Everything to Nothing (21 page)

For a moment or
two they did not say anything then Arthur turned and switched on
the kettle again to bring it up to the boil again. He made them
both a large mug of hot chocolate and then reached into a cupboard
and procured a handful of marshmallows which he dropped into the
mugs. He led them both into the living room and Arthur lit the
fire. He sat in a rocking chair and draped a blanket over his knees
and engaged Michelle in small talk while they drank their steaming
chocolate. After fifteen minutes Arthur announced he was going to
bed and he came over to where Michelle was stretched out on a sofa
and gave her a kiss on her forehead and wished her pleasant
dreams.

She listened to
him go upstairs and carry out his toilet and then she heard the
pitter patter of Jack’s feet as he ran upstairs to assume his
position at the foot of Arthur’s bed. He heard some mumbling as her
grandfather said his prayers and then the creaking of the bed as he
lay down to sleep. For quite some time Michelle lay there staring
into the fire thinking of what her grandfather had said, her best
friend’s father could be a murderer; he was evil, pure evil.

She wondered if
Sally had any indication of what Michelle now knew and she wondered
even harder whether it was true. She guessed that there would be
witnesses and that somebody somewhere would know the exact truth
and not just her grandfather’s speculation, yet she also knew that
Mr. Gallagher would probably have paid off these people or perhaps
had them murdered. The thoughts flew round Michelle’s head until
they rested on two people: Sally and Simon.

She had meant
to phone Sally and try to make up with her but she had decided that
it would be better to let her calm down a little first. She would
definitely speak to her tomorrow. Then there was Simon. Was he
serious? Michelle thought he was or he would have tried to have sex
with her surely? Worryingly enough Michelle knew that due to the
way she felt right now, if he had tried anything she would have
gone to bed with him without a doubt. In a way she was glad she did
not as it would have spoiled a great night. He would have to wait.
She was not going to be duped again like her ex-boyfriend had duped
her. Only when she was certain he was serious about her would he
let him into bed with her. As she continued to think she felt her
eyes growing heavy and before she stood to go to bed she promised
to herself that she would fix things with Sally tomorrow and
call…

She felt a
vibration in her pocket as her phone started to shake. Out of
politeness to her grandfather she had turned off the ring-tone but
now she pulled it out of her pocket and it was a number that she
did not know. It was approaching eleven o’clock on a Saturday night
and she was tired. She was going to reject the call and then she
thought it could be Simon so she answered the call.

‘Hello? Who is
this please?’

‘Michelle? It
is me, Simon. Can you hear me okay? Pretty noisy here.’

‘Hi, yeah, I
can hear you. Are you okay?’

‘Yeah, I am
fine. Just out in town, again.’

He sounded
bored Michelle thought. ‘Again? You are a dedicated party animal
aren’t you?’

‘Not really. I
am pretty bored to tell the truth. I was just checking to see if
you are out tonight?’

‘No, I am not
tonight. I usually spend Saturday night with my grandfather and I
am tonight.’

‘Oh right.
Sorry. I’m disturbing you. Just realized how bad what I said
sounded! Only calling you because I am bored! Sorry.’

‘It’s okay. I
didn’t notice it in that way.’

‘Ah, okay. Nah,
I’m not phoning you because I am bored, I am phoning you because I
wanted you to brighten my night again like you did last night
otherwise I am off home so it looks like I am going home then
because you are not here!’

‘Yeah, I’m not.
Sorry.’

‘Ah, okay. No
probs. What you doing Wednesday night?’

‘Nothing,
why?’

‘Want to go
out?’

‘Erm, can I let
you know, erm, I mean, yes, of course. Thought I was doing
something then this Wednesday but I’m not so definitely.’

‘Excellent! I
can pick you up at eight if you want? You still live on…’ The noise
suddenly grew when Simon said the name of her street so Michelle
confirmed it with him and said the time was fine. ‘Right, I’m going
home now. Don’t want to stay out any longer surrounded by idiots
who I don’t like!’

‘Okay Simon, be
careful. I will call you tomorrow if you want?’

