Blood Ties (12 page)

I could just imagine her next week, a cruel smile twisted round her mouth. ‘Your boyfriend left early,’ she’d say sarcastically. ‘Couldn’t bring himself to touch you, was that it?’

Another track started up and Theo and I began moving in time with the music, I decided I would have to leave with him. I’d tell him it was so I could show him where the station was. Then I could go straight home. I’d tell Mum I had a headache or something. At least that way I could make out Theo and I had left together.

I looked up at him. He was dancing opposite me, swaying in this cool, detached way and staring round at everyone. I caught sight of Jemima gyrating away on the other side of the room. She was with her friends and this big group of boys – maybe she’d forgotten about me.

No chance. Just at that moment she looked over. Her eyes narrowed. She shook her head.

I could see what she was thinking. What everyone must be thinking. Theo was looking everywhere but at me. He was dancing almost a metre away from me. He was not the slightest bit interested in me.

He was so, so obviously
not
my boyfriend.

Wham
. Someone barged into me. I fell sideways. The floor flew up into my face.
Thump
. I landed heavily on my arm.
Ow
.

‘Hey,’ Theo shouted. ‘Watch out.’

A male voice swore. Theo swore back.

I looked up, ignoring the pain in my arm. This stocky, dark-haired guy was shoving Theo backwards. I scrambled to my feet. Theo shoved the stocky boy back – hard.

The stocky boy clenched his fists. His friends were all glaring at Theo. Theo was glaring at them.

I didn’t think. I just strode over and stood in front of him.

‘Stop it,’ I said. ‘Get into a fight and you’ll never get out of here.’ I rubbed my arm – the pain was already fading.

Theo was still staring behind me, at the other boys, his breath all rough and shallow. I put my hands on his shoulders. They were hunched and tense. ‘Relax,’ I said. ‘It’s not important.’

He looked down at me. I felt his shoulders release their tension under my hands. ‘Are you okay?’ he said.

I nodded, suddenly horribly aware of how close we were standing to each other. My hands started shaking. Theo frowned. He put his arms round my waist. ‘You sure?’

I gulped, nodding again. Now I had time to think I couldn’t believe I’d spoken to Theo so forcefully. I looked round. The stocky boy and his friends had vanished. We were surrounded by people dancing. The music was still pounding away, but we’d both stopped moving. All I could feel was his hands holding me. My heart hammering like it would explode. My face burning.

I dipped my head so that my fringe brushed against his chest. I was only doing it so that he wouldn’t see my red face, but he pulled me closer, into a hug.

I turned my head sideways, so my cheek lay against his chest. He was hugging me. It was amazing. It felt so
right.
His body all lean and muscular. His hands warm on my waist.

I could feel his heart beating. The swirly feeling that had been in my stomach since I’d seen him outside the school gates spread through my whole body. I’d never felt like this. Ever. I closed my eyes, only knowing that I didn’t want him to stop holding me.

But he was bending down, whispering my name in my ear, pulling away slightly. I looked up.

His face was so close to mine I could have counted the long, dark lashes round his eyes. For one totally amazing moment I thought he was going to kiss me.

And then he let go of me and took a step back.

‘I have to go,’ he said. ‘It’s time.’

She’d looked so shaken that I’d hugged her.

I guessed that idiot barging into her had really upset her. I felt bad leaving right then, but I needed to get as far away as possible before Roy realised I was gone.

‘I’m going for a pee,’ I said. ‘That way Roy’ll see me. Then he won’t think to come in here and check up on me. On my way back I’ll grab my bag. Will you be ready to do whatever distraction thing you’ve got worked out?’

Rachel looked a bit dazed. But she nodded.

I strode off through the crowd. The toilets were opposite the hall door. Roy was sprawled in a chair outside them, his hands clasped behind his head. As usual, he looked phenomenally bored.

I indicated I was going for a pee. He nodded. When I came out of the toilets I hesitated. I was almost sure this would be the last time I ever saw him. I hadn’t thought much further ahead than finding my dad – but I knew that Roy was unlikely to give me another chance if I ran off tonight, whenever I came home. ‘Having fun?’ he said gruffly.

‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘Thanks, Roy.’

