Why?’
‘What colour shirt is he wearing?’
‘Blue and white check. Ryan, what –’
‘Wait here. Have you got a coat inside?’
‘No . . .’
‘Wait – I’ll be back in a minute.’
He jogged off to the clubhouse. As he got near, a girl’s shrill voice shouted, ‘Ryan, what’re you doing? Come back here. Don’t you ignore me!’
I took my shoes off and ran down the grass. When I sneaked round the side of the building, I could see the girl in the white dress grab at his arm, but he shook her off. He vaulted over the rail on the veranda. A few girls squealed and got out of his way.
I crept closer.
He walked up to a group of boys with a figure wearing a blue and white checked shirt in the centre. ‘Are you Ed?’
The boys moved and I saw Ed nod. ‘Yeah, why?’
Ryan’s fist smashed into his face and Ed hit the floor with a crash.
14 – Ryan
Fucking pondlife. Sometimes there aren’t words enough to say how you feel and only a smack in the mouth will do.
He’d gone down like a pro boxer had hit him.
Quite proud of that.
The other lads stared at me, too shocked to react.
‘Whichever of you dicks gave him the twenty quid, you were robbed. He never got near her. She blew him out and laughed in his face.’
I bent over the kid on the ground and he cringed away. ‘Tosser!’
‘What’s going on here?’ The guy Sadie pointed out earlier, the one who crashed the car, came out. ‘Who’s he?’
‘He just floored Ed,’ one of the lads said.
‘What? And you lot stood there and let him?’
They shuffled and glanced at each other. One stepped closer to Carlisle and muttered something at him that I couldn’t catch. Carlisle looked back at me and curled his lip like he was the big man. He gave Ed a hand to pull him to his feet.
Yeah, you’re something, you are. Real special. I looked him up and down like he did me. ‘Fuck you,’ I said, giving him the finger, and turned to vault back over the rail.
I heard a scuffle behind me.
‘Steve, leave it. He’s going. Probation, remember?’
‘No, who the fuck does he think he is?’
I cleared the rail and walked away. Sadie grabbed at my arm again as I went to pick my coat up from the bench. ‘Don’t you dare walk out on me,’ she shrieked before I had a chance to explain anything. I caught a glimpse of Jenna’s face peeking round the corner at us.
‘I’m taking her home. You’ve got mates here. Hang out with them.’
‘Are you mental? I mean, look at her, for Christ’s sake. You are not leaving me to take that home!’
I spun round and she shrank back. ‘You selfish bitch!’
‘Fine, screw you then!’ she yelled, backing away. ‘But you go and that’s it. You’re dumped. You are so dumped!’
‘So? Am I crying?’
Carlisle came up now, followed by a few of his mates. ‘You’re not going anywhere. I want a word with you. I’ve just been hearing all about you, pikey.’
Sadie had a big mouth, I realised. Of course she’d bragged – she was that type.
He swaggered up to me, his back-up waiting a few metres away. Sadie retreated behind them to watch. ‘I get the impression, pikey, that you think you can stroll into our club and insult one of us and we’ll let you. But I’m here to tell you, you piece of shit, that you’re wrong.’
‘Oh yeah? But you’re not bothered about what one of you did to deserve it?’ I folded my arms. He was bigger than me and he had his mates, but my temper was still spiked from what Jenna had told me.
‘No. He’s drunk. Being one of the lads. He didn’t know she’d find out and what’s it got to do with you anyway?’
‘She’s a friend.’ Well, not exactly, but she did help me clean up that time and I reckoned she was all right.
He laughed. ‘And does her dad know that? Have you met him? He’d be really interested in you. Having a piece of traveller trash on his doorstep and hanging around with his precious little pet.’ Thanks, Sadie . ‘I bet the police will be
‘What colour shirt is he wearing?’
‘Blue and white check. Ryan, what –’
‘Wait here. Have you got a coat inside?’
‘No . . .’
‘Wait – I’ll be back in a minute.’
He jogged off to the clubhouse. As he got near, a girl’s shrill voice shouted, ‘Ryan, what’re you doing? Come back here. Don’t you ignore me!’
I took my shoes off and ran down the grass. When I sneaked round the side of the building, I could see the girl in the white dress grab at his arm, but he shook her off. He vaulted over the rail on the veranda. A few girls squealed and got out of his way.
I crept closer.
He walked up to a group of boys with a figure wearing a blue and white checked shirt in the centre. ‘Are you Ed?’
The boys moved and I saw Ed nod. ‘Yeah, why?’
Ryan’s fist smashed into his face and Ed hit the floor with a crash.
14 – Ryan
Fucking pondlife. Sometimes there aren’t words enough to say how you feel and only a smack in the mouth will do.
He’d gone down like a pro boxer had hit him.
Quite proud of that.
The other lads stared at me, too shocked to react.
‘Whichever of you dicks gave him the twenty quid, you were robbed. He never got near her. She blew him out and laughed in his face.’
I bent over the kid on the ground and he cringed away. ‘Tosser!’
‘What’s going on here?’ The guy Sadie pointed out earlier, the one who crashed the car, came out. ‘Who’s he?’
‘He just floored Ed,’ one of the lads said.
‘What? And you lot stood there and let him?’
They shuffled and glanced at each other. One stepped closer to Carlisle and muttered something at him that I couldn’t catch. Carlisle looked back at me and curled his lip like he was the big man. He gave Ed a hand to pull him to his feet.
Yeah, you’re something, you are. Real special. I looked him up and down like he did me. ‘Fuck you,’ I said, giving him the finger, and turned to vault back over the rail.
I heard a scuffle behind me.
‘Steve, leave it. He’s going. Probation, remember?’
‘No, who the fuck does he think he is?’
I cleared the rail and walked away. Sadie grabbed at my arm again as I went to pick my coat up from the bench. ‘Don’t you dare walk out on me,’ she shrieked before I had a chance to explain anything. I caught a glimpse of Jenna’s face peeking round the corner at us.
‘I’m taking her home. You’ve got mates here. Hang out with them.’
‘Are you mental? I mean, look at her, for Christ’s sake. You are not leaving me to take that home!’
I spun round and she shrank back. ‘You selfish bitch!’
‘Fine, screw you then!’ she yelled, backing away. ‘But you go and that’s it. You’re dumped. You are so dumped!’
‘So? Am I crying?’
Carlisle came up now, followed by a few of his mates. ‘You’re not going anywhere. I want a word with you. I’ve just been hearing all about you, pikey.’
Sadie had a big mouth, I realised. Of course she’d bragged – she was that type.
He swaggered up to me, his back-up waiting a few metres away. Sadie retreated behind them to watch. ‘I get the impression, pikey, that you think you can stroll into our club and insult one of us and we’ll let you. But I’m here to tell you, you piece of shit, that you’re wrong.’
‘Oh yeah? But you’re not bothered about what one of you did to deserve it?’ I folded my arms. He was bigger than me and he had his mates, but my temper was still spiked from what Jenna had told me.
‘No. He’s drunk. Being one of the lads. He didn’t know she’d find out and what’s it got to do with you anyway?’
‘She’s a friend.’ Well, not exactly, but she did help me clean up that time and I reckoned she was all right.
He laughed. ‘And does her dad know that? Have you met him? He’d be really interested in you. Having a piece of traveller trash on his doorstep and hanging around with his precious little pet.’ Thanks, Sadie . ‘I bet the police will be
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