Christmas

                  It was the night before Christmas and wind chimes tinkled in the window. Lorna opened her eyes. She didn’t know where she was. She did know it was dark. It was dark and to her left she could hear the deep breathing of a male. Fudge. Not again. Her fingers scrunched up the thin stale sheets. She turned to the rising and falling figure to her left, but whoever it was was wrapped up tight, like a Vegemite scroll. She wondered if he was cute. She pulled herself up and tried to make sense of the silhouettes around the room. Clothes on the floor. Clothes. She patted herself down. Shirt. Bra. Leggings. Check. Panties...damp. Fudge. Shoes. She needed her shoes. She took a wobbly step off the bed, then dropped to her knees and began scavenging through the piles of clothes on the floor. She thought of David Attenborough. 
                 'The startled female sorts through the assorted debris, unaware that she is in imminent danger.' Shut up. Jacket. Shirt. Shirt. Undies. Ew. Jeans. She heard the creak of footstep outside the door. She froze. A trio of unfriendly knocks. 

‘Jack honey, are you in there?’

‘Nyeaauugh,’ replied Jack from the bed. Lorna looked around for somewhere to hide. Bookcase. No. Bed. Hell no. Closet. She winced. There was nowhere else. Three more knocks.

‘Jack I’m coming in honey.’ Lorna scampered over the clothes heap and straight into a wall. Thud. She fell onto her butt. As light filled the room she stumbled into the closet, right hand grasping the lump on her forehead. She . It smelled like old sweat soaked in Lynx. It smelled like teenage boy.

‘Jack honey, where have you been tonight?’ came a concerned voice from outside.

‘Meuaagh.’

‘Jack I’m serious, where have you been?’

Lorna peeked through a crack in the closet. She imagined herself in a 90s teen drama. ‘Jack’ was curling around beneath his blankets. His mother stood at the foot of the bed.

‘Archie’s house.’

‘Oh really. What did you boys get up to over there??’

That voice. She recognised that voice.

                ‘Dinner.’

                ‘Oh really honey. What did you eat?’

Lorna squinted. She recognised this room.

                ‘Carrots.’

She flayed her brain as she scanned for clues.

                ‘Carrots,’ with a maternal finality.

Guitar case with black and yellow ‘warning’ label across it.

                ‘Jack tell me the truth.’

Decorative skateboard with voluptuous cartoon breasts.

                 ‘You can’t handle the truth.’

Nickelback poster. No. Nickelback. Her eyes went wide. She knew where she was. The smell of teenager; the mother's voice; the wind chimes in the window. She let out a small ‘eep.’ She was in Jack's room. Edgar's youngest brother. 

                 ‘Jack what was that?’
Silence.

                 ‘What was what?’

Lorna pressed her back against the wall, her eyes wide like twin moons. 

                 ‘That noise.’

                 ‘What noise?’

Lorna shook her head to the left and right like a meercat, looking for an escape. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. It's ok you're innocent. How old is he? Girls can’t be paedophiles. They can be statutory rapists, chimed in her brain. Shut up. Footsteps. Adrenaline sparked through her. 
The wind chimes tinkled.

                 ‘Oh. Nevermind.’

Lorna remained stuck to the wall, like a banshee faced with an exorcist.
                 'Jack, I know you weren't at Archie's tonight.' 
Jack didn't reply
                 'Anything to say for yourself?'
No reply.
                 'You're grounded for three months.' 
                 'What!? That's fucking bullshit. You can't do that.'
                 'Bullshit? I'll tell you what's bullshit, Jack Edgington. Bullshit is a 15 year old boy that lies straight to his mother's face.' 
                 'Well maybe if you weren't such a bitch I wouldn't have to.' 
In Lorna's chest fear began making space for a large shipment of awkward. 
                 'Bitch? I raise you for 15 years, provide you with a house, food-
                 'You don't provide shit! Dad works his ass off while you provide blowjobs for the neighbourhood watch.' 
                 'What did you say?'
                 'You heard me.' 
                 'Jack are you drunk?' 

The mother calls police

Lorna comes out. 

Jack tries to hit on her.

She refuses him. 

He tries to blackmail her. 

She tricks him. 

She gets away. 

Stumbles into boyfriend's room. 'Hey baby.' It's not him. 

Wakes up. 'Fudge.'