Background: Angela is shocked when William, an old friend from her past, who she hoped never to see again, comes back into her life, after he applies for a role at her work and successfully secures the job. William’s sudden reappearance puts Angela on edge. She’s terrified he’s discovered her secret, which she needs to protect her family from. William’s convinced Angela knows what happened to his former girlfriend, Caz, who hasn't been seen for twenty years, and that something terrible happened to her. The only person, who can help Angela, is her once best friend, Michelle, but Angela hasn’t seen Michelle for more than a decade. Faced with the threat of William’s return, they know they’ll need to work together to save their future, even if this does mean reopening old wounds, and revisiting a past they'd rather keep buried.

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January 2000 

My eyes flick open at the same time they normally do. A delicious thrill creeps into me. There’s no need to get up today. I won’t be seeing Stevie’s miserable face. There was no need to set my alarm clock last night, but still, I always seem to wake up before my alarm clock goes off. It’s really there to stop me falling asleep again. I always tend to think I’ve got ten more minutes, and before I know it, I’m forty minutes late. I’ve been the same since I was at school. By the time I was thirteen, Mum said I needed to be the one to start getting myself up.

Stretching out under the duvet, I imagine William lying beside me. I imagine the scent of his cologne. If I want to, I can spend the whole day languishing around in bed, or slop on the sofa and watch rubbish television all day.

The sound of plates clinking in the kitchen reaches my ear, and then I hear Lauren and Hayley’s voices. They should be gone in the next half an hour. Of course, Michelle will have already left. She never seems to have breakfast at home, and always grabs it on the way to work. Sometimes she’ll only have a banana. I wish I could be that self-controlled. I wouldn’t be able to function all morning if that’s all I had to eat.

Part of me thinks that perhaps I should go back to the flower shop and apologise to Stevie. It was a dick move what I did yesterday. It played on my mind all night, while I tried to get to sleep. But why should I go and apologise? If anything she should be the one apologising to me. The only time she’s ever shown the slightest bit of interest in me, was when William came to the shop, and that was only because she fancied him. She even had the cheek to ask me for his number after he left the shop the other day.

I close my eyes. I bet Stevie would love to be in my position now. We didn’t go all the way, me and William. I hadn’t wanted to. Not yet. I’ve only got a single bed. William was practically lying on top of me the whole time. He did suggest we push Michelle’s bed against mine, but the very idea of it filled me with dread. She would’ve noticed if someone had been in her bed. I’m sure she’s noticed I’ve had someone in mine, but so far she hasn’t said anything.

I swing my legs over the side of the bed. There is one thing I do need to do. At least this’ll stop Michelle, and now Hayley and Lauren, badgering on at me to get it done.

Shoving my hand under my bed, I reach out to try and grab hold of the envelope. I frown. What the . . . I reach again under the mattress, thinking it must’ve moved further down, but. I’m reaching further, but I can’t find it.

I throw the mattress off my bed. I hold my hand up to my forehead. I want to cry out, but no words escape my lips.

My eyes flicker over to the piece of paper I tore out of the magazine, and stuck to the wall by the side of my bed, with the dates of the course for this year, and the date I needed to hand the money over by, circled in red to remind me.

The realisation of what’s happened hits me hard in the chest and I let out a strangled cry.

The money is gone.

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Character List:

Angela Watkins - Protagonist 

Paul Watkins - Angela's husband

Rebecca Watkins - Angela's daughter 

Michelle Blake - Angela's former best friend 

Kirsty - Receptionist (Angela's friend) 

Olivia - Angela's boss

William Harris - Angela's former friend 

Caroline (Caz) - Angela's friend 

Hayley - Angela's former friend

Lauren - Angela's former friend