He's After Me (17 page)

‘Leave it there, Livi.’

‘Why don’t you stand up for him?’ she spits. ‘You don’t care about him! Nobody does!’

‘I did care about him!’ I snap back. ‘I loved him! And look how he repaid me!’

‘The CCTV footage shows there was no one else going in and out of the apartment except for Anna and Jem,’ says Dad. ‘It had to be him.’

‘Or me!’ I say venomously and Livi shuts up at last. But I know we haven’t heard the last from her.

Dad didn’t press charges. I know why. He didn’t want to drag my name into it. With Jem out of my life, he hoped we could put the whole sorry incident behind us and move on with our lives.

But it’s not as easy as that.

I try, I really do. I throw myself into college and spend all my time catching up. I can’t believe how much I’d let things slide. Zoe’s great. She’s totally there for me now Jem’s no longer on the scene. She helps me with my work, practically escorts me to and from college, and makes sure I hang out with her and the others in the common-room every lunchtime.

In a way, it’s like Jem never existed. Secretly, I can’t believe how easily he’s given up on me. He said he loved me! I’d have thought he’d be more persistent than that. I’ve seen him when he can’t get what he wants and he never gives up. But now it’s like my dream guy turned into a nightmare, and then I woke up and discovered he never existed at all!

Except I feel empty inside, like I’ve had something surgically removed. Jem has been aborted from my life and all that is left is a huge, gaping void of sadness and regret.

I can’t sleep. Through the long, dark nights, I worry that I acted too hastily. Now I’m over the shock of what he did, I guess it wasn’t
that
bad, after all. Maybe we all over-reacted. I mean, what did he actually do? Borrow my father’s watch, drink his champagne (actually, I drank most of it!) and help himself to some money that was lying about, that’s all. He probably intended to put it all back, but he didn’t have time.

Let’s face it, we’d left in a bit of a hurry that morning, which was the reason the flat was in such a mess. We didn’t mean that to happen. OK, there was the matter of Jude’s jewellery, but I can’t remember seeing any lying about. Maybe she made it up? People do after a break-in, so they can claim on insurance.

And as for her clothing … well, that was me, not him, only I was too embarrassed to tell anyone. I let him take the rap for it, which did him no favours whatsoever.

Some girlfriend I turned out to be! He should’ve chosen Livi! She’s never doubted him. Unlike me.

Loyal little Livi.

Jem, you chose the wrong sister. Livi would have stood by you.

A
nd then, just as I’m slowly coming to terms with the fact that Jem has vanished from my life for ever, he quietly lets me know he’s still around. When I get to the bus stop one morning with Livi, I notice the shelter is boasting a JAWS tag inside a red heart. It looks just like the chocolate heart he slipped into my bag all those months ago – and I’m so taken by surprise, I gasp.

‘What’s up?’ says Livi and I say, ‘Nothing,’ and she lapses back into the soulful silence that is becoming her default mood. Since Jem disappeared she’s retreated into a world of her own – when she’s not out with her giddy mates. I hope Ferret’s not back on the scene now Jem’s not here to set a good example. How ironic is that? That’s something that Dad didn’t see, the positive effect Jem had on my little sister. I think she misses him nearly as much as I do.

The next day there’s a heart with a tag inside it on the pavement outside college. It’s surrounded by a crowd of admiring students, who recognize the signature.

The day after that, one appears on the Art block.

Soon I’m looking for them – and he doesn’t disappoint. One appears at the end of my street, another on our back door, a third on the wall of the corner shop. The message is loud and clear. Jem Smith is still around, Anna Williams, and he wants you to know he still loves you.

It’s like
my
heart has lit up again. How did I think I could switch off what we had together? Every night, when I go to bed, I think of him out there, tagging. For me. Sometimes I think I’ll go mad, I miss him so much.

One night I go to the cinema with Zoe. By the time I get home, the house is in darkness. Mum and Livi must be fast asleep. I sink down on to the sofa, lost in gloom. The film, about lost love, really got to me. Suddenly I can’t stand it any longer. I go on Facebook and lurk on Jem’s page. Then I hear a noise outside in the hall and quickly I minimize the site, get to my feet and peer cautiously around the door in the darkness. My sister is tip-toeing upstairs. She freezes in horror when she sees me.

‘Don’t do that! I thought you were Mum!’

‘Where’ve you been?’

‘Shhh!’ She glances upstairs apprehensively. ‘She’ll hear you!’

The penny drops. ‘You’ve been with that loser, Ferret, haven’t you?’

She licks her lips nervously then gives me a twisted, little smile. ‘So? What if I have?’

‘Livi! You are going to get yourself into trouble!’

‘What? Like you, you mean?’

I glare at her, torn between the urge to slap her and wanting to sit her down and explain for the umpteenth time why she shouldn’t throw herself away on someone like Ferret. She doesn’t give me the chance to do either. She disappears upstairs and I wander into the kitchen crossly to make myself a coffee.

I take it upstairs with me to bed and flick through a magazine while I drink it. I must have nodded off because I wake up with a start with the light still on. Then I remember I’d left the computer on Facebook and I nip downstairs to turn it off. I maximize the screen before I switch it off.

Jem has sent me a message.

I miss you, Anna.

What is this, telepathy? One click and I see that he’s still online. My heart is racing; my fingers are even faster.

    
I miss you too.

Back comes the reply and then, before I know it, we are chatting.

I didn’t steal anything from your father’s flat.

No?

You know I didn’t. I borrowed some cash, that’s all. I was going to put it back.

What about the rest of the stuff?

What, Jude’s knickers?

Stop it!

I’m sorry.

What about my dad’s watch? And the jewellery?

I didn’t take it.

Where is it then?

