Hate Struck: (Maddison High School Book 1)

by Nikki Ashton

  I opened up my bag and pulled out the folded diploma and handed it to her. She read it carefully and then handed it back to me without a word.

  “My dance squad won the national championship two years in a row,” I added, my heart racing as I hoped the information might persuade her to let me join her class.

  “I don’t teach street,” she finally said, turning away from me to pick up a box of hats and feather boas.

  “Do you know anywhere that does?” I asked as I pushed my diploma back into my bag.

  “Nope,” she replied and began to drop the props around the mirrored room.

  “Okay,” I sighed, feeling my newfound enthusiasm begin to fade. “Thanks for your time.”

  I started to trudge back to the door when a feather boa landed on my shoulder.

  “Hey, toots,” Clarice called. “Where are you going?”

  I whirled around, the feather boa fluttering to the floor and faced the woman who I found a little intimidating despite her small stature.

  “I was just…” I half-turned and pointed to the exit door. “Going home.”

  Her lips turned down and she nodded sagely. “So, you don’t want to teach street to my class then?”

  A punching sensation hit my chest as my heart got excited at the possibility.

  “Really?” I asked, breathlessly.

  “Well,” she said, tilting her head and assessing me. “Depends on whether that diploma is genuine or not.”

  “Oh, it’s genuine.” I stretched her the biggest smile my lips had felt in a year and took a step closer. “When do you want me to start?”

  Clarice held her hands palms out. “Hold on, toots. Maybe you should show me what you can do and perhaps meet the classes first, and maybe you should get prepared with some music first.”

  I blew out a breath, causing my fringe to flutter in the light breeze. “Yeah sorry, I’m just so excited at the idea of dancing again.”

  “Well I’m not going to pry why, and you look pretty fit, but if it’s been a while, I suggest you get some practice and conditioning time in before your first class. How about we say two weeks from today but in the meantime, you come and observe each of my classes? How does that sound?”

  I nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, yes that sounds amazing.”

  Clarice finally gave me a warm smile and I felt myself physically sag with relief. Not just my muscles, but my bones, organs and soul too.

  “I have a class at six on Tuesday and one at six on a Thursday and I have two classes today. One due now, they’re between five and ten years old, and then after lunch we have the eleven-year old’s and upwards. Each class is an hour and fifteen and I’ll be honest there’s only one boy. He’s called Jasper, is thirteen and is an angry little shit, but has to attend as part of his therapy otherwise he gets shipped off to some sort of reform school.” She shrugged. “Crap choice for the kid, but at least if he comes here, he gets to go home every night and be angry with his family who love him rather than with a load of people who probably don’t have enough time or money to help him. You think you can handle him?”

  Handle Jasper? God, I was probably the female equivalent of him.

  “Yes,” I said resoundingly. “I can handle him.”

  “Good, because to be honest he doesn’t exist, that was just a little test, toots. Jasper is a great kid, a little bit gangly to dance if I’m honest, but he tries hard and he loves the feather boa, if you know what I mean.”

  God this woman was confusing. One minute she was dismissing me and then offering me a job within seconds and then she was testing me with fictious angry kids. Maybe that was all a test too. I didn’t have chance to question Clarice’s actions any further because the door pushed open and a herd of young kids swooped in, all shouting and chattering.

  “Okay, okay,” Clarice yelled from the middle of the room. “Quit the noise or I’ll make you clean the studio toilets again.”

  The noise immediately stopped, and each kid stood still and gazed at her with wide, horrified eyes.

  “Excellent,” Clarice said with a wicked smirk and placed her hand on a blonde plaited head. “Toots, it’s your turn to pick the warmup music. What’s your choice?”

  Thinking it was going to get confusing if she called everyone toots, I quietly stepped back towards a row of chairs which lined the only wall without a mirror. I slunk down onto one of them as the pretty little blonde girl flicked through Clarice’s phone, supposedly choosing her favourite warmup tune. I couldn’t help but smile as she screwed her angelic face up in concentration and then finally flicked one of her braids over her shoulder and grinned at Clarice.

