Fall of Hope (Book 1): Real Heroes Don't Wear Capes (17 page)

As
Danny slips his phone into his pocket, he scowls without conviction.
“We can play more tomorrow, or the day after, okay? My mum has
to make the dinner to take to my gran's house. She was struggling
with some things yesterday, especially after the operation. She
didn't say so because she's stubborn, but I could see it in her eyes.
Everything is difficult at the minute.”

Don't
I know it?

•

Five
minutes later, the boys are back outside with the sun's warmth
beating on their faces. Bobby finds the decision to go with his mate
to the nearest supermarket rather than home is an easy one to make.
Later, he will wish he gave it a miss, but for now, he is glad for
the distraction.

As
they pass under the trees and into the store, sparrows immerse
themselves in song above their heads.

The
owner, Mr Woods, raises a hand as they enter. His scrawny, blotched
arms look too weak to be packing the bags for the man he is serving.
If it bothers him though, he doesn't show it.

He
discovered he had the big C—a 50th Birthday present from the
doctor. Bobby thought with him being a lone parent to three grown
daughters, no one was more qualified to cope with stress than him.

His
name is David, not that Bobby will ever call him by his forename to
his face. He lives in the next street from theirs, and spends most of
his time in the garden planting flowers and trimming bushes--Stacy's
Mother is not needed there. He is always full of smiles and kind
words to anyone who passes.

He
is a good guy trying to make the most of his life, unlike his own
father, so Bobby cannot help but admire the man. If you need
anything, he can get it, especially American snacks like
Twinkies
and
Hershey
bars. Plus, a dozen varieties of
Snickers
he keeps outback.

Because
Snickers are apparently better in a hundred different flavours.

The
store is modest compared to big chains like
Tesco
and
Morrisons
, but it has all the amenities you could need. Bobby
can still recall the place before it had a makeover back in the 90's.
Back then, his mother would pick him up from school and drop in to
buy a
Zap
ice cream.

Danny
rummages through the cheeses in the frige until he finds the right
one. When he locates it, he waves the cheese in front of Bobby's face
like a prize.

“
Oi,
didn't you see the sign outside? There's no fags allowed in here.”
The guy coming around the corner chuckles with both satisfaction and
disgust.

Bobby
drops his head to the shelf opposite to focus on pink baby wipes and
cotton buds. If it keeps him from having to glance in the direction
of the older boy, then so be it.

“
What's
wrong, are you on the rag?” Josh motions to the tampons where
Bobby is glaring and laughs.

Bobby
blushes and looks away.

Why
does he have to be an arsehole all the time?

The
guy must be in his late twenties like Toad is, but he acts younger.
He refuses to grow up and still hangs around—and deals drugs
to—kids half his age.

He
pulls change free from his grey
Adidas
pants and rolls it
around in his hand. He finds more interest in Bobby than any snack he
came in for.

“
Oi,
shit head. I'm talking to you.”

Bobby
feels tugging at his sleeve and turns to see Danny motioning for him
to follow.

“
Just
leave it,” he directs Josh's way. “Haven't you got some
minors to dope up?”

As
Danny pulls him through the aisles, he doesn't fail to see the
irritated smirk on the older boy's face. If not for the red blotches
on his skin and the cold sores along his rosy lips, he would
handsome—the kind that attracts all women. Instead, he looks
like a council benefit scrounger.

At
the till, Bobby glares back, waiting for Josh to resurface as Danny
makes small talk with Mr Woods. The black and white monitor in the
corner shows nobody back there, so he must have left.

Great.
He's waiting outside for us.

“
That's
great. Your mum must be proud, I know I would be. Say, how's your
mum, Bobby?”

Bobby
turns to the man behind the counter at the mention of his name.

Beneath
the grey facial hair, the harsh lines of age are clear. Although he
appears withered, the man's eyes have resumed their previous fire and
drive.

Shuffling
his feet, Bobby smiles. “She is good, thanks, Mr Woods.”

Handing
the blue bag with less effort than the previous customer, Mr Woods
smiles as he takes the Fiver from Danny. “I haven't seen her in
years. What is she up to these days? Is she happy with your results?
I bet you did as well as Danny, hey?”

“
She's
delighted, sir.”

That
appears to be enough to silence him into a nod of approval as he
hands Danny the change.

“
Well,
both of you go and enjoy what's left of your holiday because it's all
work from then on. What I'd give to go back to being your age,”
he says as his eyes drift into reverie.

Danny
pockets the change and motions with his head for them to leave. “See
you later, Mr Woods. I have to get this back to my mum, she's making
tea soon.”

Snapping
back to the present, the owner grins. “Okay, son. Give my love
to your mothers.”

•

Josh
isn't waiting outside which is a relief.

After
the dim chill of the store the heat is once again like a welcome
blanket on his skin.

