Running Scared, page 3
Furious with her mum now as well as Tony, Lexi changed into her pyjamas, climbed into bed and pulled the pillow over her head to drown out the sound of her mum trying to placate Tony while the idiot blasted her for letting Lexi get away with disrespecting him.
‘Nine months,’ she whispered through clenched teeth. ‘Nine more months and I’m out of here for good!’
And she meant every word. In nine months, when she turned sixteen, she was going to get her own flat off the council and move the hell away from her pathetic mother and that lecherous, piss-taking wife-beating husband of hers.
3
After a restless night, during which she woke several times convinced she’d heard her mum screaming, Lexi felt groggy when her alarm went off the following morning. As usual, her room was freezing, and goosebumps pimpled her arm when she reached out to silence the clock. Reluctant to leave the warmth of her bed, she grabbed her school shirt and pants off the floor where she’d dropped them and pulled them on under the quilt.
When she was dressed, she got up and shivered her way to the bathroom. The door was locked when she tried the handle and, guessing that it was her mum, because she could hear Tony’s rumbling snores coming from their room, she tapped on the wood.
‘Mum, are you gonna be long? I need to have a wash.’
The door opened a few seconds later and Beth shuffled out in her dressing gown. Still annoyed with her, Lexi was about to pass without speaking, but hesitated when she noticed the way her mum’s slippers were dragging across the lino, as if she didn’t have the energy to properly lift her feet. Following her into the kitchen, where she was able to see her face more clearly in the daylight coming through the window, she frowned when she saw the finger-shaped marks on her neck and the livid bruise around her swollen eye.
‘Are you OK?’ she asked, feeling guilty now for leaving her alone with Tony. ‘That looks really bad.’
‘I’m fine,’ Beth said, averting her face as she lifted the kettle off its stand and carried it to the sink.
‘You’re clearly not,’ Lexi argued. ‘Look at the state of you. He went for you again after I went to bed, didn’t he?’
‘No, he didn’t; this had nothing to do with him,’ Beth lied. ‘If you must know, I tripped over my shoes and fell onto the coffee table.’
‘Why are you lying?’ Lexi asked, frustrated that her mum was covering for him, as usual. ‘I’m not stupid. I know it was him, and you need to kick him out before he—’
‘What I need is for you to stop treating me like a child!’ Beth slammed the kettle onto its stand. ‘I know you’re upset about last night, but it wasn’t your business and you shouldn’t have interfered.’
‘But it is my business. You’re my mum and I hate seeing you like this.’
‘I told you I’m fine, so drop it. Now go to school, ’cos you’re giving me a headache.’
Before Lexi could point out that Tony was the one who’d caused her headache by beating the crap out of her, the door opened and the man himself lumbered in; hair on end, reeking of stale booze and sweat, and wearing the same grubby vest from the previous night along with an equally grubby pair of pyjama bottoms. Too busy rubbing the sleep from his eyes to notice Lexi behind the door, he walked over to Beth and wrapped his arms around her waist.
‘Mornin’, sexy.’
Conscious of Lexi watching, Beth wriggled free, saying, ‘I’m making a brew. Go back to bed; I’ll fetch it through in a minute.’
‘Make sure you fetch these, an’ all,’ Tony grunted, sliding his hands inside her dressing gown and groping her breasts.
‘Oh my God,’ Lexi muttered. ‘That’s so disgusting.’
Shocked, Tony snapped his head round and gaped at her. ‘What are you still doing here? Shouldn’t you be gone by now?’
‘If anyone should be gone, it’s you,’ she replied icily.
‘Eh?’ He squinted at her, confusion in his eyes. ‘What you on about?’
‘That!’ She pointed at her mum’s bruised face. ‘Proud of yourself, are you?’
‘Go back to bed, love.’ Beth pushed Tony toward the door. ‘I’ll deal with this.’
Tony started to walk out, then stopped and peered down at Lexi. ‘I don’t know why you hate me so much. I know we’ve had our ups and downs, but all I’ve ever done is try to be a good dad to you.’
