Kimberley Chambers 3-Book Collection: The Schemer, The Trap, Payback. Kimberley Chambers

eyes, and he knew if and when he met Angela, he would hate her on sight. ‘I actually think you should apologize to Jacko yourself. Trust me, Steph, when you get to know him, he’s proper and, seeing as he saved my life, I’d really like yous two to get along. I know he can be a mouthy prick at times, but he weren’t like that when we lived in Bethnal Green. I think he larges it in front of them pricks, Potter and Cooksie. Give Jacko a chance, please – for my sake.’

      ‘But I feel such a div. Not only have I accused him of being a nonce, but it weren’t long ago that I asked him out meself. He must think I’m a right loony.’

      Barry grinned. Jacko had told him what had happened between him and Steph at lunchtime and Barry was pleased that he’d managed to sort things out for his girlfriend so quickly. ‘You and Jacko will get along just fine, trust me on that one, and the only reason you asked him out was because you hadn’t then met me. Let’s just say he was the next best thing, eh?’

      Stephanie smiled. ‘I’d better walk the rest of the way on me own now. We don’t wanna get caught out, do we? Not only that, I’ve gotta get back and deal with Angie. I ain’t letting her get away with this one, Bal. I’ve always been soft with her, but this time, she’s gone one step too far.’

      ‘Are you gonna tell your mum what she said about Jacko?’ Barry asked.

      ‘Nah. If I do that she’ll probably grass me up about seeing you.’

      Desperate to share a kiss with his girlfriend, Barry leant towards her.

      ‘Don’t! I’m frightened someone might see us,’ Stephanie said, glancing up and down the road.

      Barry sighed. He knew Steph was only concerned about being seen with him because of who his mother was, and already the situation had started to piss him off a bit. ‘Look, I know my mum’s a bit of a girl, but she’s no Myra Hindley. Why don’t you just tell your mum you’re seeing me? It will make things so much easier in the long run,’ he suggested.

      ‘Look, I must go now, but I’ll meet you in the morning on the corner of Ford Road and we’ll walk to school together. I do really like you, Bal, so please don’t think that I don’t,’ Steph said, avoiding his awkward question.

      Unable to stop himself, Barry grabbed his girlfriend around the waist, pulled her towards him and kissed her passionately. Pulling away, he winked at Steph. ‘And I like you, girl. Probably more than you’ll ever know.’

      Pamela Crouch was absolutely seething. For months her Angela had been harping on about dying her hair blond, and today, when she was supposed to be ill, Pam had arrived home to find that her daughter had disobeyed her orders and now had a mop of frizzy hair that resembled a low-class prostitute.

      ‘Where did you get the money from, Angela? I know you had no pocket money left and I had two pound notes in my purse this morning and one has miraculously disappeared. If it ain’t bad enough you’ve gone behind my back and done something I forbade you to do, you’ve been stealing off me as well, ain’t ya?’

      About to deny the accusation, Angela welcomed the distraction of her sister arriving home. ‘Mum reckons I’ve stolen money out of her purse, Steph. Tell her I ain’t. I borrowed a pound off you, didn’t I?’ she lied.

      After the day she’d had at school, Stephanie couldn’t help but lose it with her little sister. ‘You’re a liar, Ange. I never lent you a penny, and not only that, you lied about Jacko an’ all, didn’t you?’

      ‘Who’s Jacko?’ Pam asked, perplexed.

      Angela stared at her sister with a look of pure hatred on her face. Steph had promised not to divulge her secret to anyone and she had obviously been making herself busy. ‘You bitch! I told you to keep your mouth shut,’ Angela screamed, as she flew at Stephanie.

      ‘Stop it! Stop it!’ Pam yelled, as a full-scale argument began.

      ‘She told me she’d been raped, Mum. She’s an evil, wicked liar,’ Stephanie shouted, as her sister tried to drag her around the room by her hair.

      Pam knew that her girls had always bickered, but she had never seen them as bad as this before. ‘I said, stop it,’ she yelled, barging her way into the ruckus, while trying to pull them apart.

      Angela took a deep breath when her mum made her sit on one side of the lounge and Stephanie on the other. If her humiliation over the Jacko episode hadn’t been bad enough, her sister had made it a whole lot worse by opening her big mouth at school and snitching on her to her mum.

      ‘Now, what’s going on? And what’s all this about a rape? Don’t lie to me, the pair of you, because if you do, I’ll have your guts for garters,’ Pam shouted.

      Angela knew that there was only one way to worm herself out of this difficult situation and that was to turn the tables.

      ‘Can I just say something first please, Mum?’ she asked, in a childlike, innocent-sounding voice.

      ‘Go on, but don’t you dare lie to me, Angela,’ Pam replied, in a threatening tone.

      Smirking at her sister, Angela turned back to her mother. ‘You know that old slapper over the road, Mum. Stephanie’s going out with her son.’

      CHAPTER SEVEN

      Angela’s revelation left Pam temporarily dumbstruck, but suddenly she found her voice again. ‘This had better not be true, young lady. If I find out you’ve been within one hundred yards of that old slapper’s son, you’re grounded for life.’

      ‘It ain’t me you wanna be worrying about, it’s her. At least I ain’t been having sex with boys and then accusing ’em of raping me,’ Stephanie screamed. She was furious that her sister had betrayed her trust.

      ‘You lying bitch! I ain’t never had sex with anyone, Mum, I swear I ain’t,’ Angela yelled.

      Pam felt physically sick. Angela had only just turned thirteen years old, and the idea of some boy taking advantage of her innocence was almost unthinkable. ‘Who is this boy?’ Pam asked Angela.

      ‘He’s no one. I just liked some boy, that was all, and pretended to Steph that I was going out with him. He’s fifteen, Mum. As if he’s gonna go out with some silly kid like me. I only told Steph ’cause I wanted to see if I could trust her not to tell you. It was a test and she’s failed it.’

      ‘You are such a wicked liar. I can prove it, Mum. Wayne Jackman thought Angie was fifteen ’cause that’s what she told him and she pretended that she went to Parsloes Manor. She also told him that Dad was still alive and he beats her up.’

      When Angela leapt off her chair and flew at her sister again, Pam started to weep. ‘Stop it! Just bloody stop it,’ she screamed, grabbing Angela around the neck.

      ‘I hate you,’ Angela spat at Steph, as her mum bundled her into the hallway.

      ‘Get up them stairs now. And you’re going back to school in the morning, young lady. Taking no more of your crap, I ain’t.’

      When Angela ran up the stairs sobbing, Pam marched back into the lounge. ‘So, have you been knocking about with that old slapper’s son? And don’t lie to me ’cause I’ll find out the truth,’ she told Steph.

      Unlike her sister, Stephanie was not a good liar, so decided it would be in her best interest to come clean. ‘Barry’s lovely, Mum. He’s nothing like Marlene. He’s the complete opposite and he is so kind to me.’

      Pam was furious. ‘You are not seeing that boy again, do you understand me? I’ll be the laughing stock of the street if anyone finds out you’ve been knocking about with Marlene’s son. Ain’t you got no respect for yourself? You silly little mare.’

      ‘Me have respect for myself! What about Angie? At least I ain’t done nothing with Barry. At least I don’t have sex with boys.’

      ‘Your