  “You got something for me?”

  “I do Clarice. It’s ‘Jump Around’ by House of Pain.” She looked proud with her choice and pushed out her chest when Clarice gave her a resounding nod.

  “Good choice, toots, good choice.”

  Clarice looked over to me and arched her brows questioningly and I nodded back, telling her yes, I was in. I was ready to dance again.

  12

  Adam

  As much as I loved my little sister, her constant chatter was getting on my damn nerves. With Mum’s birthday coming up, Lori wanted to get her something nice as a gift, so I’d offered to take her to the shopping centre. So far, we’d been in at least ten shops and still not found the perfect gift.

  Roger had offered first, but my mood was so fucking mean I decided to step in and offer to take her myself. I’d told him I wanted to get Mum something too, which was a lie. I hadn’t bothered for years and usually I just about managed to get her a card. But I wasn’t in the frame of mind where I was happy to see him take my little sister shopping like he’d done a thousand times before.

  “And do you know that our new dance teacher has really pretty hair?” Lori twittered. “And she said she wanted to try plaits like mine.”

  “Yeah, you told me, about, ooh ten times,” I replied as I looked at her with huge eyes.

  Lori pulled up and crossed her arms over the chest. “Why are you so mean?”

  I laughed and ruffled her hair. “I’m not mean, I’m playing with you, Munchkin.”

  “Hah, Munchkin, toots, I just wish people would call me by my real name.”

  “Who the hell calls you toots?”

  “Clarice, my real dance teacher.” Lori’s face lit up and when she took a breath, I knew a fresh round of conversation about dance class was about to start.

  Ten minutes later and she’d finally given up talking and was looking at a pink crystal swan with a red heart right in the middle of its chest. Personally, I thought it was fucking ugly, but my little sister kept sighing and telling me how beautiful it was.

  “How much money have you got?” I asked as she pulled a tiny purse from the pocket of her jacket.

  With her tongue poking between her teeth, Lori counted out her cash into my hand.

  “And eighty and ten more makes ninety.” She finally looked up at me and her bottom lip pouted. “I only have two pounds and ninety pence. I don’t have enough.”

  I looked at the ugly swan that she’d put back on the display stand and thought my mum totally deserved it. I reached into the back pocket of my jeans and pulled out my wallet. I opened it up and took out twenty quid and handed it to Lori.

  “Go and pay and ask them to wrap it carefully.”

  She flung her little arms around my legs and hugged me tight. “Thank you, Adam, you’re the best.” She pulled away and looked up at me with a frown. “It is just from me though, right? You’re going to buy her something else?”

  I glanced at the swan and nodded. “Oh yeah, my little Munchkin, that’s all down to you.”

  With another grin, she turned and carefully picked up the swan to take it to the till. I stood by the door and watched the shop assistant wrap it up as she chatted to Lori. Finally, she came skipping back with a small bag clutched in her hand.

  “Now your turn,” she said slipping her spare hand into mine. “B
ut I need to wee first.”

  “Okay, and then ice cream.”

  “Really, oh wow, thank you, but what are you going to get Mummy?” Lori asked as she looked up at me.

  I shrugged because I had no idea, I think I’d been Lori’s age last time I’d bought Mum anything.

  “I don’t know, chocolate maybe.” I shrugged and led us towards the public toilets.

  “Boring,” Lori sighed. “I’ll have a think for you while I wee.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh as she thrust the bag with the ugly swan in it into my hand and then ran to the ladies.

  “Don’t speak to any strangers,” I yelled.

  “I know the rules,” she called back without breaking stride.

  I’d tried to take her into the men’s toilets with me earlier, but she kicked up a fuss insisting that at eight she was old enough to go on her own. There was a bench seat opposite the toilets, so I sat myself down to wait for her. I watched two old ladies shuffle out and then a girl who I recognised from the year below me at school, but when a group of five giggling girls wandered out almost five minutes later, there was still no sign of Lori.

