by Woods, Karen
Fallon waited until he’d regained his breath and lay on his chest. She could feel his hand stroking her hair softly. She wanted to ask him straight out whether or not he’d met someone else but she couldn’t get the words out, she was scared of the answer. Staring at the cream walls she bit down onto her lip. He loved her, and there was no way in this world he would cheat on her, would he?
*
Dalton had organised a night out for the girls. If he could just get through these next couple of days without his secret being uncovered he would be a happy man. Lesley stepped into the front room looking like a hooker. Her short red skirt left nothing to the imagination and her make-up was over the top.
Maria nearly stopped breathing when she saw her coming into the kitchen. “Bloody hell Lesley, that skirt looks more like a belt. Does your mother let you go out like that?”
Lesley gritted her teeth; she’d just about had enough of this woman’s bullshit. Her fist were clenching at the side of her, she was ready for action. Fallon could see it was all going to kick off; she stepped in just in time to save Maria’s bacon. “I think she looks stunning. Girls our age don’t wear long skirts. We can do all that when we’re older.” Fallon shot a look at Maria; she was like a cat getting ready to scratch her eyeballs out. She meant business and was ready for anything the old hag had to throw at her.
Maria raised her eyes to the ceiling and stood with one hand held on her hip. Her lips were moving but no sound was coming out. She knew Fallon was having a pop at her and retaliated. “Well, your skirt isn’t much better. No wonder girls like you get attacked these days. I mean, flaunting your tits and arses all over the place.”
Fallon swallowed hard. Lesley was chomping on the bit and opened fire. “We’re young Maria, when we’re your age, that’s when we’ll start covering up. If you’ve got it flaunt it, that’s what I always say anyway.”
Red in the face Maria was pulling at her clothes in temper. Just in time Dalton stepped into the kitchen and grabbed Fallon by the waist. “Come on then, let’s go and party.” Maria was still trying to get her point across as they left, but no one was listening to a word she said. “See you later Mam, don’t wait up, because it’s going to be a late one.”
Maria followed them to the front door, her face was cocky and she wanted the last word with the girls. There was no way she was letting them get away with talking to her like that. “I won’t wait up son. You’d better make sure no pimp approaches you, the way them two are dressed.”
Dalton stopped dead in his tracks, the vein in his neck pumping at the side. He walked a few steps back to his mother and grabbed her arm. His eyes were on fire, bending into to her face he spoke in a fierce tone. “Will you stop it with your evil mouth? Why are you like this all the time? Just back off will you.”
Maria went white, she knew she’d overstepped the mark this time, she was struggling to speak and her jaw was swinging. “I was joking son, bloody hell, where’s your sense of humour gone?” Dalton started to walk off but twisted his head back to his mother and held a look that was enough to let her know he wasn’t happy.
Maria slammed the door and marched back into the living room. Brian was sat watching the sports channel and spoke to her without taking his eyes from the TV. “What’s up with you now?” Maria sat down and gripped the edge of the sofa, her fingertips were turning white.
“It’s him, our son. Every time she’s about he’s always the same. I don’t have this shit when Fallon’s not here. I wish she’d go back home where she belongs.” Brian turned his head slowly towards her. His horse had just lost and he was in no mood to listen to her whining. He screwed his white betting slip up and flung it in the small bin at the side of him. He was sick to death of her attitude, it was written all over his face. Folding his newspaper up, he sat back in his chair and tapped his fingers on his chin as he leant forward. Maria could see him staring at her. “What,” she sighed.
Coughing to clear his throat, he voiced his opinion. “Do you forget where we’ve come from? We’re no different than Fallon and her family. Remember when we didn’t have a pot to piss in?”
Maria held her head high, her voice was emotional. “Yeah I do, but that was then, and this is now. I don’t want our son with her, end of.”
Brian stood to his feet slowly; he pulled his pants up and slipped his brown suede slippers on his feet. “Remember how you treat people on the way up love, because you’ll always meet them on the way back down. That’s what my mother always told me anyway.”
