Page 4 of Revenge

The boys did a double take at each other, then glanced back to me, “Err, yeah. OK.”

The girls were then all smiles and looked around the ten mark which still put them much older than their victim. My blood started to boil but I managed to keep my hands fisted by my sides.

Rory grinned at me like we had suddenly become the best of mates. Fuck that shit. I wasn’t friends with bullies.

“Thanks, man,” he said, handing me a fiver.

“Don’t mention it,” I replied with a fake smile, pocketing my reward. I broke off the staring contest, my way of saying he was dismissed.

They then set off down the corridor in search of their prey.

Once they disappeared, I made my choice.

I wasn’t the hero. I wouldalwaysbe the villain; it was a badge I felt honoured to wear.

But, as with most roles in life;everyoneneeded to take a break occasionally and I decided to take mine that day. I would reach out to the wide-eyed girl with the long dark hair and do something right for a change.

She was beaten and broken and needed a friend.

And for that one day and one day only, I would be just that.

Her friend.

*****

I didn’t understand why Mummy would marry a man with such a mean child. I had tried so many times to be Tasha’s friend but she stillhatedme. I had even started giving her my pudding after supper, hoping to win her friendship but it wasn’t working. Mummy said she was jealous of me because I was thin and Tasha was chubby with a fat face. I didn’t get why that would matter.

My knees were stinging and I was scared; scared of anyone seeing them. They would want to know how I had torn my tights. I wasn’t a telltale and if I told on Tasha, she would make it so much worse for me.

Wiping my eyes, I pushed back against the wall under the stage. I had seen some kids my age playing under there earlier, making a den. When I asked if I could help, they laughed at me. Then Tasha and her friends followed me out and into the gym. I just wanted to be by myself, I didn’t like big parties. I felt so lonely. Mummyalwaysignored me when there were handsome misters around.

My real Daddy left us to buy some milk around three years ago and hestillwasn’t back. My nanny nicknamed him the Sperm Donor whateverthatmeant. Mummy said he maynevercome back, and that’s why I needed a new one. The last one hadn’t lasted very long, only a few months, but I was glad as his kids were even worse than Tasha.

I didn’t remember my real Daddy, but I knew his hair and skin were like mine. Mummy was blonde with pale white skin but I had her grey eyes; my uncle Graham said.

“Is there room for one more?” a voice suddenly sounded from the other end of the stage, the very place I had crawled in from.

It was dark but I could faintly see the shape of a boy. He was dressed in a suit and was crouched low so his head didn’t hit the stage above us.

Another crumby song started playing and the space above me rattled with the sound.

Crossing my legs, I put my hand to my brow and tried to see him more clearly. I felt a flash of fear in case he was there to take me back to the others.

“Don’t be scared. I’m not here to hurt you,” the voice said. It was louder that time and so I knew he’d moved closer.

Shuffling forward to get a better view, I shoved away some crisp wrappers and a mouldy apple core that must have been kicked under thereagesago. There was also a banana peel that had turned brown; so gross.

I kept my mouth shut as the boy came into view and shuffled beside me.

“I saw you come under here and wanted to check it out. You’re brave. Aren’t you scared of monsters?”

Taking a big swallow, I turned towards him. He had now pushed his back against the pillar I was resting against. It must have supported the stage. There were loads of them under there. The boy's legs were stretched out and I did the same. It was more comfortable in that position. When I had crossed them, the skin on my scuffed knees stung.

The lights from the disco must have started at that point and light flickered under the stage area sinking through the material that curtained us in there.

And that’s when I saw him properly.

It was the boy from the doorway. He wasbeautiful, like an angel. He must have been a teenager as he was so much bigger than me and his boyish face was handsome. I didn’t like boys usually; they were smelly and always picked on me but this one seemed different.

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