of her juice on the rug Patrick had spent ages cleaning the day before. Patrick had shouted at Grace in frustration, and Lewis had jumped to his little sister’s defence, telling his dad it was just a mistake.
It was only natural as boys became teenagers for them to clash with their fathers, so it didn’t concern Melissa. She just wished Patrick didn’t think Lewis was the one who needed to control himself when Patrick could be just as bad sometimes. But it was pointless telling Patrick that; he was blind to his own faults, like his parents were blind to the wonderful Byatt gene having any possible imperfections.
The fact was, Lewis was under particular strain now; no wonder he had returned to his old ways. But the first day back – really? She felt a burst of anger, punching at the steering wheel. Couldn’t these kids just give her a break? But as quickly as the anger came, the guilt flooded in.
It wasn’t their fault. They were just kids having to contend with way too much.
She drew up in the school car park and got out of the car, marching towards the football field. Lewis was sitting on the bench with his coach while the other players stood in a huddle, watching him. As Melissa drew closer, she noticed a boy being attended to by another teacher, a bloody tissue to his nose. She recognised that boy as being Andrea Cooper’s son, Carter.
‘Great,’ she whispered under her breath. Of all the boys it could have been, it had to be the son of the queen of Forest Grove, Andrea bloody Cooper.
The coach stood when she saw Melissa approach. She only lived in the next street and had done wonders for Lewis, spotting his sporting talent and nurturing it. When Lewis did have his outbursts, they were restricted to the classroom: on the sports field, whichever sport he chose to play, he was calm and focused.
Not today, though.
‘Hi, Melissa,’ the coach said with a sigh as Lewis avoided his mother’s gaze, looking down at the ground with an expression of anguish.
‘What happened?’ she asked.
‘Lewis lost his temper and lashed out at Carter over there,’ the coach said, gesturing to the boy with the bloody nose.
‘Was he provoked?’ Melissa flinched. ‘Sorry, that sounds bad.’
‘No, fair question,’ the coach replied. ‘I’m afraid not, though. It literally came out of nowhere. Carter made a very good tackle, a tackle that was perfectly above board, and Lewis punched him.’
Melissa looked at Lewis, taking in a deep breath.
‘I understand you’ve been through a lot,’ the coach said softly. ‘That’s why I’m being a little more lenient on this occasion. Maybe it was a bit too soon for Lewis to come back after everything, though?’
Andrea marched over to them then, drawing Carter along after her. Melissa watched the boy, wondering again what he’d said about her at the New Year’s Eve party.
‘You are going to apologise,’ Melissa said to Lewis in a harsh whisper.
‘But Mum . . .’
‘There’s no excuse for this, Lewis.’ She shoved him towards Carter. Up close, Melissa could see the boy’s nose wasn’t as bad as she’d expected, just a bit of blood clogging one of the nostrils.
Still, it wasn’t good.
Lewis sighed, forcing himself to look at Carter. ‘Sorry,’ he mumbled.
‘I think you may have broken Carter’s nose, Lewis,’ Andrea said, her eyes sliding over to Melissa. ‘I’m going to have to take him to A & E. I have to confess, I’m very disappointed. I thought you two were friends?’
Lewis gave a bitter laugh. ‘Yeah, right. No chance.’
Andrea’s mouth dropped open.
‘Lewis!’ Melissa said. ‘I’m so sorry, Andrea. Lewis and I will be having stern words when we get back.’
‘I should hope so. Look at this,’ Andrea said, gesturing to the blood on Carter’s bright blue puffa jacket. ‘This coat cost me a fortune. I’ll need to buy him a new one now.’
Melissa suddenly got a flashback to the blood all over Patrick’s top. She forced the memory away. ‘Lewis will pay for a new coat too, won’t you, Lewis? You can use the money you’ve been saving for new football boots.’
Lewis’s nostrils flared. She dug him in the ribs with her elbow. ‘Alright,’ he said through gritted teeth.
Melissa looked at him in surprise. She didn’t like his attitude one bit. Yes, she wasn’t exactly a fan of Carter, nor his mother. But there was no excuse for any of this. They needed all the support they could get in this town at