The Apartment - K. L. Slater Page 0,28

moving to the other side of London, so I could have warned Petra.’ She pauses to take a breath and starts again before I can respond. ‘It’s unforgiveable, what you did today. To let her find out like that in front of the entire class.’

‘It wasn’t me who sent the note or the gift,’ I say, keeping my voice level.

‘What? Who did then? Frankly, it fits in with all the other selfish things you’ve done recently, like neglect to keep us up to speed with your major life changes.’

She’s starting to really annoy me now. Kat is secure in her nice middle-class home surrounded by an extended family that means there’s always someone to look after Petra if she and Bryn, Petra’s dad, want to plan one of their regular date nights she’s so fond of posting on Facebook . . . in the days before I closed my account.

I sigh. ‘Look. I’ve apologised for not telling you earlier, but I was only offered the apartment just over a week ago. Skye’s going to finish the summer term off at Grove, and she’d like Petra to visit our new apartment this weekend. We can make up for what’s happened with a tour around Kensington Palace. How’s that sound?’

There’s a tense silence on the end of the line for a few moments.

‘You must have lost your marbles if you think I’m going to let that happen.’ I can hear her words squeezing out between clenched teeth. ‘Petra’s still crying over the news. You might as well know I’ve already left a message on the school answerphone to see Mrs Vince in the morning to request that Petra sits next to Martha, and not Skye, in class from now on.’

‘I can’t believe you’d be that petty.’

She gasps but I can’t help myself. However angry she is, she shouldn’t take it out on Skye like that.

I hold the phone away from me, but I can still hear her shouting. I end the call and toss the handset across the bed, lying back and staring up at the ceiling. I know Skye leaving the school hasn’t been dealt with in the best way, but I’ve had so much to do in a short space of time.

I feel myself harden inside, a metaphorical digging in of the heels.

Stuff Grove Primary and stuff Kat and her precious daughter, too. Audrey Marsden has already mentioned that as governor at the new school, she’s more than willing to help me get Skye admitted there.

Maybe, just maybe, she can help me with Skye’s transfer, too, so she doesn’t have to go back to her crummy old school at all.

16

The next morning, I sit in the lounge and stare out of the large picture window at the blue sky and fluffy white clouds beyond.

It’s a tonic to my sore insides and heavy eyelids, even though what I’d really love to do is crawl back under the covers and shut out the light completely.

When I came out of the bedroom yesterday after my call with Petra’s mum, I bumped into Skye in the hallway. Turns out she’d overheard most of the call.

‘Is Petra still coming over at the weekend?’ she’d asked fearfully, tugging at a lock of hair.

I had to tell her. Had to be honest with her about the new school.

‘So the nasty note was true?’ Her bottom lip quivered. ‘It said I was leaving Grove Primary.’

‘No! It wasn’t true, not then, anyway.’ I crouched down and pulled her close, but I could feel her resistance.

‘So I can stay at school with Petra?’

The hope in her voice broke my heart. At five years old she was tying me up in knots.

I knew I’d never have a better moment to explain, so we went back into the lounge and I turned off the television.

We sat together and I held her hand.

‘You know, sweetie, life is full of surprises. We don’t always know what’s around the corner, but sometimes it can be a good thing. Like when you won the junior art competition and you were in the local paper. Remember that?’

The frown lines broke up when she smiled.

‘And like when Daddy bought my trampoline and set it up in the garden for when I came home from school? That was a good surprise, too.’

‘That’s right.’ I nodded, eager to move on from the mention of her father. ‘But sometimes life throws us a surprise we’re not quite ready for.’

‘Like having to change schools?’

I pulled her close and kissed the top of