Back inside the hall, I grabbed my backpack and checked my pocket for the millionth time, feeling both tight wodges of cash – and Rachel’s phone.

She was more or less where I’d left her on the dance floor, chatting with the pointy-faced blonde girl in the tight black dress. A much faster record was playing now and the place was heaving. I wove my way towards her.

She didn’t see me. The blonde girl was sneering at her, turning to these two other girls beside her. All three of them were wearing short, skin-tight dresses.

Then the blonde girl caught sight of me and narrowed her eyes.

I walked up. Rachel and the other three girls all looked at me. I had a sudden vision of the expression on Jake’s face if he could see me right now. Me and four fit girls. Well, three fit girls and Rachel.

Thinking of Jake reminded me of Max. And Mum. And home. Was running off like this really what I wanted to do?

I shifted my bag to my other shoulder. It had to be. RAGE were on my tail. After me to get to my dad. Which meant my dad and I were in this together. I had to find him. Waiting for him to come for me was not an option.

I turned to Rachel. ‘Did you think of something?’ I said, hoping she would understand I was referring to my need for a distraction while I slipped out.

‘Yes.’ Rachel looked down at the ground in front of her.

I stood there awkwardly for a moment. The pretty, pointy-faced blonde girl stared at me and rolled her eyes, as if encouraging me to agree to how useless Rachel was.

And then, suddenly, Rachel darted forwards. Grabbed the blonde girl’s low-cut dress at the top. Gave it a violent tug. A loud ripping noise. The blonde girl started screaming.

I stood there, too shocked to even work out what had just happened. Rachel grabbed my hand and pulled me away. People were rushing past us, towards the girl, all crowding round to see what the screams were about.

‘Her dress, it—’

‘—just tore it right down—’

‘Did you see her b—?’

I caught snatches of excited conversation as Rachel dragged me to the back of the hall. Suddenly we were right by the fire door. The teacher who had been standing nearby had vanished, presumably investigating the screams like everyone else.

I turned round. A huge crowd had gathered on the dance floor around the spot we’d just left. No one was looking at us.

‘Come on.’ Rachel dropped my hand and tugged at the bolt across the fire door. Seconds later we were outside in the cold, dark air.

I pulled the fire door shut behind us. Theo stared at me, his eyes round with shock.

‘I can’t believe you just did that,’ he said.

I stood, letting the cold air chill my burning face. I couldn’t believe it either. I hadn’t meant to. At least, not until about two seconds before I did it – when I caught sight of Jemima smirking at Theo. I’d looked down at her dress, at that front seam. And I’d just seen it ripping all the way down.

‘You needed a distraction,’ I said quietly. My ears hummed with the quiet of the playground. The dance music inside was a muted thump on the other side of the fire door. The only other sound was the whoosh of motor cars flying up the hill at the front of the school. ‘Anyway. That girl’s a toxic bitch.’ I shivered, imagining what revenge Jemima would plan for me.

‘Well remind me never to piss
you
off,’ Theo grinned. ‘Which way do I go now?’

I grinned back at him. This big, stupid grin. I couldn’t help it. Of all the amazing, gorgeous things about him, his smile was the most heart-stoppingly amazing and gorgeous.

‘This way.’ I pointed past the jutting wall of the Assembly Hall. We set off across the tarmac. Round the corner and the school gates were visible about thirty metres away, dimly lit by a lamppost on the pavement beyond.

Theo turned to me. ‘Thanks,’ he said. ‘For everything.’

I opened my mouth to say I’d show him to the station. There was no way I was even pretending I was going back to the school disco now. Then I caught sight of two men strolling towards us from the school gates. They were wearing hoodies, the tops pulled right over their faces.

One was sauntering along casually, his hands in his trouser pockets. The other looked more tense. He was glancing round, his arm stiffly held against his side. There was something in his fist, something dark and pointed. I squinted, trying to make out what it was.

And then I realised.

It was a gun.

I turned round to see what Rachel was staring at.

My heart skipped a beat.

The man nearest us raised his arm. He held out the gun. He wasn’t pointing it at me. Just showing me.

I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move.

The man strode nearer. Right up to me. All I could see was the gun. It had a long barrel. Longer than I thought guns like that had. Some part of my brain registered that it was a silencer. I’d seen them in films.

