The Deepest Cut by Natalie Flynn Page B

aunt’s always moaning about him getting a job and stuff, and how she and my uncle can’t keep giving him money all the time.’
    â€˜What does he do with himself, then?’
    â€˜Just bums around really. Must be so fulfilling,’ she said.
    â€˜Who’s the girl?’ I asked her.
    â€˜Sarah.’
    â€˜Danny’s girlfriend?’ I asked, but I wasn’t listening when she answered. Nathan and Megan were up the end of the garden. They weren’t in their usual position with her wrapped round him and him touching her up. They were serious. Her hands were waving about all over the place. He looked like he was about to cry.
    â€˜Are you even listening to me?’ She asked.
    â€˜Do they look like they’re having a row?’ I nudged my head at where Nathan and Megan were.
    We watched them in silence. The only sound was Polly pulling on her cigarette, inhaling, then blowing the smoke out.
    â€˜Yeah, looks like it,’ she said. ‘Is that your mate Nathan?’
    â€˜Yeah,’ I said.
    â€˜That his girlfriend?’
    â€˜Yup.’
    Nathan’s arm reached out for Megan but she shoved him off and walked quickly down the garden. He stood with his hand over his mouth, watching her go.
    â€˜Looks serious,’ Polly said.
    â€˜I better go and see if he’s OK,’ I said.
    â€˜Leave him a minute,’ Polly said. ‘Let me finish this first. You can keep an eye on him from up here – let him have a minute to himself.’
    â€˜He looks pretty upset.’
    â€˜He’ll be OK,’ she said, touching my arm, which made my stomach flip. ‘Anyway,’ she said. ‘Tell me more about …’
    I’d stopped listening again. Nathan had sat down on a bench at the bottom of the garden. His face was in his hands.
    â€˜Adam?’ Polly said.
    â€˜Look.’
    â€˜Oh …’
    â€˜I should go and …’
    â€˜He’s a big boy, Ads, he can look after himself.’ She took a final drag on her cigarette and flicked it out the window. Nathan got up and started walking down the garden, head down. I walked away from the window and towards the door.
    â€˜Well I need to find out where Megan is. And Jake,’ I said. ‘I haven’t seen him for ages.’
    â€˜Suit yourself,’ she said.
    â€˜Come with me?’ I asked. ‘Where are all your friends?’
    â€˜None of them are here tonight; Ed wouldn’t let me invite them. No year elevens allowed,’ she said.
    â€˜I’ll come back up,’ I said, hoping she’d want me to.
    â€˜OK,’ she smiled and plonked herself back on her bed.
    What I really wanted was to find Jake in a corner somewhere with his hand down Kelly’s top, and Megan and Nathan making up in another corner. Then I could have gone straight back up to Polly.
    I checked every dark corner of the house. I couldn’t find either of them anywhere.
    The last place to look was the garden. Where that Danny was. No matter what Polly said about him, I was intimidated by him. I really didn’t want to go out there, but then I heard Nathan’s laugh.
    Bingo. He’d be outside with Jake. Definitely.
    I weaved past a few people, went out the back door, and did a quick scan to see Nathan sitting at the table with Danny and his mates.
    â€˜Ads.’ Nathan nodded at me. ‘Grab a drink, come join us. This is Danny, Sarah, and Lucy.’
    â€˜What happened with Megan?’ I asked.
    â€˜He don’t wanna talk about that, man,’ Danny said.
    Sarah and Lucy laughed. Sarah was looking at Nathan like she wanted to jump him there and then.
    â€˜Grab a drink and come and sit down,’ Nathan said.
    â€˜Alright,’ I said. ‘Let me just go and find Jake,’ I said.
    â€˜Why do you need to go and find Jake?’ Nathan asked. ‘Just come and sit down, enjoy yourself, let your hair down … chill.’
    â€˜I’ll go and