First Light (11 page)

On my porch steps, a boy sat leaning up against the front door with his eyes closed. I felt my face pull into a wide smile. ‘Ace! What you doing here?’

The youngest of Kalen’s friends sat up straight and smiled shyly. ‘Hey, Ronnie. I was just hanging around, thought I’d stop by and say hi.’

‘Great, come on in.’ I unlocked the front door and led us through to the kitchen.

Tucking his dark hair behind his ears, Ace glanced around, his eyes searching, taking everything in.

‘Want some tea?’ I threw my coat and scarf on the back of a chair and took some mugs from the cupboard. He nodded. His eyes had yet to meet mine.

The kettle whirred to life.

‘So,’ he said, peering round into the living room. ‘I was thinking I could put up your Christmas tree, or if you don’t have one, I can go get one?’

‘Ah,’ I let out a short laugh. ‘Kal sent you didn’t he?’ After Kalen’s incessant questions regarding my sister helping me decorate for Christmas, I should have guessed something like this might happen.

‘No, I wanted to come.’

I sighed. ‘Well, I’m not sure, Ace. I’m not really feeling up to it this year.’

His face paled, a look of distress flickered across his features. He was concerned, I supposed, about not doing something that had been asked of him. Did Kalen really have so much power over his friends?

‘
But, I’m sure my niece Cloud would love it,’ I amended quickly. ‘I do have one. It’s fake but really nice. So if you wouldn’t mind getting it down from the loft?’

He was up the ladder before I could blink.

‘You know,’ he mumbled from the hole in the ceiling, ‘Cloud is a strange name.’

‘Ha! You can talk,
Ace
!’

‘Yeah, I guess so.’

He grinned as he jumped down and placed our box of tree decorations on the floor.

‘You guys are quite athletic,’ I noted.

‘Yeah, I um, train a lot with the boys.’

‘Train for what? I take kickboxing classes.’

‘Do you?’ His mouth pressed together. Though he still wasn’t looking at me, I could see he was trying not to laugh.

I frowned. ‘Why’s that funny?’

‘I just can’t imagine you fighting, that’s all,’ his grin widened. ‘But it’s good to be able to defend yourself,’ he added.

‘Well, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, Ace. Maybe I’m kick-ass!’

He laughed out loud, before scooting back up the ladders.

‘Do I really look that feeble?’ I yelled upwards.

‘No comment,’ came a call down.

A minute later, he landed back on the floor with the tree over one shoulder. ‘I could teach you some self-defence, if you want. Probably more than whatever you’re learning at a gym.’

‘Really? Like what?’

‘Actually,’ he backtracked quickly, as if he wished he hadn’t mentioned it, ‘K, would be a better teacher.’

Leaving the kitchen before I could question why he’d changed his mind, he positioned the tree in the corner of our living room and began decorating it with white lights, baubles and tinsel. I left him to it, cleaning the kitchen while he worked. By the time he’d finished the living room looked like a grotto. My hand flew to my mouth. Ace looked pleased with himself, glancing at me for approval and meeting my eyes for the first time.

I nodded. ‘Best tree ever.’

With a grin, he flopped down on the cream leather couch and flicked through channels on the television.

Not wanting my company to leave just yet, I said, ‘I’m making chicken casserole for dinner. Want some?’

He leaned forward in the chair. ‘Oh wow, are you sure?’

‘Of course.’

‘Okay – thanks.’ He seemed hesitant, but after a few moments he threw his feet on the coffee table, his eyes fixed on the television once more.

Gathering up some ingredients from the pantry, I set to work. For the first time in what felt like forever, my kitchen was alive with the sounds of boiling, chopping and blending.

We sat watching Christmas movies for the rest of the evening. Not much conversation passed between us, but I assumed that was just how they all were.

***

Ace had left late and when I woke up I was on the sofa with a blanket covering me. The tree lights winked and glistened from the corner of the room. I smiled. Cooking for Ace had cheered me up. I had even almost forgotten about the strange car coming from my house. Before I knew it, I was heading out to do the Christmas shopping I’d been putting off. The temperature outside had dropped to sub-stupid and I passed my father’s car, experiencing a pang of disappointment that I still hadn’t taken my driving test. The bus it would have to be.

In town, I pushed a trolley around Tesco, tossing in food as I went. A small turkey, potatoes, parsnips and some sprouts. I took a tin of Quality Street chocolates, putting it back when I saw the price and I was toying with the idea of making my own cookies, when out of nowhere a strange feeling crept over me. Tiny prickles fluttered against the back of my neck, it felt like someone was watching me. I spun around. I was the only person in the isle, but a shiver ran up my spine all the same. Shoving the cookie mix back on the shelf, I hurried to the checkout.

The beep of the cash register was familiar and soothing, but the creepy feeling refused to leave me. I stared at the notes as I handed them over, thinking:
the sooner I get a job the better.
Taking the carrier bags full of shopping, I was glad to get out of the store. Especially when I stepped into the car park to see Kal’s black Audi parked with the engine running. A warm feeling replaced all others but, as I approached, I noticed he wasn’t in the car. It was Ace, Denver and Laith. Ace opened the door and bounded over to me like a happy Labrador.

‘We saw you walk in,’ he said brightly. ‘Thought we’d help you with your groceries.’ He took the shopping bags from me.

‘Thanks.’ I didn’t know what to make of it, but I climbed in the back of the car with him. As the door closed I wondered at what I was doing getting into a car with a group of boys I barely knew.

