SOMEONE DIFFERENT (14 page)

All the boys were chillin outside, and a group of lasses were standing nearby as well. I settled on a Mars Bar, a packet of Walker’s Worcester Sauce and a can of Irn Bru from the Co-op. Billy let me have twos on a fag, and I was just finishing it when Kira nudged my arm.

‘Nar then, where’ve you been hangin’ lately?’

‘Oh, nowhere. I’ve just been a bit busy.’

‘You’re not busy now though, are ya?’ She slid her arms round me slowly.

‘No ... but ...’ Even I was surprised how tight my back got.

‘But what ...?’ Kira moved her head closer. Her lips got to about an inch away from mine, then I pulled back.

‘What’s a matter?’ she said, scowling.

‘Nowt, it’s just
–’

My phone rang then, and I relaxed as I looked at it; it was Anna.

I wriggled out of Kira’s hold and walked away. ‘Alright?’ I said quietly, as I answered it.

‘Yes, just missing you – I told you I would, didn’t I?’

I glanced round; Kira was staring at me. ‘Yeah.’

‘Is it a bad time?’ Anna’s voice suddenly sounded right young.

‘Err, well ... not really ... but is there any chance ya can phone me back, after seven?’

‘Sure, OK ...’

Kira appeared like a gust of wind by my side. Her words came out all stupid and flirty, and she spat them straight into my phone. ‘Oops, sorry, Jay; I’ve just got lippy all over the buttons on ya jeans.’

The bitch. She put a smile on like a circus clown, and I only just managed to keep my hands off her.

I spun round and walked further up the road, then I spoke to Anna again. ‘Are ya still there?’

‘Yes – but who was that?’

‘It was just a lass. Honestly, ignore her. She’s tryin’ to wind us up.’

She paused. ‘Where are you?’

‘Out with Billy.’

‘Not just with Billy, though?’

‘Well, no. I’ll tell ya about it later, yeah?’

‘OK,’ she said softly, but she didn’t sound sure at all.

I took a big breath. ‘Look, Anna, you know –’ A shriek of laughter came from behind me, and when I looked back round, Kira and all the other lasses were glaring at me.

‘Oh, I’ll talk to ya later,’ I whispered into the phone.

‘Later, right.’

And she hung up.

I didn’t even look at Kira again. If I had, I’d have killed her. Instead, I set off walking fast. All I wanted was to get far enough away from them so I could phone Anna back.

But as I turned off the main road thirty seconds later, the sound of footsteps came from behind me, and Billy appeared. He didn’t say anything at first, just walked along the empty street next to me and gave me a fag.

When we got about halfway down the road though, he looked at me. ‘She’s not stupid ya know, your lass; she’ll be sound about it.’

I glanced ahead as a blue Mazda pulled in a bit further along, then I looked back at Billy. I really hoped he’d got it right, but I wasn’t sure what to say, so I just nodded.

‘I swear down,’ Billy said, grinning. ‘I’ve never seen ya proper loved up like this before.’

I smiled back and started to chill a bit then.

It was one of those nights when the sky’s that deep, dark, purply-black colour, and the millions of stars stand out like fireworks. And even there, slap bang in the middle of our estate, for once it was proper quiet. No shouting, no sirens, no music blaring out of windows.

So when, one by one, the Mazda’s doors all flew open, the noise rattled round the road like gunfire. We jerked our heads up and watched as they sprung out next to us. Five of them; all big and beefy, and tons older than us.

Me and Billy stopped dead. I took the cigarette out of my mouth, and my hand hovered level with my chest. Silently, step by step, they closed in on us; striding forwards like snipers. We backed off together; the spiky hedge behind us digging into my neck. Eventually, they stopped, just a few feet away. Billy took his hands out of his pockets and pulled his shoulders back. I lowered my arm, letting the fag-end drop to the floor. Then one of them stepped even closer. I looked up, and froze; poking out from underneath his Nike cap, were long wisps of ginger hair.

22 – Anna

He was entitled to go out, wasn’t he? I mean it must’ve been awful for him, stuck in that horrible house every night. Of course he’d go out whenever he got the chance. Of course he’d have lots of friends, and some of them would be girls. And, as he said, she was only trying to wind us up; just having a laugh. It didn’t mean anything; I had nothing to worry about.

Except she was there with him, and I wasn’t.

Twenty to seven. I’d leave it another half an hour, then phone him.

Once I’d heard his voice again, I’d be fine. That’s all I wanted; just to hear him, to talk to him, to know everything was alright.

23 – Jay

‘Let’s go somewhere more private, shall we, lads?’ The guy with the ginger hair spoke quietly.

I glanced at the car – Christ, if they made us get in that, we’d probably never be seen again.

My eyes searched for a gap in the semi-circle they’d made around us, but there was nothing. Making a run for it would just mean we got our heads kicked in sooner rather than later.

Instead of putting us in the car though, he nodded at the entrance to a gennel a few yards up the road. The others crowded us, and we got pushed along until we were halfway up the gennel and nobody could see us from either end.

Two of the guys blocked the path to our right, and two more stood to our left. The ginger one moved towards us until he’d backed us right up against the concrete fence.

‘You took summat you shouldn’t have done, din’t ya, boys?’ His eyes flicked between me and Billy. ‘Who for, lads? Who gave ya the job?’

My ribs lifted up steadily, then dropped like iron. Telling him what he wanted to know wasn’t an option; not because of loyalty or friendship or respect, but because they’d kill us.

Saying nothing, probably meant he’d kill us.

