Page 11 of The Girl in the Woods

‘Liar,’ she hissed, following him into his room. ‘You’ll get caught, and they’ll take the bike off yer.’

‘They’ll never find the bike,’ he said confidently.

It was when he clicked on the light that she saw his neck. ‘Jesus, what the hell happened to you?’ she asked, reaching up to feel the cut.

Needles pulled away. ‘Nothing, he said dismissively.

‘Nothing doesn’t leave a mark on your neck – unless that was his name. When did that happen?’

Needles sighed. Laine could be like a dog with a bone sometimes. He studied the cut in the mirror. It looked worse than it felt. He stroked it gently. He’d wear it as a badge of honour. After all, he hadn’t been the coward hiding his face behind a mask.

‘Some wanker who took it upon himself to defend some Paki on the coach tonight. He slashed me with a machete. If he hadn’t been wearing a balaclava, I’d ’ave ’ad ’im by now.’

Laine’s eyes widened. ‘A machete? Are you shitting me?’

‘Ask the others.’

‘Did you go to the hospital?’

‘Don’t be soft.’

‘You lot are going to get into serious trouble one day.’

Needles laughed. ‘Says the sister who’s been referred to social for bunking school and abusing the staff.’

Laine sighed.

Needles knew she’d planned to bunk school the day of the counselling and go shopping with her best friend, Jassy.

‘You should go,’ he said. ‘Else, you’ll be in worse trouble.’

‘They can’t make me. Playing truant and nicking a few things isn’t the same as racial harassment. Mum would go mad if she knew what you got up to. Anyway, school is boring. All the teachers are a pain.’

‘You’re not supposed to tell the teachers that.’ He laughed.

‘It’s not as bad as what you get up to.’

‘I don’t get up to anything. Anyway, Mum can’t do nothing. I’m nineteen.’

‘You’re going to get into trouble one day. You need to be careful.’

He laughed bitterly. ‘There’re a few people who need to be careful, but I ain’t one of ’em.’

Laine looked at him sorrowfully from under her long fringe. ‘It’s not fair,’ she said sullenly. ‘I have to have an assessment about my behaviour while you get away with murder. Seriously, you’re making enemies,’ she added worriedly.

‘I ain’t scared of no one,’ Needles boasted. ‘Who are you to tell me what to do? You’re just a kid.’

‘I’ll be sixteen soon. I’m not a kid.’

‘You’re not sixteen for another six months.’

Laine shook her head in exasperation before turning and leaving his room.

Needles studied the cut more closely. Yes, it was a badge of honour, not the mark of a coward, and that fucking joker would soon learn that Needles didn’t much like a joke.

CHAPTER NINE

Ludbrook Grove estate was one of those places people avoided unless they had the bad luck of living there. Even though Beth knew of its reputation, the state of the place always surprised her. Why they stuck social housing estates close to small middle-class villages was a mystery to her. It just emphasised the class distinction and caused trouble all around, especially for the police, who were forever being called out about house egging or car flouring.

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