Witness

by Mandasue Heller

  ‘No, I couldn’t.’

  ‘Yes, you could,’ Suzie insisted. ‘You’d be perfect. Come over here . . .’ She jumped up off the bed and waved for Holly to take a seat at the vanity unit.

  ‘Why?’ Holly reluctantly rose to her feet.

  ‘I’m going to give you a little makeover,’ Suzie said, lifting a make-up box out from under the unit.

  ‘Oh . . .’ Holly hesitated. ‘My mum doesn’t really like me wearing make-up.’

  ‘I’ve got wet wipes, so you can take it all off before you go home,’ Suzie said, pushing her down onto the stool. ‘I just want you to see what I see when I look at you.’

  When Holly was seated, Suzie swivelled the stool round so her back was to the mirror and studied her face for a few moments before opening the box.

  ‘Right, I’m going to use smoky colours to bring out the green of your eyes,’ she said. ‘And I’ll do a bit of contouring to define your cheekbones, then finish you off with a natural glossy lip.’

  ‘Are you sure it’ll come off?’ Holly asked nervously when Suzie squirted a huge blob of foundation into the palm of her hand.

  ‘Course it will,’ Suzie assured her.

  Clasping her hands together in her lap after putting her glass down, Holly closed her eyes and tried not to move when Suzie began to apply the foundation with a soft brush.

  ‘It won’t take long, will it?’ she asked. ‘Only I can’t be too late getting home.’

  ‘You said she never gets home before two, so you’ll be back way before she is,’ Suzie said. ‘Subject of your mum,’ she went on as she worked. ‘Is it just you and her over there? Doesn’t your dad live with you?’

  ‘No,’ Holly said, trying not to move her mouth too much as the brush tickled her cheeks. ‘He took off before I was born, so I’ve never met him.’

  ‘Oh, I’m sorry.’

  ‘It’s OK.’

  ‘No, it’s not. Everyone needs a dad. Haven’t you ever tried to find him?’

  Holly shook her head.

  ‘What’s his name?’ Suzie asked. ‘I’ll google him when we’ve finished, see if he’s on Facebook or Twitter.’

  ‘I don’t know his name,’ Holly admitted. ‘My mum wouldn’t tell me.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘Dunno.’ Holly gave a tiny shrug. ‘She doesn’t really like talking about private stuff. And she gets mad if I ask too many questions, so I don’t bother any more.’

  ‘That’s sad,’ Suzie said. ‘But then, you can’t miss what you’ve never had, can you? And at least you’ve got your mum. Are you and her close?’

  ‘I suppose so,’ Holly murmured.

  ‘How come she’s so strict?’ Suzie asked. ‘I used to be out till all hours when I was fifteen, but you’re not allowed out after she goes to work. What’s that about?’

  ‘She’s just a bit protective,’ Holly said guardedly. ‘I got bullied at my last school, and the kids are a lot rougher round here, so she thinks it’s safer for me to stay in when she’s out.’

  ‘Ah, right. I went through something similar when I was your age, so I get where she’s coming from.’

  ‘You were bullied?’ Holly was surprised. Suzie was so beautiful and self-assured she couldn’t imagine anyone having a problem with her – apart from Rob, but he was a thug, so his actions said more about him than Suzie.

  ‘Yep,’ Suzie said, her wine-laced breath warming Holly’s cheeks as she leaned closer. ‘Two horrible bitches like those so-called friends of yours made my life a living hell in fifth year. It started when one of their boyfriends took a fancy to me. I turned him down, so he told her I’d tried it on with him. The silly cow believed him, and her and her mate started following me round school, calling me names and threatening to beat me up.’

  ‘What did you do?’

  ‘They pushed me too far one day, and I went full psycho bitch on their arses.’ Suzie chuckled. ‘They’d ambushed me in the girls’ toilets and were trying to force my head down the loo. Someone had left a big shit in it, so I grabbed it and slammed it into one of their faces.’

  ‘You didn’t?’ Holly’s eyes popped open.

  ‘Oh, I did.’ Suzie laughed. ‘It was disgusting, but they didn’t come near me again, so it worked.’

  ‘I wish Julie went to my school so I could do that to her,’ Holly said.

  ‘Stick with me, kid.’ Suzie winked. ‘I’ll show you how to deal with bitches like her. Now shut your eyes.’