I licked my top lip and tasted the salty sweat that’d formed on it. Billy’s head stayed still, but his fingers twitched by his sides.

‘Oh, come on,’ the guy said. ‘Don’t tell me you’re stupid enough to try an’ keep ya gobs shut?’ He folded his arms loosely across his chest. ‘We know you’re not the brains
– it’s obvious from looking at ya that you’re right at the bottom of a very shitty heap – but my boss, see, he thinks somebody’s gotta pay, so if you don’t give us a name, who else we gonna take it out on?’

Billy looked at me. Even though neither of our faces gave anything away, we both knew there was no other option. I opened my mouth, but Billy glanced at the guy again and spoke first. ‘We don’t know,’ he said.

The guy’s hand moved faster than a chameleon’s tongue. One second it was resting on his chest, the next it’d pummelled into the side of Billy’s head and knocked him crashing down on to the tarmac.

I started to go to him, but the two gorillas next to me snatched hold of my arms and twisted them up behind my back. The ginger one stared down as Billy groaned and struggled to open his eyes, then he looked at his other two mates and flicked his head towards where Billy laid.

They leaned over and dragged him back onto his feet. As soon as they let him go though, he swayed and almost collapsed. Straight away, they grabbed his jacket again, then stood propping him up, one at each side.

The main guy reached inside his coat and pulled a baseball bat out. He swung it gently by his side, then put his other hand on Billy’s forehead and yanked his head right back. ‘Still don’t know?’ he said.

My teeth clenched together so hard it felt like they’d crack. Keep quiet, Billy, I thought; please don’t piss him off any more.

At first, it seemed like Billy was too far out of it to even answer. But then he forced his eyes wide open and glared at the guy. ‘No, I still don’t know,’ he said firmly.

I tried so hard not to, but as that bat smashed into Billy’s face, my head shot sideways, my shoulders stiffened, and my eyes clamped shut. The sickening thuds and desperate gasps grated on my brain. Even though I wasn’t looking, it was like I could see what they were doing to him; imagine how it felt.

But what could I do? Their hands held me like a straightjacket, my legs were almost giving way. All I wanted was to get to him; to help him. But I couldn’t. And I just had to stand there, listening to it all, until finally it went quiet.

I took a big breath, then dragged my neck back round and forced my eyes open.

Billy’s bruised, swollen face looked like it’d been sliced up with a busted bottle. His eyes were closed and his mouth hung open. The guy stood for a second, examining him, then he hammered the bat into him some more; first his head, then his middle, then his sides.

I pulled towards him again, but they still weren’t having it; I lost my balance and had to fight to stay upright as they heaved me back.

When I looked up again, the guy finally decided he’d done enough. Slowly, he stretched his fingers out, rolled his shoulders, then turned away from Billy’s motionless body.

I stared at my best mate. His head had slumped forwards so his chin almost touched his chest, his face looked grey, and a stream of blood trickled steadily from his hair. When the two guys hunched him up, his head rocked slightly, but his knees stayed bent; without them holding him, he’d have been on the floor.

‘You bastard,’ I whispered. And as hot tears ran down my face, I barged forwards like a crazed elephant. The fucking bastard; I’d rip his fucking head off. How could he have done that?

They twisted my arms up higher and the pain took my breath. I could hardly move, even though I kept on pulling and tugging to get free. All I wanted to do was kill him.

But in the end, he came to me. He stepped up, grabbed my coat with one hand, and swung the bat with the other.

‘So, last chance, sunshine,’ he said. ‘Give us a name, or you’ll be needin’ two for one on blood transfusions.’ He nodded at Billy and smirked.

And as his eyes flipped back to mine, I did something I’d never done before
– but what else can you do, when you can’t move? I rolled up a big gobful of slaver, sucked it back, and spat it as hard as I could in his face.

He froze. In fact, for a couple of seconds, nobody moved at all. The spit dribbled slowly down his cheek, and it was only when it got close to his mouth that he eventually reached up and wiped it off with his sleeve. Steadily, his face got redder and redder, and his right eyelid twitched softly.

‘Hold him,’ he said quietly.

The guys next to me glanced at each other, then one of them bit his lip. ‘Spenny, maybe ... ya know, ya shouldn’t go too crazy. You’ve already gone pretty far with that other un; maybe
–’

‘Shut the fuck up, an’ just hold him
, will ya?’

Quickly, their grip on my arms tightened again.

He pushed one sleeve, then the other, up above his wrists. I let my eyes drift past him, and I stared at Billy. All I felt by then was hate, and it was a hate that burned way deeper than fear.

I expected it to be my face, but it wasn’t. Instead, he adjusted his footing, drew the bat gradually back, then grunted as he blasted it straight into my stomach. The top part of my body jerked forward like I’d been snapped in half. I coughed, and battled hard for breath. My insides screamed with pain, but my mouth stayed shut.

They ragged me back up straight and I made my eyes focus on his. He swung it back again, and the crack as he shattered my rib echoed up through my chest and into my throat. My eyes watered, my legs trembled. Everything hurt so much I didn’t think he couldn’t hurt me anymore. But of course he could, and he did. He waited ’til they’d got me more or less up on my feet, then he pounded the bat into my head so hard, it knocked me out of the guys’ grip and I smashed into the tarmac like a sledgehammer. His shoes spun on some grit, and I knew I needed to curl up and cover my head, but although I was already on my side, I couldn’t make myself move. Along with all the pain, I started to feel sick, right, proper sick. I shivered, even though my T-shirt was wet-through with sweat. What was he going to do next?