Read Online Black Rabbit Summer by Kevin Brooks - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kevin Brooks
Ads: Link
didn’t seem aware of it – he was just sitting there, staring into space, chewing intently on a thumbnail.
As I studied him in the flickering candlelight, the angles of his face seemed to shift, and just for a moment he looked exactly like Nicole. I’d experienced the same thing with Eric before. Although they were twins, Eric and Nic weren’t exactly alike, and most of the time Eric’s face bore little resemblance to his sister’s. Physically, they were both very similar – same nose, same mouth, same eyes – but somehow the same features didn’t add up to the same thing. On Nic, they were beautiful. But on Eric, for some reason, they just didn’t quite fit together, and this gave his face a strange kind of almost-beauty – neither ugly nor beautiful, but at the same time both ugly and beautiful. Sometimes, like now, when Eric’s face momentarily became Nic’s, it was like watching a blurred picture slowly coming into focus – becoming what it was meant to be. This time though, as Eric’s face morphed into Nic’s, it also took on the weird patterns and shapes I’d seen on Nic’s face earlier… triangles, rectangles, cones and pyramids… and when he moved his hand, dropping his dead cigarette to the ground, I saw trails in the air, slow-motion after-images of the movement…
I closed my eyes.
‘I’m going,’ I heard someone say.
The voice sounded odd – slow and deep, thick and distorted.
‘You coming, Nic?’
When I opened my eyes again, Eric had got to his feet and was looking over at Nic. His face was pure Eric again.
‘Nic?’ he said.
‘I’ll catch up with you at the fair,’ she told him. ‘I just want a word with Pete.’
I looked at her.
Ignoring me, she turned to Pauly. ‘In private.’
‘What?’ he said.
‘I need to talk to Pete about something.’
‘So?’ Pauly shrugged. ‘I’m not stopping you.’
Eric nudged him with his foot. ‘Come on, don’t be such a wanker.’
Pauly looked up at him and grinned. ‘You gonna buy me some candyfloss?’
Eric smiled. ‘I’ll kick the shit out of you if you don’t move your arse.’
‘Fair enough,’ Pauly said.
As Eric helped him to his feet, Nic glanced over at Raymond. ‘Do you mind?’ she said, smiling at him.
He stared at her for a moment, blinked his eyes, then looked at me.
I didn’t know what to do. It didn’t feel right, asking him to leave. I knew he wouldn’t feel comfortable on his own with Pauly and Eric, so he probably wouldn’t want to go on to the fair with them, and I didn’t like the idea of him going home on his own. It was dark now. It was ten o’clock, Saturday night, and that’s not a good time for anyone to be on their own in Back Lane, let alone Raymond. But, at the same time, I didn’t want to embarrass him by letting the others think he needed looking after.
∗
I don’t know how much of that is true. I suppose some of it is, maybe most of it. I mean, I really was worried about Raymond, and I really did feel responsible for him… but I know, deep down, that my overriding desire was to be on my own with Nicole.
I looked at her now, wanting to ask – how long will we be? – but I just couldn’t say it.
She smiled at me. ‘Don’t worry.’
I didn’t know what she meant.
I turned back to Raymond. He was still looking at me, still just waiting. It might have made things a bit easier for me if there’d been some anger in his eyes, or even a bit of disappointment or something, but there was nothing. Nothing but trust.
‘If you want to wait –’ I started to say.
‘It’s all right,’ he said simply. ‘I’ll see you at the fair.’
I stared at him, surprised. ‘Are you sure?’
He nodded and started to get up.
I just watched him, unable to speak.
‘Don’t worry,’ he said, smiling at me.
‘Right…’ I muttered.
I sat there in silence, watching them go: Eric first, stooping quickly through the door; then Pauly, leering over his shoulder at us; and then
As I studied him in the flickering candlelight, the angles of his face seemed to shift, and just for a moment he looked exactly like Nicole. I’d experienced the same thing with Eric before. Although they were twins, Eric and Nic weren’t exactly alike, and most of the time Eric’s face bore little resemblance to his sister’s. Physically, they were both very similar – same nose, same mouth, same eyes – but somehow the same features didn’t add up to the same thing. On Nic, they were beautiful. But on Eric, for some reason, they just didn’t quite fit together, and this gave his face a strange kind of almost-beauty – neither ugly nor beautiful, but at the same time both ugly and beautiful. Sometimes, like now, when Eric’s face momentarily became Nic’s, it was like watching a blurred picture slowly coming into focus – becoming what it was meant to be. This time though, as Eric’s face morphed into Nic’s, it also took on the weird patterns and shapes I’d seen on Nic’s face earlier… triangles, rectangles, cones and pyramids… and when he moved his hand, dropping his dead cigarette to the ground, I saw trails in the air, slow-motion after-images of the movement…
I closed my eyes.
‘I’m going,’ I heard someone say.
The voice sounded odd – slow and deep, thick and distorted.
‘You coming, Nic?’
When I opened my eyes again, Eric had got to his feet and was looking over at Nic. His face was pure Eric again.
‘Nic?’ he said.
‘I’ll catch up with you at the fair,’ she told him. ‘I just want a word with Pete.’
I looked at her.
Ignoring me, she turned to Pauly. ‘In private.’
‘What?’ he said.
‘I need to talk to Pete about something.’
‘So?’ Pauly shrugged. ‘I’m not stopping you.’
Eric nudged him with his foot. ‘Come on, don’t be such a wanker.’
Pauly looked up at him and grinned. ‘You gonna buy me some candyfloss?’
Eric smiled. ‘I’ll kick the shit out of you if you don’t move your arse.’
‘Fair enough,’ Pauly said.
As Eric helped him to his feet, Nic glanced over at Raymond. ‘Do you mind?’ she said, smiling at him.
He stared at her for a moment, blinked his eyes, then looked at me.
I didn’t know what to do. It didn’t feel right, asking him to leave. I knew he wouldn’t feel comfortable on his own with Pauly and Eric, so he probably wouldn’t want to go on to the fair with them, and I didn’t like the idea of him going home on his own. It was dark now. It was ten o’clock, Saturday night, and that’s not a good time for anyone to be on their own in Back Lane, let alone Raymond. But, at the same time, I didn’t want to embarrass him by letting the others think he needed looking after.
∗
I don’t know how much of that is true. I suppose some of it is, maybe most of it. I mean, I really was worried about Raymond, and I really did feel responsible for him… but I know, deep down, that my overriding desire was to be on my own with Nicole.
I looked at her now, wanting to ask – how long will we be? – but I just couldn’t say it.
She smiled at me. ‘Don’t worry.’
I didn’t know what she meant.
I turned back to Raymond. He was still looking at me, still just waiting. It might have made things a bit easier for me if there’d been some anger in his eyes, or even a bit of disappointment or something, but there was nothing. Nothing but trust.
‘If you want to wait –’ I started to say.
‘It’s all right,’ he said simply. ‘I’ll see you at the fair.’
I stared at him, surprised. ‘Are you sure?’
He nodded and started to get up.
I just watched him, unable to speak.
‘Don’t worry,’ he said, smiling at me.
‘Right…’ I muttered.
I sat there in silence, watching them go: Eric first, stooping quickly through the door; then Pauly, leering over his shoulder at us; and then
Similar Books
