn’t.’ She sighs. ‘And you’re right I don’t understand, I sometimes wish I did though.’

Chapter 4
    WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH
    CASSIE
    So bedroom, it’s just you, me, my books for revision, my laptop, my phone and Mum doesn’t know it but I’ve nabbed her iPad too. One more stupid exam to go then I’m free from this life of pain. I
was
nicely spread out across the kitchen table. I like it there coz the light’s good, and I can see if anyone comes to the door. But Mum said I had to move my crap – can’t believe she called my stuff crap – coz they are having friends round for a meal. It’s only Ruby and Andy for god sake and having them round for a meal basically means they’ll all eat too much, drink too much and laugh too loud.
    Arrrrgh it’s okay for them they don’t have any real stress in their lives. I mean really, how hard can it be working in a library? I mean basically it’s just,
    â€˜Can you help me find this book please?’ ‘Of course I can, here it is.’
    And Simple Simon’s job can’t be much harder; he works in IT or consulting or something. Andy and some other idiot own the company, so he just gets to sit in front of a computer all day. Although he does travel a lot, so he isn’t here much during the week thank god. Try doing eleven GCSE’s I say. Then you lot would know what hard work really is. Of course Mum loves to remind me that she did do it, so she does know – but that was like a trillion years ago and it doesn’t count coz it was easy for her.
    I’m only doing this for her anyway. She’s the one that keeps saying “
education is the key Cassie
.” The key to what? She’s got all the brains and no money and Dad is an idiot and has loads. Mum thinks she’s a prophet and Dad’s all about the profit. Ha that’s quite funny – for me.
    Dad’s always saying he doesn’t have any money though, says it’s all the Step-Monster Sharon’s money. Bell end. I know that’s a big lie. It’s just something you say Dad so you don’t have to pay for me and Connor. Knob head.
    I remember how excited I felt when you said you were moving to a new
bigger
house. You said there would be a bedroom each for me and Connor but as usual it was another lie. You got a huuuuggge bedroom