You’re not going to like this.

What?

I think it was an insurance job.

My dad’s not a criminal.

Neither am I.

Leave it there, Anna. It’s too painful raking it all up again. But I stare at the screen.
If
Jem is telling the truth and he didn’t take those things … Well, I didn’t take them and Dad didn’t take them, that’s for sure. So that means there’s only one person left to blame for this whole sorry mess.

Jude. She’s trying to fiddle the insurance.

The thing is, who do I trust? Jude or Jem?

My fingers type:

    
I need to see you.

W
e arrange to meet at Jem’s place the following evening. The next day he rings me in college at lunchtime.

‘I finish at six,’ he says.

‘I’ll be round about eight.’

‘Can’t wait!’

It’s so good to hear his voice again that I can’t help smiling.

‘Who’s that?’ asks Zoe.

‘Nobody special.’

‘Yeah right! You’ve got that same look on your face you used to have when you spoke to Jem. Sort of loopy!’

‘Don’t be daft!’ I say, but she grins and pats me on the knee.

‘Good to see you’re over Schizo Boy anyway.’

‘Jem’s not a schizo!’ I say automatically, but she’s turned away and is chatting to someone else. I take a deep breath and count to ten. When we prove all this has been Jude’s fault, she can take that back.

That evening I’ve just gone upstairs to get ready to meet Jem when Dad appears. He’s never away from the place nowadays. I hear him talking to Mum and Livi in the lounge and go back down and pop my head round the door.

‘Back again?’ I enquire sweetly, but his face is serious.

‘I’ve got something I think you should hear.’

‘What is it?’ I perch on the edge of the sofa next to Mum. ‘Better be quick.’

Dad puts his hands together and stares at the floor, his elbows on his knees. ‘There’s been a development,’ he says and he raises his eyes to mine.

‘What sort of development?’

‘Five thousand pounds has been stolen from an account.’

I feel my heart plummet.

‘Whose account?’

‘Jude’s.’

Jude’s? What’s going on here?

‘So?’

I stare at him bewildered. Mum places her hand over mine.

‘Why has it only just come to light?’ she asks.

Dad rubs his brow, then his chin. ‘Jude forgot about the account. It’s not one she uses very often. We checked all the cards at the time but she forgot about this one. But now her statement has come through and there’s five grand missing.’

‘Jem wouldn’t do that!’ cries Livi and I could kiss her. But Dad looks sceptical.

‘Look,’ I point out reasonably. ‘How could he? He’d need a password or a pin number, or something.’

‘He must have got hold of them somehow.’

‘No way!’ Livi explodes.

‘It must be Jude,’ I explain. ‘She must’ve forgotten she withdrew the money. I do it all the time. I’m for ever thinking I’ve got more than I’ve got in my account …’

‘The first withdrawals were made while we were in New York.’

‘Oh, come on!’ I can feel my temper rising. I don’t know what game Jude thinks she’s playing here, but she’s
not
going to get away with it. ‘Jem did not take that money. He couldn’t have!’

‘Yeah!’ Livi agrees. ‘You can’t pin this one on him!’

‘Well, somebody did,’ he says flatly and it’s obvious he’s made up his mind it’s Jem.

I lose it. ‘Maybe, just maybe, Jude made it up! Have you thought of that? Maybe your girlfriend is trying to fiddle the insurance!’

‘Don’t be ridiculous!’ snaps Dad. ‘She’s a lawyer!’

‘So?’ My voice rises with frustration. ‘That doesn’t mean she can’t commit a crime!’ Even to my own ears I sound like an hysterical child.

‘Well, we’ll find out soon, sure enough. Jude’s gone to the police. It’s out of my hands.’ His tone suggests he’s had enough of the whole thing. You can tell he and Jude have had words about it. ‘They’ll probably want to speak to you at some point, Anna.’

‘Right!’ I say, getting to my feet. ‘Thanks very much! Can I go now?’ I stalk out of the house without waiting for an answer.

When I reach the hotel I realize I’m early, but I go round the back to the staff quarters anyway and ring the bell. The door opens immediately but it’s not Jem, it’s one of his lager-swilling room-mates, the creepy one with the sore red eyes and weak chin who used to drool over the photos of me above Jem’s bed. He reminds me of a rat. His eyes light up when he sees me.

‘Where’s Jem?’ I ask.

‘Had to go out. He won’t be long. Come in and wait for him.’

I brush past him and perch myself gingerly on the end of Jem’s bed. There’s a stale smell in the room, of unmade beds and unwashed male. No wonder Jem spends as little time here as possible.

‘Wanna drink?’

‘No thanks.’ I can feel him watching me, eyeing me up, and I’m angry with Jem for leaving me alone with him. ‘Where’s he gone?’

‘Got called down to the manager’s office.’

‘What for?’

‘Dunno.’ He laughs. ‘You never know with Jem. Could be anything.’

I don’t bother to reply, then he says, his voice light, teasing, ‘Thought you’d been dumped.’

‘Did you now?’ Not my interpretation of events. I give him a dirty look and get to my feet, my arms wrapped tightly around me, annoyed that Jem would confide in a low-life like him. But then I notice the mass of photos of me has disappeared from the wall and decide that even with his limited number of brain cells, he had probably worked it out for himself.

‘Was thinking of asking you out myself,’ he says. I feel his piggy little eyes leering at me and dart him a look of disgust. His eyelashes are glued together with blobs of creamy gunge. I feel sick.

To my relief the phone rings and his attention is diverted. Saved by the bell. Literally.

‘Manager wants to speak to me too,’ he says importantly, putting the phone down. ‘Something going on. Won’t be long.’

‘Take your time.’ I breathe a sigh of relief as he goes out. Creep!