‘Yeah, that
sounds great. You take care too.’

‘I will’ Bye
Simon.’

‘Bye babe.’

Michelle placed
her phone on her lap and thought happy thoughts about Simon and the
upcoming date. She reminded herself that she was going to take it
nice and slow but then she thought how gorgeous he is and how often
in her life she is going to have the opportunity to go to bed with
someone as lovely looking as him. She shook her head and tried to
clear it of the thoughts racing through it and decided the only way
to get rid of them was to go to bed so she stood up from the sofa
and made her way up the stairs and into the bathroom.

Quietly she had
a quick wash and then made her way to her bedroom and got totally
undressed noticing the dampness in her knickers. ‘Oh my god,’ she
mumbled out loud, ‘I have only been talking to him and I am turned
on! What am I going to be like on Wednesday then?!’

She threw the
undergarment onto the pile of clothes and opened a drawer and
removed the shorts and t-shirt that she kept there. Quickly she put
them on and lifted the thick blankets. She lay down on the bed and
drew them over her, pulling them right up to her chin. For a few
moments she fought with the feelings being emitted from the
horrible thing between her legs that she hated and loved, hated
because it made her feel like this when there was no-one with her
to make the feelings turn into ones she loved. She tossed and
turned for a while until the late hour and the previous night’s
lack of sleep caught up with her and her eyes slowly closed and she
drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Chapter 19

‘Bye babe.’
Simon closed his phone and thought for a few moments just how
foolish he had been. He said out loud to himself, ‘You are stupid!
How long have you known her for?! And she was there all… the…
time…!’

He butted the
flimsy cubicle wall in time with the last three words, then
unlocked the door and stepped into the toilet. He felt his foot go
squelch and slide along the floor until it reached the grip of the
tiled floor. Looking down at the floor there was a slip mark
present in a large pile of vomit and he noticed that his right shoe
was covered in the sick. ‘Oh fucking marvellous!’ he shouted out
loud.

He then reached
for some paper hand towels and threw them on the floor and then
spent the next few minutes trying to wipe the sick off his shoe
without having to touch it which proved to be quite a chore
considering he was having to manoeuvre and balance himself on one
foot when he was drunk.

After much
effort he managed to get the worst of it off his shoe and then he
stepped back into the bar. As he walked through the doorway a young
spotty kid who could not have been more than 15, and who also
looked like he had already obtained ten asbos in his short life,
decided that Simon’s light coloured shirt was the perfect place to
pour his pint of red wine. Bouncing into Simon’s shoulder he lost
control of the glass and it upended right down the front of Simon’s
shirt.

All Simon could
do was stand there, absolutely gob-smacked, while the kid threw his
arms around Simon and shouted down his ear. Simon could not decide
what was more annoying, the loud, slurring words that were
hammering into his ear drums that he could not understand, or the
stench of the teenager’s body odour. He managed to prise himself
out of his grasp and he pushed the chav so hard that he stumbled
and staggered until his feet hit a step then he was catapulted head
first straight into a bouncer’s face, bursting but not quite
breaking the bouncer’s nose.

The bouncer,
whose nickname was Slasher, was, needless to say, slightly
surprised. At first he was even more shocked as the young man threw
his arms around him, pressed his mouth to his ear and started to
rant something into his ear. This shock was short lived though, and
in a truly professional and competent manner he placed his hands on
the juvenile’s arms and started to squeeze his biceps. The vice
like grip tightened and tightened until the bouncer felt him tense
up against his body. He forced his arms apart and pushed the youth
away from his body still tightening the grip on his arms. Now the
whippersnapper was crying out in pain as he felt his biceps being
crushed but the bouncer did not stop there.

He forced the
lad down onto his knees and then drove his knee squarely into his
nose three times. The urchin’s nose broke on the second drive and
was firmly crushed and splattered across his face after the third.
Only when the he was happy that he had inflicted more damage to his
attacker than the pubescent had inflicted on him, did he let go of
his arms. The spotty lad slumped to floor writhing in agony
clutching his nose and then he was clutching his genitals as
Slasher drove a steel toe capped boot into his crotch. He then
pressed a button on his communication device and one of his
colleagues was quickly on the scene. They picked him up between
them and carried him to a fire escape door.

