Everything to Nothing (39 page)

‘Costs a
fortune.’

‘Yeah, I don’t
doubt it for a second!’

‘Lights. One.’
Some of the lights turned off, the rest dimmed giving a romantic
air to the room.

The food
quickly arrived and they ate together at the dining table and then
they retired back to the lounge and the settee. As soon as they had
settled down, Sally quickly turned to David and kissed him deeply
and passionately. Not only did she find this fine young man
attractive physically, more and more he was attracting her
mentally, so she was not surprised when she felt her body react
instantly in a manner it had never done before.

The top of her
thighs became slick and she pressed them together enjoying the
feeling. She was also enjoying feeling the affect she was having on
him. Clearly she could feel his hardness growing and growing as his
hips pressed against her.

As quickly as
she had started to kiss him she finished, knowing that if they
carried on both of them would not be able to stop. They talked for
a while, and later that night, after many more kisses had been
exchanged, they each retired to their separate bedrooms. She wanted
it all to carry on, to not stop at just kisses, but she forced
herself to stop because she was simply not ready, nowhere near
ready yet, but she would be in the not too distant future.

Chapter 30

Winter rolled
on for everyone and quickly turned to spring. Michelle and Simon’s
love for each other grew and grew over these months spending as
much time together as they possibly could. After the Saturday night
when they had made love into the early hours of Sunday morning,
they dated and made love whenever they met, their relationship
growing and growing, blossoming like the flowers of the new
spring.

Sally had
received a couple of calls from the police which basically stated
their investigations were ongoing, but she did not expect them to
catch anyone. Almost forgetting the frightening circumstances in
which she had met him, Sally and David’s relationship also
blossomed, but physically a lot slower than their friends. They had
plenty of dates together, enjoying the cinema, theatre, meals out
and they loved each other’s company. Yet, Sally sensed that David
was getting frustrated at their lack of a stronger physical
relationship but she wanted the night that she lost her virginity
to be perfect. She thought she knew when that night would occur but
it was still a few months away.

Sally had
managed, just about, to keep her real status in life secret from
David but she knew that she could not keep the pretence up for much
longer. Indeed, she had recently made the decision to inform David,
take him to the mansion and introduce him to her father, a day that
she was not looking forward to. The day she had chosen was the
Saturday after her holiday in Monaco. Mr. Gallagher would, well
should still be off work and he had, after seeing them that
Saturday night, been eager to meet David.

Whenever the
girls were together they talked incessantly about two subjects,
their relationships and their upcoming trip to Monaco. Sally had
not been surprised that Michelle had enjoyed a night of glorious
sex with Simon and Michelle was eager for her friend to start a
sexual relationship with her new partner so they could talk
properly about their experiences, which for now were very one-sided
conversations.

They frequently
went shopping together, when each of them could be persuaded to
leave the side of their respective partners, preparing for their
vacation. Michelle insisted on paying her own way, but occasionally
a pair of shoes or other such item would be out of her price range
so unhesitatingly her friend would buy them for her.

Over the last
few months, their four lives had changed immeasurably, but the life
that had changed the most was Sarah’s. If one was to walk into her
bedroom now and compare it to a few months ago, one would see some
differences. Her music system was gone. Her bed was gone and only a
saggy mattress remained. Her television was gone. All her C.D.s and
D.V.D.s were gone. Bizarrely, the only item that she had kept which
was worth any money was her computer. In a rare moment of clarity
she had decided to keep it as it helped her discover more about the
drugs that helped her escape from the misery in her life.

It had not
taken her long to use the drugs she had stolen from Peter. In a
moment of desperation when the withdrawal symptoms were unbearable,
she had called him and begged him for some more. To this request
she received a torrent of abuse which concluded in him stating to
her that if she ever crossed his path again she would be killed
along with her mother.

So Sarah, still
showing her naivety about drugs, searched on the internet to find
out how she could acquire more of the drugs. She discovered it was
easy enough. Go to any red light area of the town or city and there
will be dealers there. So she did exactly that.