Maria sprang to her feet as if boiling water had been poured all over her. “Oh, I knew this would be all my fault, where’s the support ay?”
Brian started to leave the room. Standing with one hand resting on the doorframe he spoke. “Pride comes before a fall love, and the way you’re treating people at the moment, I bet there’s a few waiting to see you fall flat on your face.”
Brian left the room and Maria was still cursing, she shouted after him. “Well I won’t ever fall on my face, so they’ll be waiting a long fucking time, won’t they.” Maria was alone with her thoughts, she looked sad as she sat staring about the living room. She hated Fallon more than ever now.
Dalton held Fallon’s hand as they walked into the city centre. They’d taken a bus which gave the girls the chance to see more of what London had to offer. Lesley was sat behind them both on the bus and her head was squeezed between them. “So Dalton, do you like it here or what?”
“Yeah, I suppose so, it’s alright you know.”
Lesley jerked her head back and chuckled. “So you’ve not turned all posh then like your Mam?”
He smirked and gasped his breath. “She does my head in big time. I don’t know what’s gotten into her lately; she’s a right interfering cow.”
Fallon forgot who she was speaking to and jumped into the conversation without thinking. “Lately, what do you mean lately, she’s always been like that? She makes me boil inside that woman does.” Dalton looked at her for longer than necessary; he seemed disturbed by her words, was this the way she really felt about his mother? Fallon looked sheepish and dropped her eyes to the floor. “I mean, come on Dalton she’s never liked me has she? From day one she’s made it plain that I’m not good enough for her golden balls son.”
Dalton wasn’t having any of it; he fidgeted about in his seat. “Nar, she does like you, she’s just a bit... well... Oh, I don’t know... she does like you though.”
Lesley could see it was getting out of control and stepped in before a blazing row started. “So, where are we going to? I hope it’s a top place. We haven’t come all this way to go and sit in some shit-hole.”
Dalton smirked, “Wait and see, you’ll be blown away. The nightlife here is mega.”
Lesley howled laughing. “Mega.... Fucking hell, now you’re talking like a posh knob too. Get a grip. Lord fucking Fauntleroy.” The three of them sat laughing and Dalton knew he was the butt of the joke. He took it on the chin and shrugged his shoulders.
They all walked into the nightclub. Lesley and Fallon looked out of their depth. They’d never seen anything like this in their lives. The other clubbers were dressed like supermodels and they all looked stunning. Lesley yanked her skirt down with one hand. The smell of perfume hit the back of Fallon’s throat and she started sniffing around her. Shooting her eyes to the left of her she could see a blonde woman with legs up to her neck. Everything about her seemed class. Fallon studied her face for a few seconds. This girl could only have been a few years older than her. She watched her laughing and hated that she’d been born into poverty.
Tucking her Primark label into the back of her top she felt scruffy. Fallon felt like she didn’t deserve to be in the same nightclub with all these rich kids. Lesley took her glass from Dalton. She was used to necking beer from a bottle and even for her this was a first. They were all seated at the corner of the dance floor. Dalton sat with his head dipped and looked like he didn’t want to be seen with the two Manchester girls
.
Lesley sipped at her drink, she looked uncomfortable. Bending over she grabbed Fallon’s arm. “Fucking hell, London is like another world innit?”
Fallon nodded, “Tell me about it. I feel like a right pauper.” A woman waving her hand in the air at the side of the dance floor could be seen. Both the girls looked round and wondered if she was waving at them. Dalton stood to his feet and quickly went to meet her. It was Megan.
“Where’s Kirsty tonight?”
Dalton was sweating and Fallon knew something was wrong. “Oh, I’m with my mates from Manchester, so we’re not seeing each other until Monday.” Megan stretched her head over his shoulder. It was obvious he was trying to hide the two girls but she’d already spotted them.
Megan held a cunning look on her face and she grabbed him by the hand. “Let’s go and meet them then. I love the Manchester accent.” Before he could say another word she was pulling him over to Fallon and Lesley. Dalton stood playing with his hands as Megan stood tall in front of the girls; she was dressed to the nines. “Come on then, introduce me to your friends,” she urged.
