The Rusty Old Minivan

Chapter 28

"Heeeloooo," Lottie called out, coming home from school around three in the afternoon. "Anybody hoo-oome?"

"Move it," Chace said, inching past her, "my bladder's about to burst!"

Lottie giggled at him, running tight-legged to the bathroom in his little skinny jeans, manically shedding coat and backpack as he went. She hung his coat for him and took his bag up to his room. Just as she'd turned his telly on and kicked back, waiting for him to come up and cuddle, the door was opened.

"Hurry, babe, there's a TOWIE-marathon on," she said, before looking up and realising it wasn't Chace in the door. "Oh. Hi, Lou."

Louis was hanging halfway in, halfway out of the room, hair wet and t-shirt soaked, clinging to his chest. He looked like he'd jumped in the shower and then jumped into his clothes so fast afterwards that he'd forgotten to dry himself in the process. "Hi," he muttered, "is Chace here? Wouldn't want to stunt his TOWIE-marathon watching."

"Downstairs loo. He doesn't like the one's at school so he's probably having a massive pony as we speak."

Louis cackled. "God, did he put it like that? Doesn't sound like his words."

"Nah," Lottie shifted to the side of the bed and waited for Louis to come sit with her, "according to him, he doesn't even have a bowel system."

"That's more like it," Louis grinned. "Lucky chap, doesn't have to worry about shitting and other sub-human things."

"Innit."

Louis rested back against the pillows, giving a long sigh. Lottie waited, watching the telly without really watching, until he finally spoke; "did you hear about Tabby and her man?"

"What? No, Tabby's got a man?"

Louis shushed her, eyes flicking around as if he feared they were being wire-tapped. "She's in her bedroom right now. She came home about ten minutes ago."

"What's going on?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but- she was sobbin' and talking about being used. Apparently this mug that she's been seeing is broke as all hell and she's been taking care of him; paying for dinners, fancy hotel rooms, the lot. And he told her he'd take her on holiday once his business took off."

"What the fuck..."

"Yeah," Louis looked like he was trying to stifle a schadenfreudian smile, "but just earlier today she found out that he's got no business. He's a fuckin' factory worker with a wife and two kids. He's been lying to her all this time."

"Christ, what a psychopath."

"I know right?" Louis' eyes were wide, full of incredulity, for all of three seconds. Then he sighed and snapped out of it, resting back against the pillows again. After a moment, he muttered, "but it's really fuckin' shit for us, though. That she's in that state of mind right now."

"Why?"

He sighed again, long and hard. "Because Harry and I were going to ask her for a loan today."

"You were?"

"Yeah. Fifteen hundred quid. My, uhm.. my last arrangement to get the money fell through and our only other option was Tabby. We thought it wasn't that much to ask, you know. That she'd be all right with it. But now, like... we can't ask her that. Not when she's just gone through this, she'll think everyone's just out for her money. Worst case scenario, she'll kick all of us out on our arse's," he shook his head, "everyone's luck just seems to be non-existent right now, man."

Lottie glanced at him. He was keeping on a brace face, pretending to be chilling and watching the telly, but she knew him. She knew that faint line between his brows. She knew the twitch in his jaw and the wringing of his hands. She knew he had to be using all he had in him just to look remotely all right.