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I took control of this situation before she could “Mum, we need to have a private chat”

Mike was parked up on their bed reading, but he got up and slunk out when the two of us appeared in the doorway

We sat down on Muers of outfits al us out of the roohter that day, not at school

It took her several seconds for the words to sink in, and then her eyes started looking very bright, her fingers quivering and co ht now I understand why you really didn’t want me to see him Why you made up that lie to make sure it wouldn’t happen”

Mum stiffened “What did he do to you?”

“Nothing,” I insisted, “Ithat went beyond basic creepiness, but it was enough for et the hint He’s…” I didn’t even knoords to use

I could tell from Mum’s face she understood, even more than I understood myself “I didn’t know, for years I kneas manipulative, of course I knew he could say absolutely anything if it would get him what he wanted I knew that some of what he wanted, in a—” She shook her head “You don’t need to know that The point is, our relationship… we had a lot of arguu up at least until they leftme, I told myself, and he was a hard worker, lots of potential”

I found , for some reason, what Steven’s potential would be He spent all that time around rich bastards like Lucas and it didn’t see with his life now his obvious route upwards was off the table But he still had this et out from under her shadow…

But I was thinking about Steven now because I didn’t want to think about what had to be co next

“Then one day, I found him alone with you…” She shook her head

“Mum, tell me what you saw”

“There’s no point in your knowing the details It won’t help you” I didn’t agree, but I could see she wouldn’t budge on that I had to be happy with as ht now “He came up with an explanation for what I saw, but suddenly I could see through all of it I realised there was so with his like that Any contact at all was going to leave you messed up”

“But you could have reported hiood! And you—”

“I didn’t have a whole lot of proof, Tamara He’s always been s him once, the man kno to make people love him I was just the woht scowling in the background of photos where he wasout for him”

It was really so like this I was so nervous I wanted to start giggling, but too nervous to do anything that ht make her not confide in me the way I needed