Dalton stuttered and Lesley was onto him, he was definitely up to something. Holding his hand out, he introduced them both. “This is Fallon and this is Lesley.” Megan wanted more, and knew she had him by the short and curlies. “Oh so you’re Dalton’s friends from Manchester then?”
Fallon sat on the edge of her seat; she held her head back and cackled. “Friends! Well I’m a bit more than that. Dalton’s my boyfriend.” Dalton nearly curled up in a ball and died there and then. He was lost for words.
Megan played it cool, as she darted her eyes at him. “Oh, I didn’t know he had a girlfriend,” she rammed her finger into his waist with a cocky look. “You kept that quiet, didn’t you Dalton?” he never replied. He looked like he was struggling for air.
Fallon smiled at Megan. “Come and sit here with us, tell us all about London. It’s our first day here, so you can give us some tips about where to go.” Megan sat down but her eyes were fixed on Dalton. He was crumbling with every word. With one finger held sneakily over his lips he closed his eyes as he pleaded with Megan to keep schtum. Megan was like the cat that had got the cream. She knew there was more to him than met the eye, and now she’d uncovered his seedy little secret she was having a field day. What a clever girl she was. Megan loved every minute of his pain and enjoyed rubbing salt into his wounds. Dalton gulped the rest of his drink in one; there was no Champagne tonight, just lager. “Who wants another drink?” Fallon shook her head; she’d only just started hers. Lesley necked what was left of her drink and handed Dalton her empty glass. She knew something was going down and she was on the ball ready to strike. Dalton disappeared off to the bar.
“So, how long have you two been seeing each other?” Megan asked Fallon.
Fallon loved talking about her relationship with Dalton and held nothing back. Gripping her silver necklace in her fingers she smiled at Megan. “We’ve been together for years. He’s my world you know, and one day we’re going to get married.” Megan choked as she sipped her glass of white wine, she was smirking. Her best friend Kirsty was going to love this story and once she’d filled her in on the lying toe-rag Dalton. She would surely kick him to the curb. Megan moved closer to look at Fallon’s necklace. Touching it slowly she knew it wasn’t expensive. It was just like Fallon, cheap and cheerful. Lesley was watching this girl carefully; she could see she had a story to tell and she looked edgy. Lesley wanted to get to the bottom of whatever was eating away at her, because something definitely was, and it was only a matter of time before she got it out of her.
“Megan, will you show me where the toilets are?” Megan looked at her as if she was a piece of shit on the sole of her shoe. Did this girl think she was the hired help or something? She pointed her finger in the distance.
“Just over there, they are.”
“That’s no way to treat a tourist is it?” Lesley’s complained loudly. “Can you not come with me?”
Megan looked embarrassed, and her cheeks were red. She stood to her feet and looked for her handbag. Fallon gripped it first. “Oh’ don’t worry about that. I’ll mind it for you until you get back.”
Megan looked apprehensive. She didn’t know these girls from Adam and for all she knew they could steal from her bag the moment her back was turned. Reaching over she gripped the bag back. “It’s alright, I need to put some more lippy on anyway.”
Fallon passed her the pink handbag back and looked blank. She knew this girl didn’t trust her as far as she could throw her, it was written all over her face. “Please yourself then,” Fallon mumbled under her breath.
By now Dalton had returned to the table. He panicked when he saw Megan and Lesley heading across the room. Placing the drinks on the table he pulled at his shirt, he looked like he was suffocating as it clung to his body. “Where are they off to?”
Fallon twisted her head looking at the girls leaving. “Just to the toilets, why, what’s up?”
He stuttered and sat down as if his world was collapsing around him. “I was wondering that’s all.” Fallon moved closer to him, she was still playing with her necklace. Scanning his neck she noticed she couldn’t see he’s. Dipping her hand into his shirt at the top, she searched for it. Her face seemed worried. He pushed her away and he looked angry.
“What are you doing?” Dalton moaned. Fallon scowled.
“Where’s your necklace? I mean, here’s mine.” She yanked her chain out from her blouse and rammed it under his nose. Dalton was fidgeting; he was cracking his knuckles at speed.
