was feeling dizzy and ill from all the smoke so I decided to get some fresh air. I sat on a bench in the backyard.
Spider, Estelle’s ex-boyfriend made a beeline for me as soon as I sat down.
‘Hello sweetheart,’ he said, smiling and sitting next to me. ‘You feeling all right?’
‘Yes, it’s just so smoky in there.’
‘Enjoying yourself?’ He asked, looking me up and down approvingly. His gaze made me feel ill.
‘It’s okay, I guess.’
Spider leaned towards me and inhaled deeply.
‘Do you know where Estelle is?’ I asked, feeling anxious.
‘Estelle? Yeah. She’s over there smoking a joint with my brother.’ Spider pointed through a window into the house where I could clearly see Estelle, drinking and smoking. ‘But you don’t need her. I’ll keep you company.’ Spider put an arm around my shoulders.
Panic flared inside me and I jumped up at once. Estelle was under the influence of drugs and alcohol. How was I supposed to get home? I ran into the house and quickly found Estelle in the kitchen where I slapped the joint out of her hand.
‘What are you doing?’ I demanded, grabbing her drink too.
‘Woah,’ Estelle looked at me with extremely bloodshot eyes. ‘What’s the matter?’
‘You’re supposed to be sober ,’ I said angrily. ‘I thought you were going to drive me home!’
‘I will,’ said Estelle. ‘I’ll be fine to drive.’
‘Like hell you will,’ I said.
‘Don’t worry, darling. You’ll be fine,’ said Spider, coming up behind me and snaking an arm around my waist. ‘You can crash at my place for the night. I only live around the corner.’
I shrugged out of his grip. ‘No thanks.’
‘Come on sweetheart,’ Spider crooned, leaning towards me.
‘Back off Spider, she’s only seventeen!’ Estelle snapped.
‘That’s fine. I like a bit of fresh meat-’
I pushed myself away from Estelle and Spider.
I needed to find a familiar face. Sadie; she’d look after me. I didn’t get far before Spider cornered me again.
‘Hey, doll. Where are you going?’ he asked, his hands on either side of my head.
‘I-I don’t feel well,’ I said. ‘I might go home.’
‘Aw, baby. Don’t go. I thought we could get to know each other.’ He leaned towards me and I could smell the smoke on his breath.
‘No,’ I said firmly, pushing against his chest. ‘I don’t want-’
‘Rose?’ A familiar voice called my name.
A hand clamped down on Spider’s shoulder before he kissed me. Spider turned around to see whom the intruder was.
‘Wait your turn, mate,’ he said to the unknown interrupter.
‘Step away from the girl, please,’ said the man.
That voice.
‘ I said wait your turn, buddy.’
Thwack!
The stranger punched Spider right on the nose, sending the black haired boy to the floor in a crumpled heap.
I yelped with fright and looked up at my savior.
‘Mr. Stone?’ I breathed.
It was him. He stood before me, his chest heaving as anger seemed to course through his veins. There could be no mistaking that mismatched attire.
‘Christ, Rose. What are you doing here?’ he asked, staring into my eyes.
‘You … you punched him!’ I gasped, stepping over Spider, who was groaning in pain on the floor.
Mr. Stone grabbed me by the arm and began to pull me out of the house. ‘This is no place for you,’ he said.
‘Estelle brought me,’ I said, quickly, tripping over my own feet. The partygoers created a path for us to walk through as we headed for the exit.
‘What were you thinking?’ Mr. Stone snapped. ‘You could have been hurt, or drugged. Or worse-’
‘I’m sorry,’ I said, unsure as to why I was apologizing. I’d done nothing wrong after all. ‘Thank you, though.’
‘What for?’
‘For stopping him. I think he was going to kiss me.’
‘I expected more from you, Rose.’
‘Where are we going?’ I asked, hurrying to keep up with him.
‘I’m taking you home,’ he said as we stepped onto the lawn.
