noses clean."
Wee Danny shook his head. "No, that's too fly. I can't stand Liam, but he's still a mate. And the other lads don't deserve that. We should tell him everything, but let him know he can take on the gang if he wants to risk it. Stupid bastard will still want to do it, but he might be a bit more careful."
"Ach, I suppose you're right."
"Of course I am."
They'd gotten as far as the crossroads where the Grosvenor Road and the Springfield Road met the Falls Road. Four sets of traffic lights kept hospital and motorway traffic chaos to a minimum.
Joe spotted a half a brick on the footpath ahead, probably left over from a recent attack on a passing PSNI land rover. He darted forward and scooped it up before Wee Danny had a chance to get near it.
"You pick," Joe said.
Wee Danny pulled up his hood. He pointed at an oncoming bus speeding up the Falls Road to beat the lights. "Who can resist a classic?"
Joe pulled up his own hood and launched the brick at the bus windshield. The experienced Citybus driver slammed on the brakes instead of swerving on impact. The safety glass concaved and cracks spider-webbed densely. Wee Danny whooped and they ran up the Springfield Road and cut into a residential area. A chorus of blaring black taxi horns sounded disapproval.
Scattered residents, out and about on their way to elsewhere, glanced at them as they zipped past. Nobody shouted for them to stop. They shouldered their way through a pack of nippers kicking a half-deflated ball about. Threats of beatings at the hands of elder siblings followed, but Joe didn't look back. He enjoyed the run. It was one of the few things he did well. Running away.
He forgot about everything as his world shrank to one physical challenge; landing one foot in front of the other. His lungs burned. His feet thwacked pavement. He wove through cars parked on kerbs. He skipped over dogshit. Thoughts of failure and disappointing his mother gave way to the thrill of getting-away-with-it. He smiled.
"Stop," Wee Danny said, his skin pale and his voice wheezy. He pulled on Joe's sleeve, barely able to keep pace. "I'm gasping."
And it was over. An end to escape. Back to reality.
They slowed to a halt and Wee Danny pulled two cigarettes from his pocket. They took a seat on a high kerb and smoked. Joe's hand shook as he raised the fag to his lips. What a buzz.
###
Louise's thumb hovered over the button pad of her mobile. It wasn't a question of whether or not she wanted Stephen to come around with a DVD and a takeaway. She did. But she hesitated because of Joe.
Joe had been the only man in her life since Dermot's midnight flit. There'd been casual flings on girls' nights out, but they'd been few and far between, and never at her house. Stephen had been a drunken fumble, and she couldn't even remember if he'd been any good. But he'd seemed interested in her that morning. He'd made her feel good with a few words. And she felt she deserved that. No, she needed that.
Her thumb made contact with the send button but didn't apply any pressure.
She thought about what she might tell Joe.
"Joe, this is Stephen. He's a friend of your mummy's."
Her voice sounded too upbeat. She went to the pine-framed mirror above the mantelpiece. Her reflection eyed her suspiciously.
"Joe, I want you to meet my new boyfriend." She blushed. "And there he goes, right out the door. Guess you don't need to worry about that guy, son. Silly old me, calling him my boyfriend after one night."
Louise placed her hands on the mantelpiece and bowed her head. She took a deep breath, looked up and made eye contact with her reflection. A smile tugged at her mouth as she tried her best to look natural. She giggled, bowed her head again, breathed and looked up.
"Joe, I'm shagging Stephen. If that pisses you off, good! You shouldn't have called me the C word. Now shake hands with the man before I kick you in the balls again."
She pushed down hard on the send button. When the phone told her the
Wee Danny shook his head. "No, that's too fly. I can't stand Liam, but he's still a mate. And the other lads don't deserve that. We should tell him everything, but let him know he can take on the gang if he wants to risk it. Stupid bastard will still want to do it, but he might be a bit more careful."
"Ach, I suppose you're right."
"Of course I am."
They'd gotten as far as the crossroads where the Grosvenor Road and the Springfield Road met the Falls Road. Four sets of traffic lights kept hospital and motorway traffic chaos to a minimum.
Joe spotted a half a brick on the footpath ahead, probably left over from a recent attack on a passing PSNI land rover. He darted forward and scooped it up before Wee Danny had a chance to get near it.
"You pick," Joe said.
Wee Danny pulled up his hood. He pointed at an oncoming bus speeding up the Falls Road to beat the lights. "Who can resist a classic?"
Joe pulled up his own hood and launched the brick at the bus windshield. The experienced Citybus driver slammed on the brakes instead of swerving on impact. The safety glass concaved and cracks spider-webbed densely. Wee Danny whooped and they ran up the Springfield Road and cut into a residential area. A chorus of blaring black taxi horns sounded disapproval.
Scattered residents, out and about on their way to elsewhere, glanced at them as they zipped past. Nobody shouted for them to stop. They shouldered their way through a pack of nippers kicking a half-deflated ball about. Threats of beatings at the hands of elder siblings followed, but Joe didn't look back. He enjoyed the run. It was one of the few things he did well. Running away.
He forgot about everything as his world shrank to one physical challenge; landing one foot in front of the other. His lungs burned. His feet thwacked pavement. He wove through cars parked on kerbs. He skipped over dogshit. Thoughts of failure and disappointing his mother gave way to the thrill of getting-away-with-it. He smiled.
"Stop," Wee Danny said, his skin pale and his voice wheezy. He pulled on Joe's sleeve, barely able to keep pace. "I'm gasping."
And it was over. An end to escape. Back to reality.
They slowed to a halt and Wee Danny pulled two cigarettes from his pocket. They took a seat on a high kerb and smoked. Joe's hand shook as he raised the fag to his lips. What a buzz.
###
Louise's thumb hovered over the button pad of her mobile. It wasn't a question of whether or not she wanted Stephen to come around with a DVD and a takeaway. She did. But she hesitated because of Joe.
Joe had been the only man in her life since Dermot's midnight flit. There'd been casual flings on girls' nights out, but they'd been few and far between, and never at her house. Stephen had been a drunken fumble, and she couldn't even remember if he'd been any good. But he'd seemed interested in her that morning. He'd made her feel good with a few words. And she felt she deserved that. No, she needed that.
Her thumb made contact with the send button but didn't apply any pressure.
She thought about what she might tell Joe.
"Joe, this is Stephen. He's a friend of your mummy's."
Her voice sounded too upbeat. She went to the pine-framed mirror above the mantelpiece. Her reflection eyed her suspiciously.
"Joe, I want you to meet my new boyfriend." She blushed. "And there he goes, right out the door. Guess you don't need to worry about that guy, son. Silly old me, calling him my boyfriend after one night."
Louise placed her hands on the mantelpiece and bowed her head. She took a deep breath, looked up and made eye contact with her reflection. A smile tugged at her mouth as she tried her best to look natural. She giggled, bowed her head again, breathed and looked up.
"Joe, I'm shagging Stephen. If that pisses you off, good! You shouldn't have called me the C word. Now shake hands with the man before I kick you in the balls again."
She pushed down hard on the send button. When the phone told her the
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