Page 5 of The Psychopath Next Door

She nodded. ‘Yeah, it was no big deal.’

‘Who was it?’ Emma asked. ‘What did they say? What did they do? Are yousureyou’re okay?’

‘Mum, I’m fine. They were just going on at me, calling me Tay-Tay because one of them decided I look a bit like Taylor Swift.’

‘As if,’ said Dylan.

Rose narrowed her eyes at him.

‘See?’ I said. ‘It was just teenage boys being typical teenage boys.’

‘Do you know them?’ Emma asked Rose. ‘Do they go to your school?’

‘It was those boys across the road,’ I said. ‘The ones with the dirt bike.’

Dylan spoke between mouthfuls of naan bread. ‘Oh God. Albie and Eric. They’re the worst. Albie was suspended last yearafter telling a teacher to eff off. And Eric nearly got expelled for selling vapes in the playground to year sevens.’

‘How old are they?’ Emma asked. Her fork lay abandoned beside her plate.

‘Thirteen and fifteen, I think.’

‘And they’re bullying a twelve-year-old girl.’

‘They weren’t bullying me, Mum. And anyway, Fiona frightened them off.’

Emma looked at me. ‘Where wereyou?’

‘Me? I was here, trying to get organised. We agreed we don’t need to meet Rose from the bus stop every day, didn’t we?’

‘Yes, but maybe we should.’

‘Oh my God, Mum, that would be so embarrassing,’ Rose said.

‘And it’s the holidays now,’ I pointed out. ‘We don’t have to worry about it for six weeks. And then maybe Dylan can keep an eye on them on the bus.’

‘I don’t need Dylan to look after me. I’m not a baby.’ She looked to me for support.

‘And I’m not her babysitter,’ said Dylan.

‘For goodness’ sake,’ I said. ‘I’m going to sort it. I’ll talk to their parents.’

Emma groaned. ‘I hate this. Why do we ...?’

She trailed off, but I knew what she had been going to say:Why do we have to live opposite a family like that?In our old neighbourhood, even though the house had been smaller and cheaper, there had been no dirt bikes on the lawn. No vape-dealing teens. Again, I reminded myself not to allude to the reason we’d left there.

‘I really don’t want you wandering around the estate on your own,’ Emma said.

‘What, are you going to lock me up in my room? Keep me prisoner?’

‘Rose!’ Emma said, eyes widening.

‘Don’t talk to your mum like that,’ I said. Then, to Emma: ‘I really don’t think it’s a big deal. A bit of teasing. It’s not like they threatened her.’

‘Hmm. I don’t like it. I think—’

Rose interrupted her. ‘Can I get down from the table?’

‘Don’t you want dessert?’ I asked her. ‘We’ve got that chocolate pudding you like. With ice cream.’

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