At lunch time I ran out of school and down to the bus stop. The board above the shelter said that the next bus was due in two minutes and the entire journey would take me another fifteen. I didn’t have much time to spare. When the bus arrived, I got on and sat downstairs, so that I wouldn’t have too far to move when I needed to get off. As each stop went by I got more and more nervous about what I was about to do. What if Micky caught me? What if I was wrong and the other woman wasn’t going to be at my mum’s house? As I sat and thought about it, I pulled out the note that Mr Singh had printed off, got out my pen and forged my mum’s signature. It wasn’t like I hadn’t done it before. And at least this time there was a real reason to do it. A proper excuse.
The bus eventually pulled up at my stop and I ran off up the main road. As I turned into my road I bumped straight into Gussie, Dean’s older brother.
‘Easy, my yout’ – where’s the fire?’ he asked me.
‘Sorry, Gussie . . . I’ve just gotta get home quick.’
Dean’s brother grinned at me.
‘You ain’t gonna make it home if you don’t watch where you’re goin’,’ he told me.
‘OK,’ I said, hoping that he wouldn’t ask me anything else.
‘So, why you gotta go home anyway?’ he said.
‘Er . . . just gotta grab summat . . . need it for school,’ I mumbled.
‘And how’s them games selling – the ones I gave Dean?’ he continued.
‘Cool – look I gotta run, bro. Can I chat to you later?’ I asked.
Gussie shrugged. ‘I was only askin’,’ he said.
I didn’t hear what else he said because I looked up and saw Micky and a woman getting out of a battered old car, about a hundred metres up the street. I ducked behind a parked car.
‘What the raas—!?’ Gussie began, but I grabbed him before he could finish and pulled him down to where I was hiding.
‘SSHH!’
He looked at me like I was mad and then peered round the corner to see what I was looking at.
‘Ain’t that your mum’s house they’re goin’ into?’ he whispered.
‘Yeah . . . er . . . I’ll tell you in a minute . . .’ I told him.
Micky was fishing in his pocket for something, and the woman, who had that fake blonde hair and was wearing a short skirt that was way too small, grabbed him from behind. He turned, holding the keys, smiled and snogged her.
‘Nah . . . that’s nasty,’ whispered Gussie. ‘That woman belongs on one a dem TV show, man . . . Obese Britain or some ting!’
‘SSHH!’ I said again.
I watched them go into my mum’s house and shut the door behind them. Then I stood up. Gussie did the same.
‘Right . . . you gonna tell me what’s goin’ on?’ he said.
‘Er . . .’
‘Who’s the geezer?’
‘That’s Micky . . . me mum’s boyfriend.’
Gussie looked shocked. ‘An’ he’s kissin’ up that bog beast pon the street like that?’
‘Yeah . . . I’m trying to catch him out,’ I said.
‘You done catch him then,’ Gussie replied. ‘What you gonna do now?’
‘Go back to school,’ I said.
Gussie gave me a funny look before grinning.
‘Tell you what,’ he said, ‘I’ll do yer a deal. I’ll ring me mate, Reedy, and get him to drop you off at school, if, on the way, you tell me what the raas is goin’ on!’
I looked at Gussie and shrugged. Getting a lift back to school would mean that I’d definitely be on time. I nodded, wondering if Gussie would be useful to my plan.
‘Yeah, thanks,’ I replied. ‘Maybe you can help me out too?’
‘You want me to kick his ass?’ asked Gussie.
‘Nah – not just yet. It’s summat else.’
Gussie grinned. ‘Well you better tell me after I ring Reedy and get him to pick us up,’ he replied.
‘Won’t take long, will it? Only I gotta be back on time or I’m dead,’ I asked.
‘Soon come,’ he told me. ‘Nuh worry yuhself, bro . . .’
Back at school, my mind was racing. I couldn’t sit still in Mr Wilson’s Science lesson and twice he told me to stop fidgeting. Dean, Grace and the others wanted to know what was going on but I couldn’t tell them until afternoon break. When we did get together, out by the tennis courts, they were more nervous than I was.
‘What?’ asked Dean, impatiently.
‘Yeah . . . tell us what happened,’ added Hannah.
I grinned at them. ‘We caught him . . . me and Gussie,’ I said.
‘Gussie?’ said Dean in surprise.
‘Dean’s brother?’ added Imi.
‘Yep – I bumped into him on my street and we saw them.’
‘What’s she like?’ asked Grace. ‘Is she ugly?’
‘Seriously rank,’ I told her.
‘One of them that when they’re born, the midwife slaps the mother?’ asked Dean.
‘Exactly,’ I replied.
‘URGH!’ said Suky.
‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘Anyway, I told Gussie all about it on the way back to school.’
‘Gussie came to school?’ asked Dean, looking worried.
‘Nah – he got his mate, Reedy, to give me a lift.’
Dean nodded.
‘Anyway,’ I continued.
‘Yeah – let him get a word in,’ interrupted Grace.
‘Anyway,’ I said again, ‘I told Gussie, and him and Reedy are gonna help out with the plan.’
‘Huh?’ asked Imi.
‘Don’t worry,’ I told them. ‘The plan’s only changed a little bit. But we’re gonna do it on Wednesday.’
‘This Wednesday?’ asked Grace.
‘Yep . . . I was right about those times in her text.’
‘Texts – what texts?’ asked Imi.
I told him it didn’t matter what texts.
‘Let’s just get together tonight and sort it out,’ I said.
‘At my house!’ said Grace, excited.
‘Yeah . . . Everyone OK with that?’
They all nodded.