Cheryl's POV
Before I got out of the car, Kimberley made me promise not to say anything stupid, or do anything stupid. So I promised. The poor girl looks petrified that she's even here, looking at her mother. I don't intend to start anything with this woman. All I want is for her to let me get Kimberley what she wants. So I march straight up to her.
'Hello. You must be Mrs Walsh?'
'Oh my God, Cheryl Cole!' the neighbour gasps. 'Oh my God!'
I give her a polite smile and look back at Kimberley's mum. She looks quite bewildered. 'Yes...?'
I stick out my hand. 'Pleased to meet you, I'm Cheryl.'
She takes my hand, looking dumbstruck. 'Err, nice to meet you...'
'I suppose you're wondering what I'm doing here.'
'Well--'
'Let me explain. I'm a friend of your daughters. Actually scratch that. I'm Kimberley's girlfriend.'
There is a horrible, long silence. 'Err, I better check my washing...' the neighbour says, disappearing into her house and closing the door. Perfect. Now I can speak freely. 'Did you hear me, Mrs Walsh?'
'I heard you. What are you doing here?' She glances behind me, at the car. 'Is she with you?'
'She who? She has a name you know.'
'Is she?'
'Yes, she is.'
'Why are you here, why is she here?'
'Kimberley is here because I brought her, but she isn't here to see you, don't worry. Your daughter can't even look at you, how does that make you feel?' Without waiting for an answer I just continue. 'She's been to her father's grave today. I asked her if she had a picture because I wanted to see what he looked like, and she couldn't show me one. Because you threw her out of her home. And you never cared what happened to her after that, did you?'
'How dare you come here and--'
'How dare I?!' I say, not even realising both of us are raising our voices now. 'I'm the person who took care of your daughter when you decided your duties as a mother no longer applied! A matter of weeks ago your daughter almost died. You weren't there for her, what kind of mother does that make you?!'
I am barely aware of a car door slamming and footsteps, until I feel a hand on my arm. 'Cheryl. That's enough.'
'She needs to hear this Kimberley!'
'It's not going to make any difference, Cheryl, please! Come back to the car.'
I can hear the tears in Kimberley's voice and turn to her. 'Please.'
'Kimberley...'
Kimberley clenches her fists and looks straight at her mum when she whispers her name. 'What?'
'H-how are you?'
I let out a loud laugh. She has got to be joking.
'I'm fine. You know, not in a coma anymore.' Kimberley shrugs. 'So, have you burned the contents of my room yet or d'you think I could go up there and get something?'
Kimberley's mum changes from timid and nervous to steely in a second. She folds her arms, frowning. 'I don't want you in my house.'
'That's no problem, I'll nip in for her.' I smile breezily. I stride right past her mum and straight through the open door into the house. As I enter I hear Kimberley from outside. 'Top of the stairs, furthest room on your left babe.'
Kimberley's POV
My mum turns to follow Cheryl, so I follow her. When we reach the door she turns around, slamming her hand on the frame. 'I said I don't want you in my house.'
I decide to get straight to the point while I have the opportunity. This is the last place on Earth I want to be, but I'm here; I might as well make the best of it.
'What exactly is your problem? Adam came to me, he's forgiven me, we're back to normal. I've got my brother back, he finally listened to me, why can't you?'
'I'm not talking to you about this.'
'Why?! Give me one good reason why you hate me so much, when Adam can forgive and forget? Give me one good reason why I nearly died and you still couldn't - I would never do that to you.'
I stop before I burst into tears. I think she knows that's where things are going. I hear Cheryl running back down the stairs. She has one of my old school bags slung across her shoulder. 'You ready to go?'
I just nod, and start walking away. Cheryl grabs my hand tightly, then stops and turns back. 'You disgust me.' She says. We get back in the car and Cheryl hands me the bag she came out with. I make the mistake of looking back at the house; she's gone back inside.
'What's in this?' I ask as Cheryl pulls out and accelerates up the road, back towards the motorway.
'What you wanted, babe.'
My hands are shaking on the clasp of the bag, so I give up and say to Cheryl, 'So what was my room like?'
She doesn't answer. 'Cheryl? I can handle it, it's alright.'
'Everything was boxed up.' Cheryl sighs. 'I made a bit of a mess, really... but the pictures... they were still on the window ledge.'
'Thank you... d'you mind if we pull over soon?'
'There's a service station not far, I'll stop there and we'll get something to eat aswell, yeah?'
'Yeah, that's fine.'
When we pull into the service station, which has a Burger King, Cheryl turns to me. 'D'you want me to leave you alone for a bit babe?'
'Would you mind?' I whisper, surprised she knew that's exactly what I want.
'Not at all.' Cheryl leans over and kisses me. 'I'll go and get us some food and stuff.'
When she's gone, I open the bag. The first thing I do is laugh. Cheryl seems to have grabbed all the CD's I owned and shoved them in. I take them out one by one and study them. My favourite ever book, 'The Catcher in The Rye', is in there too. Cheryl must have noticed how faded and dog-eared it is; I must've read it about fifty times.
