SOMEONE DIFFERENT (29 page)

I thought back to the first night we’d spent together at Jay’s house; how he’d broken his curfew, and risked a prison sentence just to make sure I stayed safe. And at that point, he hardly even knew me.

‘Oh, he meant it,’ I whispered.

And then it struck me. What if he still meant it? What if he went ahead and pleaded guilty to that assault despite what I’d said to him. The teacup clinked as I put it back in the saucer. He wouldn’t. Would he? No. Because that really would be stupid, and Jay wasn’t stupid.

But then again, maybe he’d do whatever it takes ...

Well
, I wouldn’t let him. No way. He might worry about me being lonely at boarding school, but that was nothing compared to how I’d feel if he was locked up in some prison cell.

I had to do something. I had to take the decision away from him.

I stood up. ‘Grandad, I need to go somewhere. Please, will you try to cover for me with Mum and Dad?’

‘Why, what you up to?’

I’d opened the kitchen door already. ‘Please, just ...’ I couldn’t lie to him, but the truth was too much of a risk. ‘I won’t be long ... thank you.’

And as the chickens that pecked around his doorstep scattered away, my eyes fixed on the rolling hills, and the massive
, sandstone coloured house that dominated the other side of the valley.

41 – Jay

‘So, the reason you weren’t at home last night, all night that is, is because your father said you couldn’t live there anymore?’ Martin’s eyebrows almost touched his hair he stretched them up so high.

‘Yeah.’

‘And what happened to make him say that?’

‘We had a row, a big un, about ... look, does it matter? The point is I can’t go back.’

‘OK,’ Martin pulled a concerned face. ‘But you know, parents often say that kind of thing in the heat of the moment, when tempers are rising and situations become tense. They very rarely mean it though. Why don’t you try talking to him?’

Was he having a laugh?

He looked at me for a second, then added, ‘Or, maybe you’d prefer it if I spoke to him for you?’

I hesitated. There was no way I’d wanted to go back before – not to that psycho old bastard and that filthy old house – but now Anna’s grandad had said I could stay with him for a bit, the thought of going home actually made me feel sick. I was dead sure my dad wouldn’t change his mind, but the last thing I needed was Martin talking him round. ‘You’d be wastin’ your time,’ I said. ‘There’s no way he’s gonna have me back.’

‘Well it’s worth a try, and even if he’s adamant you can’t stay there, I’d still need to speak to him anyway
; it’s the only way I can authorise an alternative address for your bail and your tag.’

I didn’t have a choice, did I? ‘OK then; whatever.’

I told him my dad’s number, he dialled it, and I waited.

‘Mr Harris?’ he said brightly, a few seconds later. ‘It’s Martin Swift, Jay’s worker at
–’

His pulled his head back. ‘Oh ... right. Yes, I understand that ... Mr Harris, there really is no need to use that kind of language ... please, I just want to
–’ Martin glanced at me, and I couldn’t help a bit of a smirk. ‘Really,’ he went on. ‘If I could just ... Mr Harris? Mr Harris?’

He put the phone down slowly and looked at me again. ‘He, err, doesn’t want you back,’ he said.

‘No, I know – I told ya that.’

‘Right, yes; so we need to make some alternative arrangements.’

I explained to him about Anna’s grandad then. Obviously he was shocked because he already knew the placement had been cancelled, but you could tell he was pleased he didn’t have to start finding me somewhere to go.

He made the calls about the bail and stuff, then told me I could leave.

But I stayed where I was. I’d thought about it all the way there on the bus, and I’d more or less made my mind up.

It’d tip Anna over the edge, sending her to a boarding school. Definitely.

I know her mum and dad were acting like a right pair of tossers, but she was still better off with them than with nobody. At least at home she had the horses, and Becky, and her grandad.

When we’d first met, she’d been right jumpy, and shy, and scared to death to do anything. But she was different now. She’d said no to that teacher when we were up at her school, and then that morning, she’d yelled at me. She needed to carry on being like that – I don’t mean like wagging school and stuff, but doing more of what she wanted, and telling people what she thought. She’d lose all that if they sent her away, I knew she would.

‘Have you got a number for that solicitor I had the other day?’ I said to Martin.

‘Err, I will have, somewhere.’

‘Will ya phone her for me?’

‘Yes of course, if you want me to. Why?’

My eyes flicked round the room. I stared at the red brick wall outside, then let them settle back on him. ‘I’m gonna go guilty.’ I said.

42 – Anna

The terracotta driveway snaked up and curled round to form a large circle in front of the house. In summertime, the dark soil in the centre erupted into a giant bouquet of red and white roses, but after the long, freezing winter, the pruned bushes reminded me more of barbed wire; thin, and threatening, and spiky.

I hung back by the ornamental archway. No sign of movement came from the house, and the garden was spookily quiet. Maybe no one was home? Briefly, I felt a twinge of relief, but it was quickly followed by a much larger twinge of guilt.

I mean, how hard could it be, really? I’d known him all my life. We’d played hide and seek together in this garden, eaten apples from their orchard – surely that had to mean something to him? Surely, he couldn’t carry on acting as cold and manipulative and nasty as he’d been on Sunday ...

Well, it didn’t matter anyway. Even if he did behave like that, I still had to try.

My breathing quickened, and I waited, trying unsuccessfully to calm it down. I smoothed my hair, tightened the belt around my coat, and gave myself one more minute; I’d have one more minute, then I’d go ahead and ring the bell.

At that instant though, the oak door swung open and Gillian stepped out. I ducked back, but my bright red jacket couldn’t have offered less camouflage, and she spotted me straight away.