‘You ain’t my dad, and you never will be,’ she spat through clenched teeth.
Tony shook his head, as if he genuinely didn’t get what he’d done wrong, and then sloped out of the room.
‘Why did you have to go and do that?’ Beth hissed at Lexi as she pushed the door shut behind him. ‘I’d sorted everything out with him, and now you’ve gone and upset him again.’
‘Don’t blame me,’ Lexi protested. ‘He’s the one who beat you up.’
‘Look, I don’t expect you to understand at your age, but that was the drink, not him,’ said Beth. ‘We talked about it after you went to bed and he admitted he’s got a problem.’
‘And that makes it all right, does it?’
‘I’m not saying that, but him admitting he needs help was a big step. He’s promised to see the doctor as soon as he can get an appointment, but it’s not going to be easy and he’s going to need our support, so all this arguing has got to stop. Do you understand?’
Lexi opened her mouth to point out that she had every right to argue with the man considering the way he treated them both. But she could tell by the look on her mum’s face that she’d be wasting her breath, so she muttered, ‘Whatever,’ and turned to the door.
‘Hang on a minute,’ Beth said.
‘What?’ Lexi hesitated.
‘Here . . .’ Beth pulled one of the twenty-pound notes Maurice had given her out of her dressing gown pocket and held it out.
‘I haven’t got time,’ Lexi said, thinking that she wanted her to nip to the corner shop before heading to school.
‘No, it’s for you,’ Beth said. ‘You probably don’t deserve it after that little scene just now, but I – we – thought you might want to get yourself something nice to wear at the party. That’s if you still want to go?’
Conflicted, Lexi bit her lip. Still angry, she wanted to tell her mum to stick the money up her arse and then flounce out with her nose in the air. But it was ages since she’d had any new clothes. And she really, really wanted to stay at Nic’s. So, swallowing her pride, she reached for the note and murmured a grudging, ‘Thanks.’
‘I know you think I’m an idiot for letting Tony off the hook, but he needs me,’ Beth said quietly. ‘That doesn’t mean I love him more than I love you, though, ’cos you mean more to me than anything or anyone in the world. You know that, don’t you?’
Feeling suddenly emotional, Lexi shrugged and dropped her gaze when tears welled in her eyes.
‘Come here, you daft sod.’ Beth pulled her into a hug. ‘It’s going to get better, I promise. You just need to back off and give Tony a chance. Can you do that? For me?’
Lexi doubted that anything was ever going to change where he was concerned, but she didn’t want to make life more difficult for her mum, so she nodded her agreement.
‘Thanks, love.’ Beth squeezed her and kissed the top of her head before breaking the embrace. ‘You’d best get going before you end up on detention for being late. I’ll see you tonight. And try not to worry – OK?’
Nodding, Lexi sniffed back her tears and headed to the bathroom to finish getting ready. As much as she hated Tony, she loved her mum more, so she would honour her promise to quit arguing with him. But if he so much as looked at her mum in the wrong way again, all bets would be off.
Shoulders slumping when she heard the front door close behind Lexi a few minutes later, Beth listlessly stirred the teabags in the cups. She hadn’t lied when she’d said that Tony had agreed to get help for his drinking, but it was one of the promises he always made after a fight – none of which he had ever followed through on. In light of that, she hated that she had effectively bribed her daughter into laying off him when the girl had every right to be angry. Hell, Beth was angry, too – with herself as much as with him, for allowing him to treat her the way he did. But the die had been cast the first time he’d laid into her and she had accepted his apology instead of reporting him to the police. She should have kicked him out then – and wished she had the strength to do so now. But Tony wasn’t the kind of man to leave quietly, and she couldn’t face another beating so soon after the last one, so she was left with no option but to try to keep him happy while he was in a good mood – even if that meant lying to her daughter and sacrificing what little was left of her dignity.
4
The rest of that week passed without further incident at home, and Lexi was excited when she set off for school on Friday morning with her pyjamas, her toothbrush, and the new leggings and top she’d bought with the money her mum had given her stuffed into her bag along with her books.
