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12M

p3

Stargazers

By

Elaine Hankin

Synopsis

Reece, Connie, Ben and Megan, four very different young people are thrown together in the transient society of bed-sit Twickenham. Under the pressures of modern life, their relationship is tested by jealousy, disappointment and violence. But when tragedy strikes they forget their differences and join forces. The decisions they make alter the course of their lives.

Extract from chapter one.

His eyes stung, his stomach churned. He rolled over and retched, grasping for something to hang onto, finding only the slippery pavement. Nausea passed. He wiped a cuff across his mouth, saw blood on his sleeve and spat onto the sidewalk. Fingering his throbbing jaw he summoned up the dregs of his befuddled brain and looked up. A pair of jeans-clad legs straddled him, solid legs, like goal posts. The feet attached to the legs flexed in their Reeboks. Was his assailant about to let rip again? Reece Cassidy held up a placating hand and was relieved to be offered a pale palm instead of a black balled fist.

"Get up, you crazy son-of-a-bitch." The gruff voice was tinged with insolent amusement.

Reece took the proffered hand, flinching as he recalled the damage it had inflicted. Once on his feet, his gaze settled on the face of his opponent. It wore a smile of dazzling brilliance and when he swayed, the smile widened while the grip on his hand tightened.

"Ben, cut it out, you imbecile! You promised no more fighting," called a voice. Reece turned his head and saw a figure resembling a flamingo in full flight. With a puce-coloured overfull duffle bag bouncing on her back and legs sheathed in skin-tight leggings, a girl jogged towards them on feet clamped in white lace-up boots. The hooting of an irate car horn did little to deter her arm-flapping jog across the road. "Can't you keep your bloody fists to yourself?" she shouted, skipping over a puddle onto the pavement.

An expression of feigned contrition replaced the grin on the ebony face. "Asked for it. Came in tanked up demanding Big Mac and Fries. Changed his fucking mind three times, hassled Luisa, knocked over a coke. Looking for trouble, he was," growled the young man, who Reece now saw, was half a head shorter than the girl.

"There was no need to beat him frigging senseless," she retorted, drawing closer to inspect Reece's injuries. He swayed again, not from faintness this time but from the shock of her musky perfume, which lingered in his nostrils even after she had moved away.

"You'll live," she announced, turning her attention back to the black man.

The rawness of his cuts and bruises didn't stop Reece from taking a close look at his rescuer. He saw that she was of mixed blood and could almost be described as a beauty with her high cheek bones and large expressive eyes. She was tall and slim and theatrical in manner but by far the most startling thing about her was her afro hair-cut, which was tinted purple.

Ben shrugged, pivoted on his heel and drawled, "I'm off, Connie. Just done a ten-hour shift. Got to get some kip."

"Hang on, you can't leave him here like this," protested the girl. "He's a tourist, you'll have to help him get back to his hotel." She turned to Reece. "American?"

"Canadian," he corrected her, wincing as the split in his lip widened.

Concern sprang to her eyes. "Are you all right?"

He nodded. "No bones broken."

"Where are you staying?"

"No-where. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

With more bravado than confidence, he took a couple of paces, then staggered, squinting against the beam from the orange street-lamp, which colour-washed the pavement, polishing surfaces, sending globules of liquid trickling down parked cars like beads rolling off oilcloth.

The girl put out a steadying hand. "You need a strong coffee before trying to join the land of the living."

"There's nothing open except McDonalds," called back Ben, who by now was some fifty yards down the road. "And they won't let him back in there. Let him kip in a doorway." With that, he strode off, hands in pockets, broad shoulders swinging to the tune he was whistling.

"Wanker!" yelled Connie furiously.

Reece took a gulp of fresh air. "I'll be all right now," he muttered. "Thanks for your help."

"I can't leave you like this," she protested, tucking her arm through his. "You'd better come up to my place for a coffee. You can use my mobile to ring the B&B down the road. They keep late hours, someone will still be up." She wagged a reprimanding finger at him. "You shouldn't have meddled with Ben. You were lucky; things could have got nasty."

"Nasty!" muttered Reece. "How much nastier could they have got?"

Ignoring his interruption, she went on, "He's a karate black belt and he's won loads of trophies for boxing." Pride superimposed her earlier anger. "That one really knows how to take care of himself."

Extract from chapter twenty-five.

On the way home, Reece travelled in the back seat. Connie soon dropped off to sleep so he killed time studying the back of Ben's thick neck as the black man raced the Golf, dodging from lane to lane, cutting up other drivers.

Glancing back over his shoulder, Ben signalled towards the girl and grunted, "I'm not surprised she's tired, you should have seen her last night, the randy little scrubber."

A surge of fury coursed through Reece. The arrogant son-of-a-bitch showed no respect. Here he was, the day after Megan's funeral slagging off Connie. His anger spiralled. Ben was directly responsible for the girl's death. If he hadn't left his bloody pills in the kitchen when Megan went to visit him, she would never have died. Why hadn't he put his painkillers somewhere safe? He must have realised how strong they were, and knowing Megan's record...

Connie woke up, yawned, stretched and started talking to Ben. Reece half listened, not wanting to take part in the conversation. All at once, he heard her mention her mother.

"We can't stay in that B&B up in Manchester much longer. Della mustn't spend her last few months in a dump like that. I don't know what to do."

"Put her in an old people's home," suggested Ben.

"An old people's home!  Why, she's not even turned fifty!" Connie sounded outraged.

"Can't you find one of those hospices where they take terminally ill people?"

An intake of breath. "I couldn't do that."

"She can't live with you, she'd be a millstone round your neck."

Reece gave a start as Connie shrieked back, "She's my mother. What d'you want me to do, leave her to die all alone?"

"She wasn't there for you when you were young and what about your career? Surely you're not going to sling in the towel just as you're getting started?" argued Ben.

"I can put it on hold for a while."

"You can't do that. You've barely had time to show what you can do. It would mean starting again from scratch."

"No it wouldn't, I've got my Equity Card," protested Connie.

For a couple of minutes, the occupants of the car were silent, then Ben said, "Why don't you and your ma move in with me?"

"What?" gasped Connie.

"I've got room, Emil's moved out. Your ma could have his room and you could take the attic."

"I couldn't afford it -- two rooms! Oh no, that would cost too much. My savings won't last forever."

Ben took his hand off the steering wheel and patted her knee. "You can stay for nothing."

Connie cast him a suspicious glance. "What d'you mean?"

"Like I said: move in whenever you like. It won't cost you a penny, apart from a small contribution towards food."

Reece was astounded. What's he up to? he thought, willing himself not to intervene.

Connie turned her head to stare at Ben. "D'you really mean that?"

My God, she's going to fall for it! thought Reece.

She spoke again. "No strings?"

"No strings," Ben assured her with a wide grin.

"I won't be an unpaid housekeeper, I won't sleep with you just when you feel like it. Last night was a one-off, we're not going to drift into anything more permanent."

"What d'you think I am?" retorted Ben indignantly.

"It's just until ... Della may not have long," stammered Connie. "Three months at most."

"Stay for as long as you like."

"Thank you so much, Ben," whispered Connie, leaning over and planting a kiss on the black man's cheek.

Reece sank back in his seat. He could hardly believe what he'd just heard. Connie was prepared to risk her career for the sake of her maverick mother and Ben was prepared to help her out. The animosity he had harboured against Ben during the journey slipped away. There were always two sides to people, even Ben.