Forever Is Over (28 page)

“
Kelly!
”

I hated her swearing. Vomit Breath was a foulmouthed tramp. I
didn
’
t want Kelly to be.

“
Sorry, but he is!
”

“
Who are you upset with, Kelly? Are you upset with me?
”

“
You, Richie, Jim, Caroline, Richie
’
s parents, everyone really
…
.we
have a crap life with Mum and finally something good was happening
in my life and now it
’
s been snatched away. It
’
s not fair, Jemma! It
’
s really not fair!
”

I felt like a parent who had grabbed her child
’
s ticket to Disney
World off her and set it on fire. A lot of the time, Kelly seemed a lot
older than her tender years, but at this moment, she seemed like a little
girl.

“
Kelly, if I can put this right for you, I will. If you want me to go
round to Richie
’
s house and tell his parents the truth, I will.
”

             
“
You would?
”

A cloud appeared to temporarily lift from above Kelly
’
s head.

“
Of course I would. It
’
s more my fault than anyone
’
s that your date
has been cancelled. I
’
ll go around to Richie
’
s after school, speak to his
parents and tell them that I broke Jim
’
s jaw.
”

Kelly wiped her eyes and then the maturity that she so often
displayed kicked in.

“
No, I don
’
t want you to Jemma!
”

“
Why not?
”

If you tell Richie
’
s parents, they aren
’
t just going to say
“
Thanks for
telling us!
”
They
’
ll call the police. You
’
ll be in serious trouble. You might
be charged with GBH like Mum.
”

Kelly had a point. Throughout our childhood Mum had always been
fighting. A couple of times she had to attend court, once she got off on
a technicality, the other time she received a suspended prison sentence.

Social services were involved at one stage and
“
Tut
”
came to live with us
for a while to provide the moral guidance we were lacking from Vomit
Breath.
“
Tut
”
spent six months treating our house like a 19
th
Century
orphanage and even Kelly and I were glad when she moved back home.
Vomit Breath is horrible to have around but its even worse having her
mother as well. Kelly was thinking of me by worrying about police
charges, but it was self- preservation too, if I was taken away to a
“
Young
Offenders Institute
”
, Kelly would be
home alone with Vomit Breath.

“
It
’
s your call, Kelly.
”

“
My call is to leave things as they are. I
’
ll just to have to go out with
Richie next month!
”

“
OK, if that
’
s what you want.
”

It must have been the way I said it or maybe my body language
fail
ed to mask my
disappointment,  but  Kelly  sensed  something
instantaneously.

“
Jemma, why do you hate Richie?
”

“
I don
’
t!
”

“
The other night you weren
’
t happy about me going out with him
and I can tell now you still feel the same. He
’
s a lovely guy, why can
’
t
you just give him a chance? If it
’
s the age thing, that
’
s just daft! He
’
s
less than two years older than me! Mum has dragged blokes back here
that are half her age and others who are twice her age!
”

“
Don
’
t use Vomit Breath as your example of how things should be
done!
”
Kelly smiled. Her tear soaked green eyes sparkled. She was and still
is so beautiful!

“
I know, bad example! Is that why you don
’
t like him though,
because he
’
s in the Fifth Year and I
’
m in the Third Year?
”

“
No. There
’
s more to it than that.
”

“
Like what?
”

I have a big mouth. It
’
s not a good trait, but sometimes, most of the
time, I just can
’
t help myself.

“
When you mentioned the other night that you were going on a
date with Richie Billingham, my concerns at that point were all about
his age and your age, nothing more than that. I swear.
”

“
It
’
s two years, Jemma! Less than two years!
”

“
I know. The age is no big deal but I have other reasons to be
concerned now.
”

“
Like what?
”

“
I don
’
t want to go into the details, but let
’
s just say I have every
reason to feel concerned about you dating Richie Billingham, that
’
s all
I
’
m saying!
”

Sadness returned to Kelly
’
s face. Sadness with a hint of anger.

“
No, it isn
’
t! You can
’
t just leave it like that! What has someone told
you about Richie that you don
’
t like? It might be rubbish anyway! Some
people are just born liars!
”

“
Just leave it, Kelly!
”

I knew she wouldn
’
t leave it. I suppose we both knew I would tell her
eventually, but I wanted it to feel like she had dragged the information
out of me!

“
No-one has told me anything, Kel. I just have my own reasons for
not liking him.
”

“
New reasons?
”

“
Yes.
”

“
Tell me!
”

“
NO!
”

“
I
’
m your sister. You need to tell me.
”

I sighed, then got up and closed the door. Vomit Breath was a nosey
bitch, I didn
’
t want her earwigging on our conversation. It would give her ammunition in future battles. I sat on my bed.

“
You won
’
t like what I am going to say.
”

“
I don
’
t care. Tell me.
”

“
OK
”
I hesitated,
“
you know at the Birch
’
s party, someone
sneaked into the bedroom when I was really drunk and slept with
me?
”

The tears welled up again in Kelly
’
s eyes then one popped out and
rolled down her cheek. She wiped it away.

“
No it wasn
’
t! It wasn
’
t!
”

“
Kelly, it was Richie!
”

“
You
’
re wrong Jemma! You didn
’
t hear how he spoke to me that
night. You didn
’
t see the love in his eyes! It wasn
’
t Richie! I remember,
you said you didn
’
t know who it was!
”

“
I didn
’
t at first! It was only when we were in the queue for the
bathroom. I heard his voice again and I knew, straight away, that Richie
Billingham was
“
The Phantom Fucker!
”

“
You were really drunk, Jemma. You threw up seconds after!
”

“
Kelly, I wish it wasn
’
t Richie, but it was!
”

Kelly was determined to try to change my mind on this one or at
least plant a seed of doubt in my brain. She was like one of those wives
who didn
’
t want to believe their husband was a rapist or a murderer.

“
You think it was or you know it was?
”

“
I know.
”

“
100% sure?
”

“
Pretty much. 99%.
”

“
So there is some doubt in your mind then?
”

It was my turn to get annoyed now! I reckon our fathers were
probably Italian, I had always had a Latin temperament and now Kelly
was getting one too.

“
For fucks sake, Kelly! The only reason there is even the slightest
of doubts is because I was so pissed I couldn
’
t see properly, but it was
Richie. Definitely. Same voice. Same mannerisms. He even legged off
mid-shag because he felt guilty!
”

“
And it was Richie that threw up in your hair too?
”

“
Yes.
”

“
Have you got a tissue?
”

I dug a box of tissues from under my bed and passed them to Kelly.
She blew her nose hard.

“
Be honest, Jemma. Do you hate him?
”

“
No, I don
’
t hate him, Kelly.
”

“
How do you feel?
”

“
I just don
’
t want Richie Billingham to start dating my sister. If you
want to, I can
’
t stop you, but at least you know everything now and you
can make a decision based on all the information.
”

Kelly started laughing. Not proper laughing though. The type of
laughing women do in the movies when their husband has just died in a
car crash but they have some silly flashback about how he used to make
dogs out of balloons and give them to little girls.

“
I can make a decision now! Well THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
”

“
It
’
s not my fault, Kelly.
”

Kelly put her head in her hands.

“
I know. I know, but there is no decision to make, is there?
”

“
I don
’
t suppose there is.
”

“
What about you though, Jemma?
”

“
What about me?
”