Darren had been quiet at yesterday’s rehearsal, and the niggling unease at the back of Jayden’s brain hadn’t eased in the slightest by the time his phone trilled at half past seven and a text message flashed up.
Bad day can i come over?
Something in his chest twisted, and he’d said course you can xx before even leaving his room to find Mum and tell her. Tell her, because asking on Darren’s bad days wasn’t an option.
Mum was washing up in the kitchen, humming to herself, but she turned when Jayden paused in the doorway and smiled at him. The smile slid away in a heartbeat, and then: “Darling, what’s wrong?”
“Darren’s coming over.” Jayden was turning his phone over in his hand, over and over, as if it would sort it all out. “He’s had a bad day.”
Mum wiped her hands off on a tea towel. “
