I pick up my new phone and order the pizza. I want to stretch my legs, so I order it to collect. “See you in a few.”
The evening is warm, and the sky is darkening into a clear black sky, the stars still not popping out yet. I get to the crossroads and wait for the traffic lights to change so I can cross.A car pulls up, screeching its brakes to stop. When I look, my heart jumps into my throat. Simon.
The passenger window slides down. “You’ve got some explaining to do, Boy. Get in the fucking car, right now.”
“You’ve gotta be joking. Fuck off,” I tell him and step back from the curb.
“This is no fucking joke. Get in before I get out and make you.” He leans over and pushes the door open. His eyes flick to look over my shoulder, then something hard hits the back of my head. As I stumble forward, I’m pushed into the car and the door slams shut, then it goes dark.
“Wake the fuck up,” is all the warning I get before a face full of icy water.
When I try to wipe my face, I can’t move. I’m strapped to a chair, tied up and naked. Simon is standing in front of me, another jug of water ready to throw. For the first time, I’m truly frightened of this man. “Why are you doing this? You don’t want me back. You made it very clear when you said if I leave, I leave for good.”
“You and your fuck buddy have ruined me. Everything I’ve worked so fucking hard for is gone. Everyone is talking.” He’s up in my face, his eyes bulging, spittle forming in the corner of his mouth. I can smell whisky on his breath. He hardly ever drank, but he was a whisky snob if he wanted alcohol.
“You’re mad, fucking crazy! I don’t know what you’re talking about. What fuck buddy?” Who is he talking about? I don’t have a fuck buddy. Is he talking about Finn? He knows there’s nothing there.
“The hench men that turned up last Saturday. Three tattooed goons came to threaten me to stay away from you. What kind of stupid bitch calls a kid Royal?”
What? Wait? Royal was here last Saturday? The day I couldn’t get hold of him. It’s Wednesday now; why has he waited four days to get to me? I shake my head, but that makes the throb of dull pain shake up a couple of hundred notches to excruciating. Who hit me? Someone in with Simon. This was planned.
“What did you tell them about us to have them come all heavy on me? You loved our little games, Memphis, crawling around on your knees with your arse up in the air. Well, it’s time for you to do that again. I doubt he’ll want you by the time I’ve finished with you.”
He’s gone mad.
We get back home, and I get a chance to check my phone. It’s full of missed calls and messages from Memphis and Saint, and there are a few from Pops too.
“You okay?” Drake asks as I scroll through the texts and WhatsApp messages. “Do you want me to ruin him financially?"
“No, it’s too much. The guy’s a total arsehole, but it could backfire.” I wave my phone at him. “I need to call Memphis.”
He claps me on the back. “Your call, bro. Today was fun.” I watch him walk to his car and again wonder what really goes on with him. Whatever it is, I’m grateful for his help.
It takes me ten minutes of catching up on all the messages and calling Saint.
“Your boy was calling around today. I hope me lying to him was worthwhile. Noah is not happy with me.” Saint’s disgruntled voice greets me. I groan. There’s nothing he hates more than upsetting his boy. He’ll move heaven and earth to make Noah happy.
“It was, and I’ll apologise to Noah at brunch tomorrow. Thanks though, bro.”
Five minutes later, it all comes crashing down on me. Memphis thinks I’ve cheated, that I’ve found someone else. Fuck!
When I call him back, there’s nothing. It’s dead. What the hell do I do now?
Brunch the next day is a nightmare. Pops is livid with me. “I can’t believe you turned your phone off. Couldn’t you have simply answered, saying you were out with your brothers? Told him you’d call him later? He cried, Royal. That’s all on you, so sort it.”
“Hey, Pops, it had to be done. The guy’s a prick.” Knox jumps in to help me.
“Not by ignoring the man he loves,” Pops snaps at Knox.
“Loves?” Saint raises his eyebrows at Pops. “It’s a bit early for that. In case you haven’t noticed, Memphis broke it off.”
“Of course they are in love. Royal will have to prove it to him that it isn’t over,” Pops says with a finality none of us dare contradict. He’s right too. I love that stubborn, determined man, and I’m going to prove it to him.
The school year has finally finished; the last event is the year eleven prom. The girls have splashed out on beautiful dresses. I can’t imagine how much they cost. Noah is with me, and we’re chaperoning, but very loosely. As long as no alcohol makes its way inside the very smart golf club the school has hired for the night.
“They all look amazing, don’t they,” I say to Noah.
“You know most of those dresses cost like four-hundred quid, maybe more. Did you know that the school has a fund to help the kids who have no chance of buying one,” he says.
