Diamond Girls (28 page)

About me:
I'm Dixie, and I'm ten. I'm the youngest of the Diamond girls. Out of all my sisters, I think I like Jude best – she's nice to me, sometimes. My absolute worst sister is Rochelle!

I'm very small and skinny and pale, so people often think I'm younger than I am. I have mousy hair, but I wish it was pretty and blonde, like Rochelle's, or long and dark and dramatic, like my mum's.

Favourite colour:
Beautiful deep blue, like my budgie Bluebell.

Favourite food:
We eat fish and chips from the chippy quite a lot, but I like big creamy cakes, like the one Mary's mum made. Only I didn't enjoy eating that one very much.

I'd like to be:
Mum thinks I could be a famous writer, because I daydream all the time.

About me:
I'm twelve, but I'm nearly thirteen, and I look loads older anyway. I've got long blonde hair, and I'm definitely the most popular girl on the estate with all the guys – especially Ryan. If only I didn't have my stupid sisters tagging around all the time – especially Jude, starting fights. She's just jealous!

Favourite food:
I love McDonald's McFlurries. And cream doughnuts. And Milky Ways. And Cornettos. And Mars bars. It's a wonder my figure's so great, really!

Favourite colour:
Pink, of course – pink and sparkly!

I'd like to be:
Well, my teacher says I could go to university if I really put my mind to it, but I reckon I could be a famous model, with my looks.

About me:
I'm fourteen, but small for my age – but I'm tougher than any of the boys on this whole estate! Especially now I'm learning Wing Chun kung fu. Anyone who messes with me or my little sister Dixie better watch out.

Favourite food:
Pizza. Or spaghetti bolognese – energy food, like the top footballers eat before a match!

Favourite colour:
Bright orange.

I'd like to be:
Something outdoorsy – I couldn't stick working in an office. Maybe a PE teacher – or a kung fu coach! Or maybe a ski instructor? I've never been skiing, but I bet I'd be brilliant at it.

About me:
I'm sixteen and I do NOT want to live on the Planet Estate! My boyfriend Tony lived next door to our old flat and it was just perfect seeing him every day. As soon as Mum's new baby comes I am out of here.

Favourite food:
I don't want to even think about eating anything – not without my Tony. I could probably stomach a KitKat, but that's all.

Favourite colour:
Deep sophisticated red.

I'd like to be:
Mum reckons I'd make a great businesswoman. All I know is I'll never get anywhere living on the Planet Estate . . .

One

Treasure

This is the start of my whole new life. I am never going home. I don't ever want to see Mum again. Or Bethany or Kyle or grizzly little Gary. And I especially don't ever, ever, ever want to see Terry.

This notebook used to be the Official Terry Torture Manual. I invented a brand-new torture for him every day. It was a lot of fun. But then sneaky Bethany found the notebook under my pillow and showed it to him. He turned the pages very slowly, taking in all my carefully coloured diagrams of torture machines. I'd spent hours on the Terrible Tooth Tweaker and the Excruciating Ear Enlarger and the Beastly Big Bum-Basher.

Terry looked at them. He nodded. He drew in his breath. Then he ripped the pages out and tore them up into tiny pieces. It was obvious he wanted to tear me into tiny pieces too.

Mum tried to turn it into a joke and pretended it was just my warped sense of humour.

‘That kid of yours is warped all right,' said Terry. He stood up and unbuckled the heavy leather belt round his jeans. ‘She needs teaching a lesson once and for all.'

Mum tried to laugh him out of it, acting like he was just kidding. She said he didn't really mean it. He was just trying to scare me. We were all scared. When he raised the belt Mum yelled at me to run for it. I didn't run fast enough. He got me on the side of my head and broke my glasses and cut me all down my forehead.

Mum cried. Bethany cried because it was all her fault. Kyle cried too though he likes to make out he's so tough. Gary cried, but that's nothing new. I didn't cry. I stood there with blood trickling down into my eyes and I clenched my fists and stared straight at Terry. He looked a bit fuzzy without my specs but he's got these really cold green eyes that you can't miss. I focused on them. Staring him out. He was the one who broke first. He looked away, ducking his head like he was ashamed.