  Holly struggled to keep the grin off her lips as Suzie started applying eye make-up. Unlike the brandy Kelly had brought into school that time, which had hit her like a speeding train, the wine was making her feel warm and fuzzy, and she no longer cared so much about all that nonsense with Bex and Julie. They thought they were so cool, but they were just childish and spiteful, and now she had Suzie she didn’t need them.

  After a while, Suzie swivelled the stool round to face the mirror and asked Holly what she thought. Holly stared at her reflection, unable to believe that it was her. Bex had done her make-up in the past, but the results had been nothing like this. The blend of grey, purple and silver eyeshadows Suzie had used, along with the jet-black fake lashes she’d applied, made her usually dull green eyes pop. And her skin looked smooth and radiant, with all the blemishes she obsessed over whenever she looked in the mirror concealed beneath the creamy foundation.

  ‘It’s amazing,’ she said. ‘I look like a completely different person.’

  ‘No, you look like you, but the best version of you,’ Suzie said. ‘And that’s the difference between you and the Julies and Bexes of this world. If you paint a pig, it’s still a pig, but paint a pretty girl and you highlight how beautiful she really is. Can you see it?’

  Embarrassed to admit that she could, Holly gave a little shrug.

  ‘You’re too modest,’ Suzie laughed. ‘You look drop-dead gorgeous. Or, at least, you will when we’ve done something with this . . .’ She lifted Holly’s hair off her shoulders and examined the ends. ‘When was the last time you had it cut?’

  ‘A couple of months ago,’ Holly said, still staring at her reflection.

  ‘By who? A butcher?’

  ‘No, I did it. I watched a video on YouTube and it was dead easy. You tie your hair in a pony on top of your head, then twist it and cut the end off.’

  ‘It’s terrible,’ Suzie said. ‘But don’t worry, I can fix it.’

  ‘You can’t cut it,’ Holly said, panicking when Suzie took a pair of scissors out of the drawer. ‘My mum’ll want to know who did it, and she’ll go mad if she finds out I’ve been here.’

  ‘I’m only going to take the ends off and shape it a bit,’ Suzie promised. ‘I doubt your mum’ll even notice. But if she does, tell her you copied another vid and did it yourself. It’ll look and feel so much better without the dead bits.’

  Remembering how Julie had gone on about her hair being horrible earlier, Holly stared at herself for a few more seconds and then nodded.

  ‘OK. But only a tiny bit.’

  Unable to see what was happening when Suzie brushed her hair forward over her eyes and started snipping, Holly crossed her fingers and prayed that she wouldn’t get too carried away when clumps began to fall to the floor. After what felt like an age, Suzie sprayed dry shampoo onto the roots and brushed it through before spritzing it with lacquer.

  ‘All done,’ she said, standing back.

  Relieved to see that her hair still looked pretty much the same length, considering the long bits she’d seen falling to the floor, Holly twisted her head to look at it from all angles. It looked thicker and healthier, and Suzie had moved her usual middle parting slightly to one side and had swept her long fringe over in a replica of the way her own hair was styled.

  ‘I love it,’ she said, reaching up to touch it. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘You’re welcome,’ Suzie said, smiling as she put away the brush and scissors before repacking the make-up box.

  As Holly continued to admire herself
in the mirror, Suzie opened the wardrobe and leafed through the clothes hanging inside. Taking out a deep-purple velvet dress, she said, ‘Here . . . try this on.’

  The thrill Holly had been experiencing evaporated, and her cheeks reddened at the thought of undressing in front of Suzie and revealing her grubby, stretched bra and the hole in her knickers where the elastic had come away from the material.

  ‘It’s, um, getting a bit late,’ she said, casting a glance at the clock on the bedside table. ‘My mum’ll flip out if she gets home and I’m not there.’

  ‘It’s only ten o’clock, you’ve got hours yet,’ Suzie said, handing the dress to her. ‘Go on, humour me. You can take it straight back off again. I just want to see if it looks as good on you as I think it will. Oh, and what size shoes do you wear?’

  ‘Five,’ Holly murmured.

  ‘Ooh, same as me.’ Suzie took out a pair of strappy silver shoes with high thin heels. ‘Try these.’ She handed them over and then walked to the door, saying, ‘I need the loo. Give me a shout when you’re ready.’

