The Last Breath Of Reggie Warrington

Chapter 27: Granny Knickers!

Pulling back the covers of my makeshift bed, all the familiar sights and smells around me, it felt like heaven. No way could I have stayed with Libby. Something about what she said made my mind churn and churn with thoughts, confusing thoughts. I didn't know what to believe anymore. She said that Ethan didn't set fire to my house. All the evidence pointed to him. Who else could it have been?

What I needed was a chance to put all that behind me. Reggie was gone and not coming back any time soon. New start. New me. But no matter how much I wanted that, Libby was my best friend and I had to stand by her. I just needed my family and she had hers.

It didn't take long for me to drift off into a deep sleep. Grandma's bathroom smelt of lavender and the soothing scent was exactly what I needed. I dreamt about home, my true home, how it used to be with Mum, Dad and my sisters. I was back at Allenfield Park, sitting on a picnic blanket surrounded my the nicest ham sandwiches cut into the shape of little stars, long cream doughnuts and plenty of ice cream, everything we wanted. I sat eating with Mum, watching Maddison and Dad played frisbee. I really wanted Mum to come and play as well, but she kept telling me my little brother or sister in her tummy wouldn't like it if she hopped up and ran around with us. If only things hadn't changed. If only they were still like that.

Fists banged against the door.
"Chloe, Chloe, I need a wee-wee!"

Bradley's whine woke me from my peaceful slumber. I yawned and stretched, but couldn't be bothered to move.
"Go use a plant pot!"

I should have known the second I suggested that, the chances are he'd do it. Little brothers. Look up the word impressionable in a dictionary and there you'd find Bradley McGee. For a boy who'd just lost his dad, Brad seemed unusually upbeat. I assumed Mum hadn't told him, which meant treading on ice until she'd done it.

"Chloe Jane Leighton, get out of that bathroom at once!" It was Mum's time to try and get me up. "Your brother needs to use the toilet now! I will not have him urinating in that retched plant pot again."

I must have slept for hours, at least until 8 o clock. My alarm clock perished in the fire along with pretty much everything else. All I had apart from a pair of Libby's pyjamas, was my school uniform. I wish I could have slept for longer, but no. I wasn't sure my back could take the camp bed any longer. Every bone in my body ached like nothing I'd ever felt before. I pushed myself off the bed and left the bathroom. Bradley ran past me and I stumbled as he hurled himself into the bathroom.

"Don't forget to wash you hands, young man." Mum called after him.

"And don't piss on my bed!"

Mum took one look at me and beckoned me to follow her into grandma's room.
"Maddison told me last night that you wanted to be with us." She started, "what happened at Libby's?"

"I don't want to talk about it." I said, "what's for breakfast?"

A faint smile appeared on my mum's face and she rested her hand on my shoulder.

"Maddison's coming over soon, and I'm going to give her some money to take you and Lilly out shopping. I've phoned school and they know you won't be in today, but I need to explain things to Bradley."

Oh. I was right. She hadn't told him a thing. Not that I blamed her. How could she tell a hyperactive 5 year old like Bradley that the father he doted on was dead and never coming back? I really wished I could have stayed to help him understand, but this was her job and her wishes were my sisters and I went into town to replace the stuff lost in the fire.

"Ah, which reminds me..."

Mum stood up and opened grandma's wardrobe. "Grandma says you can borrow some clothes of hers to go out in."

No! My heart sunk deeper into my chest. Not granny clothes surely? Then it hit me. Like a ball to the head during netball practice and a word I'd been brought up not to us, entered my brain.

"Not granny knickers? No! I'll borrow a top and trousers but not a hope in hell am I wearing her underwear!"

Mum tutted and shook her head, "who's going to know?"

"I'll know! You'll know. The answer is know."

I grabbed a pastel pink top and a pair of decent looking jogging bottoms and went into the bathroom to get changed. I still had my bra and decided to wear yesterday's knickers. At least they were mine!

The tv blared away as I went downstairs. Mum and Bradley sat in front of the TV watching the local news, while Grandma made breakfast and Lilly sat in the chair with her arms folded, scowling at the screen.

"Muuuum! Tell Bradley to change the channel! The Next Step is on soon!"

"We're watching this at the moment, Lilian. Learn to share tv time."

They weren't the only ones watching the news. As I listened to what the news lady spoke about, everything I wanted to forget suddenly became more relevant.

"Police day the body found on Roughhouse Park last night has been named as 17 year old..."

Mum stood up to help Grandma in the kitchen. The second her back was turned, Lilly pounced with all the might of a lion attacking a wilder beast and snatched the remote control out of Bradley's hand. The channel switched from the BBC news, to CBBC, home to her favourite show The Next Step.

"I was watching that!" I snapped at her, "Libby found that poor sod. I want to know who it is!"

Typical Lilly. The second that stupid dance show was on TV, my little sister was like a different person. It was like an unhealthy obsession with it, that, or it's tedious plots, uninteresting characters or lame theme tune had brainwashed her. Either way, the show was really boring.

I'd missed finding the name of the person who had died, or so I'd thought.

"Chloe?" Grandma called from the kitchen, "can you nip to the shops for me? Get a pint of milk, Daily Express and a loaf of bread."