“I took it off for work, it looked gay.”
Fallon blew a hard breath and tucked her necklace back inside her top. “It looked gay! Well if that’s how you want to play it, don’t wear it again.”
Dalton moved towards her, he knew he’d hurt her feelings and tried to backpedal. “I don’t mean it like that; you know what men are like. The lads saw it at work and they started saying I was a rent boy and all that. I’ll put it back on as soon as we get back home.” Fallon was in a mood and sat tapping her fingers on the wooden table in front of her. Her boyfriend had changed; there was no doubt about it. She didn’t like what she could see anymore.
The toilets were packed out when Lesley and Megan walked inside. You could hear someone retching from a nearby cubicle. Lesley sniggered. “I’ve been like that a few times, God help her.”
Megan smirked, she knew there was a reason for her accompanying Lesley to the toilets and she was just waiting for her to start the conversation. They both stood looking into the large mirror on the wall. Every now and then their eyes met and they both raised a false smile. Lesley was ready to find out the truth. “So how do you know Dalton?”
Megan smirked and couldn’t wait to let the cat out of the bag, she was a conniving bitch. “He’s a friend of my best mate, Kirsty.”
“Oh right, who’s Kirsty?”
“Kirsty’s father owns the company that Dalton and his Dad both work for, she works there too. She’s been out with him a few times in here.”
Lesley was eager for more; she knew this girl was making her work for any drop of information. Staring right into her eyes she drew first blood. She was sick of going around the houses. “So is Dalton shagging her or what, come on, you can tell me?”
Megan shook her eyes about; she was dying to tell her the truth, but held on a little bit longer. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Lesley looked menacing as she stood in her face. She meant business and her teeth were clenched tightly together. “Listen, you stuck up bitch. That’s my mate out there,” she jerked her thumb towards the door. “And if lover boy is having her over, then I want to know.”
Megan was scared, her lips were quivering and she knew she’d have to spill the beans before this girl kicked the living daylights out of her, because the way she was acting that was next on the cards. “Yes, he’s been seeing Kirsty for a while now. He’s never mentioned your frie
nd, until now.”
“I bet he hasn’t, the conniving cunt,” Lesley jumped in. Megan continued to snitch on Dalton’s secret, he was done for. She told her everything. Lesley stood for a minute, thinking. “Wait there a minute!”
Megan was frozen to the spot. She’d never felt so scared in all her life. She’d seen girls like Lesley on the TV before and she wasn’t taking any chances in winding her up. The sound of a toilet flushing could be heard, Lesley was back at her side. “Right, don’t breathe a word of what you’ve just told me. We will keep this on the low, and when the time is right I’ll tell Fallon just what a sly bastard Dalton really is. I knew he was up to something.” Megan looked relieved and slowly picked up her handbag from the side, she couldn’t wait to get away from her. Lesley walked in front as they left the toilets. Covering her hand over her mouth she spoke in a low tone. “You can fuck off when we get back to the table; there’s no point in you sticking around is there?” Megan nodded slowly; she looked like death warmed up and as if she would collapse at any second. This Manchester girl had put the fear of God in her.
Megan and Lesley were back at the table; she said her goodbyes quickly and left their company straight away as planned. With a quick kiss on the girl’s cheek she was gone. Dalton was clocking Lesley’s face for any signs that she knew about Kirsty, he didn’t have a clue that his secret was out. Lesley hid it well and dragged her friend up onto the dance floor. “Come on you, let’s show these London bitches how we do things back in Manchester. I’m going to do my slut drop. Watch their faces. I bet they’ve never seen anything like it in their lives.” Fallon tried to smile but her night was ruined. Dalton was being so nasty to her and she wished she’d never come to see him, he’d changed so much. The Disco lights were flashing and they seemed to be in beat with the music. Lesley and Fallon were pissed now; they were holding themselves up on the dance floor. Dalton kept the drinks coming fast and furious. He secretly wanted the girls too drunk to remember anything that had happened, especially meeting Megan.