Phil had been right, I did have a fever after all. I was bed ridden with a blocked up nose and eyes so sore that it made me want to close them forever. I would've done, too, if not for the fact I woke up every half an hour unable to breathe. I should've seen this coming, I always get ill whenever I got too stressed out. It's like my body decides to give up on me; I didn't blame it. 
"I'm going into town!" Someone called up to me, mum.
My dad was still at work, Phil at school, so she was meant to be looking after me but apparently being a parent was too much of a hard job for her. She'd rather go out whilst I practically died in bed... not that she was any use here, I'd actually forgotten about her.  She had probably just been reading 'Ok!' magazines all morning. 
I rolled over to my side. I felt relieved when I heard the front door close behind her. The constant throbbing pain was still pressing against my temple but the aching in my chest was fading away.
I decided to get up and move downstairs, dragging my duvet down with me and settling down on the sofa. As soon as I sat down, I felt my head go light and a thick white fuzz formed in front of my eyes.  I sniffled a little and lay my head against the pillow I had propped up on the arm of the chair. My breathing calmed and I managed to drift off just as my phone buzzed underneath me. 

I awoke in a daze. The phone was buzzing again and I shuffled around until I found it. I didn't even check who was calling, I just answered.
"Hello-" I croaked out and cleared my throat of sleep. "Hello," I tried again and this time it was clearer. 
"Hello, sir," an unknown voice said.
I didn't realise how much I'd wanted it to be Phil until it wasn't. 
I closed my eyes, they felt heavy. It was probably some stupid PPI caller, I realised. I hated that I had woken up for such a pointless reason. There was nothing but silence for a moment, I could hear static. 
"Is Miss. Howell there?" It said just before I clicked the phone off.
I looked at the phone properly and realised it wasn't mine. I must've picked up her phone by accident. Crap. I put it back to my ear. 
"No, but this is - um - Mr. Howell," I replied. Not a lie and actually believable since my voice was much deeper now I had a sore throat. "Who is this?"
"Sorry to bother you. This is Miss. Howell's previous employer."
"Previous?"  I thought but stayed silent.
Mum had been working at the same job ever since I was born, no way would a previous workplace be calling her after all these years. Which would mean...
"Should I call back later?"
"No-" I said it too quickly and so cleared my throat and tried again. "That won't be necessary, can I take a message instead?" 
It was quiet for another moment before the voice reluctantly agreed.
"We would like to inform you that the last paycheck has been sent through and Miss. Howell should be able to see it in her bank account shortly," they told me as my mind was whirling trying to contain and figure out the information.
I felt like Sherlock and as if the words were forming in front of my eyes but unlike him, I wasn't in the right state of mind to start sorting through them. I left them hanging there. 
"Thank you for letting me know, I'll pass the message along," I said quietly, practically squeaking.
We awkwardly said our goodbyes. 

My hand fell down and I held the phone in my open palm. I thought mum had just been visiting... I thought it had been strange for her to just show up for no reason and now it all made sense. She had lost her job. She didn't care about us more than her work, her work just happened to need her less than we did. She never came back to see me, she came back for somewhere to stay! I felt my hand shake. I clenched my fists, the phone pressing into my skin. 

