‘Maybe she’s just late.’
‘She went to meet Lewis and they were supposed to come together. Kat keeps asking me where they are. She’s told everyone Lewis will be here. If they don’t show up I don’t think I’m going to get out of here alive, and neither will you.’
Clive was unconcerned about what Kat would do - a reckless attitude, but he already felt so low that he doubted if Kat could make him feel any lower. Lewis was the one people wanted to see, nobody was really interested in Clive. The familiar sour taste of resentment filled his mouth, but he covered it well.
‘Let me try ringing her,’ he said.
‘Oh thanks, Clive.’
He pulled out his phone and hit her number. It went straight to voicemail.
‘Hi, Rachel. It’s me,’ said Clive. ‘I’m here with Cassie. Can you give me a ring as soon as you get this message?’
Cassie sighed heavily and sat down. She looked around, scanning everyone in the place. Clive had never seen her so worried. All her happy-go-luckiness had gone. Should he try to comfort her and put an arm around her shoulder? Would she take it the wrong way and think he was trying to take advantage of her while she was vulnerable? That wasn't his intention but if she got the wrong end of the stick, things would get more complicated than ever.
But she was clearly in pain. He should do something instead of standing there like a numpty. What about a hand on the shoulder, just to reassure her? While the debate was raging in is head, Cassie stood up suddenly and headed towards a ginger-bearded giant who was shouldering his way through the crowd. She waved at him and he smiled a lopsided smile back.
‘Hi, Seth,’ she said, keeping clear of his stagnant breath.
‘Hello, Carrie,’ he said, slurring his words.
‘It’s Cassie,’ she replied.
‘Right, yeah. You look good enough to eat,’ he said.
Cassie looked at Clive and rolled her eyes up into her head. She backed away from him. Seth swayed there for a second before he realised Cassie wasn’t there any more. Clive wondered who the hell this guy was and how Cassie knew such an idiot.
‘Seth, we need your help,’ said Cassie.
‘Sure, anything you want, baby,’ he said.
‘Seth, can you ring Lewis and find out where he is?’
‘Lewis? Lewis, that guy’s a tosser. He’s no friend of mine.’
Clive couldn’t help cracking a tiny smirk. This guy Seth was a dick, but at least they shared some common ground.
‘I really need to get hold of him.’ Cassie laid on the drama.
‘Sorry, can’t help. Lewis shafted me. We don’t hang out anymore.’
‘But have you got his number?’ asked Cassie.
‘Dunno.’ Seth shook his head and lost his balance momentarily.
‘Please could I have it?’
‘Woz it worth?’ he said, regaining his balance.
‘Can’t you just give it to me?’
‘But what are you going to give me?’
‘How about a drink?’
‘I’ve had loads of those already.’
‘Er, some crisps?’
‘Crisps? What do I want crisps for? I want something else. I want a snog.’
‘Get lost, Seth,’ replied Cassie.
‘You’re a little bitch, you know that,’ Seth said, pointing his finger at Cassie. ‘You and that curly-head Rachel slut.’
‘Hey, shut up,’ Clive said. The inclusion of Rachel hooked Clive into the conversation, and he was already to explode thanks to his prickly jumper and itchy nose.
‘She’s the little slapper who took my best buddy away from me,’ Seth replied.
‘Well, seems like he’s better off with out you,’ Clive said, squaring up to him.
‘Don’t,’ said Cassie to Clive in a quiet voice. ‘Look at him, he’ll kill you.’
‘What? I’m not afraid of that dumb, fat twat,’ Clive said.
Seth smiled at Clive. It was a confident, sober smile that said I know I’m going to win. Clive had just opened the door and invited Seth to partake in his favourite past-time - fighting. Seth grabbed Clive by his jumper.
‘I’m going to enjoy this,’ Seth said.
‘Seth, stop it. Leave him alone,’ Cassie shouted.
Seth ignored her and lifted Clive off his feet. The sudden upward motion dislodged loads of fluff from Clive’s jumper, which went straight up his nose. It was worse than snorting pepper. His nose prickled and Clive desperately tried to suppress the urge to sneeze. He scrunched up his nose and contorted his face in all sorts of weird shapes to halt the nasal chain reaction.
Seth looked confused, trying to work out what Clive was doing. It wasn’t the usual response he got when he lifted someone off the ground.
Clive couldn’t fight it any longer and let out the most almighty sneeze. It was nearly as loud as the music and sent an explosion of spit and snot straight into Seth’s face. As an experienced scrapper, Seth was used to every kind of aggressive move. But not this one. He had no counter attack for a sneeze and reacted like anyone else. He put his hands up to his face to wipe away the slobber, letting go of Clive.
‘You little shit,’ said Seth, who was temporarily blinded while he tried to clear the mess around his eyes.
