The Re-Set

Full Disclosure

"Hello, Olivia...don't you look lovely?" Mrs Franklin grinned, as she opened her front door to us. "And this must be Felicity...Caroline, how nice to see you again?"

"Thank you for inviting us, Helen...girls, say good morning please?" Caroline urged, resting her hands lightly on our shoulders.

"Good morning, Mrs Franklin." Felicity and I said, more or less in unison, before stepping into the familiar hall of what was once my second home. It was only five weeks since I had last been there for a sleepover, in a different life. I had called Mrs Franklin Helen back then, having dropped the auntie when I felt too grown up to say it, but somehow, I did not think that Mummy would think that an appropriate address anymore.

"Thank you for coming...and for checking on us every day...I am so grateful," Mrs Franklin said, as Caroline started to take off our salmon pink coats. It was the Saturday morning, over a week after Beth ended up in hospital, and Mrs Franklin had finally decided that Beth was well enough to receive visitors. School had been school, with no further revelations. We were kept well away from Louise, and Sarah had clearly been told not to say any more about her fall from grace, on pain of death, or worse. Dad and Caroline had doubled right down on telling us that we had no business asking questions, or confronting anyone, and Catherine had been keeping us all together and well out of any potential trouble in her strictly supervisory role whilst we were actually at school. Basically, whatever had happened, it was no business of little girls like us. "Olivia knows where Beth's room is...shall we let them go up and get reacquainted, whilst we have a coffee in the kitchen?"

"Yes...that sounds nice...but remember what I said, you two...Beth is recuperating...do not jump all over her...or interrogate her...she may not feel like reliving everything...and I do not want you upsetting her...Olivia?" Caroline commanded, whilst fussing over the prim collar of my salmon pink dress.

"I won't, Mummy...I promise?"

"Good girl..." Caroline smiled, and I took Felicity's hot hand and hurried her up the familiar stairs. It was so weird for me. I knew the house so well, but everything felt different. I was so different, but it was not just me. Mrs Franklin was different, and somehow, I knew that Beth would be different too. I knocked, because it seemed polite, and then opened the door, to find Beth tucked up in bed, with her duvet around her neck, looking pale and drawn, and although I did not jump all over her, I did rush over and hug her, followed by Felicity, because I was so pleased to see her. But also, how bad Beth still looked brought home to me just how serious her condition must have been. Because it was eight days since she took the drugs, and she still looked terrible. In the end, before we said much, we all cried, and then we started to talk, with me avoiding asking the difficult questions, after Caroline's warnings.

"Your mum has been really kind to us." Beth said, her voice quiet and feeble, after telling us that she felt better, but still bad, explaining that she had a stomach upset. I had no idea what having your stomach pumped entailed, other than the obvious, but it certainly sounded like an upsetting experience. "She has been helping mum...and talking to her...and dad too...because they know each other...whilst they decide what to do with me when I feel better."

"What to do with you?" I frowned, not understanding what she meant.

"Olivia...I seriously messed up...I don't think anyone will be calling me mature again, any time soon...do you?" She grinned, looking up at Felicity sitting on the edge of her bed, and me sitting on a chair right beside her. "Louise showed me these pills...she called them happy pills at first...but she told me I was too young to take them...she was always saying things like that to me, even though she said she liked me. She said I would be too scared to have any fun...and then she went downstairs to get something...leaving me in her room. I was angry with her...she had asked me over, but she wasn't being very nice...and I decided to show her..."