Page 171 of Take My Hand

Dropping my head to his shoulder, dread swirled in my stomach. I knew from her tone that she was not in a good mood. It was hard, angry and drunk. Tapping Zak’s back, I dropped my feet to the floor and turned to face my friend.

“What’s wrong?” I asked her.

She rolled her eyes and growled as somebody jostled her from behind. “Fuck off,” she snapped before turning back to us.“Do you two always have to be so fucking gross, sucking face all the time.”

“It’s not really hurting you is it,” I retorted, feeling around for Zak’s little finger and linking it with mine. “So, I don’t know what the problem is.”

“Do you know how disgusting you look, mounting him like some cheap tart on heat?”

“Oi, watch your mouth,” Zak warned. “Don’t speak to her like that.”

Looking up at him, I saw his jaw tense, the muscles popping as he ground his teeth. He took a big breath and then turned to me.

“Let’s go and get a drink, babe.”

“Oh, let’s go and get a drink,babe,” Ana mocked in a bad copy of his accent.

“Ana.” I stamped my foot, trying to get her to listen. She whipped her head in my direction, a sneer on her face. “What the hell is your problem? You’re being a complete bitch,again.”

“Better a bitch than a slut, hey, Maddy?”

“Right, that’s enough,” Zak said, pointing at her. “You do not speak to anyone like that, least of all Maddy. She’s been nothing but good to you, helping you as much as she can, and all you’ve done in return is to be exactly what she said,a bitch.”

“Oh fuck off, Zak.”

“Ana, what the hell.” I grabbed her wrist, not hard, but she instantly snatched her arm away.

“Leave me alone, don’t touch me.”

“Why are you being like this? What’s going on? Is it your mum again?”

“I’ve told you, no. Stop sticking your nose in to my business.” She turned in a flash and started pushing people out of the way.

“Ana!”

“Leave her.” Zak tugged on my hand. “She’s just going to give you more shit.”

“You don’t think I should check on her?” I got on my tiptoes, looking over the heads of people trying to spot her. “Because there’s clearly something really wrong with her.”

“Yeah, she’s fucking awful.” His nostrils flared. “She’s leaving.” He nodded towards the general direction of the door, out into the garden.

“She’s not walking home on her own is she?” Anxiety washed through me as I looked up at him. “She can’t do that, Zak. Maybe I should go with her, make sure she gets home okay.

“She’s not your responsibility, Mads.” He heaved out a resigned sigh. “I’ll go and check on her. If she’s going home I’ll make sure she calls for a lift. Unless you want to go, and we can both walk her home.”

She was my best friend and she’d been going through a lot at home. “Should I come with you to check on her, make sure she calls for a lift?” She had been awful, though, vile to me and Zak, in fact. “Then again, why should she spoil our night?”

Zak nodded. “Okay, you stay here.” He reached through a couple of people and grabbed Liam by the shoulder. “Lee, just stay with Mads for a minute will you.”

Liam nodded and dragging Emma with him joined us. “What’s up?” he asked with a chin lift.

“Ana has kicked off with Mads, and now she’s stormed off. Maddy is worried she’s walking home on her own.”

Liam frowned and Emma rolled her eyes. “I’ll come with you. Stay with Maddy, Em, we won’t be long.”

“Well, I’d leave her to it,” Emma complained. “She told me I looked fat earlier.”

“She what?” I asked, my eyes almost popping out of my head.

---