Free Respect (Mandasue Heller) by Mandasue Heller

this,’ Chantelle said now, an edge of desperation creeping into her voice as tears began to glisten in her eyes. ‘I’ve already made a mess of my exams ’cos I’m so stressed out.’
    ‘’S not my fault you’re thick,’ Leon grunted, offended that she was blaming him for that as well.
    ‘It’s your fault I couldn’t revise properly,’ she shot back.
    ‘No, it ain’t!’ Leon screamed up into her face. ‘It’s mum’s fault, so blame her. And stop having a go at me all the time, ’cos I’ve done nowt wrong. You’re a bitch, and I hate you!’
    When he pushed past her and ran off down the road, Chantelle stayed where she was and blinked back the tears. He was right: none of this was his fault. But he definitely wasn’t helping the situation. The six weeks’ holiday was going to be a living nightmare if their mum didn’t come back, and she had no idea how she was going to cope. But, for Leon’s sake, she would have to try.
    Leon was nowhere to be seen when Chantelle got home, but Tracey was standing on the step and Chantelle’s heart leapt at the sight of her.
    ‘Is she back?’ she gasped, pulling her key out of her pocket and rushing to open the door.
    Unable to look her in the eye, Tracey shook her head. ‘No, but I have heard from her. Can I come in for a minute?’
    ‘Where is she?’ Chantelle stumbled into the hall. ‘When’s she coming home? What did she say?’
    ‘Look, don’t have a go at me,’ Tracey said, shuffling her feet when Chantelle switched on the light and gave her an expectant look. ‘But she’s not coming back. Not yet, anyhow,’ she added quickly when she saw the disappointment wash over the girl’s pretty face. ‘I’m sure she will – eventually; but she’s just not ready yet.’
    ‘What do you mean, she’s not ready? She’s been gone for ages. How much longer does she think she can stay away?’
    ‘If it’s any consolation, I told her she’s out of order. But you know what she’s like. You can’t tell her nothing.’
    ‘She can’t do this,’ Chantelle croaked. ‘She’s got to come back. I can’t deal with this on my own any more.’
    Unable to look her in the eye, Tracey pulled a £20 note out of her pocket. ‘She asked me to drop this round for you. I know it’s not much, but it’s all I could manage. At least it’s something, eh?’
    ‘Not much ?’ Chantelle squawked. ‘It won’t last two minutes. I’ve been using my savings, but what am I supposed to do when they’re gone? Look …’ She snatched a pile of envelopes off the hall table and flapped them in front of Tracey’s face. ‘Bills! Electric, water, phone … Who’s going to pay them? I can’t.’
    When Tracey gave an awkward little shrug, Chantelle threw the bills back onto the table and buried her face in her hands. ‘She can’t do this to me. It’s not right.’
    ‘Aw, don’t cry.’ Tracey extended a hand but quickly withdrew it when the girl snapped her head up and glared at her.
    ‘Where is she?’ Chantelle demanded. ‘I need to talk to her.’
    ‘In Spain,’ Tracey told her. ‘She reckons she tried to call you, but you must have been at school, eh?’
    Chantelle yanked her mobile phone out of her pocket and checked it for missed calls. ‘She’s a liar,’ she said accusingly when she saw there were none.
    ‘Hey, don’t blame me, babes.’ Tracey held up her hands in a gesture of innocence. ‘I’m just the messenger.’
    Teeth gritted, Chantelle clenched her fists. ‘Well, you’ve done your bit, so you can go now.’
    ‘She, er, asked me to check if any letters have come for her,’ Tracey said quietly. ‘She reckons this week’s money hasn’t gone into her account, and she needs to know if they’ve found out she’s not here and cut her off. If they have, she wants me to …’ She trailed off and swallowed deeply before finishing, ‘Well, she wants me to make a new claim – in her name, like.’
    Chantelle’s jaw dropped and she stared at