Joe was brash enough to venture forth into enemy territory. He had seven mates – all tooled for trouble; all asking the same question: “Any aggro today?”
Slipping a light-weight cotton jacket over his gear, Joe studied himself in the mirror. The cosh didn’t show under the jacket. He fingered his West Ham scarf, then threw it back into his wardrobe. That would be asking for police inspection... and the last thing he wanted was having his cosh found before he had an opportunity to use it.
He wasn’t a bad-looking youth. At sixteen, he gave the impression of being at least nineteen. He was tall for his age – five-eleven. He had filled out and, at a fleeting glance, many a young girl’s heart would flutter when he appeared on the scene. But his eyes could have deterred those females wary of sadistic companions. There was something in his gaze that spoke of brutality and nonconformity expressed in terms of physical rejection and explosive reaction.
At last, he was ready. Taking a final glance at his appearance, he nodded to his image, grinning approval. Then, with heavy boots making a resounding noise on the worn stair-carpet, he went to the front door, yelled: “I’m goin’,” And left.
Outside, on the street, he paused.
God, how he hated this street! Next door, he could see that bitch Grace peeping from behind her curtains. What a bloody bitch she was! No matter how he acted, nor what he thought, he hated her for the way she had treated her husband. In a way, though, he was afraid of Grace. In his opinion, she was a black witch – and he didn’t want to associate with her!
He hurried down the street, conscious of eyes following him. It was always the same. No matter how early he left the house, eyes always followed him. Sometimes he wondered if they ever slept in his dirty street.
He was whistling when he strolled down to the Barking Road. The cosh felt comfortable against his flesh. His boots felt solid, secure on his feet. In a few minutes he would meet his mates and, soon, they would be ready for aggro...
Published by Dean Street Press 2015
Copyright © 1971 Richard Allen
All Rights Reserved
This ebook is published by licence, issued under the UK Orphan Works Licensing Scheme.
First published in 1971 by New English Library
Cover by DSP
ISBN 978 1 910570 48 7
www.deanstreetpress.co.uk
Suedehead Page 13