Page 80 of The Last One to See Him

And then he’s gone, not even looking back at Mona to see the damage he’s inflicted on her.

Mona is off school for the rest of the week. Her mother has a job interview on Monday so she’s too wrapped up in preparing for it to doubt Mona’s story about feeling sick. And when she leaves Mona alone in the house and heads off to work, Mona puts her plan into action.

Every day she heads to the park, knowing that sooner or later she’s bound to see Graham again. But it’s not until Thursday lunchtime that she spots him, sitting on their bench, this time eating a sandwich. She assumes he must live or work around here, so she waits and watches, from behind the gigantic oak tree she used to climb when she was younger. He never looks around, and she’s quite certain that he’s forgotten all about her. Yet he is imprinted on her mind, on her whole body, and she can’t shake him.

Maybe he’s realised he’s made a mistake by dismissing her? That’s why he’s sitting on their bench, hoping she’ll come along. Mona wants to believe this, but doubt niggles away; he’d crushed her so cruelly and then walked away.

Graham gets up from the bench, and she follows him, not even bothering to keep a safe distance. He turns down several roads and then he heads up the driveway of a house on Pearson Street. Mona holds her breath and her pulse races. Is this his home?

Then everything changes when he knocks on the door and a blonde-haired woman answers, pulling him towards her and kissing him on the mouth.

Mona wants to throw up. So this is why he wouldn’t do anything with her. She’d never entertained the possibility that he might have someone. She watches them – sees how tenderly he touches her cheek, kisses her forehead, wraps his arms around her.

When the door shuts, Mona turns away, seething with rage. He’d led her on, made her think that he was interested in her. And then this.

Graham White has fucked with the wrong girl.

Over the next few days, Mona feels herself changing. Robbie keeps trying to talk to her, and normally she wouldn’t entertain the idea, but somehow, being with him feels like she’s getting Graham out of her system. She’s aware it’s a temporary solution, though – she’s not attracted to Robbie, whereas it’s clear that Graham adores that blonde woman he spends so much time with. Five days out of seven last week. Mona’s keeping a diary. Times, places. Every detail of his life. And he always leaves her in his house when he goes to work – he must really trust her.

PE started ten minutes ago, but Mona’s still in the girls’ changing room, on her own. If she could, she’d make herself invisible so that nobody would ever find her. Who would even care? She can’t bear the thought of going out there to play tennis, so she’ll wait here until the teacher comes looking for her.

Five minutes later, when the changing room door opens, it’s not Miss Bright but Kate who strides in. ‘There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Miss Abbott said you need to hurry up or she’s marking you absent.’

Mona shrugs. ‘Let her. I don’t care. Who gives a shit about tennis?’

‘Mona, what’s going on? I thought you didn’t mind tennis?’ She pauses. ‘You’ve been acting really…I dunno. Strange. Just talk to me. I’m your friend. Tell me what’s wrong.’

Then it all pours from her mouth, words Mona never imagined she’d ever be saying.

‘I…I was attacked. By a man in the park. A few weeks ago.’

THIRTY-SIX

2003

For a second, Kate thinks Mona is messing around. Not a good thing to joke about, but still, Mona is the sort of person who has no filter. She says what she thinks and nothing is off limits. But Kate sees through her vulnerability, and it’s part of why she feels connected to Mona. She sees the pain in her friend that no one else knows is there. ‘What…what do you mean?’

‘I met him in the park about a week ago. He was playing football with his friends and then they all left. He…he came over to me and started trying to talk to me. You know…all flirty. I told him he was old enough to be my dad and he just…he just laughed. Then the next thing I knew, he grabbed me and dragged me into the wooded part, behind the bushes.’ A stream of tears flows down Mona’s cheeks. ‘I screamed but there was no one around.’

Horrified, Kate grabs her friend and hugs her tightly. Mona’s been acting differently – withdrawn and distant – and this explains why. For a while they sit silently in the changing rooms until Mona’s ready to speak again. ‘When he’d finished, he just got up and walked off, as if nothing had happened. He even smiled, and said he’d see me around. As if…as if I’d wanted him to do that to me! He knew how old I am. He’s a…I can’t even say it.’

‘We need to go to the police,’ Kate says. She’s got to be strong for her friend, help her through this. ‘I’ll come with you.’

‘No! Then I’d have to tell Mum and you know what she’s like. She’d focus on how I was out at night when I shouldn’t have been. And everyone at school thinks I’m a slut already – they’ll say I wanted him to do it.’ She stares at Kate with large, frightened eyes. ‘But I swear I didn’t! He’s in his thirties!’ Mona wails again, her chest heaving with her heavy sobbing.

Kate holds her tighter. ‘He can’t get away with this, Mona! You can’t let him.’

Mona’s crying subsides. ‘I know. That’s all I can think about. I don’t want him to get away with it. But there’s another way.’

‘What do you mean?’ Kate asks.

‘We can make him pay without me going to the police.’

‘How?’

Mona takes a deep breath. ‘Okay, I know this will sound crazy…but I need to take things into my own hands.’

Kate’s used to Mona’s scheming and plotting, and it rarely turns out well. Her friend is impulsive at the best of times, but this is starting to feel frightening ‘That doesn’t sound like a good idea. And what exactly do you mean?’

---