She’d never been particularly fond of school, but it dragged on to the point of feeling like torture that day, and she was out of her seat as if she had a rocket up her backside as soon as the home-time bell rang. As prearranged, in order to avoid Hannah and Dawn, who usually walked part of the way home with them, Nicole was waiting for her at the back of the gym block. Linking arms, they slipped out through the back gate and ran, giggling with excitement, all the way to the bus stop.
After a few hours spent traipsing from shop to shop in search of the perfect outfit for Nicole to wow Ryan with, Lexi was footsore, tired and hungry by the time Nic finally made a decision and bought the red satin dress and gold high-heeled sandals she’d tried on in the very first shop they had visited. Excitement well and truly waning, she felt like going home and climbing into bed. But she quickly perked up again when they arrived at Nicole’s house and found that they had the place to themselves.
Able to relax without Rachel Harvey tossing out dirty looks and making her feel like a rat that had crept in under the door, Lexi took a shower in the main bathroom while Nicole used the one in her parents’ en suite. There was only a bath with rusty taps and a deeply ingrained tidemark at the flat, so the shower was a rare luxury, and she took full advantage of the expensive body-scrubs, shampoos and conditioners on offer.
Dressed a short time later, and feeling a million dollars with her skin glowing, her usually dull brown hair hanging in glossy curls around her shoulders, and her face almost unrecognizable thanks to Nicole’s make-up skills, Lexi smiled when her friend twirled round in front of her and asked how she looked.
‘Gorgeous,’ she said, genuinely meaning it. Nic always looked good, but tonight, with the red dress clinging to her curves and the strappy shoes making her legs look like they went on forever, Lexi thought she looked like a film star.
‘I do, don’t I?’ Nicole agreed, preening in front of the mirror for a few seconds before heading for the door – without, Lexi noted, repaying the compliment.
Nicole’s brother, Adam, had come home from college while they were upstairs, and the previously clear countertops were now crammed with bottles of wine, spirits and mixers. As Nicole cracked open a bottle of red wine and started pouring two glasses, Adam strolled in from the garden carrying two cases of beers. Doing a comical double-take when he saw Lexi, he looked at his sister and said, ‘Who’s this beauty? I thought you said that funny-looking mate of yours was the only one you’d invited?’
Blushing, Lexi self-consciously twiddled with one of her curls. On the rare occasions Adam bothered to speak to her, he usually made a sarcastic comment, so it was flattering that he’d complimented her for a change – even if he was only teasing.
‘Pack that in!’ Nicole slapped Lexi’s hand down. ‘It took me ages to get it looking decent, and I don’t want you messing it up with your sweaty paws.’
Embarrassed, Lexi reached for her glass and glugged a mouthful of wine.
‘Slow down,’ Nicole chided, dropping a straw into her own glass. ‘This ain’t cheap shite, and I don’t want you getting pissed before the party gets started and making a show of me.’
‘Don’t listen to her; you have as much as you want, darlin’,’ Adam said, winking at Lexi.
‘Hadn’t you best go and get a shower?’ Nicole sniped, wafting a hand in front of her nose. ‘You absolutely reek.’
‘I’ve got loads of time yet,’ he drawled, dropping the cases of beers onto the table.
Almost as soon as the words had left his mouth, the doorbell rang, and Nicole gave him a smug grin. ‘You were saying?’
‘Shit, they’re early,’ Adam said, glancing at his watch. ‘Go let ’em in while I get changed, Nic. And I’ll be seeing you later,’ he added, pointing his finger at Lexi as if it was a loaded gun.
‘He’s taking the piss, so don’t be getting your hopes up,’ Nicole sniffed when he rushed out of the room and thundered up the stairs. ‘And stop blushing every time he talks to you. It makes you look really desperate.’
‘Why are you being such a bitch?’ Lexi asked.
‘I’m not,’ Nicole said, dipping down to check her reflection in the glass of the microwave door. ‘I just don’t want you embarrassing me in front of Adam and his mates.’
‘Oh, so now I’m embarrassing?’ Lexi raised an eyebrow.
