"What do you mean 'holiday'?" I asked indignantly.

"I mean that your mother and I are going on vacation and because of your community service you can't come," My father said calmly.

The silvery gray hair around his temples shone in the yellow light of the lamp on his office desk. His natural hair colour was brown and my mum was a redhead, she died her hair and eyebrows blonde though, and covered all her freckles in a thick coat of make-up. She was still at work, so my dad was the one informing me on their travel plans.

"Well, where are you even going? Just in case I need to reach you," I asked feigning indifference.

"Not sure yet, maybe the chalet in Aspen, or the townhouse in Paris, whatever your mother decides," he didn't even look up from his computer.

"So I'm just going to stay here by myself then?" I asked already knowing the answer.

"Look, Eileen, it's not like this is the first time your mother and I have gone on vacation without you," he finally looked at me, "You'll be fine, we have a staff of at least five people here at all times, I'm sure you'll survive."

"Whatever," I snapped before stalking off to my room and slamming the door.

It was impossible to fight with my parents, most parents would make their child come back and apologize for being slamming doors and sulking, especially if their child had an ASBO. Mine just ignored it and pretended it was just a phase or I was acting out for attention (most accurate possibility). In which case my mother, the biggest attention whore this side of the equator would insist that her and my father ignore my latest stunt as a way of not giving in to my "childish whims".

I sat in bed with my sketchbook in hand and contemplated drawing myself a new set of parents but I changed my mind. Instead I just pressed my pencil to the paper and waited for the images to come. First an eye, with long dark lashes then and perfectly shaped nose...

"Miss Carey you really ought to get up now, you're going to be late for your community service," I could hear Julie the maid's powerfully, gentle voice coaxing me out of a dream.

My sketchbook was under my face, my pencil lying on the floor next to my bed, I looked at the clock and jumped out of bed like a rocket.

I walked over to my dresser and brushed out my tangle of red hair, "Miss, if you don't mind me asking, who is this you've drawn?" I looked over at Julie who was staring down at where I had left my sketchbook.

"Let's see," I said as I walked over and picked it up, it was the vague outline of a masculine face, the only part of which that I had done over a few times were the eyes, but even without the details there, I could tell who it was.

"Is it a boy you know?" Julie asked looking over my shoulder.

"Yes, well, I mean no, I saw him in the park the other day," I lied, before setting my haphazard drawing of Nathan back on my bed.

I speed walked to the locker room and quickly got dressed in my young offender's daywear.

"That's ball sack! it's from a low angle, Jesus," I heard Nathan say defensively as I rounded the corner.

"Wait, where were you last night?" Kelly asked Nathan.

I approached Simon and gave him a friendly nod before Nathan came over to us and held out a cellphone.

"Look, cock, ball sack, a bit of anus," he pointed at the screen.

Simon was grinning and I had my eyebrows furrowed, "What's that?" Simon pointed at random corner.

"That's cock," he turned to face all of us, "This guy's living with me mum, we've got to do something."

"And why is that?" I asked, "From the looks of that picture she seems to be doing alright on her own," I smirked.

"Not funny," Nathan pointed at me.

"Well really what are we going to do?" Kelly asked.

"Can you get me gun?" Nathan asked Kelly hopefully.

"I ain't gettin' you a gun," Kelly replied.

"Come on, I'm sure you know someone, I just want a little one, nothing to flashy," he compromised.

I laughed and starting unstacking chairs along with Curtis, who was slightly preoccupied with staring at Alisha who was lounging on a stack of chairs nearby.

"There's no way, I'm getting a dickhead like you, a gun," she said condescendingly.

"You can get a gun off the internet," Simon said matter-of-factly.

"What if we just go 'round there tonight and talk to him we'll be mature and polite, yeah? Then we'll just tell him to fuck off," Nathan explained.

"What if he doesn't want to fuck off?" I asked.

"I don't know, we'll improvise, now who's with me?" he spread his arms wide.

No one spoke a word, we all just looked at each other and then back at Nathan, "It's like that is it? So much for being united by a horrific, life-changing, shared experience." We all just stared at him, "Last week, you know," he lowered his voice, "The situation?"

Still no one said anything, "We killed our probation worker!" Nathan shouted in frustration.

"Would you please shut your massive gob!" I whispered as angrily as possible.

"God your such a dickhead," Kelly added. "That counts for nothing," Nathan said ignoring our insults. "I'll come with you," Simon's eyes were bulging, "You know, if you want someone to go with you, I'll come."

"I'm not being funny but me and you," Nathan pointed back and forth between himself and Simon, "Buddying up, kicking ass, I'm just not feeling it but hey, lovely thought, cheers!" Simon wandered off wordlessly and we all went back to putting out the chairs, once we finished I moved to follow the girls to the change room when Nathan called out to me.

I turned around and made my way over to him, "Yeah?"

"Would you go with me to my mum's?" he asked, I could hear the desperation in his voice.

"I don't really think that's such a great idea, something like that is best done on your own," I tried not to sound to mean.

"Oh come- I mean, please Eileen, don't make me beg you!"

"Look, how about afterwards, if all goes well I'll draw you a picture to cheer you up?" I offered, "But not money," I said quickly predicting where his train of thought would run.

"Oh, forget it," he waved me off dismissively and sauntered off to the changing room.

Of course we were back with the oldies again the next day, but I brought my sketchbook today. It's kind of a bummer never being able to finish a sketch for fear of it coming to life, but at least it's better than dancing with some decrepit old man.

