by Jim Eldridge
‘What you want?’ she demanded.
Dillon gave Kerrys a smile.
‘How about you?’ He grinned.
Before Kerrys could respond, Manuel had appeared. He pushed rudely past Kerrys, shouldering her out of the way.
Kerrys scowled. ‘What’s the rush?’ she demanded. ‘He your boyfriend?’
Manuel gave her a hard look and for a second Kerrys thought he was going to lash out at her. But instead he just ignored her and turned back to Dillon and Smoothy. Kerrys saw a little black bag change hands from Dillon to Manuel.
‘Here,’ whispered Dillon.
‘What do I do?’ Manuel muttered back.
Kerrys strained her ears and heard Dillon murmur, ‘Just hold ’em here till tomorrow when it calms down. When I get called I’ll pick them up.’
With that Dillon and Smoothy turned and left. Manuel stuffed the small black bag in his pocket, pushed past Kerrys as if she didn’t exist and went back into the living room. Kerrys watched him, suspicious. Something was going down. Something more than just dropping some dope.
She followed Manuel into the crowded living room. Her grandparents were there, as were some of her Brazilian aunts. As soon as they saw Kerrys there was a surge of aunts, all gesturing and talking animatedly in Portuguese as they dragged her over to her grandmother and grandfather, who sat perched on two chairs like visiting royalty. Kerrys allowed herself to be kissed and hugged by her aunts and grandparents. She managed to extricate herself from the scrum and went over to where Jas was standing, apart from everyone.
‘Everyone,’ she announced, ‘this is Jas.’
Her grandmother looked at Jas, then back at Kerrys, then turned to Kerrys’s stepfather and said something disapproving in Portuguese.
She doesn’t like Jas, thought Kerrys. She’s worked out we’re a couple and she’s doing the ‘I don’t like this’ touch.
But she was wrong.
‘Kerrys,’ said Mr Jauo-Pinto, ‘why you wear this top?’
Kerrys, surprised, looked down at her top. It was just a top. She wore this kind of thing all the time. Everyone did. It showed her midriff, and it sure showed her cleavage, but hey! It was what people wore.
‘What’s wrong with it?’ she demanded.
‘It shows your boobs,’ said Mr Jauo-Pinto.
Kerrys shot a glance at her grandmother, still sitting prim and proper on the chair, with that sniffy look of dis-approval on her face. So it was the old bat who objected.
‘Breasts, Dad,’ Kerrys corrected him. ‘Not boobs. Boobs are stupid people or mistakes.’ She patted her breasts. ‘These are not mistakes. They’re there for a reason. To feed babies.’
Manuel let out a laugh. ‘Like you’ll ever be doing that,’ he guffawed.
Mrs Jauo-Pinto shot Manuel a dirty look and he shut up. Then she turned to Kerrys and ordered her, ‘Kerrys, put on a proper T-shirt.’
Kerrys looked at her mother and scowled.
‘Will I, fuck!’ she exploded angrily. She was eighteen. A woman. This was her house as well.
The shocked gasp from her relatives made her look round. Her grandparents were glaring at her, their mouths thin, tight lines. Her aunts were crossing themselves. Kerrys gave a shrug of resignation and headed upstairs. As she did, her stepfather shouted after her: ‘You embarrass me again!’
Fuck you! thought Kerrys.
In her room she went to her drawer and began looking for a T-shirt. One caught her eye and brought a wicked smile to her lips.
She took off the top and pulled on the T-shirt. On the front it had the word ‘Vagetarian’ in huge letters.
They want a T-shirt, they’ll have a T-shirt, thought Kerrys with satisfaction.
She walked back down stairs, opened the living room door, and re-entered the room.
‘There,’ she said with a smile. ‘Happy?’
Her mother and stepfather stared at her, their mouths opening in shock. Her Brazilian aunts and grandparents just looked at their reaction, puzzled. Kerrys turned to Manuel.
‘Hey, Manuel, can I borrow your car? Jas wants to give me a lesson.’
‘Doing what?’ snapped Manuel with a pointed sneer.
Kerrys didn’t rise to the bait.
‘Driving,’ she said. ‘I’ve got my test tomorrow, remember, and Jas’s car is at her place.’
Manuel shook his head. ‘No. I’m meeting someone.’
