Yeah, but, my parents are really proud of me.
And they think all my poems should be published.
LAUGHTER
But they're so not creative, no way. My mum does HR.
She's like this mix of being super-strict, but really shy.
SHE SCREAMS
And my dad's a tax officer, which is just like...
LAUGHTER
There, you cunt!
He's really sweet, though.
They sound lush. Yeah.
I mean, they're really, really, annoying, but...
..I'm really lucky to have them. They really love me.
So, are you going to write more poems, then?
Yeah. I will, but, I'm working on a novel now, so... What? No way.
Yeah.
Pops, I'm going to walk back to school. Cool, babe.
See you in a bit. OK.
Um, that is amazing. What's it going to be about?
Well, it's early stages, but, like, the human condition.
Yeah, my godmother's a novelist, so she's been helping me.
What's she written? Like, proper books? Yeah.
She's wicked. I could lend you one.
I can come and find you and bring it to you, if you want.
I'm busy later, but maybe next week, or something.
I can't wait that long.
Yeah, I've got revision this week, anyway, so...
Oi! Dickhead.
Eugh!
What are you doing? Coming now.
My God, that girl is shameless. See you later.
Laters.
"Laters". Fuck's sake, Beth.
What are you doing with that old, dry puss?
She asked where I got my bag from. Why? It's gross.
Hey, I like her bag. İs it fat, if I get chips?
Don't fucking say yes. No, it's not,
it's fine if you have it with a bottle of water,
because it helps you digest.
Seriously, what, you just drink water? Yeah.
That's a known thing.
Come on. I'm hungry and I'll punch you in the face, if I don't eat.
God, you're so dramatic! Lyd!
I dare you to tell that old woman you've been mugged and need a fiver.
My God. Brilliant, she's straight on it.
Please, madam, please, yeah? There's been an attack.
Just £5 is all I need. I beg of you!
The old bag. Unbelievable! Your turn.
I dare you to go in there - tell Tony Chippy
you'll give him a BJ for a free chip butty. Fuck off,
that's disgusting! Don't do that. Get in there! I don't want to...
Get in. Get in.
All right? All right?
Um...
Sorry, I'm just-just having a look.
I'll give you a clue - chips in a bag, chips in a bap
or chips with a fish.
Um... Do you do pop, as well? What's that, Scotch mist?
Yeah.
How much is a chip butty? £1.80.
How about I give you a blow job, instead?
I think you need to set your rates a bit higher, love.
There you go, that's on me.
You owe me, yeah?
Ta, Tone! Thanks, Tony!
Cheers, Tone! Love you, Tone!
Where's my girl? I'm here.
I'm out of puff.
Let me rest my trotters.
SHE GROANS Are you all right?
Well, my knee is stiffer than a dead perv's todger,
I've got moths in my purse and I've been doing double shifts down
the bingo to pay off my catalogue, but, well, at least I'm beautiful.
Yeah.
What's that?
Um, my teacher gave it to me. It's the poem that I wrote.
Do you want to see?
Well...
You clever little bitch. Look at that?
Yeah, that's another string to your bow, that is. Thanks, Na.
Will you photocopy it for me? Yeah, I will.
Right, are you ready?
Yeah, before we go in, I've been having a think
and, er, say no if you want, but what do you think about
coming to live with me for a bit?
I mean, I don't like the thought of you coming up here on your own
and, well, I don't trust your father as far as I can throw him.
What about school? It's like three buses, innit?
Well, there's schools up the Valleys, isn't there?
What? Move schools? Only for a bit.
See you later.
I-I can't. I can't leave, I can't.
Well, have a think about it. OK.
Right, let's kick this in the dick, then. Yeah.
She was on the Bedwyn Ward before, why have you moved her?
She had a spot of bother with another patient,
so we just moved her into a more secure ward. What's their names?
Step back, please, Tariq. Step back.
Go and sit back down. All right?
In you go.
Let the door close, Tariq. Let the door close.
This locks automatically, so no-one can get in.
When you're ready to leave, give this a ring and I'll escort you out.
Christ, it's like Fort Knox, innit?
There's a panic button over there, if you need it.
Fuck my old boots. She hasn't been anywhere like this before, has she?
Nan, someone's looking at me.
Fuck!
Fuck. Sh! Fuck! Fuck, Fuck.
He's not even blinking. My God. He's scary.
My God. My God!
You're so loud. Can you keep your voice down.
DISTANT SHOUTING Open this!
