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doesn’t stop talking about them lately. To be honest they give me the creeps – I don’t care how hot they are. Some of the boys reckon they’re dealing.’
     
    ‘Drugs?’ I blurted.
     
    ‘No Ron, candy floss.’ I could almost hear her rolling her eyes.
     
    ‘Right.’
     
    ‘What about them, anyway?’
     
    ‘Oh, nothing,’ I bit my lip.
     
    ‘Nothing, equals something.’
     
    I cringed. ‘Well, I met one of them the other day. His name’s Kalen.’
     
    ‘Ommigod!’ she exclaimed. ‘How? When? I want details!’
     
    ‘It’s no big deal, but–’ I heard Mae’s mother calling her again on the other end of the line.
     
    Mae sighed. ‘I have to go Ron, but this isn’t over. You got his last name?’
     
    ‘Yeah.’
     
    ‘Perfect, look him up on Facebook. Buzz me later okay?’
     
    ‘K, bye.’
     
    We hung up at the same time as I heard a car coming up the driveway. My mind was reeling as I peered outside. Rachel was back. The whole drug concept would have to wait – I guessed now was as good a time as any to tell her about the house, but she burst into the living room with a stormy expression that gave me second thoughts.
     
    ‘I’ve had the worst day!’
     
    ‘Wow, for a minute there, Rach, I thought you might take up all of mine.’
     
    ‘Don’t start with me, Ron, I am not in the mood. Look at my hair. The stylist completely used the wrong colour on my highlights.’
     
    Cloud ran to her mother and held her hands out. Rachel swiped her up and started cooing at her.
     
    ‘I think your hair looks nice,’ I said. It didn’t look any different to me.
     
    ‘Oh, what would you know, you’ve never even dyed your hair.’
     
    I took a deep breath so I wouldn’t say anything I’d regret. My sister was a brat, but arguing with her never got me anywhere. Rachel had been most affected by our mother leaving because she’d been a teenager at the time and was old enough to feel immense rejection and abandonment from it. I knew that’s why Dad had always let her run wild, while I had to behave myself and take care of the home. I expected it was also why, to this day, I still felt protective of her – she’d had it rougher than I did. The news that our inheritance was gone was not going to be welcome. It could wait until after Christmas at least.
     
    ‘By the way, did you give that boy back the money you owed him?’
     
    The question caught me by surprise. ‘Um, yeah, sort of.’
     
    ‘Sort of?’ she snapped, lifting her perfectly plucked eyebrows.
     
    ‘He wouldn’t take it.’
     
    ‘What does he want then?’
     
    ‘Nothing,’ I shrugged and sat back. ‘You staying here tonight?’
     
    ‘No, I’ll be at the flat, don’t change the subject either. He obviously wants something.’
     
    ‘What, because he bought me a hot chocolate? It wasn’t a marriage proposal, Rach.’
     
    She flashed me a sarcastic smile. ‘I don’t want you getting led astray, especially now I’m not here that much.’
     
    ‘You could always come round more often,’ I pointed out.
     
    ‘Oh don’t be selfish, Ronnie, I have a family to think about. Dad wouldn’t approve of you hanging out with them you know.’
     
    Hot anger boiled inside me at the mention of my father. I resisted the urge to tell her that she had no idea what Dad would approve of. Instead I said something I knew would get rid of her.
     
    ‘Speaking of Dad, can you help me get the Christmas decorations down from the loft?’
     
    Her eyes widened as she considered helping me do something that could get her dirty or potentially break a sweat. I smiled.
     
    ‘I would, but I have to go. Christmas is in a week. You’ll cook right? Just let me know what I need to bring.’ She hurried out.
     
    When she was gone I pulled out my laptop and waited for it to spring to life. I wasn’t as up-to-date as I should have been with Facebook. Dad had a strict rule of only one hour Internet per night, which for me was