Monday
"Not kicking you out or anything, but you going to try to get the keys for the house today?" Jasmin asks, I arrived at her house with Mia late Saturday night, exhausted from traveling from London to Birmingham by train, then driving to Manchester.
I was also understandably an emotional wreck.
But she didn't judge, she didn't moan that I hadn't called her, she just let us in, sorted somewhere for Mia to sleep and called Sian who arrived Sunday morning baring wine and chocolate. Lots of chocolate.
"I can't, the key is still in the site office and it's all in Jacks name"
"Surely your name is somewhere?" Pipes up Sian, it was bought with the intention of you living there"
"No, it's all in Jacks name, all the bills everything. Honestly he was just going to have the bills come out of his account, he had intended to send me money monthly for Mia but Well I never left did I and he just gave me a credit card"
The girls look at each other. The look they exchange is one of mortified despair.
"What?" I ask, genuinely confused, and it dawns on me that this is how Jack must feel most of the time. "What? It's because I do the shopping and stuff and obviously buy for Mia, and I don't actually have an income at the moment.......I think it's just paid by his accountant every month"
"Chelsea, you do have money though don't you? Like actual money?" Jasmin enquires.
"No, my account is literally empty and what little savings I had I spent when I was proving a point that I could pay for the cot and things myself"
"What if he blocks the card Chels?" Asks Sian.
"He wouldn't do that!"
"What if you need cash, can you withdraw on that card?" Sian presses.
"Well I don't know, I've never tried?"
"Once I'm in the house I thought I could work from home, contact some of my old regulars, the utility room is massive I thought I could set up a home salon"
"Babe, he's literally left you with nothing.....he's pulled and he's reeled you in and you've become proper dependent on him" Jasmin says gently.
"No, it's not like that!" Is it.....
"A normal person would have given you money, actual money, then you could have had access to cash, anything left over. Chelsea, withholding money from a partner is a form of abuse" Sian is holding Mia as she's talking. This is madness........isn't it?
"I wish you'd been honest with us Chelsea!" Jasmin sounds annoyed. "He's fucking played you Chelsea! The man's a fucking walking red flag!"
"Nooooo, honest I think you've got him wrong! He's a fucker for fucking around, but the money thing? Honestly he's not that deep to think like that. He uses a credit card himself for everything.......it all goes to his accountant. Like he has a day to day bank account but there's not much money in it, his accountant deals with his actual wages and where his money goes....."
"Oh Chelsea! No one has that little idea about there own money babe!" Sian sounds like she's losing patience with me, but I still don't see it.
Jasmin suddenly stifles a strange sound and shows me her phone "I'm sorry babe, but he's fine, he knew what he was doing!"
She's still following some of the private accounts of the lads from the holiday on Instagram.
She shows me photo after photo of Jack out celebrating.
Jack drinking.
Jack with friends.
Jack with girls.
Jack dancing with girls.
Jack getting cosy with girls.
A video of him with his arm around some girl, drunkenly singing villa chants.
Quite the contrast to the crying emotional mess I last saw.
I look at the accounts she's following.
" I don't even follow Jack's private account, he doesn't follow me" I admit.
Sian actually slaps her hand to her head in despair.
***
Wednesday
I've tried to call Jack, but he never answers.
I've sent texts asking him to call me.
I've sent texts saying I need to speak to him about Mia, but still no reply.
Reluctantly I call Karen.
She answers on the fourth ring. Her voice is tense.
"Hello Chelsea"
"Karen, I'm trying to get hold of Jack"
"Are you now" she's not happy.
"Well yes, I need to know how to get the keys for house here, and also to talk about Mia and how we are going to do things"
"Have you tried calling him?"
"Of course!"
"Well you're the same as the rest of us. Chelsea none of us have spoken to him since Sunday. He went out with the boys, they came back and returned home, Jack didn't"
"What he's still not come home?"
"No! Kevan had been keeping an eye on him through social media, but it appears now that he's with people Kevan and their friends don't know so we've no idea where he is Chelsea! I asked you to wait until you got home. I warned you he'd break!"
For the first time I'm angry at her.
"Maybe you should have taught him to keep his dick under control and to treat women better!" I hiss at her.
"How dare you! He's my son, of course I'm going to be worried about his wellbeing, but don't you blame his actions on me!"
"His wellbeing?? Someone should have taught him that a blow job does count as cheating!" I slam the phone down on her. I'm shaking with anger.
This is not how things were supposed to go.
***
Friday
Jack still isn't getting back to me. Kiera has let me know that none of them, or his non football friends have heard anything.
I've spoken to Chloe and she has no idea either, Jack isn't even answering his phone to Sam.
I've contacted Ginny through Instagram and he hasn't heard from Jack since Tuesday.
I know people close to him are starting to panic.
Although he pops up on Instagram occasionally, always drunk.
Always smiling.
Always with some girl nearby.
To cheer me up Sian, who took the whole week off decides to take me and Mia shopping and for lunch.
It does help. Although, the only person who benefits from the trip really is Mia, who gets spoiled, as always.
We get home to jasmins to find a red eyed Layla on the sofa.
She's split up with Ben, again. Only this time apparently it's for good.
She's in a state and not making much sense. It appears though that while she went out on her own bender to feel better, she bumped into Jack and after drinking their woes together she had at some point called Ben.
Ben had picked Jack up and was getting him back to Karen.
"Oh thank fuck" I sigh
"Yeah lucky Jack" Layla mutters
"Huh?"
"Well Ben sorted him out, took one look at me and told me to fuck off! It's really over"
"I'm sorry Layla, really I am, but I'm just glad I'm not going to wake up tomorrow to the news that my daughter's dad has been found dead in a ditch!"
She stares at me. I can't read her expression. "He's not that bad you know, I think he does really love you"
"You've changed your tune!"
She shrugs and looks away. I'm sure I hear her mumble 'sorry' quietly as she walks into the kitchen.
I haven't got time for laylas dramas at the moment.