  I gave her another minute, because if I knew Lori, she may well have decided to sing some Taylor Swift song all the way through before realising she’d actually finished peeing; it was something she did a lot at home.

  “Where the fuck is she?” I muttered to myself and got up and went to the doorway. “Lori, you still in there?”

  There was no sound apart from a toilet flushing and I sighed.

  “Come on Lori, hurry up.”

  She didn’t answer, but a lady in a blue uniform and a towel in her hand came into view.

  “You looking for someone, love?” she asked as she wiped her hands.

  “My little sister, she came in about five or six minutes ago.”

  “No one in here,” she said and looked over her shoulder. “I just checked the cubicles and they’re all empty.”

  I felt the colour drain from my face at the same time as my heart dropped. “You sure? She’s only eight.”

  She nodded. “Sorry, love, but she isn’t in here. Which door were you waiting at?”

  It was then that I noticed another exit at the opposite end of the toilets.

  “This one.” I looked over at the bench I’d been sitting on, with some sort of hope that Lori would be sitting there laughing at herself for coming out of the wrong door, but the seat was empty.

  “She probably went out the other one then,” the attendant said. “Go to the information centre, they’ll put an announcement out.”

  My eyes scanned the shopping centre and the dozens and dozens of people milling around as I desperately tried to spot my sister. I felt sick and my hands began to shake as my eyes went back to the attendant.

  “Can you check again, please.”

  She nodded. “Sure, you go to information and if she’s in here I’ll bring her to you.”

  I hesitated not sure whether to do as she said or wait while she checked.

  What if Lori was there and this woman was trying to keep her from coming out to me?

  I pushed past her and ran into the toilets, pushing the door of each cubicle open with such force they banged loudly against the wall. They were all empty, so I then checked the woman’s little office area where there was just a chair, a radio and small table with a flask on it, but she wasn’t there either.

  “I did tell you,” she said from behind me.

  “What did you expect,” I snapped. “She’s my little sister. Where’s the information centre?”

  I was already halfway out of the door when she said, “This floor, turn right and it’s near the lifts.”

  I didn’t even thank her and ran off in the direction she’d told me to. I barged through groups of people and almost knocked a man over as adrenalin pumped through my veins. When I reached the circular glass office only one person was manning it and he already had a queue of four people wanting his attention. Not giving a shit, I pushed to the front and shoved a woman with some ugly little dog under her arm, out of the way.

  “Excuse me,” she cried. “I’m-.”

  “Listen,” I said breathlessly, “my little sister is missing.”

  “Okay,” the man behind the counter said. “Where did you last see her, what’s her name and what’s she wearing?”

  “The ladies’ toilets on this floor and her name is Lori, Lori Bla-, sorry Crawford,” I replied, almost forgetting that Mum had changed Lori’s last name to Roger’s. “She’s got blonde hair that’s down with the front pieces tied back with a ribbon and she’s wearing…” I closed my eyes and tried to remember what Lori had been wearing. “Fuck, why can’t I remember.”

  “Take your time,” the lady with the dog said and placed a hand on my arm.

  “Yeah,” the information man added. “Take a deep breath and think carefully.”

  I did as he said and then smacked my hand on the desk. “She’s wearing jeans, a blue top with a rainbow on the front and a pink denim jacket. And, and.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Blue converse, yeah blue converse.”

  The man nodded and when he started to speak into a walkie talkie, I turned around to watch the shopping centre just in case Lori walked past. Every time a little girl with blonde hair came into view, I held my breath, hoping that it was my sister, but none of them were.

  “I’ve called security,” a voice behind me said. “The centre will go into lockdown and control are checking the CCTV. Do you want to call your parents?” he asked.