‘Well, I must say ...’

Any chance to leave had been lost. She tried unsuccessfully to say whatever it was she must, and I walked towards her as confidently as I could. ‘Hi, Gillian, I’ve come to see Rory. Is he in?’

The brightness of my voice dazzled her into a second’s silence, then she said, ‘Well, he’s hardly going to be venturing out very far, is he, with his face in that terrible state?’

I decided to treat the question as rhetorical. ‘Am I OK then, to just pop straight in?’

Clearly, she couldn’t believe my nerve, but while her utter disgust battled against her engrained politeness, I stepped around her and entered the vast, wooden entrance hall.

Corridors and doorways led off in all directions. There was a sitting room, a dining room, a sunroom and a breakfast room. There was an office, a kitchen, a media room, a games room. And then even more of them, simply referred to as ‘the red room’ or ‘the reading room’.

Seriously, if the game of Cluedo had as many rooms as that house, the murdered body would go undiscovered for years.

‘Is he ...?’ I glanced around, unsure of which door to point at.

‘He’s resting, in the den.’

Ah, yes; I’d forgotten about the den – a boys’ playground of games consoles, sofas, beanbags and a mini-fridge.

‘Although,’ Gillian’s disgust appeared to be winning out. ‘I’m really not sure you being here is a good idea, it’s –’

The click of an opening door shut her up. Rory strode out, inspected me, then nodded coldly and said, ‘Annabel.’

Just seeing him sent an earthquake-like tremor shattering through me. But I stood my ground and even managed to raise my chin. ‘I thought I’d just nip over, you know, to see how you are?’ My cheeks ached under the falseness of the smile, but not as much as his cheeks must’ve done. Because under each eye and across the bridge of his nose, ran a wide, dark, purple bruise.

‘Well, obviously, he’d be an awful lot better if that so called boyfriend of yours hadn’t
–’

‘Mum; you were just on your way out, I think?’ Rory flicked his head towards the front door.

‘Yes, I was. But ...’

‘Then have a lovely time, enjoy your lunch, and I’ll see you when you get home.’

A long hesitation, a loud sigh, and a shake of the head later, Gillian eventually left us alone.

‘So, what you really here for?’ Rory said, as he turned and led the way back into the den.

‘To see how you are.’ My voice was nowhere near convincing enough; the next sentence had to be better. ‘It’s the truth, Rory, honestly. I’ve been ever so worried about you.’

He took a can of Coke out of the mini-fridge and slammed the door shut. ‘Bullshit.’

‘It’s not.’ I widened my eyes as far as I could; he absolutely had to believe it. ‘What happened the other day – it’s just so awful; I feel terrible about it. I had to come and speak to you; I had to try and explain.’

He paused with the Coke can almost touching his lips, then smirked. ‘Well, off you go then.’

I swallowed, wishing I’d prepared something. To win myself a little time, I took off my gloves, put them in my coat pocket, then made a fuss about unbuttoning my jacket and getting settled on one of the sofas.

‘It’s just ... I was all muddled up on Sunday; I wasn’t thinking straight. But now I see how you obviously weren’t to blame. How actually, you’re the innocent victim in all of this, and how ...’ forgive me, Jay, please, ‘... how it was all his stupid fault. I can’t believe he reacted like he did; as if
you
would ever frighten me.’ The ridiculous laugh I attempted was pitiful. Better to focus on the words. ‘And who the hell does he think he is, anyway? Involving himself like that? It had absolutely nothing to do with him, his behaviour was bang out of order. I realise all of that now. But you see, he doesn’t understand about our friendship, our ... relationship. He got jealous, and I’m so sorry you were the one who suffered.’

Rory’s was impressed, as indeed, was I. But quickly he made his face set and his voice sarcastic. ‘Oh, and I suppose you’ve told all this to him as well?’

‘I err – well, to be honest, I don’t feel like ever speaking to him again after what he did to you.’ Then a new idea. ‘And I hope he realises how lucky he was you chose not to retaliate, otherwise, I don’t know what kind of a mess he’d be in.’

I cringed. Too far? Too obvious? Too laughable?

Not for Rory. His chest puffed up like a balloon. ‘Yes, well, why would I waste my time on a retard like him?’ He turned back to the fridge.

I smothered my relief, then he handed me one of the cans of Coke.

‘So, what have you been playing?’ I nodded at the Xbox after taking a sip of the icy drink.

‘The new
Call of Duty. I’m almost second prestige already, and I only got it on Friday.’

‘Really? Wow, that’s amazing, you must be awesome.’

‘I am. Level thirty-four I reached, all in the first day, then by yesterday lunchtime ...’

I stopped listening but kept smiling. Rory paused once or twice to eat a grape out of a fruit bowl on the table, but never shut up apart from that. When would be the right time? Not yet – yes it was going unbelievably well – but rushing it could blow everything completely.

Enthusiastically, I sat through the Xbox game, then his recent hunting successes, then his offer from Cambridge. Surely that was enough?

Leaning back a little and crossing my legs, I tutted, then said casually, ‘Awe, if only you didn’t have all this assault business to deal with. I just feel so guilty that on top of everything else, you have to sit through all that boring time in court.’

He looked at me. ‘Oh, I don’t know – one has to do one’s duty. I mean, we can’t allow people like him to go unpunished.’

‘No.’ My insides started to judder. ‘But I just thought, you know, you’ve already missed some school
; giving evidence against him would mean taking even more time off. What with your exams coming up and everything, I just can’t help wondering if it’s really worth it?’