Clive hadn’t been in a fight since he was seven. But he knew an opportunity when he saw it. He used the only move he could remember and kicked Seth as hard as he could in the shin. Clive was wearing his smart shoes, reserved for special occasions. The soles were as hard as concrete.
Seth howled in pain, as the searing agony from his lower leg shot through his whole body. Nobody ever got the better of Seth in a fight and he was in shock, partly through pain and partly through surprise. It was quite an education for him. His brain locked up and he was confused momentarily.
That was enough for Clive to bunch up his hand and fire it straight into his face. Seth was more used to being hit in the face and recovered quickly. He just managed to swing his knuckles into Clive’s cheek before the bouncers were on him. The force of Seth’s punch sent Clive flying backwards into a table like it was a proper bar room brawl. Cassie was by his side in an instant.
‘Clive, Clive, can you hear me? Are you hurt?’ she asked.
Clive felt dizzy, like he’d just woken up on a fairground ride that was still spinning.
‘My face hurts,’ he managed to say.
Someone standing nearby gave him some ice, which Cassie held to his cheek.
‘Did I win?’ he asked.
‘I think it was a draw. You certainly gave him a good kicking though.’
‘Fa-fantastic.’ Clive was still a little woozy.
The bouncers bundled Seth out of the club. He was in such a rage that spit dribbled from his mouth - some of it was probably Clive's. Everybody who saw the fight couldn’t believe a timid-looking guy in a woolly jumper had given one of the local hard cases an ass-kicking. Seth would never live it down.
When he finally managed to get to his feet, people started coming up to Clive and congratulating him for standing up to Seth. It was a weird sensation. For that night Clive became a celebrity. Kat was immediately at Clive’s side; she wanted to be part of the action and ensured everyone was aware that she knew him. He was a local hero and people kept buying him drinks. They wanted to know what it felt like to go up against Seth.
Clive was overwhelmed and flattered. It was a pity Rachel wasn’t here to see it. Maybe that was a good thing. By the time the story got to school it would have blown up out of all proportion. Everyone would probably be talking about how Clive broke every bone in Seth’s body because he’d dared to insult Rachel. In Clive’s mind, it could put him back in the running. There was nothing more romantic or heroic than defending a lady’s honour.
Chapter 16
*
An alien had boarded spaceship Clive. By the time he walked to school on Monday morning, it had breached every deck and infected every system. It wasn’t malicious or destructive, quite the o
pposite. Spaceship Clive had had a system upgrade and now moved with superior confidence. Though he had sustained some damage on Saturday night including a bruised cheek and a black eye, the encounter had strengthened him and given him a self-belief beyond his imagining. This was why it was alien to Clive. He didn’t like to admit it, but he felt almost smug.
The side of his face throbbed, but he liked the sensation. It continually reminded him of how he’d stood up to Seth and won the approval of everyone around him. He felt intoxicated, like he wanted to run along the pavement shouting and punching the air. He didn’t of course, but by the time he reached school, he could only imagine how big the story of his triumph over the ginger bully would have become.
Everyone would know about it, most of all Rachel. She would be flattered by his chivalrous act and would now see him as gallant and noble. It would put him in a completely different light; a light that could even overshadow Lewis - or it least put them on equal footing.
As he approached the school gates, he saw the small shape of Lucy Fitzroy sitting on the wall. She was one of Kat’s cronies, with small beady eyes and cheap highlights. She headed straight for Clive like a smart bomb.
‘I need to talk to you right now,’ she said.
‘Sure,’ said Clive. He was already getting attention before he was even inside the school gates. His ego went up another two notches.
The two of them headed to a small alleyway where a couple of younger girls were smoking.
‘Get lost,’ Lucy commanded.
They ground out their cigarettes and left.
‘What’s up?’ said Clive.
‘I’ve got a message from Kat. She wants you to change what happened on Saturday night.’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Clive.
‘Well, you have to tell everyone that you had a fight with Seth because he slagged off Kat.’
‘But he didn’t slag off Kat. It was Rachel.’
‘Yeah and that’s why we need you to change it.’
Space ship Clive was caught off-guard. Alarms were going off everywhere.
‘But, but …’ he said, stuttering his words as his mind tried to comprehend this sudden shift in reality.
‘But what?’ said Lucy.
‘But why should I change what happened?’
‘Cos it’s your fault.’
‘My fault? How is it my fault?’
‘That Lewis guy was supposed to show up for Kat’s birthday and he didn’t. You know him, and now you have to make up for it. So Kat’s said you need to change the story.’
‘Why?’
‘Because Kat said so. You’re lucky - she’s giving you a way out.’
‘What about Cassie? She knows what really happened.’
‘She’s already been set straight. It’s just you now.’
Clive's advantage with Rachel was being snatched away before it had been of any benefit. The scrap with Seth was the best thing that had ever happened to him. It had made him look like a hero and he was certain Rachel would’ve seen it the same way. But now, all its effect would be diverted in Kat’s direction. Rachel would know nothing of how Clive had stood up for her.