"Back!" I heard her shout as the front door opened.
I dropped the phone on the table and quickly wrapped myself back into my duvet so she wouldn't know what I'd been doing. 
"Mum..." I cringed at the name, it felt weird in my own mouth. In my head, it was almost normal to call her that, out loud I wished I'd just called her Clair. She didn't deserve a 'mum'. 
"What is it?" She asked with a sigh. 
"Um, why did you come back home?" I asked, feigning cluelessness (something I had perfected from my time with Jess). 
She sighed and sat down on the sofa; at the very end of the two-seater so she wasn't right next to me. There had always been an imaginary space between us so I wasn't surprised when she put a literal space between us, too. 
"Did your father not tell you?" She asked and I shook my head. "I got some holiday time and wanted to see you both. Your father and you."
"Is that true?" My tone was too accusing and I knew the game was up as soon as I'd said it.
"Of course it is!" She looked appalled even though we both knew she was lying. 
"Huh," I mumbled and looked down at the table where her phone lay, screen now dark.
"What?" She asked and followed my gaze. 
"Your phone's been ringing," I told her. 
"You didn't answer right!?" She asked and rushed for her phone, finding it where it lay. "Becky-"
"Dan-" I interrupted.
"-Now isn't the time! Who called me!?"
"Just your boss," I paused. "Or should I say your ex-boss?'
"I can't believe you would invade my privacy like this!"  She spat and unlocked her phone,  scanning through the calls list.
"I can't believe you would lie about this... you don't care about seeing us, you just wanted some place to rest up before you could jet off again somewhere." Before you could leave us again.
"You know that's not true." 
"I never know what's true or not when it comes to you," I said and my voice cracked; maybe because of the added stress I was feeding my already ill body or because I was holding back tears, I wasn't sure. I took a deep breath and when I opened my eyes, they found my mums instantly. I narrowed them. "Dad doesn't know, does he?"
"Yes..." she said weakly.
"Oh, so you won't mind if I bring this up to him then," I replied casually. A small smile threatened to appear on my face as realisation set in.
"Don't!" 
"But if he knows then there shouldn't be a problem-"
"-Stop this! Now!" She narrowed her eyes at me, matching my glare perfectly. "I know you don't like me here but you're going to have to deal with it."
"And you're going to have to be nicer to your son... unless you want me to tell dad about this that is."
"For someone who says they're a guy, you sure are a bitch."
"I prefer evil mastermind," I laughed humourlessly. 
"Ha!" She outburst and looked at me for what seemed to be the first time since she'd gotten here. "You're a lot like me."
"I hope the fuck not!" I replied and looked away from her. 
"You can't hide from who you are."
"And you can't hide from reality." I sharply turned back on her, throwing my hands in the air. "You lost your job and now you're here and neither of us want you here. That puts you in the worst kind of situation."
"You're blackmailing me?" 
"Not any worse than what you've been doing to me," I said with a shrug. 
"Be-" I gave her a hard stare, raising an eyebrow. "Dan."
"Yes mother dearest," I didn't know where the sass had come from. I had felt so upset earlier but I realised I had the upper hand, I was finally winning. 
"I think I have something that could solve both of our problems." 
I didn't want to play her game but I was curious. Intrigue made my mouth say the words: "Okay, this better be good."

She didn't answer.
  
Instead, she stood up and wondered over to the cupboard where we keep the mail. I turned in the chair to see what she was reaching for. At the very back was a thick envelope. As she sat down, I noticed it had my name on it.
"Why would you keep this from me!?" I asked as I grabbed the letter to see it was already open.
"It was your father's idea..." she trailed off and just gave me a stern look that she used to give me on Christmas day when I took too long shaking the present rather than opening it.
I peeked inside and saw a pamphlet style piece of paper inside. I tore it out and a letter came along with it. It held my dead name as the title.  I quickly scanned it.
"I don't understand..." The paper wavered in my hands.
"Your teacher, Miss.Chic I believe, has offered a handful of students a chance for a scholarship to a prestigious dance school."
"Yes, talent scouts are coming in from London in two weeks... I've got a partnered routine planned," I said.
"There are also talent scouts coming next week," she told me. I scanned the date on the letter and she was telling the truth.
"I... what is going on?" I asked, suddenly feeling exhausted all over again. "She never said."
"She doesn't want everyone else in the class to know, it'd break their spirits or some shit." She waved it off like that part wasn't important.  
Miss.Chic wasn't bragging about this? One of her students being picked? Her actions surprised me... but if she pissed off the rest of her students by not choosing them they'd probably stop paying to dance there and she'd lose her business. Always two sides to one coin, you just have to flip it over to see the other picture. Like my mum, she seems to be giving me a great opportunity by showing me this letter yet they'll be a catch. I just didn't know what to expect.  I turned the letter over and there it was.
"It's full time!?" I outburst and thrust the letter back at her. "In London, forever?" Not just for the summer. 
"Not forever... only for a few years," she said like it meant nothing. Like it didn't mean I would have to take a 3 hour train journey just to see my friends and family. But that was it... she wanted me far away. She knew how much dancing meant to me, it was my weakness and she was using it against me!
"No... I'm not leaving Phil, my friends, dad, or education behind just to make your life easier! You can't just send me away."
"But isn't this what you've always wanted?" She asked me and placed the papers back into my hand. For years now I've been saying how much I wanted to go to a dance school. "You'll get a full scholarship and they have normal classes there too so you can finish your GCSEs."
"It sounds too good to be true," I muttered sarcastically.
"It is true and you're getting a great opportunity," her voice sounded like my form tutors for a second. "Dancing is such a graceful sport and perfect for you." Maybe she's hoping it'll bring out my feminine side, yeah right. "And Miss.Chic thinks of you proudly."
"I won't leave everyone behind just for you," I said in hopes she would drop it. She didn't. 
 "It'd solve both of our problems," she told me with a smile. She lay her hand against my knee and didn't move it even after I flinched away from her touch. 
"The talent scouts will be picking one person from the group, just think about it."  
I shook my head in disagreement but I knew I would think about it, it was all I could think about.

AN:
Ooh, will Dan take up the opportunity or will he tell his mum to get lost?
I've been updating quite long chapters and I'm not too sure how long this will continue but I hope you're enjoying them for as long as they last '^-^ 
- Rach x