Halfway There // Liam O'donovan

09

(this chapter will be based off of Viva Carmen)

_MANDY_
•••
SWITCHING POVS
•••

"Fancy a kick- a- bout?" Liam asked me. I was sat on my phone and was quite bored. He was stood in the doorway of my room with his football in his hand, spinning it on his finger.

"Yeah, sure," I said, shoving my phone in my pocket and getting up, "I have netball in a bit though." The three of us jogged down the stairs and I stopped in my tracks when I saw her.

Dear old mummy.

There she stood.

A tall bi-racial woman with dreadlocks, she was skinnier than before, her veins popping out of her wrists and she had wrinkles. She was still wearing that dreadful, lilac (but has now turned black) fur coat and clutching that old Prada bag dad bought her 6 years ago. The meth sores on her hands were faded and the weed and alcohol smell no longer lingered on her.

"Hey, baby." She said to me. 'Baby'... she always called me that, so did dad. I hated it, now, though, seeing as I don't like this woman no more.

I breathed in deeply and kissed my teeth.

"Is that your mum?" Liam asked, looking between us and sensing the tension in the lobby. Even the care workers had their breaths sucked in.

"No. Thats not my mum. I don't know that woman." I said, "Footy?" I said, and chucked the ball to Liam.

Frank and Liam didn't say anything and just followed me into the garden. Frank went in goal. "What you moving out the way for?" I scoffed at Frank, who moved when I kicked it again. I went to grab the ball.

"Your kicking it too hard." said Frank.

"Well what do you want me to do? Roll it at you?"

"You alright, Evie?" Liam asked.

I kissed my teeth again, "I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"I said I'm fine, man, get off my back." I said, I dropped the ball and walked away. I decided to ignore Mandy's appearance and just went to practise.

•••
LIAM'S POV

After Evie walked off, Frank and I decided to leave her to cool off and we went into the living room to join in on the game of pool. "That was Evie's mum, wasn't it?" I asked Sapphire.

"Yep." Sapphire said and took her shot.

"Poor Evie." Tee said.

"Poor Evie? She hasn't seen her mum in- I don't actually know but when she does show up, she just ignored her and walks off. How dumb is that?" Johnny scoffs.

"Shut up, Johnny." Sapphire glared at him.

"You don't know whats gone on, Evie's probably got a reason why she don't wanna see her mum." I said, leaning against the pool stick.

"Theres a very good reason. Her mums a bitch." Sapphire murmured.

I glanced at her and looked back to Johnny, "What happens if she's like your dad?"