‘No!’ I stopped
Spider, Estelle’s ex-boyfriend made a beeline for me as soon as I sat down.
‘Hello sweetheart,’ he said, smiling and sitting next to me. ‘You feeling all right?’
‘Yes, it’s just so smoky in there.’
‘Enjoying yourself?’ He asked, looking me up and down approvingly. His gaze made me feel ill.
‘It’s okay, I guess.’
Spider leaned towards me and inhaled deeply.
‘Do you know where Estelle is?’ I asked, feeling anxious.
‘Estelle? Yeah. She’s over there smoking a joint with my brother.’ Spider pointed through a window into the house where I could clearly see Estelle, drinking and smoking. ‘But you don’t need her. I’ll keep you company.’ Spider put an arm around my shoulders.
Panic flared inside me and I jumped up at once. Estelle was under the influence of drugs and alcohol. How was I supposed to get home? I ran into the house and quickly found Estelle in the kitchen where I slapped the joint out of her hand.
‘What are you doing?’ I demanded, grabbing her drink too.
‘Woah,’ Estelle looked at me with extremely bloodshot eyes. ‘What’s the matter?’
‘You’re supposed to be sober ,’ I said angrily. ‘I thought you were going to drive me home!’
‘I will,’ said Estelle. ‘I’ll be fine to drive.’
‘Like hell you will,’ I said.
‘Don’t worry, darling. You’ll be fine,’ said Spider, coming up behind me and snaking an arm around my waist. ‘You can crash at my place for the night. I only live around the corner.’
I shrugged out of his grip. ‘No thanks.’
‘Come on sweetheart,’ Spider crooned, leaning towards me.
‘Back off Spider, she’s only seventeen!’ Estelle snapped.
‘That’s fine. I like a bit of fresh meat-’
I pushed myself away from Estelle and Spider.
I needed to find a familiar face. Sadie; she’d look after me. I didn’t get far before Spider cornered me again.
‘Hey, doll. Where are you going?’ he asked, his hands on either side of my head.
‘I-I don’t feel well,’ I said. ‘I might go home.’
‘Aw, baby. Don’t go. I thought we could get to know each other.’ He leaned towards me and I could smell the smoke on his breath.
‘No,’ I said firmly, pushing against his chest. ‘I don’t want-’
‘Rose?’ A familiar voice called my name.
A hand clamped down on Spider’s shoulder before he kissed me. Spider turned around to see whom the intruder was.
‘Wait your turn, mate,’ he said to the unknown interrupter.
‘Step away from the girl, please,’ said the man.
That voice.
‘ I said wait your turn, buddy.’
Thwack!
The stranger punched Spider right on the nose, sending the black haired boy to the floor in a crumpled heap.
I yelped with fright and looked up at my savior.
‘Mr. Stone?’ I breathed.
It was him. He stood before me, his chest heaving as anger seemed to course through his veins. There could be no mistaking that mismatched attire.
‘Christ, Rose. What are you doing here?’ he asked, staring into my eyes.
‘You … you punched him!’ I gasped, stepping over Spider, who was groaning in pain on the floor.
Mr. Stone grabbed me by the arm and began to pull me out of the house. ‘This is no place for you,’ he said.
‘Estelle brought me,’ I said, quickly, tripping over my own feet. The partygoers created a path for us to walk through as we headed for the exit.
‘What were you thinking?’ Mr. Stone snapped. ‘You could have been hurt, or drugged. Or worse-’
‘I’m sorry,’ I said, unsure as to why I was apologizing. I’d done nothing wrong after all. ‘Thank you, though.’
‘What for?’
‘For stopping him. I think he was going to kiss me.’
‘I expected more from you, Rose.’
‘Where are we going?’ I asked, hurrying to keep up with him.
‘I’m taking you home,’ he said as we stepped onto the lawn.
‘No!’ I stopped
Similar Books
