manageress looked like she wanted to make a run for it. And when my phone rang I found out it wasn’t just us being driven mad by the wedding.
“Hey, gorgeous,” said Rocky. “Big panic. Alert BBC news. Tyson’s lost the receipt for his suit.”
“He hasn’t. We’ve got it here. It’s in Sabrina’s car. What’s he want it for?”
“He needs it. He’s changed his mind again, and wants a different one. He’s driving me insane.”
“Join the club. You’ll have to come and get it. Sabrina’s changed her mind about the drapes for the marquee, so we’re at the hotel.”
“Jesus. Can’t me and you just run away together and leave them all to it?”
“Tempting.”
He sighed. “Wait there. I’ll come and get it.”
By the time I got off the phone, Sabrina and the manageress had agreed that twinkling lights and ivory and gold silk would look much classier than plain white.
“We’ll go back to my office, and I’ll ring the hire company up and get it changed for you,” the manageress said.
Her office was at the front of the hotel, overlooking the road. She checked the price of the starlight drapes. “It’s quite expensive, plus the fitting costs,” she said, looking at me.
“How much all together?”
She told me. I swallowed. “That’s fine.” I got out my winnings, a big, fat roll of notes, and handed over the cash.
“Shall I give a receipt to your father?”
“No. To me,” I said, quickly. “I’m dealing with the money.”
She began going through the arrangements for Saturday, but I’d stopped listening. I don’t believe in coincidences, but one was happening in the window right behind her head.
One of the feral boys, the leader, was looking in at us, his hands cupped round his face, his nose touching the glass. When he’d said “later”, I’d thought he was saving face, but it seemed not. Soon as he saw me looking, he gave me the finger.
Sabrina glanced up and noticed him as well. “Jeez, look at that ugly mug!”
The manageress turned round. “Damn.” She banged on the window and shouted, “Clear off!”
He gave her the finger as well and called us a few names through the glass before strutting away.
Sabrina grabbed my arm. “That’s the boy you were fighting yesterday.”
“I know.”
“Why’s he here?”
That’s what I wanted to know. The whole town to roam in, and suddenly he’s outside the hotel at the same time we’re inside. Maybe Sabrina shouldn’t have said out loud that she recognized him, because the manageress was staring at us in horror.
“I hope you’re joking about fighting,” she said. “That’s Milo Scarret. He’s always hanging round the town centre with his two brothers, looking for trouble. If I were you, I’d keep away from them.” She lowered her voice. “Their father’s in prison for murder. It was all over the papers.”
“What did he do?” said Sabrina, who liked all the bloodthirsty TV programmes, like
Criminal Minds
and
CSI
.
“Hate crime. Attacked a foreign student.”
Seemed he’d passed the hate on to his sons. I rubbed my arms – they were covered in goosebumps. Danger was back again. I squeezed past the desk and looked out of the window. So his name was Milo Scarret. He was strutting down the road with the other two. I was right about them being brothers. They must’ve followed us, but from where? We’d arrived in Sabrina’s car.
“Have they gone?” said the manageress.
“Yeah.”
But they hadn’t. As I watched, all three of them turned off the street and into the entrance to the hotel’s car park at the side.
“My sister will go through everything with you,” I said, quickly, pushing Sabrina into a chair and backing towards the door. “I’ve got to get something for Rocky from our car.”
And I wanted to see what Milo and his brothers were up to. I had visions of them slashing our tyres, or running a key along the paintwork and spraying “bitch” all over it. I was out of there before
“Hey, gorgeous,” said Rocky. “Big panic. Alert BBC news. Tyson’s lost the receipt for his suit.”
“He hasn’t. We’ve got it here. It’s in Sabrina’s car. What’s he want it for?”
“He needs it. He’s changed his mind again, and wants a different one. He’s driving me insane.”
“Join the club. You’ll have to come and get it. Sabrina’s changed her mind about the drapes for the marquee, so we’re at the hotel.”
“Jesus. Can’t me and you just run away together and leave them all to it?”
“Tempting.”
He sighed. “Wait there. I’ll come and get it.”
By the time I got off the phone, Sabrina and the manageress had agreed that twinkling lights and ivory and gold silk would look much classier than plain white.
“We’ll go back to my office, and I’ll ring the hire company up and get it changed for you,” the manageress said.
Her office was at the front of the hotel, overlooking the road. She checked the price of the starlight drapes. “It’s quite expensive, plus the fitting costs,” she said, looking at me.
“How much all together?”
She told me. I swallowed. “That’s fine.” I got out my winnings, a big, fat roll of notes, and handed over the cash.
“Shall I give a receipt to your father?”
“No. To me,” I said, quickly. “I’m dealing with the money.”
She began going through the arrangements for Saturday, but I’d stopped listening. I don’t believe in coincidences, but one was happening in the window right behind her head.
One of the feral boys, the leader, was looking in at us, his hands cupped round his face, his nose touching the glass. When he’d said “later”, I’d thought he was saving face, but it seemed not. Soon as he saw me looking, he gave me the finger.
Sabrina glanced up and noticed him as well. “Jeez, look at that ugly mug!”
The manageress turned round. “Damn.” She banged on the window and shouted, “Clear off!”
He gave her the finger as well and called us a few names through the glass before strutting away.
Sabrina grabbed my arm. “That’s the boy you were fighting yesterday.”
“I know.”
“Why’s he here?”
That’s what I wanted to know. The whole town to roam in, and suddenly he’s outside the hotel at the same time we’re inside. Maybe Sabrina shouldn’t have said out loud that she recognized him, because the manageress was staring at us in horror.
“I hope you’re joking about fighting,” she said. “That’s Milo Scarret. He’s always hanging round the town centre with his two brothers, looking for trouble. If I were you, I’d keep away from them.” She lowered her voice. “Their father’s in prison for murder. It was all over the papers.”
“What did he do?” said Sabrina, who liked all the bloodthirsty TV programmes, like
Criminal Minds
and
CSI
.
“Hate crime. Attacked a foreign student.”
Seemed he’d passed the hate on to his sons. I rubbed my arms – they were covered in goosebumps. Danger was back again. I squeezed past the desk and looked out of the window. So his name was Milo Scarret. He was strutting down the road with the other two. I was right about them being brothers. They must’ve followed us, but from where? We’d arrived in Sabrina’s car.
“Have they gone?” said the manageress.
“Yeah.”
But they hadn’t. As I watched, all three of them turned off the street and into the entrance to the hotel’s car park at the side.
“My sister will go through everything with you,” I said, quickly, pushing Sabrina into a chair and backing towards the door. “I’ve got to get something for Rocky from our car.”
And I wanted to see what Milo and his brothers were up to. I had visions of them slashing our tyres, or running a key along the paintwork and spraying “bitch” all over it. I was out of there before
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