It was a
chilly, early spring night when she walked the three miles from her
house into the small red light area of the town. She walked along
some of the streets, walking past a handful of prostitutes who
stared venomously at her thinking she was going to try and steal
their strip of street. When Sarah stopped to speak to one of them
she was treated with hostility.

‘Excuse
me.’

‘Excuse me what
darling?’

‘I’m after some
drugs.’

‘Drugs? This is
my patch so fuck off or I’ll cut off your face.’

‘You’d cut off
my face for asking you a simple question?’

‘Look, this is
my patch so fuck off or I’ll cut off your face.’

From seemingly
fresh air a knife appeared in the prostitute’s hand and she slashed
at Sarah’s arm. Sarah somehow managed to react quickly enough and
dodged out of the way of the worst of the slash, but the tip of the
knife caught her arm and blood sprang from the cut.

‘Ow! Jesus!
What the fuck is wrong with you?!’

‘The fuck that
is wrong with me is little girls who can’t understand simple
English. So, for the last time, this is my patch so fuck off or
I’ll cut off your face.’

With this last
warning Sarah backed away, clutching her bleeding her arm, and then
ran off down the street. She reached the corner of the street and
stopped running, now shaking and out of breath. Turning the corner
she noticed two men stood leaning against a wall. Sarah quickly
approached them. ‘Excuse me. Excuse me! I’ve just been
attacked!’

‘What? Who
by?’

‘A woman around
the corner. She tried to stab me.’

One of the men
stepped into the light and looked at her closely, instantly
recognizing her for what she was; a drug addicted teenager
desperate for a hit. Her gaunt expression, the dark circles and
skinny body told him this in one quick glance. ‘Welcome to the area
honey. That’s Crystal. She’s mad. You’re lucky to walk away with
only a scratch. I’d stay away from her if I was you. Why are you in
this area? Pretty lady like you could get themselves raped and
murdered in a nasty place like this.’

The other man
had stayed in the dark. Sarah could not see his face, but his
silhouette seemed somehow familiar to her. ‘I was after some
drugs.’

‘Drugs? What
kind?’

‘Heroin.’

‘Heroin. Well,
you’ve come to the right guys. Fifty pounds for three hits
worth.’

‘Fifty? I
haven’t got that much.’

‘How much have
you got honey? You could always get more. Pretty young thing like
you could make a killing in this area.’

‘I’m not a
whore. I’m in college, studying. I want to become a nurse.’

‘A nurse? You’d
better stay off the heroin then darling.’

‘No, I can do
both.’

‘You can do
both? I’ve heard that before.’ He turned and laughed with the other
man who still stayed in the dark.

Sarah thought
she recognised that laugh but her drug addled mind could not make
the connection. ‘I’ve got thirty pounds.’

‘Thirty pounds?
Let me guess. Your college money right?’ Sarah nodded. ‘Tell you
what I’d do darling. Go home. Lock yourself in your bedroom with a
bucket for vomit, lots of water and plenty of vitamins and
minerals. Stay in your room for a week and get yourself off this
drug before it ruins your life. If you are only ever going to
listen to one piece of advice for the rest of your life, I’d make
it the advice I just gave you.’

She appeared to
contemplate this man’s advice for a moment or two. She almost
appeared to be contemplating walking away and getting her life back
on the right track. But then a cramp hit her gut like the knife
that had just sliced her arm. She winced and subconsciously
scratched at her arm. Her decision had been made. ‘How much can I
get for thirty pounds?’

‘Okay. Whatever
darling. This much.’ He reached into his pocket and pulled out a
small packet of the drug and held it out to her.

‘Is that
it?!’

‘Yep. It’s an
expensive drug. If you want more then bring more money.’

‘I’ll just take
that.’ Sarah handed over her cash and took the drug out of the
man’s hand. ‘Are you here every night?

‘Most
nights.