‘Grow up,’ Nicole tutted, flashing an irritated look at her before sashaying out of the room.
Lexi shook her head as she watched Nicole exaggeratedly swaying her hips. For someone who took the piss out of her own mother for dressing sexy and acting like God’s gift to men, the stupid cow was doing a mighty fine impression of her right now.
Nicole came back a few seconds later with two boys, and Lexi smiled when one of them nodded hello to her. Noticing, Nicole immediately linked her arm through his and, turning him away from Lexi, walked him to the far end of the counter, asking, ‘What can I get you to drink?’
Aware that her friend had deliberately diverted the boy’s attention in order to keep the spotlight firmly on herself, Lexi grabbed a bottle of wine and retreated to a chair in the corner, from where she watched as Nicole flicked her hair around and batted her eyelashes at the boy and his friend. It was having the desired effect, because they were both grinning like Cheshire cats, but they were in for a shock if they thought they were in with a chance, because Lexi knew that Nic would drop them like hot bricks as soon as Ryan King arrived.
Thinking about Ryan, Lexi released a wistful sigh and sipped her wine. He lived by the Kingston and hung out with some of the lads off her block, so she had seen him around well before Nicole ever laid eyes on him. Mixed-race, with sexy hazel eyes, she had always got butterflies in her stomach whenever he gave her that killer smile of his, but she’d been far too shy to do anything beyond nod hello to him in return. And then Nicole had set her sights on him, and that had been that. It still pissed her off that Nicole had made a play for him without first checking if Lexi liked him, as per the girl code. But that was Nicole all over: if she wanted something, she would trample over anyone to get it – best friend, or not.
The doorbell rang again and the house was soon buzzing with the sound of music and laughter. Everyone seemed to know each other, and Lexi felt out of place as the chatter grew louder and more raucous around her. It wouldn’t have been so bad if some of her own mates had been there to keep her company, but, apart from Nicole – who was flitting round playing hostess and seemed to have forgotten she was there – she didn’t know a single soul.
Beginning to regret her decision to stay over as the party went on around her, Lexi steadily worked her way through the bottle of wine. Light-headed after a while, she was about to head out into the garden for some fresh air when Adam appeared in front of her. It was the first time she’d seen him since he went upstairs to get changed earlier that evening, and he was now wearing a tight white T-shirt that enhanced his gym-toned biceps and a pair of ripped jeans that hugged his muscular rugby-player thighs.
‘Hey, sexy Lexi, why are you hiding over here?’ he asked, his eyes glittering brightly as he gazed down at her.
Surprised that he was wasting time on her when there were older and far better-looking girls he could be talking to, Lexi self-consciously reached up to touch her hair, but immediately dropped her hand back down into her lap when she remembered Nicole’s rebuke.
‘I don’t really know anyone,’ she admitted.
‘You know me,’ he said, winking at her for the second time that night. Laughing when she blushed, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet, saying, ‘Come on. It’s time we got you livened up.’
‘Where are we going?’ she asked, feeling a bit unsteady on her feet as he led her through the crowded kitchen.
‘To get you in the party mood,’ Adam said, pulling her on into the living room.
The music was much louder in there, and the lights were turned down so low Lexi could barely make out the faces of the people who were dotted around. Three lads were kneeling on the floor around a low table by the window, and Lexi was shocked to see they were snorting coke off the glass top when Adam led her over to them.
‘Here,’ he said, picking up a rolled banknote off the table and offering it to her.
‘No, you’re all right.’ She shook her head.
‘Aw, come on,’ he wheedled. ‘One little line ain’t gonna hurt.’
‘Honest, I’m OK with this,’ she insisted, holding up her glass.
‘That shit’s for pussies,’ Adam scoffed, snatching it out of her hand and tipping the wine into a plant pot before putting his own glass into her hand. ‘If you won’t have a line, at least have a decent bevvy.’
‘What is it?’ Lexi sniffed the clear liquid cautiously.
‘Tequila,’ he said, pushing the glass toward her lips. ‘Try it.’
Lexi took a tiny sip and pulled a face. ‘Eww, that’s horrible.’
