Page 89 of Spring Awakening

“What do you want?” He’s not here for niceties. It’s the middle of the fucking night, and Zach left the love of his life in bed to come here. “De?”

Devon looks at the ground, then back up to him. He walks over in the way he does when he thinks he’s got a great idea, but really, he’s about to be a dick. Why did he tell him he was in trouble when he’s hanging around with Zach’s annoying, useless agent?

“Bro. Great news—”

Vincent interrupts. “Dougals want you. You start first day of the season.”

Dougals. Premiership Dougals. Scottish rugby team Dougals. Zach blinks, his jaw tensed with the fury in his veins. Panic settles into him so fast he almost blacks out.

“No.”

Devon frowns. “What do you mean no, bruv? Deal’s done. I found it for you!”

Vincent smiles. Sometimes, Zach thinks he wants what is best for him—the big teams. Then, he remembers Zach’s never asked for a thing. He’s told where to go, what to do, when he’s leaving, and he’s always done it because he had nothing to stay for. Now, he’s already left Mali once today, and he doesn’t intend on doing that again.

“De heard from a friend of a friend that Lacky was on the way out. One call, and hey, Dougals want you. Pack your bags.”

Zach shakes his head. “No. I’m not going.” God, his body is simmering with anger. He might be sick. He’s only ever said no once before, and that was when he was nineteen and they wanted him to move away from home for the first time. He was terrified. Went to a lawyer and everything, but the contract is air tight. Unless he has half a mill to buy himself out, they cansue. At the time, he thought that meant jail, so he stayed. If he’d known it meant bankruptcy, he would have done it, but he had no one to talk to. The only person who knew anything about it was Devon, and he convinced him it would be fine. By the time Zach moved back home, his mum was different, and Devon was in jail.

“What if I don’t go?”

Vincent shrugs. “Then we’ll sue.”

Zach thinks about it. He has money. Not enough, but some. It’s for his mum. Devon knows that. Recently, he’s been saving for the children he should have known he was never going to have. He could start over at twenty-seven. He could be an electrician and he’d be fine. He’d have Mali and he’d be fine.

“Sue me for what?” Zach scoffs. “You take all my money anyway.”

“His bird has a pretty decent—” Devon starts, and Zach throws his fist at his face so hard he thinks he might crush his knuckles.

“Do not talk about her.” Mali isn’t tightly wound up with him. Not yet. She wouldn’t get hurt in this beyond maybe a light level of disappointment when he left, because he has to leave. He knows that. He’s worked too hard to make sure his mum is okay to lose it all now. Mali would let him stay with her. She’d let him attempt to rebuild his life in her spare room. But he has nothing left to give.

Mali can’t get caught up in this—these criminals dressed in knock-off designer suits. Zach wonders how many players they have in their pockets. How many other desperate teenagers signed onto their parasitic contract without knowing.

Vincent looks at Devon with the blood running down his face, and he takes a step back. “Dougals. Be in Oban on the first of the month, or we’ll pay your girlfriend a visit.”

“You’re five foot tall,” Zach says. He’s never been scared of them. He doesn’t think there’s a hidden gunman or anything,because this isn’t the ’70s, and he’s not on a movie set. However, he had a lawyer look over the contract, and it’s legit. There’s no way out of it other than buyout, and he’s not going to jail for killing a balding, mildly annoying man. “This isn’t a mafia movie, you bellend. The only reason you’re not floating in the river right now is because I don’t fancy spending the rest of my days with my brother.” Zach walks towards him, and Vincent looks as scared as he should be. This isn’t a movie, but he won’t mess around with Mali. “But you go near her, you so much asthinkabout her, and I will kill you.”

Vincent’s voice shakes as he says, “Dougals. First of the month.” Then he scampers away. Zach sits on the ground, his back against the pillar. The first of the month is barely two weeks away.

“Bro,” De starts.

“I never wanna see you again,” Zach replies. He leans his head back, and he’s so sure Mali is going to press her lips to his throat, but she’s not here. He’s never going to feel that again, because he has to move to the other end of the country, and she’ll have someone swoop her up so fast he’ll get a head rush.

“How could you go to them?” Zach asks. “Move me to the other side of the country without speaking to me first? Where’s Mum gonna go? What’s she going to do when she can’t remember to take her own fucking pills and you’re in a jail cell?”

“I didn’t—”

“No, you didn’t think, Devon. You saw money. Money that’s not even fucking yours.”

“It is,” he says, shuffling on the spot. “I found you. Saw your talent. I get a cut.”

Zach’s heart might split in two. “What?”

Devon looks around like he wasn’t supposed to tell him that. He wipes his nose with the back of his hand. It’s barely even bleeding now.

“You get a cut? Have you this whole time?” When he was fourteen and knackered from going to school and the junior league and thought making a couple pounds a month was good. That the fee he had to pay was worth it because he could afford new school trousers. Because he could make sure his mum had bus money. Because he could give Devon money when he needed it, and he’d had it all along.

“Yeah.”

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