Asshole, thought Kerrys.
She gave a jerk of her head towards Jas and the two girls headed for the front door and the street. As they closed the door they heard Kerrys’s grandfather ask, ‘What is mean, vagetarian?’
28
Kerrys and Jas walked away from the house, Kerrys scowling. Jerks. The biggest jerk of all was Manuel.
‘My brother’s such an arsehole,’ she grunted.
Jas slipped her arm through Kerrys’s.
‘Don’t worry about it,’ she said. ‘We’ve got each other.’
Kerrys looked at Jas and smiled.
‘We got something else as well,’ she said. ‘I’ve got a present for you. Do you want it?’
Jas grinned.
‘Won’t ever say no to a gift, babe,’ she smiled. ‘Will I like it?’
Kerrys pulled out the keys to Cass’s apartment.
‘Trust me, I think you’re gonna love it.’
Jas and Kerrys stood just inside the doorway of Cass’s apartment. Jas’s mouth had dropped open in awe.
‘Wow!’ she said, stunned.
The place was fantastic. Immaculate. Neat and tidy. Rich. Kerrys’s friend Cass had money. Real money.
‘Wow,’ she breathed again.
Kerrys picked up the TV remote and flicked on the huge widescreen. It was tuned to the news. According to the graphics on the screen behind her, the newscaster was talking about some diamond heist: ‘Documents certifying the stones’ authenticity, their origin and the fact that they had not been imported from conflict zones were also lifted . . .’
Kerrys hit mute and the pictures carried on without the sound.
Jas walked further into the apartment, still feeling overwhelmed by it.
‘You sure Cassandra said this was cool?’ she asked, slightly worried.
Kerrys gave Jas a reassuring smile back.
‘With all our years of friendship she wasn’t gonna say no, was she?’ she said. ‘No problem, baby. We got two nights to enjoy this place. So sit back and relax.’
Jas shrugged, still awed, but starting to believe it. She looked at the TV, where the newscaster was still talking silently.
‘In that case, d’you think maybe we can watch something other than the news?’ she asked.
Kerrys flicked a button on the remote and MTV2 came on the screen. Kerrys raised the volume just enough so it wouldn’t overpower them, then she dropped the remote and grabbed Jas and kissed her, feeling the softness and warmth of her tongue against her own. Jas kissed her back, urgently, and the girls’ hands roamed over each other’s bodies. Suddenly Jas pulled back, her eyes shining with mischievous delight.
‘Hey, you want a Kamagra?’
Kerrys frowned.
‘What’s that?’
‘It’s like Viagra.’
Kerrys grinned.
‘In case you ain’t noticed, girl, I ain’t got a dick.’
‘They still work,’ insisted Jas. ‘They make you mega-horny. Me ex-girl’s dad was a doctor. She gave me loads.’
‘Honey, I’m a horny bitch anyway,’ said Kerrys. ‘But sure, let’s do it.’
Jas pulled a plastic bag out of her pocket. There were little blue jelly sachets inside. She took two out, gave one to Kerrys and kept one for herself. They broke open the sachets and sucked the blue jelly out, then washed it down with a bottle of Coke. They dropped down on to the couch. Kerrys kissed Jas, a long lingering kiss, tasting her sweetness. When they came up for air, Jas looked into Kerrys’s eyes.
‘Think you’ll ever go back to men?’ she asked.
‘Why
should I?’ asked Kerrys. ‘I’m with you.’
‘OK, but if you had to suck a guy off to save my life, what would you do?’
Kerrys laughed.
‘Buy you nice flowers for your funeral.’
Jas smiled and kissed Kerrys, then slid her tongue out of Kerrys’s mouth and down her neck, licking as she went. She nuzzled into Kerrys’s chest, feeling Kerrys’s nipples hard through the thin cloth of the T-shirt.
‘You wanna go to the Blam Bar later?’ she asked.
‘Yeah,’ said Kerrys. ‘But a lot later.’
Her voice was husky.
‘Why?’ asked Jas.
Kerrys tugged at Jas’s clothes, pulling her top over her head, reaching down for the waistband of her shorts.
‘I think I’ve got a hard-on,’ she told her.
And then the two girls were all over each other, tearing at their clothes, unhooking and unbuttoning, hands and tongues sliding into wet places.
