the more.
They'd previously arranged to spend New Year's Eve with his family but he'd not mentioned it since before Christmas, when they'd confirmed the arrangements. Was he assuming she'd still go along with his plans, or decided that either she wouldn't or that he didn't want her to? No doubt the answer was clear to him, or he'd have been in touch. She could just call and ask of course, but she'd be expected to apologise first for telling the truth and why should she do that?
Normally Alice got on quite well with his parents but if she and Tony weren't on the best of terms the evening was bound to be awkward. On the other hand she'd left it a bit late to cancel and they would already have made a little card with her name on it, to show where she was to sit, and have carefully worked out exactly how much food to serve. Although not really sure she wanted to go, it was probably best to go along with what was expected of her – whatever that was.
Knowing it was cowardly she sent Tony a text asking, 'What's happening about tomorrow night?'
After several minutes staring at her phone she rang Kate. 'I need to get out the flat.'
Luckily her sister just assumed Tony was working. 'I've booked an aerobics class. Starts in about an hour. Want to see if I can get you in?'
'Go on then.' She'd not got on the scales for weeks, being sure she wouldn't like what they said. She didn't need them to tell her anyway. Tony, when she saw him next, would no doubt ensure she was fully informed about the tightness of her clothes.
As she walked towards the sports' centre Alice noticed a group of boys joking noisily amongst themselves. When she got nearer she saw the smaller one in the middle wasn't finding it at all funny. He looked as though he might have Down's syndrome, but with the others surrounding him and his eyes scrunched up with tears it was hard to tell.
The insults one of the bigger lads were using suggested her guess was right. Then he started pushing the smaller boy.
'Leave me alone. I done nothing to you,' he said and raised his arms as though to protect himself from expected blows.
'Leave him alone,' Alice yelled.
'What's it to you, fatty?' the ringleader sneered.
'He's smaller than you and it's four on to one. You're nothing but a bunch of cowards.'
'Want to make something of it, do you?'
His friends had already stepped back and now moved further away still.
'It wouldn't be fair, not with my training.' The yob didn't need to know Alice wasn't so much as a fluffy pink belt in feng shui.
Whether he'd fallen for her bluff or just realised he was on his own, she didn't know, but with a rather feeble, 'You're mental you are,' he jogged off after his friends.
'Are you OK?' she asked the boy.
'I didn't do anything wrong. Mum said keep away from them but they wouldn't let me.'
'It's not your fault, it's theirs.'
By then another boy had joined them. 'Hi, Martin. Sorry I'm late.'
'Hello, Rap.'
Leaving Martin with his friend, Alice went in to meet her sister. 'Sorry, am I late?'
'No, you're fine. Is something up?'
Alice told Kate about the incident she'd just witnessed. 'I really hate bullies.'
'Yes, me too. Best thing probably is to just keep out their way. Usually though they're insecure or cowards deep down and pack it in if you challenge them.'
As Martin had just told her, keeping out of the way wasn't always possible. She did her best to avoid trouble though, didn't she?
The workout was exhausting but fun. They box stepped, grape-vined and hamstring curled to a selection of mad Christmas songs and every time a move involved their hands going anywhere near their heads they had to splay their fingers like reindeer antlers. Alice reckoned she burned off an extra mince pie just from laughing.
After her shower Alice couldn't find her phone.
'You definitely brought it, did you?' Kate asked.
'I'm pretty sure.'
'Let's see if anyone handed it in then.'
No one had, but the receptionist took Alice's details and Kate's
They'd previously arranged to spend New Year's Eve with his family but he'd not mentioned it since before Christmas, when they'd confirmed the arrangements. Was he assuming she'd still go along with his plans, or decided that either she wouldn't or that he didn't want her to? No doubt the answer was clear to him, or he'd have been in touch. She could just call and ask of course, but she'd be expected to apologise first for telling the truth and why should she do that?
Normally Alice got on quite well with his parents but if she and Tony weren't on the best of terms the evening was bound to be awkward. On the other hand she'd left it a bit late to cancel and they would already have made a little card with her name on it, to show where she was to sit, and have carefully worked out exactly how much food to serve. Although not really sure she wanted to go, it was probably best to go along with what was expected of her – whatever that was.
Knowing it was cowardly she sent Tony a text asking, 'What's happening about tomorrow night?'
After several minutes staring at her phone she rang Kate. 'I need to get out the flat.'
Luckily her sister just assumed Tony was working. 'I've booked an aerobics class. Starts in about an hour. Want to see if I can get you in?'
'Go on then.' She'd not got on the scales for weeks, being sure she wouldn't like what they said. She didn't need them to tell her anyway. Tony, when she saw him next, would no doubt ensure she was fully informed about the tightness of her clothes.
As she walked towards the sports' centre Alice noticed a group of boys joking noisily amongst themselves. When she got nearer she saw the smaller one in the middle wasn't finding it at all funny. He looked as though he might have Down's syndrome, but with the others surrounding him and his eyes scrunched up with tears it was hard to tell.
The insults one of the bigger lads were using suggested her guess was right. Then he started pushing the smaller boy.
'Leave me alone. I done nothing to you,' he said and raised his arms as though to protect himself from expected blows.
'Leave him alone,' Alice yelled.
'What's it to you, fatty?' the ringleader sneered.
'He's smaller than you and it's four on to one. You're nothing but a bunch of cowards.'
'Want to make something of it, do you?'
His friends had already stepped back and now moved further away still.
'It wouldn't be fair, not with my training.' The yob didn't need to know Alice wasn't so much as a fluffy pink belt in feng shui.
Whether he'd fallen for her bluff or just realised he was on his own, she didn't know, but with a rather feeble, 'You're mental you are,' he jogged off after his friends.
'Are you OK?' she asked the boy.
'I didn't do anything wrong. Mum said keep away from them but they wouldn't let me.'
'It's not your fault, it's theirs.'
By then another boy had joined them. 'Hi, Martin. Sorry I'm late.'
'Hello, Rap.'
Leaving Martin with his friend, Alice went in to meet her sister. 'Sorry, am I late?'
'No, you're fine. Is something up?'
Alice told Kate about the incident she'd just witnessed. 'I really hate bullies.'
'Yes, me too. Best thing probably is to just keep out their way. Usually though they're insecure or cowards deep down and pack it in if you challenge them.'
As Martin had just told her, keeping out of the way wasn't always possible. She did her best to avoid trouble though, didn't she?
The workout was exhausting but fun. They box stepped, grape-vined and hamstring curled to a selection of mad Christmas songs and every time a move involved their hands going anywhere near their heads they had to splay their fingers like reindeer antlers. Alice reckoned she burned off an extra mince pie just from laughing.
After her shower Alice couldn't find her phone.
'You definitely brought it, did you?' Kate asked.
'I'm pretty sure.'
'Let's see if anyone handed it in then.'
No one had, but the receptionist took Alice's details and Kate's
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