‘This is it,’ said Adele when they arrived at the street where Jessie Lomas lived.
‘Right, we’ll wait till we see her on her own,’ Peter instructed.
‘But what will we do then?’
‘I told you, we’re gonna get her.’
‘Yes, but what are we gonna do to her?’
‘Scare her.’
‘How? Jessie Lomas doesn’t scare very easily.’
‘She will. You’ll see. We’ll hit her if we have to. We’ve gotta make sure she stops pickin’ on you, haven’t we?’
Adele wished she felt as sure about this as Peter did. She hadn’t wanted to do it but after two days of taunts she’d had enough. It was making her school life miserable. The repetitive chants of Yellow Belly, Cowardy Custard and Scaredy Cat were getting to her. Then there were the sly digs from Jessie as she passed by; usually a poke in the ribs or a sharp stamp on her foot. Adele had been powerless to do anything. Jessie had the upper hand and she knew it. If Adele retaliated or reported her, then Jessie would wait for her after school. And Adele didn’t fancy being beaten up again. So this seemed like the only alternative.
But now she was gripped by nerves. Her stomach fluttered and she wiped her clammy hands on her trousers repeatedly. Peter, on the other hand, seemed exhilarated. His eyes sparkled with excitement. While they waited, he chatted about how they were going to sort Jessie out once and for all. He was full of nervous energy and couldn’t stay still.
The minutes seemed to drag until finally they caught sight of Jessie with another, much older, girl.
‘There she is,’ Adele announced and she felt her heart beat speed up as she watched her adversary walking along the street.
Spotting the friend, Peter echoed Adele’s own thoughts when he said, ‘We can’t get her yet. We’ll have to wait till she’s on her own.’
Jessie and her friend were heading in their direction so they moved further up the street and ducked behind a Ford Cortina, out of sight. They continued watching as the other girl branched off and returned to her own home.
Jessie was alone.
‘Come on, let’s get her,’ said Peter.
Adele checked the street. Noting that there was no one else around, she followed Peter as he made his way towards Jessie. He waited till she was crossing the entrance to an alleyway. Then he pounced. Attacking her from behind, he pushed her against a backyard wall.
Jessie spun round, ready to lash out against her attacker. But Peter stood back. Then Jessie spotted Adele. A flash of recognition crossed her face as she looked from one to the other.
‘Aah, brought your little brother, have you?’ she laughed. ‘Don’t think I’m frightened of that little squirt,’ she added, stepping towards Peter.
Adele felt a rush of fear surge through her body. Despite being outnumbered, Jessie still wasn’t frightened, and that unsettled Adele.
‘Come on then!’ said Peter.
Jessie took another step. Then suddenly she stopped short at the sight of the flick knife in Peter’s hand. He pressed a switch and the blade sprang out, missing Jessie by centimetres. Her hand shot to her mouth. She cowered against the backyard wall, stunned.
Adele was also shocked. This wasn’t part of the plan. She breathed in sharply before spotting the horrified expression on Jessie’s face. Adele quickly recovered, feigning acceptance of Peter’s actions. Reassured by Jessie’s fear. She hoped he wouldn’t use the knife but she couldn’t be sure. And it was obvious from the look on Jessie’s face that she was even less certain.
‘You’ve been picking on our Adele at school,’ Peter said, waving the knife in front of Jessie’s face.
Jessie shrank against the wall, hugging herself. Her lips trembled and her eyes darted about, searching for an escape route. Adele stepped forward to block her way. Jessie looked from one to the other of them, tears welling in her eyes.
Adele felt the pressure of expectation. Sensing that she had to capitalise on the situation, she aimed a sharp kick at Jessie’s shin.
‘Yeah, bitch!’ said Adele, as Jessie howled in pain, the tears now spilling from her. ‘Who’s a Scaredy Cat now?’
Peter was still poised with the knife. ‘Should I stick it in her, Adele?’ he asked.