‘Hey, Ronnie,’ Denver greeted me from the driver’s seat as we pulled away. ‘Ace was kinda going on about you when he got in last night, and the awesome dinner you made him,’

My cheeks flushed. ‘Um, I’m not a great cook, but you guys are welcome to stay for dinner if you want.’

He flashed me a smile in the rear view mirror. ‘By all accounts, you’re great.’

‘They wanted to come, Ron,’ said Ace, almost apologetically, ‘we don’t ever get nice food cooked for us. They were jealous.’

‘I wasn’t,’ said Laith.

‘Why are you here then, L?’ Ace cut back. Laith didn’t reply and I fidgeted in my seat to hide my embarrassment.

Denver’s driving was not fast like Kal’s, yet undeniably he handled the car well – another thing I could see they all had in common.

‘Were you guys in the supermarket just now?’ I asked, remembering the eerie feeling I’d had.

‘No, just outside, waiting for you,’ said Denver with a frown.

‘Oh, it’s so weird it felt like someone was watching me. I must have imagined it.’

I caught a look Denver flashed at Laith in the front seat: the corners of his mouth pulled downward. Laith shrugged.

We arrived back at my house and I led them through the back porch into the kitchen.

‘Denver, where’s Kal?’

‘He has some things to take care of out of town with Nash. He’ll be back soon.’ He rummaged through the fridge, taking out a tub of coleslaw. ‘Can I eat this?’

‘Yeah, sure. It’s Christmas the day after tomorrow, do you think he’ll be here then?’

He shrugged and my mood plummeted. Laith laughed darkly from the doorway.

‘Veronica, you really think highly of K, don’t you? You’re not the only girl who does.’

As casually as I could manage, I leaned on the counter to steady myself.

‘Maybe when he returns, you should ask him what he’s been doing the last couple of days.’

‘Laith, shut up,’ Denver snapped.

I was too unsettled to reply anyway. I gathered up some food while around me the boys found things in the house they could fix. They changed light bulbs, took the rubbish out and made a start sweeping leaves in the garden.

Just as I was dishing up lasagna for dinner, Rachel arrived with Jared and Cloud. At first I hadn’t noticed, but then I heard the commotion outside. My sister’s high-pitched, irrational voice, I could happily ignore, but what followed sent me racing from the kitchen. Jared was yelling.

12 – Bodyguard

I threw open the front door in time to see Denver and Laith wrestling on the lawn and Jared about ten feet away picking himself up from the grass.
My eyes flicked across the scene: Jared limping in pain, Rachel helping him, uncharacteristically silent, and Denver whispering something into Laith’s ear while he pinned him to the floor.

‘What the hell’s going on?’ I looked at Denver. Ace appeared behind me and I felt him slump.

‘Ronnie, I apologise for Laith.’ said Denver, all six-foot-four of him struggling to hold onto his smaller friend. ‘We’d better be going. Ace, let’s go.’

‘Yeah, that’s right, run away before I call the police and have you thrown out,’ Rachel said.

‘Rachel!’ I yelled. As usual, she wasn’t helping the situation.

She glared at me. ‘Veronica, you’ve really lowered yourself lately. I have no idea who you are any more, but today you’ve overstepped the mark.’

As my sister and I glared at each other, I wondered how she could judge me so harshly. Cloud was weeping, so I picked her up. She flung her arms around me, burrowing her face into my neck, but Rachel snatched her away.

‘Ace, none of you have to go,’ I said as he walked past me. ‘Rachel, let’s all go inside and talk about this.’

Laith stormed out the front gate without looking back and Denver stared at Ace until he followed suit.

‘Sorry, Ronnie,’ Ace mumbled before jogging off down the front steps after his friends.

‘Ronnie, thanks for cooking us dinner,’ Denver said. ‘I’m sorry we couldn’t enjoy it. Good to meet you Ms Rose.’ He flashed Rachel his hundred-watt smile and I could see she was momentarily caught off guard. It shut her up for all of five seconds, then Jared opened his mouth.

‘You lot aren’t welcome in this house, do you hear me? Next time I’ll call the police.’

‘I’m sorry you feel that way,’ Denver responded with a politeness that would have made the Queen proud. ‘But perhaps Veronica has a say in who she is and isn’t friends with?’

‘Not in this house she doesn’t,’ Jared fired back.

I was instantly furious. I was on my own practically twenty-four-seven, while my sister lived her life away from me and they had the audacity to chase away the only friends I had.

‘Jared, how dare you? I think it’s you guys who should leave, right now!’

‘Ronnie, this is your sister’s house as much as it’s yours and I won’t have these thugs hanging around taking advantage of you. You have no idea what you’re doing, you’re just a child.’

‘I’m just a child, but you’re happy to leave me in the house my father died in, all alone until it suits the two of you? You know what? This house doesn’t belong to either of us. Rachel...’ I turned to her, ‘Daddy spent all the money and didn’t pay the mortgage. We have nothing.’

As the words left my mouth I wished I could suck them back in. Rachel’s face twisted in disbelief, but it was Jared’s reaction that shocked me the most.

‘You lying little bitch!’ he fumed, closing in on my face so fast I thought he might slap it. I was too shocked to respond, though I could see from the corner of my eye that Denver was moving towards us from the front gate so I knew I had to take a handle on things before they got out of control. I held a hand up in his direction to tell him I was okay, but that just enraged Jared all the more.