2 Losing her dad the way she did was something LaTisha never talked about; whenever people asked, she told them he'd died of a heart attack it was easier than explaining what had happened, people thinking there must be something wrong with her and her family else why would he leave? she ran wild, hated school, couldn't concentrate, even Mummy couldn't control her and she was a social worker, I'm sending you home to Jamaica where they'll beat sense into you, LaTisha yeh, whatevs, I could do with a Caribbean holiday then she threw the legendary party when she was thirteen, except her mother came home too early the next morning when she was supposed to return home that evening when the house would've been cleaned up, so whose fault was it really? LaTisha was asleep with a boy in her bed (name? can't remember) furniture was upturned, drink and sick stains, smoke burns, a ripped curtain, a broken lamp, plastic cups, scattered ash and cigarette butts because as the party had progressed deep into the night, with a load of
strangers piling in, she'd given up trying to make people behave and not get waved what the flamin' heck she joined them bwoy! she got the beats of her life that day her mother, who supposedly didn't believe in corporal punishment, went at her like a nut job with a belt and a saucepan and a shoe and an iron that nicked her under the chin, at this point LaTisha realized she was in the danger zone and rushed out of the house she went and sat on the swings in the park for the rest of the day had to tolerate people poking their nose in, are you all right, dear? including the man who lived alone down the road and never spoke to nobody who invited her into his flat for a cup of tea and cake as if she was a gormless mug it was what her mum later called a 'turning point' in their relationship LaTisha called it GBH, but wisely kept her mouth shut, promised to behave from then on, which she did, at home, didn't want to be maimed for life, or even lose it not at school, though, which was as shit as ever, where she made the most of a bad job with Chloe and Lauren who were also there for the laughs Carole, too, until she went cold on her crew who didn't want to hang out with them as much, until she just didn't hang out with them full stop, as if someone had told her that the whole point of school was to work hard and be miserable the opposite of her crew's manifesto Carole became the swottiest of the paperpushers, won prizes, went completely up her own arse, as well as up Fuck Face's when Lauren saw Carole on the tube a few years ago in the rush hour, she pretended not to see her, I swear to God, LaTisha, I was eyeballing her inches from her face and she looked right through me LaTisha found Carole online just the other day, Vice President of a bank (shut UP!) she looked really professional and pleased with herself
it wasn't the Carole she once knew it was someone else LaTisha has long wanted to show Carole she's not the roughneck she used to be, the roughneck who wasn't good enough to be her friend.