‘No, no, no,’ Clive said, shaking his head so rapidly it looked like it would topple off. ‘Sorry, I can’t do it. I didn’t do it for her.’
‘Your funeral.’ Lucy started to walk away. Clive came to his senses. Kat had a whole extended family of cousins and second cousins who could enforce her will. One word from her and the only way to get safely home would be in an armoured car.
‘Wait,’ said Clive. ‘Alright, tell her I said yes.’
‘There’s a good boy,’ said Lucy. She walked back and squeezed his bruised cheek as if he were a six-month-old baby.
‘Ow!’ squeaked Clive.
‘Oh yeah, sorry I forgot, you had a fight didn’t you.’
Lucy left Clive alone in the alleyway. He had lost his upper hand in the blink of an eye. Plain old Clive was back once more. Of course, people would still think differently of him. They’d still know that he’d been in a fight, but Clive wasn’t bothered about that. It would make no difference to the way Rachel thought about him. He kicked the wall as hard as he could. Now he had a bruised foot as well.
Once Clive’s toes had recovered, he dragged himself out of the alley and began making his way across the playground to his form room. He could hear people whispering and looking at him as he passed. They were obviously talking about the fight. He felt like Harry Potter on his first day at Hogwarts. Every time people glanced in his direction it reminded him that all his efforts on Saturday night had been a complete waste. He was getting the glory, but all the honour was going to Kat, not Rachel.
Clive felt a hard tap on his shoulder and saw two large shadows loom up behind him. He turned to see the ape-like figures of Shaun and Andy Sherwood. They were cousins of Kat’s and even though they were a year below Clive, they stood above him like skyscrapers. Just like with Kat, nobody dared cross the Sherwoods.
‘Are you Clive?’ asked Andy Sherwood.
‘Yes,’ said Clive. He half expected his dinner money to be taken off him. Instead, Andy and Shaun simply shook his hand.
‘We just want to say nice one for sticking up for Kat,’ said Andy.
‘S’right,’ said Shaun.
‘Oh, that’s okay, it was nothing,’ said Clive.
‘That’s not what we heard,’ Andy’s eyebrows went into a nasty ‘v’ shape.
‘S’right,’ said Shaun.
‘We heard it was Seth,’ Andy added.
‘S’right,’ Shaun repeated.
Clive realised Shaun was a man of few words.
‘You know Seth?’ asked Clive.
‘Course we do,’ said Andy. ‘He’s one of the hardest guys in this town, and you took him on. That takes guts.’
‘S’right,’ said Shaun.
‘Listen, if he gives you any more trouble, we’ve got your back, okay? You’re like family now and we protect our family, okay?’
‘Er, okay,’ said Clive. He wasn’t sure whether he should be happy or change his address.
Shaun and Andy slapped Clive on the back and walked off. Their little conversation should have made Clive feel secure and protected, but it made him feel threatened. Having the Sherwood family as your friends could be worse than having them as enemies. Even though they were indebted to him, Clive was worried that he would get dragged into their violent little world. It was like being in a clan - whenever they got involved in a dispute, you might get called up and be required to serve alongside them.
Just as Clive was shuddering at the thought, he saw the worried face of Rachel appear.
‘Clive I heard about what happened. Are you okay?’ she asked.
‘Yeah, I’m fine.’
‘So what happened?’
‘Nothing.’ Clive really didn’t want to discuss it, especially with Kat’s spies everywhere. They might see him talking to Rachel and assume he was telling her the real story. ‘I’m fine, look I’ve got to go.’
*
Rachel was left standing in the playground like a confused tourist. It had been the weirdest weekend she’d ever had. The thing with Lewis on Saturday was strange enough and now Clive had turned up at school after having a fight with Seth because he was rude to Kat. It didn’t make sense. Kat was one of his least favourite people. Plus, she couldn’t seem to get a straight answer out of him or Cassie, while everyone else seemed to know the whole story. Maybe Clive wasn’t proud of what he did, but that didn’t explain Cassie. Normally this would be the sort of thing she wouldn’t shut up about. Rachel’s phone rang. It was an unknown number.
‘Hi Rachel,’ said a bright female voice Rachel didn’t recognise. ‘It’s Olivia, Lewis’ sister.’
‘Hi Olivia.’ It was nice to hear such a warm, friendly tone on this odd Monday morning. ‘How are you?’
‘I’m great and yourself?’
‘I’m fine,’ said Rachel, even though she wasn’t.
‘I was wondering if I could meet up with you sometime, just for a chat.’
‘Yeah, I’d love to,’ said Rachel. ‘Shall I bring Cassie?’
‘No, just you and me. I know this is a bit out of the blue and kind of heavy, but I need to talk to you about something.’
‘Oh, is it serious?’
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