by Luke Walker
Geri pulls her window in, leaving it open enough to let the night air cool the room, and again studies herself in the mirror.
Not too bad, she thinks. Looking good. Looking in charge.
The doorbell rings and Leigh answers the door, then calls Geri’s name up the stairs.
‘Looking good,’ Geri tells herself and hopes and wishes Will thinks the same later.
At the party.
Mick’s house.
That’s where they’re going, that’s where they’ll be tonight. All of them. Together.
Out the door, to Karen’s car, pull out of Oakfield Walk to the road and the sun will be bright in their faces. They’ll need to put their sunglasses on and they’ll drive together, car eating the road towards the roundabout, over it, head past the school that was now just an empty building asleep forever for her now instead of the place she’d gone to almost every day for years and years; past it and its playing field and turn into the little snaking roads that will take them to Mick’s house. Out of the car. To the paving slabs at the side of the house, through the gate and to the back garden where they will all be, all drinking, all in the garden and there’ll be music and her friends.
All together.
And the sun will still be out for a little longer. And she’ll feel it on her head and her hair.
All together. All happy together.
‘Geri.’
Leigh’s voice, calling up the stairs. The light sliding through the window with the scents of grass and flowers still strong. How warm it is. How bright.
‘Geri. Karen’s here.’
Geri shouts her reply to the open door and it carries down to the hall below.
‘Down in a sec.’
All together. Like they always would be.
He’d know that. He’d see her.
And he’d know her even if she didn’t say a word.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Thank you to my family and friends for their encouragement and understanding over the long years I’ve spent writing. I’m also deeply grateful to Darren and Caffeine Nights for bringing Hometown to (dark) life, and to various writers and film-makers who’ve inspired and/or frightened me since I was a kid. Last but by no means least, thank you to my wife Rebecca who convinced me I had something special with this tale.
Thank you for reading Hometown. We really hope you enjoyed the book and would be thrilled if you would consider leaving a review for the book. Reviews mean so much to authors and give them great feedback.
If you liked Hometown and would like to know about Caffeine Nights books, please consider signing up for our free newsletter and get yourself a free eBook for doing so .
Don’t miss out!
Click the button below and you can sign up to receive emails whenever Luke Walker publishes a new book. There’s no charge and no obligation.
https://books2read.com/r/B-H-SNFD-WXGK
Connecting independent readers to independent writers.
Did you love Hometown? Then you should read Raven and Skull by Ashley Lister!