Love Thy Neighbour *editing*

"I like kids I'll have you know."

Living with Auntie Francis was like living in a war zone. Her and mum had blazing arguments at all hours of the night, screaming at each other over the smallest of things. A lot of the time, Tommy would crawl into my bed and sit with his hands over his ears. It was like dad had moved back home. She had been here for two weeks, and already she had caused problems for everyone; she had slept with Niall, killed Tommy's hamster via the hoover and she had thrown out half of my mum's wardrobe. If she was really meant to be here to help, she was making a poor job of it. I had never seen mum drink so much and when she drunk, she was got a bit funny in the head. Paranoia set in and I would find her sitting on the stairs, rocking backwards and forwards, muttering to herself about "them coming to get her." The only thing I could do was take her back to her bed.

So it was a relief when Niall knocked on my door, asking me if I wanted a lift to school; walking with Kai wouldn't really improve my mood, even when I was happy. And besides, I had heard Auntie Francis going into the bathroom and I knew that mum and her would start arguing. Again.

I opened the door, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear. Niall was standing on the doorstep, his face expectant. I smiled at him; ever since our conversation in the bathroom, I had been a bit nicer to him. Okay, I still told him when he was being an ass, which was quite a lot of the time, but I was slightly more tolerant of him and his ideas.

"I was wondering if you wanted a lift," he said. Even though I had gotten used to his accent, there was still a part of me that it made shiver. His eyebrows were raised and he had this shy smile on his face.

"Yeah, I would thanks," I said, "Let me just get my stuff." I thought about it for a second. "Come in." Niall looked surprised but he stepped in nevertheless, shutting the door behind him. I lead him through to the kitchen.

"I'll be two seconds," I told him and I went up the stairs. I literally ran right into Auntie Francis, who was wearing nothing but a towel.

"Sorry, pet," she gushed in her strong Glaswegian accent. She twisted her long blonde hair with her finger and batted her long eyelashes. Once upon a time, Auntie Francis might well have resembled my mum but it had been lost over the years. While my mum married and brought up children, my Auntie Francis went from rich boyfriend to rich boyfriend, holidaying in exclusive destinations and partying with celebrities. In other words, she was a shameless scrounger.

"It's fine," I muttered. I walked past her.

"Did I hear the door going?" she called after me. I said nothing, just picking up my school bag from my bedroom floor and walking past her again, swinging the bag over my shoulder.

"Evie," she shouted after me. I ignored her and went downstairs. Niall was talking to Tommy about earth worms, and he looked up when he heard my footsteps. He finished it off and we walked out of the house.

"Good with kids too," I remarked, walking down the path.

"I like kids, I'll have you know," he replied, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I wouldn't go shouting that in a crowded place," I told him, opening the door of his car. "Otherwise, you'll find yourself with a mob on your hands." Niall laughed. He got in and started up the engine. It roared into life and I found myself laughing at him; it was like a little boy toy, with its noisy engine and young driver. He was one of the reasons that the road up and down had speed bumps at each end.

But to my surprise, he drove carefully up the street, keeping within the speed limits. It was like having your own personal chauffeur.

"So what's with the niceness?" I asked, as he turned onto the main road.