I place the music and book on Cheryl's empty seat, then pull out the pictures; she grabbed four, none of them with my mother in them, which makes me smile. One of them is a black and white one of me, my dad and Adam from a photoshoot thing we did when I was about nine. One is me and my dad on the waterlog ride in Blackpool, taken on my fifteenth birthday. The third is a total caught-in-the-moment picture, my dad throwing a laughing, five-year-old me up in the air, his arms out ready to catch me again. The last one is just him, a bit of a close up. It was always my favourite, even though I have no idea where it was taken or when, but he is much younger in it than I ever saw him in life, a casual smile across his face. He's wearing a suit and holding a pint glass. Maybe he was at a wedding. Maybe it was his wedding.
When Cheryl comes back, I'm still holding this photo. I hurriedly shift the stuff off the driver's seat so she can get back in and stuff everything back in the bag. 'How are you babe?'
I just nod, a huge lump in my throat.
'Your dad... he was a really good lookin' bloke, wasn't he?'
I smile at my knees, blurred by tears.
'Kimberley... I'm sorry I lost me temper with your mum. I know I promised you... I couldn't stop meself.'
'Forget about it. I don't care.' I whisper. Cheryl shuffles closer, slips her arm around me and pulls me in to lean on her. 'Did you see the way she looked at me?' I sniff, unable to let it go. 'She wouldn't have given a damn if I'd died.'
'I'm sure that's--'
'Cheryl please don't defend her.'
Cheryl just hugs me tighter, kisses the top of my head. I smile to myself. 'Thank you.'
'For what?'
'What do you mean, for what?! For today, you lunatic.' I laugh, sit up and gently grasp Cheryl's face between my hands. 'You are... beyond amazing, Cheryl. I can't tell you how much it meant to me, what you did today.'
'I'd do anything for you, Kimba.'
'Really?'
'Yes, really! Here, eat your burger.'
'Thanks.'
We eat in silence, just watching people come and go. 'How long til we get to London?'
'Oh, another few hours yet babe.'
'If you want we can swap halfway, and I'll drive.'
'You said you don't have a licence.'
'So?'
'So if we get pulled and you're driving, we're both screwed!' Cheryl laughs.
'Oh yeah... I'll take a test, I think. When we're settled, I'll book a proper driving test.'
Cheryl just shrugs, going back to her burger. 'Oh my God!'
'What?' Cheryl says loudly.
'I've just realised.'
'What?!'
'You said you were my girlfriend.'
'Right...'
'In front of my mum. And... and her neighbour. Oh my God, oh my God, Cheryl! What if one of them goes to the papers? Everyone thinks you're straight!'
'Kim--'
'What're we gonna do?!'
'You're gonna calm down!' Cheryl raises her voice enough for me to stop talking. 'Bloody hell Kimberley, you're going on like we've murdered someone. It's not a huge deal.'
'Of course it is! What if one of them says something?! You haven't even told you're family yet!'
'Oh. Oh yeah... that could be a problem.' Cheryl cringes. 'But other than that... if it's even crossed their minds... which I doubt - I'm not fussed.'
'Well I am! How would people react if it was suddenly all over the papers? What would you do?'
'Well, I'd hold me hands up and admit it. Unless... unless you really don't want us to, in which case I'll completely deny everything.'
'You really don't care... do you?'
Cheryl eats the last of her burger in one huge bite, and stuffs the wrapper in the glove compartment. 'Ok, Kimba.' She says with her mouth full. 'Listen carefully.'
'Yes sir.' I mutter sarcastically. Cheryl grins, takes my hand. 'Right. Babe, you do know that sooner or later, at some point this will come out about us.'
'Will it? It doesn't have to...'
'Kimba... look, all I'm saying is, I'm perfectly ready for it to happen, whenever you are. I'll stand on top of Buckingham Palace with a microphone and scream it to the world.'
'But... you've got a career...'
'I know I do. I've had an amazing career, better than I ever, ever dreamed of. And if it was to suddenly end just because I'm in love with a beautiful woman...' Cheryl pauses to kiss me, 'then I've got no regrets. And if something so narrow-minded as being in love with someone of the same sex is the end of me career, then I never really had much of one to begin with, and that's fine. When the time comes, whether it's the making of me or the end of me, I couldn't care less. I'll still have you. Won't I?'
'Of course you will.' I say thickly, getting choked up again. 'But you love what you do so much... if it all ends because of me--'
'Then it has all been worth it to find you.' Cheryl says sincerely. 'I thought I knew what life and love was all about before I met you... I had no idea. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone.'
'Me too.'
'Will you ever stop crying?' Cheryl laughs, fumbling in her jacket and handing me a tissue.
'What the hell did I do to deserve you?'
'Oh, don't start.' Cheryl grins. 'Right, you ready to go?'
'Yeah, okay.'
Cheryl starts the car and pulls out of the service station. When we hit the motorway and speed up, Cheryl starts swaying from side to side and singing, 'We're going to Loooonnndonnn, to buy a Heat magaziiinnneee...'
'Cheryl, shut up you nutter!'
'Fine.' Cheryl pouts. She flicks the radio on instead and Rihanna is playing. I know what's coming. 'Oh great...' I groan, slouching down and pretending to cover my ears.
Cheryl laughs loudly and belts it out. 'Now that it's raining more than eveerrr... Come on Kimba, sing along!! You can stand under my umberella, ella, ella...'