I'll have three cups of tea now.
Got 'em waiting on me hand and foot. Think I'm royalty.
Wondered when you'd show your face.
Heard I won the lottery, did you? You have, have you?
That's lovely, love. Do you fancy lending me a tenner? Always.
Chuck a couple of them down your trap.
Pff! What happened with that other patient?
Which one? Well, they moved you.
Yeah, I'm a true speaker. Speaking truths and scaring people.
Just facts. OK. Can't deal with it.
Open the door! Open this, now!
Nan! What do you want?!
I can give you the world. I can give you the universe. Nan.
I can make his dreams come true. Don't mess about!
Get out the way, get out the way.
You should be grovelling to me. Sit down. Don't speak to me like that!
Open the fucking door!
No, that's enough now. Tariq!
Why don't you go and sit back down. Come on.
Don't worry, Beth, it's fine.
Nice facilities, though. Yeah. Do you want a grape, now, love?
SHE SNORTS Why not?! Go all out.
Do you want one? You have one. Everybody has a grape.
All right. Nice. Missed you. Missed you, too.
My girls. Thanks for coming. I've missed you.
Dyl, you home?!
Beth is famous!
My God, what the hell? He's disgusting. My God, Nan.
What are you doing, barging in? Put your filthy dick
away, you dirty fucker.
What she's doing home from school now?
It's 6 o'clock. You'd know that, if you weren't so pissed.
I didn't know, I thought it was early.
Well, you never thinks. Wash your stinking hands.
That's men for you, Beth.
Always time for a tug. Well, this place is a mess.
Sorry, Beth. Doing my head in not having your mother here.
I wish you were dead.
It's fine.
There's not a stitch of grub in here.
What do you think she eats, then? Fresh air, is it?
I don't know. Gina does all that. Give over, Mam, I got
a splitting headache. Stop drinking cider like
it's going out of fashion, then.
Piss off, the pair of you, while I cleans.
Go on, get out! Go on, Beth.
Flipping heck.
VOICES FROM TV
Here we go.
I whipped that from next door.
Go and get your father the red sauce. He's got legs.
Don't start. Go on.
Dyl. Dyl, Dyl, come here.
Come here, here, here. Come on, come on.
Have you been to see her?
I can't hack hospitals, you knows that.
They've got her caged up, mind.
Bethan shouldn't be going there on her own, it's not safe.
Now, there's a reason that she's having a special dinner.
Show your father the book. No, it's stupid. No, it's not.
Get it.
She's been printed in a book. İs it?
You are a bond, the glue that binds
The knot that ties
Two warring sides
Oil and water These bricks and mortar
The wrong daughter.
Yeah, good, that.
They're really sweet and delicious.
See that, Mum. She gets that from me, she does.
Give over, you couldn't spell your own name till you were ten.
HORN HONKS
Who's that, then? Your fancy man, is it?
No, that's bingo caller Carl, he's a poof.
Don't bring men like that here.
Men like that mean I can come and clean you up, pet,
because you've been too busy blowing cash you ain't got, up your nose.
Lunch money.
And have a think about what I said, OK?
OK.
Shift. Shift.
Bye. Come on. Thanks, Nan. Bloody shift, man.
DOOR SHUTS
CELLPHONE RINGS AND BUZZES
You're through to Childline, how may I help you?
LYDIA LAUGHS Oi, fanny, where you to?
In bed. What the fuck? Come out!
Yeah, come on, Beth. I can't, my gran's staying.
Come on, Trav's being boring. No, I'm not.
Come on, come out, or Trav's going to get it.
Wait, no, what you on about? No, Lydia, leave him alone!
Beth, are you coming?
Beth, please come... One... ..cos she's going to do something.
Lydia, I can't. ..two...
No, what are you...? What are you...? What the hell?
It's not funny, I'm fucking...
BEEPING Lyd!
Oi?
She's fucked, like.
SHE SIGHS
CHATTER AND LAUGHTER
Morning.
Morning, Lorraine.
Oi, how was last night? I'm not talking to you.
What? Did she actually chuck a drink on you?
Yes.
God, you've... Literally, you've got to tell her no.
I've told you that, just stick up for yourself! What the fuck?
Where were you? I told you, my gran was round.
But, basically, she wants to leave her flat to me,
but she wants to do it before she dies, to avoid inheritance tax.
AKA, I might be getting my own flat.
Boring! Sick. Whatever, guess what?
What? Have you told her? What? Go on, tell me.