29
The Blam Bar was packed, the bass thumping and the music bouncing off the walls. Kerrys and Jas danced, their bodies working in unison, just slightly apart. As Kerrys swung round she felt a hand on her arm spin her further, and then she was looking into the grinning face of a boy who was dancing close to her. Kerrys stopped dancing and gave him the finger, then moved back to Jas.
‘Yeah, I’d love to give you the finger too!’ the boy jeered after her.
The track changed, and Kerrys took Jas’s arm and they headed for the sofa. The boy wasn’t to be put off. He followed them, still grinning. Now Kerrys was aware he had a bunch of mates with him, all looking on, intrigued, curious to see how this was going to play out.
‘Why don’t you fuck off,’ said Kerrys bluntly.
It didn’t wipe the grin off the boy’s face. Still smiling, he asked, ‘You kiss your mother with that mouth?’
Kerrys smiled back. ‘No, but I’ve kissed yours.’
This brought a howl of laughter from the boy’s mates, who clapped him on the back and dragged him away. Jas gave Kerrys an admiring grin, and then saw from Kerrys’s angry expression that she must have spotted something in the club that upset her. She looked, and saw Kerrys’s friend Shannon sitting at the bar. Some sleazy-looking guy was standing next to her with his hand down the back of her jeans, squeezing her arse. Shannon wasn’t objecting. In fact, she didn’t seem to be doing much of anything except swaying slightly and leaning forward and clutching at the bar.
Shannon was drunk.
Kerrys got up and headed towards them, a look of controlled anger on her face. She took up a place just behind the guy.
‘So, what are you doing tonight?’ he was asking Shannon.
Shannon didn’t reply straight away. She seemed right out of it. Kerrys leaned forward and tapped the guy on the shoulder. He turned, and she smiled and asked him, ‘Do you wanna dance?’
His eyes lit up and he took his hand out of Shannon’s jeans. Kerrys obviously looked a much better prospect.
‘Yeah, all right,’ he nodded, smiling.
‘Good,’ said Kerrys. ‘Then piss off and dance so I can talk to my mate.’
The smile was wiped off his face immediately. He looked as if he was going to say something in reply, but the intensity in Kerrys’s eyes made him back off. He shrugged, and then walked off.
Finally Shannon answered the guy.
‘Whatever you wanna do,’ she said. Her words were slurred. Kerrys realised she wasn’t even aware that he had gone.
‘Well, I’m feeling kinda horny,’ said Kerrys. ‘I was thinking we could go back to my yard and press flowers, if you get my drift.’
Shannon swung round, even though the movement nearly made her fall over. Kerrys saw that she had to catch hold of the bar to stop herself from toppling over.
‘Where’s that guy?’ demanded Shannon, looking around.
‘Gone,’ said Kerrys, then she added angrily, ‘What the fuck are you doing, Shannon? Are you nuts? I’m over there with Jas and I saw him touching you up, so I came over.’
Shannon looked decidedly put out, even though Kerrys had saved her from his greasy hands. And worse!
‘Am I not allowed to get felt up?’ Shannon demanded. She leaned in towards Kerrys and whispered, ‘I wanted to go to his place.’
Kerrys shook her head.
‘You’re drunk. He’s a dickhead. You don’t want nothing from him, trust me.’
‘I haven’t drunk that much!’ protested Shannon.
She tried to get off the stool, but her foot was tangled up in it. She tried to jerk free and nearly fell. Kerrys’s strong hands caught her and pushed her back upright on to the stool.
‘Come on,’ said Kerrys. ‘I think it’s time for you to go home.’
Shannon shook her head.
‘I just wanna go with that guy!’ she insisted. Then suddenly her face collapsed and great tears began to roll down her cheeks. ‘Jo won’t talk to me. My mum . . .’ Her words faded into a sobbing hiccup, and she lowered her head on to her arms on the bar and cried as if her heart was breaking.
Kerrys looked at her, baffled. What was all this about Jo and Shannon’s mum?
‘What are you talking about?’ she demanded.
But Shannon was gone again and had slumped down, her head resting on the bar, out of it.
Oh God, thought Kerrys. I’m gonna have to get her out of here or she’ll end up being raped.
