Demo Read Online Free Page B

down on the bed beside Laetitia. I don’t know how he does it, but he manages to pour a thin stream of wine from the wide neck of the carafe into the hole on top a the can without spillin any.
    Bravo! Laetitia says. Only it sounds more like Vravo! with her fag still in. She sits up and claps her hands and takes the roll-up out her mouth.
    Here, Clare, Danny says, and hands me the Coke can. I wish it was Coke in it instead a wine – I’m thirsty. And the wine’s no sweet like the kind I’ve drank afore at parties in Glasgow. But I take it anyway. There’s nowhere for me to sit except on Danny’s bed. Beside Julian.
    He must’ve saw me standin wonderin what to do, but he doesny budge; he’s still takin up most of the bed, leanin back on his hands, his legs spread wide, his eyes starin straight ahead. Danny and Laetitia are sitting close thegether on my bed. He’s pourin more wine into her glass. I looks at Julian again and I sit down on the end a the bed. Danny and Laetitia are lookin into each other’s eyes singin: ‘Little Old Wine Drinker Me’.
    I get a fright when I open my eyes cause it’s pitch-black and I don’t know where I am. I’m lyin there tryin to figure it out when I hear the snufflin noise in the room like somebody wae a bad cold.
    Danny, I says, is that you? No answer. I remember there’s a light above my bed, so I feel about for the cord and pull it. The room comes on like a headache and Our Lady’s lookin down fae the white wall. Danny, I says again. But when I look over it’s Julian’s dreads I see on the pillow. It’s Julian makin the funny noises. He’s cryin.
    I get out my bed. I don’t even remember taking my clothes off last night. I just remember gettin dead tired and closin my eyes when Danny an them were drinkin an talkin. I don’t remember putting on my big T-shirt either. I pull it down over my knickers and go over to the other bed.
    Julian, I says, you OK? Julian? All I can see are his dreads like a big tangled nest. I touch his shoulder. Julian? He turnsover with his dreads all over his face and he shades his eyes and looks up at me.
    Clare, I’m … I’m… I just… And then he bursts out greetin really loud and he’s sobbin and snotters is comin out his nose. He’s a pure mess.
    Julian, what’s wrong? I says. But he can’t stop cryin. I go over and get my rucksack at the end of my bed and pull out a big wad of paper hankies.
    Here look, I says. And he takes some and rubs his nose but he just spreads the snotters all over his face. And there’s a line like a snail trail across his dreads. Julian, wait a minute. I sit down on the bed beside him and wipe the mess off his face and dab at his dreads.
    What’s the matter?
    Oh Clare, Clare… He reaches up and grabs my wrists. I drop the hankies on the floor. Clare, oh Clare, oh Clare… he says. And he puts my hand up to his mouth and kisses the palm. His moustache tickles me. Clare, you won’t tell Danny or Laetitia about this, will you? Please. He’s still heavin in between words.
    No, I says, I won’t tell them. And he pulls me down on top of him and he buries his face in my hair.
    Oh, Clare, you’re an angel, he says, and his voice is dead thick. He’s still got his combat jacket on and all his clothes.
    It’s OK, Julian, I says. You’re alright. It’s OK. And I try to get up.
    Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me.
    No, I won’t, I won’t. But look, you would feel better wae your jacket off. And your boots.
    Don’t leave me, don’t leave me.
    I struggle out his grip, get off the bed and go to his feet. See, I’ll just get your boots off. I undo the laces and pull the big scuffed brown Docs off his feet.
    Pooh, I say, smelly socks! But they areny really. It’s just what I used to say to my da when I was wee every time I took his boots off