Lydia copped off with Tony Chippy for a sausage and batter.
No, no, no, you're joking! I know. A sausage and batter?
You would, too!
CELLPHONE BUZZES It was a jumbo, obviously.
Obviously. Hang on. You were jealous, you wanted it.
It was well nice. God. You're minging.
You're minging. Shut up. BEEPING
Hello? Beth, come and get me
now, please! Please, I need you to come and get me! What's the matter?
I've pissed myself.
They've taken all the underwear off me, like I'm a dog.
Mum, I'm in class. I can't come. Beth, I need you to get in here now!
Oi, dildo. What you doing?
Just come and get me now, please, please,
I need you to come and get me!
All right, all right, I'm coming. Get me now...
Right, what we doing?
You're going the wrong way. Bethan!
Sorry, Miss, I've got to go. My nan's not well.
Bethan! Sorry!
I'm not staying in here with these pack of fucking CUNTS!
Keep your voice down. Keep my voice down?
Hey? Full of mad heads in here.
He's a lunatic.
He's trying to kill me.
KATRINA PANTS
You think I'm mad, don't you?
No. Yeah, you do.
No, I don't. Yes, you do.
I can see right through you.
Pathetic, liar, waste of space.
Never wanted you anyway.
You stuck me with that evil bastard of a man.
Should have dragged you out, slammed you in a bucket
when I had the chance.
Truth hurts, don't it?
I need to go back to school.
I'll give you 10 seconds to get me out of here.
One...
..two...
..THREE... Shh!
Don't shush me!
Get out!
I never want to see you again.
Don't ever come back here! I won't, I'm going to live with Nana.
What?
I won't be back.
BUZZER
Beth! BETH!
Stop shouting, Trina, you'll lose your voice!
Get me out of here!
GET ME OUT OF HERE, BETH!
GET ME OUT OF HERE!
BETH!
SHE TAKES DEEP BREATHS
OK.
CHATTER AND SHOUTING
..like two years ago. My brother threw one at me once.
My ma would have killed me if it broke.
Heya.
Hey. Um, can we talk a minute, please?
Yeah.
You all right?
Yeah, um, my nan's not well, so that's why I had to leave class.
I'm sorry, babe.
Yeah, I've got to go and stay with her a while...
..to look after her and stuff. How long?
I don't know, it could be months,
but I know we said we'd hang out next week.
I feel... bad. Sorry.
Forget that. Family first, right?
Yeah. Um...
I am free tonight though, if you're around.
Yeah, all right. Um...
Do you want to go to the park at, like, six or something? Yeah. Yeah?
Yeah, sounds good, babe. All right, cool, better go. See you.
Yeah. All right.
Tuna fish for a fanny licker!
LAUGHTER
Do you love licking fannies? Say yes or no.
Fuck off, Priest! WHISTLE BLOWS
Why on God's green Earth is there fish being thrown from hither to thither?
Yeah, well, Priest just hit me with a fucking sandwich.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Do I look like a sailor to you?
No. Well, you must think we're navvies a top
a sailboat if you think for one
second you're going to go turning the air of my school blue.
Well, I'm sorry, it just slipped out. I'm just pissed off. Ba-ba!
Save it for the jury, OK? Pair of you. Detention after school.
What?! What? No, I can't! Miss, I'm the victim.
Two words for you, tough and titties.
Miss, you said "titties".
LAUGHTER
You fucking knobhead!
Ooh!
I was wondering when you'd show up.
Hey, Miss. Sorry about earlier.
I'll get the notes from Travis. All right.
But that's the first and last time you run out on one of my classes.
I know. I'm sorry. I won't do it again, I promise.
Cough it up, then. Do you know anything about writing a novel?
It takes ages. Why? No reason.
PENCIL TAPPING ON DESK
Miss, can I have a rubber?
I said no talking. Miss.
I need a rubber! I'm a PE teacher, not a stationery cupboard.
Well, can I have some paper, then?
Miss, I've got no paper left, how can I do my work with no paper?
All right, stop flapping your gob, all right? I'll go get you some.
Behave and stay put, all right? Or they'll be hell to pay.
Are you going to change your pad, miss?
HE CACKLES
# Slaying my way downtown every day
# Getting so much pussy
# Yeah, those girls like to play
# Sucking and rubbing those muffins I'm no gay
# Fucking and chucking, that should be my middle name. #
Shut up, Priest. It's so annoying.