He went straight out down the pub even though Nan and Loretta and her little Britney and Willie and Patsy were coming round for tea. It was all laid out on the livingroom table: ham sandwiches and sausage rolls and leftover chocolate log and mince pies and fruit cake, though Kyle and I had nicked most of the icing. Bethany's off sweet stuff at the moment because she thinks she's fat. Well she is. I annoy her no end because I eat heaps and stay thin as a pin. Mum says it's my nervous energy.

No wonder I get nervous living with Terry.

But I don't live with him any more, hurray, hurray, hurray! He did me a huge favour hitting me with his belt. Nan took one look at me and went white.

‘My God, Treasure, what have they done to you?'

I just shrugged. I'm not a tell-tale like
some
people. Bethany and Kyle and Mum held their breath. Even little Gary stopped grizzling.

My nan's not daft.

‘Terry did it, didn't he?' she said.

Her voice was very quiet in the hushed room. She looked round, her eyes flashing.

‘Where is he?'

‘He's out, Mum. But it wasn't really Terry's fault. It was an accident.'

‘Accident my bottom,' said Nan.

Well, she said something ruder and more alliterative. We have learnt about alliteration at school. I am Top Girl. Which isn't hard because heaps of our kids have got problems. Our school has got a bad name. But I won't have to go to it any more. I shall go to a school near my nan's. I am living with her now.

I can't believe it! Oh, I love my nan
sooooo
much. She got it all sorted. She made me stand under the light in the living room and gently pushed back my sticky fringe and peeled off the plasters Mum had stuck on. Nan swore again when she saw the size of the cut.

‘Go and get your coat, Treasure,' she said quietly.

‘What are you on about, Mum?' said my mum.

‘We're off,' said Nan. She nodded at the rest of the family. ‘Come on. We'll have tea back at our place, once we've taken Treasure up the hospital.'

‘Hospital?' Mum whispered.

‘She needs stitches, Tammy. How did he
do
it? Did he knife her?'

‘No, no, it was an accident, his belt—'

‘His belt,' said Nan. She hugged me tight. ‘Right. Bethany, you get yourself upstairs with a big carrier bag and get Treasure's clothes packed. She's staying with me from now on.'

We all stared at Nan.

‘Jump to it, Bethany!' Nan commanded.

‘Yes, Nan,' said Bethany, jumping. She's not
her
nan but she does as Nan tells her. We all do.

‘You can't, Mum,' said my mum, starting to cry.

I thought she meant I couldn't stay with Nan. I nearly cried then, because I didn't want Mum to feel I was walking out on her. She needed me. She's useless at keeping Bethany and Kyle under control and she doesn't always get up for Gary in the night. And then there's Terry. He hits her too.

I decided maybe I should stay.

But it turned out she didn't mean that at all.

‘You can't take Treasure up the hospital, Mum. They'll want to know how it happened,' my mum sobbed. ‘And then they'll get on to the Social – maybe even the police. They'll come down on Terry like a ton of bricks.'

Nan held me even tighter. She could feel me quivering.

‘So it's Terry we've got to think of, is it? Our Treasure can get scarred for life but never mind her, let's all worry about Terry?'

Kyle was looking puzzled because he doesn't get sarcasm. Gary was wailing now, his nose running down into his mouth. Mum looked awful too, her mascara smudged and her face so white it made the pink rouge along her cheekbones look like clown make-up.

‘It's just a nasty nick,' Mum pleaded. ‘Take Treasure for a little holiday, it's maybe all for the best – but don't cause trouble, Mum, I beg you.'

‘Call yourself a mother!' said Nan. She bent down, scooped Gary out of his baby chair, checked his nappy and grimaced. ‘Here, try and take care of this one at least.' She thrust Gary at Mum and yelled up the stairs to Bethany.

Bethany came running with a carrier bag spilling clothes. Nan snatched it from her and gave my shoulder a squeeze.

‘Right, pet, we'll be off.'

Mum was so busy crying she didn't say goodbye to me. Kyle just gawped. But Bethany suddenly put her arms round me and gave me a big hug, even though we've hated each other ever since we've been stepsisters.