  Relieved to be alone, Holly quickly slipped out of her clothes and wriggled into the dress. Taking off her socks, she pushed her feet into the shoes and stood in the space between the bed and the wardrobe.

  ‘Ready,’ she called.

  Suzie came in and drew back her head. ‘Wow, look at you!’

  ‘Does it look OK?’ Holly asked, stroking the velvet that was clinging to her hips.

  ‘Are you kidding me?’ Suzie said, turning her by the shoulders to face a free-standing mirror in the corner. ‘See how gorgeous and sophisticated you look? No one’d ever guess you were only fifteen. And check that figure you’ve been hiding.’

  Blushing again, Holly stared at herself. Suzie was right about her looking older, and the dress caressed curves she hadn’t realized were there, giving definition to her waist and hips, and the illusion of larger breasts. Her legs looked good, too, the heels lending tone to her calf muscles.

  ‘I’m going to take some pictures,’ Suzie said, slipping her phone out of her pocket and looking around thoughtfully before perching on the dressing table stool. ‘Right, sit like this,’ she said, placing her elbows on the dresser top and resting her chin on her hands. She gazed up at the ceiling and held the pose for couple of seconds, then looked at Holly. ‘Got that?’

  ‘Er, yeah, I think so,’ Holly said, feeling awkward again. She’d never liked having her photo taken, and she especially didn’t like being made to pose.

  After manipulating Holly into the correct position and tilting her head up, Suzie took a series of shots from behind before moving to the side and zooming in on her face. Then she snapped some shots of Holly’s reflection in the mirror.

  ‘I knew you’d be photogenic, but these are gorgeous,’ she said, scrolling through the images when she’d finished.

  She turned the phone round and showed Holly one of the side-profile close-ups in which Holly had been gazing up at the ceiling with an ethereal expression on her face. Smiling when Holly studied the image, she said, ‘Told you you’d be perfect, so what d’you say? Will you be my test model while I learn how to use my camera properly? We could make it a regular Saturday-night thing, if you’re up for it? Dinner and a photo shoot.’

  Tempted by the thought of spending regular time with her new friend, but nervous at the thought of anyone else ever seeing the photos, Holly said, ‘I’m not sure.’

  ‘No pressure, it’s totally up to you,’ Suzie said, slipping the phone into her pocket and handing a pack of wet wipes to her. ‘But will you at least think about it?’

  Holly nodded, and Suzie said, ‘Thanks, hon. Now clean yourself up and get changed while I go and load these onto my laptop.’ She patted her pocket. Then, smiling, she said, ‘I’m so glad you came over tonight. It’s been lovely getting to know you, and even if you decide you don’t want to get involved, you’ve given me the motivation to start putting my website together.’

  Returning the smile, Holly waited until Suzie had left the room before changing back into her own clothes.

  When Holly left Suzie’s house a few minutes later her stomach began to churn, and she prayed, as she rushed across the road, that her mum hadn’t come home early. It was unlikely, because she’d never done it before, but it would be just Holly’s luck for it to happen tonight.

  Hurrying up the stairs after letting herself into the flats, Holly had almost reached the first floor when a shadow fell over her, and she stopped in her tracks and looked up guiltily, fully expecting it to be her mum.

  ‘Steady,’ Gee said, reaching out to grab her arm when she swayed backwards.

  ‘Thanks,’ she murmured, blushing as she stepped up onto the landing beside him.

  ‘Red or white?’ he asked.

  ‘Eh?’ Her eyebrows crept together.

  ‘The wine.’ He gave a knowing smile. ‘Smells like you’ve had a good night.’

  ‘I, um, had a sip of my friend’s,’ she lied.

  ‘Hey, it’s none of my business.’ He held up his hands. ‘But you might wanna use some mouthwash if you don’t want your mum smelling it.’

  ‘She’s at work,’ Holly said.

  ‘Ah, you’re all right, then.’ Gee grinned. Then, more seriously, he said, ‘I’m glad I’ve seen you, actually. I wanted to apologize for all that stuff with my ex earlier. She’s a bit of a hothead.’

  A bit? Holly thought, remembering the rage in the woman’s eyes.

  ‘It’s OK,’ she said, shrugging it off. ‘As long as she doesn’t come after me if you get back with her,’ she added, trying to make it sound like a joke.