‘Okay.
Thanks.’

‘No worries.
Good luck in college.’

‘Thanks.’ Sarah
turned away and walked quickly away.

Under his
breath the man said, ‘You’re going to need all the luck you can
get.’

As Sarah
reached the end of the street she turned and looked back. The face
of the man who had remained in the shadows lit up as his lighter
flared for the briefest of moments. As his shadowy face was shown
to Sarah, she let out a gasp as she realised it was Peter. She
wanted to return and confront him, but then she remembered his
threats and how she had been lucky that he had let her buy the
drugs without him attacking her as he had promised. Instead she
swore under her breath, swearing her revenge, and then started the
long and lonely cold walk back to her home.

*

For the next
few weeks Sarah repeated her journey into this dangerous area of
the town but as the time went on the thirty pounds she was spending
was not getting her enough of the drug, nowhere near enough. And
then, as she failed to register for the summer term of college
after the Easter holidays, her college payments stopped.

In a panic she
contacted the college and asked why the payments had ceased. The
college informed her that due to her lack of attendance, her lack
of submission of vital pieces of coursework and her lack of
presence at key examinations, she had been removed from her courses
and would have to re-sit the year. Therefore, given all these
circumstances, the college had no option but to suspend her
payments.

Sarah begged
them to allow her back on the courses and to continue sending her
payments but they refused stating it would not be fair on the other
students who had attended to allow her back onto the courses. With
a foul torrent of abuse Sarah slammed the phone down.

‘Is anything
the matter dear?’

‘Is anything
the matter dear? Is anything the fucking matter?! Are you on this
planet mum? Are you?! If you supported me more, if you were more of
a mother to me then perhaps I would not be in this fucking mess. If
you had been more of a wife to dad, perhaps he would have stayed!
Instead, because of you, I’ve been kicked off my college
courses.’

‘Never mind
dear. I’ve done well without no college courses.’

‘I think mum
that our ideas of doing well may differ ever so fucKING SLIGHTLY!’
Sarah’s voice increased in volume and hysteria.

She slumped
into an armchair, muttering to herself, scratching her arms as she
struggled to think of a way to fund her addiction. Earlier that
month she had already sold anything she could sell. The only item
in the house that was worth anything was her computer but she was
not going to sell that until she truly had no other option. She
still occasionally used her computer when she was sold a type of
heroin she did not know so she could investigate it on the internet
and find out how much of the drug she should take.

No-one would
buy the old furniture or the even older fridge and washing machine;
she had already tried. She stared with venom at her mother as she
took a swig from a bottle of dark rum, staring into the space where
the television used to be. Sarah had got thirty pounds for it.
Looking around the room desperate for eyes to land on something she
could sell, her eyes rested on her mother’s purse. Without
hesitating she asked her mum a question. ‘Mum, when’s your next
social payment due?’

‘Today dear.
But I’ve not had chance to get it.’

‘Do you want me
to get it for you?’

‘If you don’t
mind dear. You know my pin number don’t you?’

‘Yes mum. Just
as well I do because you don’t know what it is do you?’

‘You’re a good
girl. Will you get me some vodka on your way back? And some gin?
And some whiskey? And some food? I haven’t eaten for a while. I
can’t remember the last time I ate anything.’

‘Of course mum.
I’ll go right now.’ Sarah stood and took her mum’s bank card from
her purse. Turning to look at her mum she leaned over her and
kissed her lightly on her forehead. ‘Sorry I was nasty before mum.
It’s hard for us both.’

‘It’s okay
dear. I’m sure your dad will come back one day. It’s just a phase
he’s going through.’

‘I’m sure too
mum. I’ll be back soon.’ She lightly kissed her mum again and left
the house.

Sarah walked
the streets, slept in a pipe underneath a railway line for two
nights because she did not want to return home and give the money
to her mother. She was hoping that by the time she got back her mum
would have forgotten. Sarah did not return home until dark had
fallen at the end of the third day.