CELLPHONE BUZZES
# Best type of girl Best type of girl
# I'm on triple figures I'm on triple figures
# Your pussy felt much bigger... #
CELLPHONE RINGS What you doing?
Hello? Where are you going? Hello, I'm calling from the Marie Hughes Psychiatric Facility.
My God, there's going to be hell to pay! Just shut up, Priest!
I believe you have a family member in residence here.
Yeah, my mum, Katrina Gwyndaf.
I'm sorry to say there's been a patient altercation,
can you come to the hospital?
Katrina incurred some injuries.
What? What injuries?
We did everything we could, but I'm so sorry, she didn't make it.
What?
What do you mean, she didn't...?
This shouldn't be done on the phone.
If you can come into the hospital...
No.
What are you doing?
Beth! Where are you going?
DISTANT SHOUTING
Sorry, Miss, you can't go in here. You can't go there.
I need to get past, cos it's my mum.
The ward's closed, Miss.
Would you just move? Calm down. JUST FUCKING MOVE!
It's my mum, it's my mum in there!
Please, I just want to see my mum!
Please!
I want to see her, please!
Where's my mum?
There you go, love.
On behalf of the hospital, I can only apologise.
We found a piece of paper in Tarrick's pocket
with your number on.
I'm guessing Trina left it lying around.
And he's picked it up and called you.
Did he hurt her? No, just himself.
OK.
CHATTER FROM TELEVISION
I'm sorry, Mum.
I'm so sorry.
What for?
I won't leave you.
Not ever again, I'm so sorry. I promise.
I know, baby.
You're my girl.
Yeah.
Hey! Heya!
My God. Picnic blanket?
Yeah, I'm not sitting on the mud, babe.
It's a bit posh, in't it? THEY LAUGH
Sorry I'm late.
I just... I thought you'd have other people here.
I thought you might want to drink after everything with your nan.
Yeah, I do.
So, I'll go on.
What is wrong with me?
I can't believe this. What? Lorraine Chapman incoming.
Did you invite her? No. Hiya.
Lorraine...
..what are you doing, babe?
You said everyone's meeting at the park.
Yeah, to Beth.
We... We need to talk about homework and stuff.
Can I give you a call later or something?
Yeah. No, OK, no worries.
But chat later?
Bye.
Don't. Is she gone? She's gone, she's gone.
No. I genuinely don't know what to do,
I literally think she's stalking me or something.
Seriously, have you checked your knickers?
I bet she's stealing them off your washing line to sniff at home.
No, don't, that's actually terrifying!
Like that!
BETH SNIFFS
How did I not know how funny you are?
Nothing, just, you know, don't like to brag.
Although, actually, talking about bragging...
It's one of the ones my godmother wrote.
Amazing! Yeah.
Annie Fortwright, is that your godmother?
Yeah, she's wicked.
Can I borrow it?
Yeah.
That's uncomfortable.
Are you all right? Yeah!
So, Beth, what's your deal?
This like cool, funny girl...
That's all I know about you, really.
What are you into? I don't know, just usual.
Crochet. Right! Yeah!
Crochet, yeah. I could actually crochet you a picture of Lorraine.
My God, amazing. That sounds not at all creepy.
You could put it up, like, above your bed,
tell her all your problems.
POPPY LAUGHS I'm sure she'd like to listen.
Beth, do you ever wear your hair down?
I think it would look lush.
# Let's stay away
# And listen to the dark... #
Why can't I be clever? Do you know what I mean?
# Before the birds
# Before they all wake up... #
LAUGHTER
# It's the ending of a play
# And soon begins another
# Here the leaves applaud the wind
# Ooh, ooh. #
ROCK MUSIC BLARES AND CHATTER
LAUGHTER
Dad, what you doing?
It's Beth!
This is my baby girl, this is.
Have a toke on that. No, thanks.
Clever, she is. Going to go to university.
I told them about your poem, I did.
Go on, get that book for them, go on. No, I'm going to go to bed.
Can you turn it down?
LAUGHTER AND CHATTER
Get the fuck out of my room!
Oi! Get out!
DAD! DAD! DAD! There's someone in my room,
can you get everyone out, now?!
What? Just get out. JUST GET OUT! Listen! What?
We're having a party.
I don't care! They're ruining our stuff! Just get out!
Are you ruining our stuff?
It's just stuff, Beth! We'll buy more fucking stuff!
Everything all right?
Yeah, it's my birthday party. Sorry if we're being a bit loud.
CELLPHONE BUZZES