There’s a new scream added into the mix and my heart begins to race.
Emily pushes me aside, tripping over her own feet and landing in front of Olivia. Harriet and Gabby step over her, still screaming as they dive out of the door.
I’m not sure why I’m panicking, but Olivia’s next words get me to stop screaming. I straighten my top, wincing when it catches on the small cut I got from the bins. The blood made it look worse than it was but still, it stings.
“What, what? What’s going on?” Olivia asks, rising to her tip toes. Her eyes widen and I spin around to see what she’s looking at.
A young girl—I’d guess eighteen or nineteen— stands in the doorway, frozen as she gawks back at her. Her hands shake around the pile of clothes she has in her grip.
Her auburn hair is tied up in a knot, and her eyes are red and swollen, as if she’s been crying.
She takes a step back. “Who are you and why are you here?”
“We’re not intruders,” I blurt out. “We’re here to see Amber. I swear. We are not robbers. I mean, would burglars turn up in the middle of the day? Would they—”
“Charlotte, I love you, but shush,” Emily whispers after getting up from the floor. She stands next to me, pasting on a wide smile. “We’re friends of Amber’s.”
The girl’s shoulders drop. “I’m April, her sister.”
“Is your sister here? She invited us. We’ve come to speak to her,” Harriet explains, moving back inside.
April’s eyes water and her bottom lip trembles. I step forward, taking the pile of clothes from her and placing them on the little shelf beside her.
“It’s okay. I’m sorry we scared you,” I assure her softly. “We really were invited.”
“It’s not okay,” she blubbers. “Amber got hit by a car last night on her way home from work. She’s in critical condition at the hospital. They aren’t sure if she’ll wake up.”
Harriet inhales sharply. “What?”
I pull the girl into my arms, giving her a hug. She must have needed it because she hugs me back, squeezing me so tight, I wince.
“I’m sorry to hear about your sister.”
“I need to be back there in an hour. I can’t believe it happened. Witnesses said it was done on purpose, that the car deliberately aimed for her. The police are looking into it, but I don’t understand who would do it to her. My sister is amazing.”
“She is,” Gabby agrees.
The girls share a look with each other, keeping me out of the loop. Harriet nods before turning to April. “Why don’t we help you do whatever it is you’re doing then go to the hospital with you.”
April steps back, wiping her nose with the sleeve of her shirt. “There’s no point. She’s in ICU and they won’t let anyone else in. I’m only allowed in for short periods of time.”
“But we can be there for you,” I explain, rubbing her arm.
“I’m sorry. I’m a blubbering mess and you don’t even know me.”
“It’s okay,” Harriet replies.
She wipes her tears. “Was there anything important you needed her for?”
“No,” I reply, not wanting her to worry about it.
“Yes, but it can wait. We wanted to know about her ex, Scott.”
Her eyes widen. “You’re those friends. She mentioned she talked to you but never said she was meeting up with you.”
I rub her arm. “We don’t need to talk about this. Why don’t I make you a cup of tea and then we can get whatever you were doing done and get you back to the hospital?”
“I’ll make the tea,” Olivia offers, rushing into the kitchen on the left.
“He dated Charlotte and did some pretty serious fucked-up shit,” Harriet reveals and I turn to her, silently warning her to drop it.
“Why don’t we sit down,” Gabby declares.
April nods and shakily turns to the room behind her. We head into the living area, and take a seat on the beige sofas. April sits between me and Gabby on one sofa and Harriet and Emily take a seat on the other.
Wiping her nose, April turns to me. “You dated him?”
“I’m not even sure what we were. He lied.”
She nods. “He lied to my sister too.”
“What did he do?” Crap! I had no right to ask that. She has more important things going on right now. It was insensitive and rude. “You don’t need to tell me anything.” I clamp my lips shut, fiddling with the thread on my jeans.
“I don’t know everything. I only ever met him once and it was by accident. He was manipulative, controlling and within the short time I witnessed them together, he was snide with his comments. Amber… she was too nice for her own good.”
Spotting a picture of April and another woman with bright red hair, I point to it. “Is that Amber?” She nods. “She’s beautiful.”
She sniffles, tears forming in her eyes. “She really is.”
“Why did they end things?” Harriet asks, her voice soft.
“She wouldn’t tell me, but I could tell it was bad. I had my suspicions. She cried a lot. She got depressed and then moved here not long after. It got bad, to the point I tried to get her to see a doctor, but things got better after moving here.”
“I’m so sorry she went through that,” I tell her sincerely, tears gathering in my own eyes.
She rubs the palms of her hands down her thighs. “She wanted her first time to be special. She spent years having men sleazing over her, acting like they had a right to degrade her at her work, so she wanted that to be a moment she looked back on and cherished. And she thought he was the person to give it to her.”
I share a look with Gabby, sucking in my bottom lip. It could just be a coincidence that the two of us were virgins. My stomach rolls at the thought of him doing what he did to me, to her.
“Did he send her anything or try to contact her after they broke up?” Emily asks, as Olivia walks in with a tray of tea.
I take the one she offers me, everyone else doing the same. April blows the steam away before taking a sip.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it.”
“She didn’t get sent anything but some things happened after.”
“What things?” I ask, taking her hand when I see it begin to shake. Gabby takes her drink and places it on the wooden coffee table in front of us.
“A woman attacked her at work, accusing her of being a home wrecker and a whore. It’s why she had to voluntarily resign from her position and leave. The boss was fed up of the drama this woman was causing. Amber would never sleep with a married man. Never. Not long after her car was trashed, so was her flat, and then her car again. When she went for a new job, the woman turned up there too and Amber was fired.” She takes a deep breath. “It’s why I moved to be here with her. She didn’t want to be alone anymore. She was being hassled by other women who were also accusing her of sleeping with their husbands. But she wouldn’t do that. Whatever Scott told his wife, she believed him.”
“Hey, we aren’t here to judge. We know exactly what he is like,” I assure her.
“I just miss her. She’s in a bad condition and I don’t know what to do. She’s the person I go to when I need advice or if things are bad,” she explains, snivelling. “I wish she were here to tell me what to do.”