A noise behind her made her turn. The guy she’d told to get lost was standing there with a couple of mates and a girl. None of them looked happy. In fact, as they looked at Kerrys, she thought they all looked decidedly put out, and they were looking at her like she was to blame.
‘This is her,’ said the boy Kerrys had scared off. He didn’t look so scared now he was gang-handed.
The girl’s face twisted into a snarl and she snapped challengingly at Kerrys: ‘What did you say to my mate?’
Kerrys weighed it up. Four of them, three guys and a tough-looking bitch of a girl. And she had to protect Shannon, who was passed out on the bar. Thinking quickly, and moving even quicker, Kerrys snatched up a half-full pint glass from the bar and threw the contents over a big man and his girlfriend, who were dancing just a few metres away. Then, without a pause, she tossed the empty glass to the guy she’d pissed off. Automatically, he reached out and caught it, just as the big man and his girlfriend spun round towards them, drenched and fuming. Kerrys jerked her thumb incriminatingly towards the guy holding the glass. He looked down at the empty glass in his hand as if shocked to find it there. The next second the big man had punched the guy hard in the face. Whooompff! Kerrys felt the blow as the big man’s fist connected with flesh and bone, and the guy dropped the glass and staggered back, his eyes going round in his head.
Immediately the two other guys with him had jumped on the big man and were sinking punches into his head and body, while the two girls leaped at one another and began slugging it out.
The guy who had been chatting up Shannon steadied himself and his eyes cleared. He couldn’t get to Kerrys and Shannon because the fight that had broken out was now a writhing, struggling, brawling barrier between them. Instead he glared at them, hatred filling his whole face.
‘I’m gonna kill you two bitches!’ he roared.
Kerrys saw Shannon push herself up from the bar top, bewilderment on her face.
‘I thought he wanted to shag me,’ she said plaintively.
‘He changed his mind,’ snapped Kerrys. ‘Come on, it’s definitely time to go,’ she added, a note of real urgency in her voice.
As she grabbed Shannon, Kerrys looked around for Jas and saw her heading for the exit. Smart girl. They’d catch up later. Providing there was a later.
Tugging at Shannon’s arm, Kerrys dragged her off the stool. Shannon immediately fell to the floor. Quickly, strongly, Kerrys hauled Shannon to her feet. She shot a quick glance at the angry guy who was still battling his way through the crush to get to them. His two mates and the girl had
now struggled free from the brawl and were right behind him. The hunt was on, and they were the prey!
30
Gritting her teeth to hold up the weight of Shannon’s collapsing body, Kerrys steered her as fast as she could through the crowd towards the back door of the club. If she could get Shannon out to the back alley, they might be safe. God, how could someone as frail as Shannon be so heavy?
They crashed through the doors of the fire exit and out into the alley. Suddenly Shannon bent over and vomited.
‘Shit!’ groaned Kerrys.
Kerrys looked around. At any second the doors would burst open and the boys would be out here wanting blood, her blood. One she might be able to take, but not three of them, not drunk as they were, and not with Shannon needing protection.
‘Quick! Hide!’ snapped Kerrys, and she pushed Shannon, who stumbled forward and then fell behind the dumpsters, where newspapers and takeout cartons had gathered, blown by the alley wind. Kerrys watched Shannon hit the ground and then lie still, just before the doors of the club crashed open and the angry guy and his mates burst out.
‘There!’ he yelled in triumph, pointing at Kerrys. He looked at her, his teeth bared in vicious triumph. ‘When I catch you I’m gonna fuck the life out of you.’
I’ve got to draw them away, thought Kerrys. I’ve got to stop them seeing Shannon. She laughed back at the guy, deliberately taunting him as she backed away, drawing them towards her, away from the dumpster and Shannon.
‘It always comes down to that with you!’ she sneered, goading the men. ‘You wanna know something? You couldn’t keep up with me. You’d cum in a second.’ She kept backing away, but smoothly, not rushing. The men followed, their eyes only on her. She mimicked an embarrassed laugh. ‘I swear that never happened to me before,’ she said pitifully. Then she laughed. ‘Anyway, truthfully you’d need a pussy and a pair of tits to get with me.’ She laughed out loud at them again. ‘Actually, looking at you and your two friends there, you might have a chance.’