Page 98 of Cherry Beats

“Bullshit,” I scoffed.

“Ridiculous, isn’t it?” He shook his head. “But you’ve made her so proud, getting screwed by a man every girl and their handbag-dog wants to use as a bone. Or boner.”

“You’re disgusting, Freddie.”

“Yeah, and you’re selling your soul to the devil in leather. What do I care? Everyone makes their own choices. Leave me to make mine, and I’ll leave you to make yours.”

“You can’t stay here. This is my home. You’ll use it, abuse it, wreck it, and I’m not having you ruining the one thing I’ve worked my fingers to the wick for. It isn’t fair.”

He pushed up sharply, and I stumbled back, never taking my eyes off him as he perched himself on the edge of the sofa and let his bottle of beer dangle between his legs. “You know what isn’t fair, big sis? It isn’t fair how I get stuck with them at home. It isn’t fair that I have to listen to Mum cooing over you and Mr Hot Shot, while Dad seethes in the corner, petrified Mum is going to get noticed on camera by Mel fucking Gibson or Liam bastard Neeson. It isn’t fair that everyone—people who haven’t spoken to me for years—are suddenly calling me and asking me out for a beer in the hopes I can get them closer to your bit of dick.”

“This will all be old news soon. I’ll be back home working in BB’s in no time. Everyone’s being dramatic, as usual.”

He laughed like a hyena. “If you think you’re returning to your old lifestyle anytime soon, Tess, you’re delusional. The chemicals in your hair dye are messing with your fucking head.”

“Freddie…”

“No.” He shook his head. “Don’t give me your bullshit, sis. I don’t care for it. Let me tell you how it’s going to go, okay?”

I blinked down at him, not knowing who he was anymore or how someone like him could be related to me.

“I’m going to stay here for a while. I’ll look after the place.”

I scoffed again and shook my head, but Freddie held up his hand in warning.

“And you, my gorgeous, newly-famous sibling, are going to go back to the big city, cosy up to ol’ blue eyes, and you’re going to forget about Hollings Hill for a while. You’re going to give your brother a bit of freedom, and you’re going to do it without telling me a bunch of rules and giving me a bunch of lectures because the truth is, you think you know me when you really don’t. Stop treating me like a kid, and I’lltryto stop acting like one.”

“You’re making it sound like I don’t have a choice, Freddie.”

“Well, you don’t.” He laughed confidently, leaning back into the sofa and throwing an arm over the back of it.

“What does that mean?” I scowled.

“It means that if you don’t let me stay here while you’re out of town, I’ll go to the newspapers about you.”

“What did you just say to me?” I asked as my heartbeat quickened with anger.

“I’ve already had a shit load of phone calls and messages today. Emails, too. They’re relentless, aren’t they? Especially that one woman. What was her name again? Jay… June… Janice?”

“Janey Dominic?”

Freddie clicked his fingers and pointed at me. “That’s the babe.”

“There’s nothing to tell about me, and you know it. You’d have to lie… to make stuff up about your own sister.”

“And we both know how convincing I can be. Remember all those times when we were growing up, and I got you in trouble with Dad when you hadn’t done anything?” He pointed to his face. “It’s the eyes and the dimples. Makes people love me.”

“I fucking despise you,” I spat.

I didn’t. Deep down, I loved him because it was ingrained in me that I had to. But on the surface, and right there and then, I despised the cretin that was my brother.

“Sucks to be you.” He smiled flatly and clicked his tongue.

“I can’t believe you’d do that to me.”

“Like I said… you don’t know me at all. You never have.”

I spun in a circle, catching sight of Presley in Youth Gone Wild’s music video. I watched as his limbs flew across his drum kit, his hair covering his face as the sweat poured off of his tanned skin. I loved him in that video. I loved him in all of them. I loved him, and I wasn’t about to let my shitty little brother ruin my high.

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