  ‘That’s not gonna happen,’ Gee said. ‘But I doubt she even noticed you, to be honest. She was too busy gunning for the Barbies.’

  ‘The Barbies?’ Holly repeated.

  ‘Oh, shit, probably shouldn’t have said that out loud.’ Gee grimaced. ‘It’s the way they were dressed, in all that matching gear and make-up. Kinda reminded me of the dolls my sister used to play with when she was little.’

  A grin twitched Holly’s lips and she sucked it in to keep it from breaking out. So much for Bex thinking she stood a chance with him; he obviously thought she’d looked like a right prat.

  ‘Anyway, I hope they were OK?’ Gee went on. ‘They didn’t deserve her going for them like that.’

  Holly disagreed. Julie had deserved it for trying to use Gee bumping into Bex as an excuse to get his phone number, and Holly was embarrassed all over again just thinking about the way she’d called him Zayn.

  A car horn sounded outside, and Gee said, ‘That’ll be my taxi, so I’d best make a move. Catch you later. And don’t forget the mouthwash.’

  Holly watched him jog down the stairs and out through the door before heading home. The Barbies! she thought, smirking to herself as she slotted her key into the lock. Just wait till Bex and Julie heard he’d called them that.

  In the hallway of the flat, she listened out for the sound of movement in the other rooms, but it was silent apart from the continuous drip of water hitting the bathroom sink. Relieved, she went to her room and quickly undressed before climbing into bed. It had been a crap day, but she was feeling a whole lot better now.

  14

  ‘So what happened with Bex?’ Suzie asked, curling up at her end of the sofa and lighting a cigarette.

  A week had passed, and Holly, despite worrying that she would get caught if she risked sneaking out again, had decided to keep the date with her new friend. And she was glad that she had, because Suzie had served up lasagne with garlic bread tonight. Now they were drinking wine – red, this time, which Holly was finding to be a lot smoother and more palatable than the white they’d had on her previous visit.

  Relaxed, her stomach pleasantly full and all thought of her mum catching her out forgotten, Holly relayed the events of the week, starting when she’d gone back to school and had seen Bex for the first time since their argument.

  ‘She was waiting for me by the gate
when I got there,’ she said. ‘Reckoned she felt bad about all that stuff Julie came out with, and totally denied she’d ever said she was ashamed to be seen with me.’

  ‘And yet she laughed when Julie was taking the piss out of you after you ran inside,’ said Suzie.

  ‘She said you were lying when I asked her about that, but I told her she’s the liar, not you,’ Holly said. ‘And I said if she’s so ashamed of me she needs to look in the mirror, ’cos the way she’s started dressing and acting like Julie is pathetic. Then I told her about Gee calling them the Barbies, and how he’d said they looked like kids who’d raided their mummies’ make-up bags.’

  ‘Oh, wow! Is that what he said?’

  ‘Nah, he only called them the Barbies, the rest was me.’ Holly grinned. ‘But Bex doesn’t know that, and she was well embarrassed when I told her.’

  ‘See, I knew there was a reason why you and me clicked,’ Suzie chuckled. ‘You’re like me: nice till you’re pushed too far, then bam! Take that, bitch!’

  ‘I did feel a bit guilty after I said it,’ Holly admitted. ‘But then I remembered how she stood there and let Julie say all that stuff to me and then blamed me for everything, and I decided she deserved it.’

  ‘Too right she did,’ Suzie agreed. ‘She treated you like crap, and it was about time she got a taste of her own medicine.’

  Holly nodded and took a swig of wine. Gazing at her, Suzie said, ‘Changing the subject for a minute, I’ve been meaning to ask about your mum.’

  ‘What about her?’

  ‘When I saw her leaving for work earlier, it occurred to me that I’ve never seen her with a man. I know your dad’s not around, but hasn’t she got a boyfriend?’

  ‘No.’ Holly pulled a face. ‘She had one a few years ago, but they were always arguing so it didn’t last long. She’s too moody, always snapping people’s heads off for no reason.’

  ‘Is that what she’s like with you?’

  ‘A bit,’ Holly said quietly, sinking lower in her seat before taking another swig of wine.

  ‘It’s hard, isn’t it?’ Suzie said sympathetically. ‘Living with someone who’s moody, I mean. My mum’s bipolar, so I know exactly how it feels.’