“
So
who'd you reckon will die?”

“
Why
does either of them have to die?”

“
Everyone
who comes into Gunner's life dies—his wife, his daughter and
everyone back in their home city. But I heard there's a shock ending,
so maybe it'll be him.” Danny trails off as they cross the road
and enter the village. His eyes expand as he looks beyond the closest
cars.

Following
his eye, Bobby can make out the figures at the corner of the road
that leads to their houses. Bobby's legs want to give up and turn
back around at the sight. He longs to head in through the field way,
but resists the screaming inside his brain and keeps moving. To say
anything will mean admitting he's afraid, but it's not his
imagination Danny slows to a reluctant shuffle.

They
recognise each boy in an instant even though two stand with their
backs facing them. One boy sits with his legs dangling over the wall
with a cigarette and shrouded in smoke.

Jack
Watson is one of the four boys who are standing to the side with his
hands down the front of his tracksuit pants.

Toad
sits on the wall with a khaki
Yankee
cap pulled over his
forehead to obscure everything but his cracked lips. Not once has
Bobby seen the guy without items hiding his face.

The
third boy is Jamie Kelly—the best left back Our Lady's
Secondary School had. Bobby is more familiar with the trophies,
plaques and team photographs in the school cabinet rather than the
physical being. The school team would play other teams in the city
each month. Kelly was always mentioned as the player of the match in
the school newsletters. He was a legend, especially for handing their
rival school St Peter's ass to them. Why he hangs around with such
scum as Toad is beyond any reasoning Bobby can find. Sure, he is a
council brat, but with his career prospects in football, Bobby
assumed he would try harder to assert himself.

The
last, with his back to Bobby in the grey tracksuit, is the boy from
the shop.

Josh.

Bobby's
stomach twists and wraps into knots until the tightening becomes a
physical discomfort.

He
can read the offer of the park route on Danny's face when he slips a
glance his way. But that will require a ten minute reroute, and they
wouldn't live it down if the boys were to turn and catch them. So
they continue until Jack turns and spots them.

“
Oi,
fuckers! Over here,” he shouts, oblivious to his screeching
pitch. He may have been a great striker for the school, but not
anymore. Even from this distance, Bobby can see the drowsy eyes and
red skin associated with somebody on drugs.

As
Jack calls out, Toad glances up with the butt gritted between his
teeth. He cannot contain the pleasurable grin that spreads across his
smug chops.

He
thinks this is his lucky day
.

Maybe
it is, but at least he has one advantage—there are no toilets
out here for his head to take a dip in.

Jack
pulls his hands free from his pants after rearranging himself, then
nudges Josh to look at what has gained his attention. The smirk on
Josh's pale face matches the others', much to Bobby's disgust.

Bobby
bows his head and prays Danny's feet do not go over to the lads like
a hypnotised snake unravelling from a basket.

Jack
has his red football socks rolled over his tracksuit bottoms. Wearing
them that way must keep him warm, but Bobby cannot understand that
excuse in this heat.

He
looks like a tool.

Although
he does, Bobby would never tell him that to his face, or within range
of him overhearing.

“
What
have you got there, gimp?” Kelly motions to the bag in Danny's
hand as he crosses the road. As he closes the gap, Bobby sucks his
breath inside.

Danny
chokes down all the sarcasm and humour he would reply with—if
Kelly were anyone else—with mighty effort. Bobby can read it on
his face as he holds the cheese up as a weak reply.

“
Oi,
I'm talking to you. The least you can do is answer,” Kelly
responds when Danny supplies no audio to go with the action.

“
Cheese,”
Danny mutters

“
Ha
ven't
you got enough of that on your cock, dick head?” Jamie glances
at the others to see if they are acknowledging what he said. They
reward him with harsh tittering.

With
Kelly in the road and the boys now unavoidable, the pair cross and
attempt to pass without further incident. Sharp laughter arises
inside Bobby's skull for suggesting that could be a possibility.

When
he picks himself up from the wall and flicks the butt toward the
bushes of somebody's back garden, Toad approaches.

Danny
clips Bobby's shoulder, knocking him back into the road. Bobby
attempts to remain in control, but as ignorant as he dare. One thing
his mother would say about school bullies was: “ignore them and
they'll soon get bored—they always do." Only, in his
experience, feigning ignorance only resulted in the bullies getting
more irritated.

Bobby
steps onto the pavement when space becomes available, only for Toad
to raise his arm across his chest to halt him in his tracks.
Acknowledging the premature stop, Danny turns back and locks eyes
with Bobby’s.

“
For
once can you leave it,” Danny says raising his voice as much as
he dare. Bobby cannot help noting the tone of indifference—it's
something they both learned to adapt in these situations. They use it
when removing eye contact and remaining mute are no longer an option.