Read Online Respect (Mandasue Heller) by Mandasue Heller - Free Book Online Page B

It was too dangerous.
    She had more or less pulled herself together by the time she reached Leon’s school, but her heart sank all over again when she turned the corner and saw her brother standing at the gates with Anton Davis.
    ‘What’s going on?’ she asked, quickening her pace when she saw Leon’s ripped shirt and the thin trail of blood that was dribbling out of a little cut above his eye. ‘Oh my God, what have you done? Have you been fighting?’
    ‘Everything’s cool,’ Anton assured her, shifting the little girl he had in his arms onto his other hip. ‘Your bro was having a beef with some older kids, but it’s sorted now. Ain’t that right, Champ?’ He ruffled Leon’s hair.
    Leon nodded and grinned, and Chantelle frowned when she saw the adoring look in his eyes as he gazed up at Anton. It was bad enough that he’d been smoking and drinking and hanging around with a gang, without him adopting Anton as his new hero as well.
    ‘Right, well, thanks for looking after him,’ she said, pulling Leon away. ‘But I’ll take it from here.’
    ‘It was no probs,’ Anton said, falling into step beside her as she started walking away. ‘Didn’t realise him and my little sis went to the same school. Small world, eh?’
    ‘It’s the closest primary to the estate,’ Chantelle replied frostily. ‘Where else are they going to go?’
    Amused by her feistiness, Anton grinned. ‘Haven’t seen you at Abdul’s in a while; been shopping somewhere else?’
    ‘Yeah, the market, where they don’t bump up the prices from one day to the next,’ said Chantelle. ‘Why aren’t you there, anyway?’ she added snipingly. ‘Don’t tell me you’ve been sacked already?’
    ‘Day off,’ Anton told her, frowning now. He was only trying to be friendly, and he seriously didn’t know what her problem was.
    ‘If you don’t mind, I need to talk to my brother,’ Chantelle said. ‘In private .’
    ‘Cool. No problem.’ Anton slowed down. ‘See you around sometime.’
    ‘See you,’ Leon said, glancing back at Anton wide-eyed. He was a legend among the lads on the estate, and Leon was chuffed that his sister was mates with him. Not that she was letting on, but Anton had told him they were so it had to be true.
    ‘Get moving,’ Chantelle snapped, pushing Leon roughly on ahead of her. ‘And what the hell do you think you were playing at, fighting at school?’
    ‘It weren’t my fault,’ Leon protested. ‘I was just waiting for you and they started on me. Anton stuck up for me,’ he added proudly. ‘And then he stopped with me till you got there in case they came back. He’s well cool.’
    ‘No, he’s not, he’s a thug,’ said Chantelle. ‘And I don’t want to catch you talking to him again.’
    ‘I like him,’ Leon grumbled. ‘Anyhow, why can’t I talk to him if you can?’
    ‘I don’t,’ Chantelle retorted sharply. ‘And I meant what I said, so stay away from him.’
    ‘Get lost!’ Leon turned on her angrily. ‘You can’t tell me who to talk to.’
    ‘Yes, I can,’ Chantelle hissed. ‘I’m doing my best here, but don’t you think I’ve got enough on my plate without having to chase around after you to keep you out of trouble?’
    ‘Who says I’m getting in trouble?’
    ‘You were fighting. What if one of your teachers had seen you?’
    ‘It weren’t my fault.’
    ‘Do you think your teachers would believe that?’
    ‘I don’t care what they think.’
    ‘Well, I do!’ Chantelle yelled, annoyed that he wasn’t taking this more seriously. ‘What do you think would have happened if they’d called the police? You’d get put back into care, that’s what! Or is that what you want?’
    As she glared down into his eyes, Leon dropped his gaze and scuffed the toe of his trainer on the ground. There was no way he wanted to go back into care, but he wasn’t lying about the fight. He hadn’t started it, and he thought Anton was ace for stepping in.
    ‘You’ve got to stop