  I let my head drop back onto my shoulders and groaned. My mum and Roger would fucking lose their shit. I knew they had to know, but what if I could get Lori back first?

  “I suppose so,” I groaned and pulled out my phone. After about five rings my mum answered. “Mum, I’m so sorry.”

  It had been almost fifteen minutes since I’d last seen Lori. With every passing second my heartbeat was getting faster and I was feeling more and more like I was about to vom. Mum had pretty much lost it on the phone, but Roger was calm when he took it from her to speak to me. They were on their way and as we only lived a couple of miles from the shopping centre, I was expecting them soon. According to Mike, the man from information, security would bring them up when they arrived.

  I wasn’t looking forward to it, because while it wasn’t my fault, I’d been responsible for her and I knew I should have insisted she go into the men’s toilets with me. I’d said all that to Roger on the phone, in what was probably the longest conversation I’d ever had with him, but he told me I wasn’t to blame, and that Lori was too independent for her own good.

  The announcement had gone out asking for Lori to go to any shop assistant or member of security and it was becoming a hideous fucking waiting game as I hoped with every harsh breath I took that she would be okay and come walking in.

  Mike had offered me some water, but I had refused. All I cared about was that my sister was okay. The lady with the dog had left, along with the other people who’d been in the queue, leaving just me and Mike waiting.

  At twenty minutes and forty-eight seconds, I almost sank to the floor with relief when Lori came running into the information centre with a security guard and none other than Sarah fucking Danes.

  “Adam,” Lori screamed and ran at me, throwing herself at my legs. “I lost you.”

  I dropped to my knees and pulled her into my arms, wrapping them tight around her.

  “Where did you go?” I asked against her hair. “I was so worried.”

  “I came out and you weren’t there,” she said, her little body shaking with each hiccupping sob.

  “There were two doors, Munchkin,” I sighed, breathing her in. “I was waiting on a bench for you and when you didn’t come out, I got so scared.”

  “I’m so sorry.” She sniffed and wound her arms tighter around my neck.

  “You have nothing to be sorry about, nothing at all.”

  “Sarah found me looking for yo
u and she was bringing me here when we heard my name on the big speaker.”

  I looked over her shoulder to see Sarah talking to a security guard and a police officer who was writing in a notebook.

  “She told me you’d be worried and that we should come here because this was where you’d be,” Lori continued, her sobs slowing. “She’s so clever, Adam, you were here.”

  “Yeah,” I replied. “She did a good job.”

  It was at that moment that my mum and Roger ran in and when Mum saw Lori in my arms, she let out a pained cry.

  “It’s okay,” Roger soothed her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “She’s fine.”

  Mum pulled herself away from him and ran over to us and ripped Lori from me.

  “How could you, Adam?” she cried, over Lori’s shoulder. “You were supposed to look after her.”

  “She was in the toilet,” I protested. “She left through a different door.”

  “Elouise, love, it’s not Adam’s fault.”

  “Well whose is it, Roger?” Mum snapped, crushing Lori’s little body against her. “He’s the adult, or he claims to be. She’s just a baby. Can you not do anything right?”

  Her words hit me like a fist to the gut and the pain ricocheted around my body. For years she’d let me down, I’d never once told her how that had made me feel. I’d played up and disrespected her mostly, but I didn’t want her to feel the ache in her heart that I did. I didn’t want her to carry that burden of being a shit parent, but she was happy to lay it on me without a pause.

  I got to my feet and took a step towards her. “I’m so sorry, Mum, I didn’t know there were two doors and I—”

  “No, Adam, I don’t want to hear your excuses.” She turned from me and towards Roger. “I want to go home, now.”

  Roger looked at me and where I’d expected disappointment, there was only sympathy in his eyes. I couldn’t stand to see it, so turned my gaze to Sarah who was hovering around the doorway. She was chewing on her lip with her eyes on my mum and Lori and when Mum started to walk out of the door, Sarah stepped in front of her, causing Lori to lift her head.