I had decided to draw this one man, he looked rather dignified, very clean, no drool or stooping posture. He had a large grey handlebar mustache, and wore a very smart vest and trouser combination. Thankfully he was far enough away that I could draw him without him noticing, I was just finished his torso and head when I stopped for fear of a twin sprouting up out of nowhere.

I looked up from my sketchbook to see Nathan looking my way from across the dance floor, I smiled and gave a little wave but he just scowled and turned away. Then some old lady tried to reach him and he just yelped and ran off.

"He fancies you, you know," a calm posh voice said from behind me. I turned to see the subject of the sketch on my lap looking down at me, I moved to cover up my drawing but he snatched it from my lap. I stuttered to find the words but he spoke first, "Very good, you should finish it," he sat down on the chair next to me.

"Thanks, uh sorry I never asked permission or anything," I said meekly.

"Oh nonsense I'm flattered and simply tickled pink to find someone in this sty has some artistic abilities. I'm cooped with all these cripples and lunatics everyday, it's nice to get out and meet new people. Well any people, as long as they don't shit themselves that it."

I laughed, "You like art then?"

"I used to be an artist," he said looking sadly across the room at nothing in particular.

"No one ever stops being an artist, you are an artist" I smiled.

He looked at me and gave a half smile, "I can see why that boy admires you so much."

"Who, Nathan? No way, he made a mean face at me, and anyways he's been chasing after some pretty little blonde thing all week," I said, defeated by the fact that I cared.

"Yes, but it's you he'll come back to." "How can you know that you've only just met me?"

"I'm very old my dear, and I'm an artist," he smiled.

We sat there and chatted about art and our different styles and when we started, he told me about his family, I told him about mine. He said he'd always admired the courage of street artists; I said I'd always admired the patience of fine artists. We talked right up until it was time for him to go.

"It was wonderful talking with you," I said, as I stood up to shake his hand.

"The pleasure was all mine," he replied.

As he was walking away I tore a tiny rip in the drawing and scrawled my signature and the date on the bottom of my drawing before chasing after him.

"Here," I panted, "Something to remember me by," I handed him the paper.

He paused and pulled a small notepad out of his pocket, he opened it and ripped out a page, "Likewise darling," he handed me the sheet, then wandered off. I neatly folded the paper and slipped it into my locker, deciding not to open it until it could be fully appreciated. Nathan still hadn't come back but we all changed into our jumpsuits and wandered off with our trash bags and pickers. We were walking under a bridge just shooting the shit, when we saw Nathan propped up against a beam smoking away.

"What happened to you?" Curtis asked as we walked up.

"I will not be in a room where that song is playing, line in the sand my friend" he said referring to the crap music in the community centre.

"Some old woman was looking for you," Kelly told him, Nathan just stared off for a second and then Kelly's jaw dropped.

"What is it?" I asked Kelly.

"You shagged her?" she exclaimed. I shook my head in surprise, "Yeah man I gave her a right good seeing to," Nathan joked.

Kelly grimaced, "You didn't?" I asked in disbelief.

"You totally screwed her!" Alisha cooed.

"You nailed that old woman?" Curtis made disgusted sounds.

"Did you enjoy it?" Simon said with an eerie smile on his pasty face.

"Shut up freak!" Nathan shouted.

"I think he enjoyed it," Simon smirked.

"Is that like a fetish or something?" I asked with disgust.

"No! She didn't look like that, she was young and beautiful, do you remember that bird Ruth," we all nodded, "Well now she's that wrinkly old biddy, it was the storm, it made her young again!" Nathan explained.

"Did you?" Alisha mimed oral sex.

Nathan just looked at her with contempt and walked away, "Nathan I didn't mean to, it just came out!" Kelly called after him.

"Well I'm done with this shit," I said before wandering back to the community centre and making my way home.

The next day came and went as usual, until we were all getting ready to leave and Nathan told us about his step-dad turning into a dog, "I told there was other people hit by the storm and you didn't even believe me!" Kelly said while doing her make up.

"Yeah well I was wrong, there's a hurricane of weird shit out there," Nathan said as he walked up to my locker.

I didn't get a chance to push him away before he snatched the old man's drawing from my locker, which to be honest I had completely forgotten to take with me when I left yesterday. "Ou what's this a love note!" Nathan called as he unfolded the paper.

"Did you draw this?" Nathan asked.

"No," I replied curtly before yanking it from his fingers.

It was in pencil, kind of sketchy like mine, it was a bunch of me, some from different angles, different expressions, one of me leaning on the buffet table. "Those are really good," Kelly said over my shoulder.

"I didn't draw them," I replied folding the drawing and tucking it into my jean pocket.

"Well then who did? A secret admirer?" Nathan taunted.

"A man I met yesterday, he's an artist we chatted for ages, just after you left actually, he thinks you- " I stopped myself, "I mean, he caught me drawing him from across the room and I gave him the drawing before he left and he just handed me this, so I guess he had been drawing me too."

"That's fucking creepy," Nathan said.

"Don't be a twat okay, he was a really nice person, something, you would know nothing about." I replied before slamming my locker shut and storming off, halfway down the hall I realized I'd left my sweater in the locker. it was cold out and I still had to walk a bit so i figured I'd best go get it.

When I came in, everyone was crowded round Nathan's locker, someone had tacked up Tony's missing poster and written "I KNOW" across the bottom.