‘Not yet.’ Adele thought about how she could take advantage. ‘If she promises to leave me alone and tells her friends to as well, then we’ll leave her.’
‘I’m sorry, Adele. I didn’t mean it,’ babbled Jessie. ‘I’ll leave you alone tomorrow. Honest.’
‘And your friends?’ asked Adele, grabbing a lock of Jessie’s hair and twisting it tightly till Jessie squirmed.
‘Yes.’
‘And after tomorrow?’ Adele twisted again as she waited for Jessie’s answer, refusing to let up until she was sure Jessie was defeated.
‘Yes. Every day.’
Satisfied with Jessie’s reply, Adele let go of her hair.
‘Right, she’s got to promise before we leave her,’ said Peter, holding the knife under Jessie’s chin. His whole attitude was full of menace.
Jessie was now in floods of tears, her body shaking. ‘Yes, I promise,’ she said.
‘OK. We’ll leave her now,’ said Adele, feeling a pang of remorse, which she kept hidden from Jessie while she turned to her and added, ‘But if you ever pick on me again, we’ll come back and get you.’
Adele was secretly relieved that it was all over, and determined to have a word with Peter about the knife. She couldn’t believe he had gone to those lengths to scare Jessie. His behaviour was becoming more erratic. Although she was grateful to him for frightening Jessie off, Adele was nonetheless worried about his actions. But she couldn’t tell anyone without betraying him. And that wouldn’t be fair after he had helped her out.
When they reached home, Adele was pleased to find her grandma in the house. She was chatting to their mother when Adele and Peter rushed over to hug her.
‘What have you two been up to?’ her grandma asked. ‘I’ve been waiting bloody ages to see you.’
‘Nothing,’ they both replied, and Adele could feel her cheeks burning with shame.
‘Aye, and I’m the bleedin’ Queen Mother. You look like you’ve been up to mischief to me.’
‘No, we haven’t, honest,’ Peter quickly replied.
‘We’ve just been at the park,’ said Adele.
Joyce gave them a knowing look before referring to a carrier bag that she had left on the sideboard. ‘There’s some stuff in there for both of you.’
‘Ooh, let’s have a look,’ said Peter.
‘Hang on a minute, wait your sweat,’ said Joyce. She grasped the bag and pulled out a package. ‘This one’s for you, Adele. The rest are for you, Peter,’ she said, handing him the bag.
Peter quickly riffled through the bag, pulling out several items of clothing, ‘Ew, clothes,’ he grumbled.
‘Don’t be so bleedin’ cheeky,’ said Shirley. ‘You should be grateful to your grandma for bringing them for you. What d’you say?’
‘Thank you,’ Peter muttered.
‘Thank you, Grandma,’ said Adele, clutching her package.
Seeing the number of items that Peter had taken out of the bag, Shirley said, ‘Oh, Mam. You shouldn’t have. That lot must have cost you a fortune, and you’ve only just bought our Adele some new trousers.’
‘They didn’t cost much,’ said Joyce, tapping the side of her nose.
As Peter sloped off towards the stairs, Shirley dashed after him with the clothing, ‘Not so fast,’ she said. ‘Take this lot with you and try them on. You can tell me which ones fit.’
When he was out of the room, Joyce whispered. ‘Margaret Jones fetched them. She’s got a grandson not much older. Don’t worry; they’ve come from a good home. I’ve known Margaret for years. She’s clean and so are the rest of her family. But don’t let Peter know. He won’t want to wear anything that’s second-hand.’ Then, switching her attention to Adele, she added, ‘Aren’t you gonna open yours then?’
‘Yes,’ said Adele who tore at the package excitedly.
She pulled out two cardigans, brand new, with the labels still on. Then she held them up, one by one, so she could examine them.
‘Thank you very much, Grandma,’ she said, a smile spreading across her face. Adele hadn’t even mentioned to her that she needed new cardigans, and yet her grandma knew. Grandma Joyce always knew. She felt content knowing that, no matter how bad things got at home, Grandma Joyce could always make her feel better.