Slasher kicked
it open and with a count of three they swung him out into an alley
then he closed the door leaving the youth to his agonies. Slasher
dabbed at the slight trickle of blood trickling from his nose and
said to his colleague, ‘Little prick!’ His colleague nodded in
agreement and then they both returned to their normal security
stations.

Simon had of
course witnessed all of this and at first he felt slightly guilty
then he glanced down at his ruined shirt and then quickly the guilt
turned to rejoicing as the young man had got his comeuppance. As
Simon stood studying his shirt he made the only decision that was
possible to him, he decided to go along with the idea that he had
stated to Michelle and go home. Making his way past Slasher, who
looked at him strangely noticing the wine covering his shirt, he
found his friends and told them he was going home. They asked him
to stay but of course Simon blamed his shirt for a ruined night and
bid them a good night. He exited the bar and made his way down a
few busy Saturday night streets towards a taxi rank. As he
approached the taxi rank he saw a familiar figure swaggering
towards him and he looked for an escape route knowing that if this
figure saw him he would be dragged out for even longer. Too late as
the figure noticed Simon and hailed him.

‘Simon! You
slack jawed red necked bastard! You didn’t tell me you were out
tonight?!’

‘Hey Peter. I
wasn’t but then I got a call and then, well, I felt like a
few.’

‘You still
don’t know how to drink do you? Your mamma not teach you how?’

‘Piss off! Some
idiot chucked his wine on me!’

‘Tosser. Want
me to have him shot?’

‘Wouldn’t have
minded you doing that, but the bouncer took care of him as only
bouncer’s can!’

‘In a
professional manner?’

‘Yep, you know
it!’

‘How many bones
did he break?’

‘Only one I
think. His nose.’

‘Ouch! Who you
been out with?’

‘Couple of lads
from college. You don’t know them.’ Simon noticed the quick hurt
look flash across his face.

‘No worries.
Couldn’t have come out tonight anyway, not with you anyway. Got
myself a date with a nubile young blonde!’

‘What’s his
name?’

‘Very witty!
Some chick called Sophie. Met her last night. Good shag so I
thought I would come back for some more!’

‘Good work!
Didn’t know you scored last night. Not really spoke to anyone apart
from my college mates. Nice one! Is she hot?’

‘Well, you
know, alright. Good in the sack and after a few J.D.’s and coke
that is all that matters isn’t it?!’

‘Yeah, it is,’
Simon replied, rolling his eyes inside his mind.

‘Anyway, can’t
keep a ride waiting for much longer. Better go!’

‘Okay matie.
Have a top night!’

‘I’d wish the
same to you but it looks like yours is over!’

‘Indeed it is!
Going home now to my bed! Speak to you soon. Bye matie!’

‘See you!’

Peter continued
walking away from Simon and as he rounded a corner out of his view
he checked that the gun was still tucked into the back of his jeans
and muttered under his breath, ‘Gullible arse! Believe anything I
say!’

He carried on
walking through the streets until he reached a part of the town
that contained the main group of bars and clubs. Peter was greeted
with a shake of the hand by the bouncer of the first bar he
approached and during the hand-shake they exchanged money and
drugs. He shook hands with another doorman and the same exchange
took place.

Peter spoke
into the ear of the second bouncer, knowing he had a tendency to
take harder drugs than the cocaine Peter had just given him, making
it quite clear that at this time next week he would be able to have
a fantastic deal on some quality heroin. The bouncer appreciated
Peter’s reputation for already supplying a superior level of drug
and his eyes lit up when he heard the offered price for a gram. The
bouncer then made Peter happy when he told him that he knew other
people who would be very interested in such a deal and he would put
the word out for him. Peter thanked him and then strode into the
bar.

Through the
crowded establishment Peter forced his way to the bar while placing
the money in his extended jeans’ pocket. One of the barmen
recognized him and did not ask him what beer he wanted nor did he
charge him. The reasons for this occurrence happened a month or so
ago.