Free The Good Daughter by Honey Brown

don’t think this is really the best time for us to be talking about going out. If that’s what you actually want?’
    Zach feels his top lip curl. ‘This is beautiful, isn’t it – a Toyer knocking a Kincaid back.’
    ‘If you’re gunna be a prick …’
    ‘I’m not being a prick . I am actually – believe it or not – trying to tell you what’s going on. I’m trying to be honest with you. I’m trying to tell you that my mother —’
    ‘No,’ she says suddenly, ‘actually, I don’t want to know. I don’t want to be any more a part of it than I already am.’
    Zach narrows his eyes. ‘What?’
    ‘It’s all right for you, but I live in your father’s house. My dad can’t find a place that’ll take his truck overnight – we can’t afford to lose this place. I’m already worried that your dad’s going to have us kicked out of here. I know you were upset earlier, and I figure your mum was upset for the same reason … about Aden, I guess … and I can imagine something like that would upset a family like yours.’
    ‘Like ours? What, wouldn’t it upset your rock-solid family?’
    ‘Finding out I had a half-brother – no, it wouldn’t.’
    ‘You have no idea.’
    ‘If there’s more going on, then it’s none of my business. I didn’t say any more than I had to. And I don’t know any more.’
    ‘If you’re so keen on staying out of other people’s business, why did you ring the police? It’s a bit late to say you don’t like getting involved after you started the whole thing. And a bit late to take it back, now you’ve told everyone who’ll listen that my mum is suicidal and some sort of mental case. That’s not really staying out of it, is it? Thanks a lot for that, Rebecca.’
    ‘I said she seemed upset, that’s all I said. Kara tried to get on to your father. She tried ringing his sisters. When she couldn’t get anyone she rang the police. Aden said … We agreed it was getting late and something had to be done.’
    ‘No, please, tell me what Aden said – I’d love to hear what Aden said.’
    ‘He didn’t say anything.’
    ‘How long have you known him?’
    Rebecca taps the ash from her cigarette. She stays looking down.
    ‘You do know he’s an unemployed dole bludger? Works as a waiter in that restaurant, sells dope on his days off. You do know the restaurant isn’t even theirs? Dad owns it. They’ve got no money, nothing.’
    During the conversation the dogs have been whining and barking from their cage. The sound has reached a pitch and urgency impossible to ignore. Rebecca crushes out her cigarette. ‘I have to let the dogs out.’
    The floor reverberates with her steps. The dressing-gown she has on is pink with small white flowers dotted over it. Her feet are bare and her soles are dirty. She leaves the door open.
    Zach gets up and goes into the kitchen. He looks for a glass and gets himself a drink of water. The sink is tarnished, the benches lifting with dry rot. Some cupboard doors are missing. It’s hard for him to comprehend how people let a place get like this – do they not respect or look after anything? He knows Rebecca’s room is nice enough, but it seems to reinforce the fact that she only looks after herself.
    She comes back in and says, ‘I’m getting dressed.’
    When he starts to follow her she slows her steps. She glances over her shoulder at him.
    ‘Can I come?’ he says.
    ‘What? No.’
    ‘Why not?’
    ‘What do you mean why not?’
    They stop together in the doorway of her room.
    ‘Because this time yesterday we were almost having sex.’
    ‘It was later than this,’ she replies, as though it has some relevance.
    ‘Oh, so should I come back at lunchtime? Is that the only time you put out?’
    ‘You’re unbelievable!’
    ‘And you think you’re not?’
    ‘Yes.’ She pulls a face. ‘Yes,’ she says again. ‘More believable than you – you can’t honestly go from insulting me and everything that happened yesterday to