My heart pounded.

‘It’s him,’ the man said.

‘Yup.’ The guy next to him seemed horribly relaxed. Almost lazily, he caught hold of Rachel’s arm. Whispered something in her ear. She froze, her eyes wide with fear.

I couldn’t take it in. It wasn’t happening.

‘Get down,’ the man with the gun hissed.

I looked up from the gun, into his face. I could only see his mouth. It was dark anyway, and the rest of his face was in the shadow of his hood.

‘Down.’ He cocked the gun with a click.

I sank to my knees. As I hit the ground my body started shaking.

No. This wasn’t real. Couldn’t be real.

‘Please . . .’ Rachel’s voice was a gasp. The man holding her arm slapped his free hand across her mouth. I glanced up at her. At her terrified eyes.

The man with the gun took a step closer to me.

‘You first.’ His lips twisted into a horrible smile as he raised his arm. The metal pressed against my forehead.

Cold. Metal. Cold. Gun.

My whole body was shaking. Every cell. But it was like I was outside my body, watching it shake.

I knelt in the darkness. The ground was hard under my knees. The gun metal cold against my forehead. Somewhere far away, the music thumped and the traffic swooshed.

The man with the gun was going to shoot me.

I felt nothing. I was going to die. I felt nothing.

No fear. No anger. No sadness. Nothing.

‘You freaks.’ The man stood right in front of me, his legs firmly planted on the tarmac. Like he was about to take a leak all over me. ‘You should never have been born. Either of you.’

I felt as if it was all happening to someone else, someone across the tarmac. Not me. Not here. Not now. The man straightened his arm. The gun pressed harder against my skin. Still cold.

Surely dying was supposed to be a bigger deal than this? Surely I should feel something now? I held my breath.

Waiting.

I closed my eyes. A second later this juddering ratchety noise filled the air. Then a loud thud.

My eyes snapped open.

The man with the gun was lying face down on the ground in front of me. The other man was kneeling down beside him, pressing his fingers into his neck. Checking for a pulse. Another gun – but smaller. Weird-looking. Some kind of stun gun. In his spare hand.

My mouth fell open. Rachel grabbed my shoulders.

‘Theo? Are you all right?’

I nodded. Too dazed to speak.

The man with the weird-looking gun turned to me, pulling his hoodie down.

‘Get up. Run. Back inside.’

I stared at him. He didn’t look that old – early twenties, maybe. He had dark olive skin, his chin covered in stubble. My mind seemed to have stopped working. I couldn’t make any sense of what was happening.

The man glanced at Rachel. ‘Take him inside. The head’s office. I’ll meet you up there. Hurry. There are more of them.’

I could feel Rachel’s hand tugging under my arms.

I stood up. My legs were shaky. Like they didn’t really belong to me. None of this was real. Not what had just happened. Not the world around me. Not me, myself.

‘Who . . . what’s going on?’ I said.

‘RAGE.’

‘How did they know we were here?’ Rachel said.

‘I’ll explain later.’ The man shoved his stun gun into his pocket, then picked up the real gun. ‘Now, hurry.’

Rachel grabbed my wrist. Started dragging me back towards the fire door. ‘Come on, Theo.’

Something about her voice pierced a little way through the numb wall around my mind. She sounded desperate. Like she needed my help.

I sped up. Rachel reached the fire door. She curled her fingers round the tiny slit of an opening.

I put my fingers next to hers. Together we hauled the door open.

The music hit me like a wave. How weird was that? Suddenly we were back with the disco. The DJ talking over a dance track. Groups of girls on the dance floor. Gangs of boys watching them. More couples now, I noticed.

Rachel shut the door behind us. The stern-faced teacher was standing next to it. She raised her eyes disapprovingly at me. I wondered vaguely what she thought we’d been doing.

‘Come on.’ Rachel set off round the dance floor. I followed closely behind her, my mind trying to make sense of what had just happened. The first man – a man from RAGE – had been about to kill me. Then the second man had . . . had knocked him out. Why?

Rachel sped through the Assembly Hall door and out into the corridor. Roy’s chair was empty. Where was he? The question floated uneasily at the edges of my mind but it didn’t feel real.