Chapter 3

            Hopping on the bus for school, dressed and ready, Baz and I headed to the back seats (we were near one of the first stops on the route) where we sat down and watched the rest of the few occupants that were on it. There was a small group of giggling girls near the front on the left who seemed to be good friends from wherever they came from; a lonely boy sat to the right just behind the girls and there was also a couple of dark skinned lads, just in front of us, whispering amongst themselves over whatever.

            ‘Hmm,’ Baz huffed next to me. I looked up to see his face but he had dropped it so his chin was touching his chest.

            Placing my fingers under his chin, I lifted his head up gently. ‘Baz? What’s wrong?’ I asked, my voice sounded more worried than I had intended it to.

            ‘Don’t worry about it.’ He kissed my forehead. ‘I’ll tell you later. Excited?’ I knew he meant about school.

            ‘Nervous and excited. What about you?’

            ‘Chilled as always, my pet.’ Whenever he called me that my cheeks flamed up and he chuckled while stroking them with his thumbs. Whatever warmth he could get out of me, he found a way to and he’d hold onto it as if it will one day be extinguished. But there was one warmth in me that would never fade, no matter how harsh this world became, and that was the love I held for him deep in my heart and soul. Just then I felt a vibration through my body and not just from the truth of that last thought, but from hearing her voice (and possibly also the air brake on the bus). A silent growl hit my lips and I felt Baz’s arms tighten around me. Leaning into him, I hoped she wouldn’t notice us but as always she did.

            ‘Oh, hey, guys!’ she shouted down the bus in her annoying tone. ‘Didn’t expect to see you in first day. How are we this morning?’ she asked, trying to make us feel pathetic and small (which never worked).

            ‘Fine thanks,’ Baz answered, and although she didn’t spot it, I could tell straight away that his jaw was slightly locked in place. ‘Didn’t think you were this close to us in town.’ And we both hoped she wasn’t.

            Reaching into her handbag she pulled out her compact mirror and some scarlet lipstick, putting it on then answering. ‘Well, I didn’t know you were this close either ‘til Charlie invited me round for a chat. He’s nice isn’t he?’ And as always not giving us a chance to say anything back, she continued with her showy-off performance. ‘I hope you’re finding moving into that house ok, Barry. If you needed some help you could always ask.’

            Not helping myself, my nails clawed into Baz’s back and I spoke. ‘It’s Baz, and he was fine with moving in. He’s old enough and strong enough to take care of himself.’ She looked taken aback at my tone of voice with her.

            Her eyes narrowed slightly and her lips pouted too. ‘Yeh, you would say that wouldn’t you, Kerry? But we both know what he’s really like underneath the nice guy facade of his. Catch ya round school, Baz.’ I felt the emphasis of her last words hit me and I gripped Baz’s side tighter than I wanted.

            ‘Ah! I hate her!’ I screamed, but not from anger, I had hit a brick wall round the side of school where no one would see. Baz had followed me quietly as I ranted and raged down the side path.

            ‘Kez, Kerry!’ he added with a shout while he gripped my upper arms to prevent me from hurting myself any further. ‘Stop this! Ok? She’s a bitch and I hate her too, but please just don’t let her get to you like this. Babe, I care about you, not her! But I can’t stop her getting on your nerves. All I can do is stop you from leaping at her. I felt how bad you wanted to dig those nails into her and believe me, if I was you I’d wanted to as well. Listen to me,’ he added, his voice growing softer, as I looked at the wall with tears streaming down my cheeks and my whole body shaking in his hands. ‘Kez, listen.’ And knowing I couldn’t take anymore, he pulled me into his arms and pressed me into his chest where I could cry out loud but no one near would hear me.

            Pulling my head back together, I wiped my tears away, let him hold my arms still and spoke, but kept my head facing down. ‘It’s just I hate what she’s done to you. You were so much more than this and after what she did, I... I just feel like you’ll never trust me or see me as I want and need you to.’ My small confession of my feelings slipped through my lips before I had a chance to think. ‘Plus she’s a bitch and acts like the spoilt brat she is.’

            A small chuckle escaped his control, but he got serious almost immediately. ‘Look, I know what she’s like, I was the one with her, remember? And if I had seen the real her then I would have left her months before, and I’m sorry I never did and I’m sorry I didn’t turn to you sooner; ‘cause you were the only girl who stood by me no matter how much I behaved like a dick. My trust for you grows more each day and I’ll always see you as my closest, bestest friend and my lover and more. Now stop this crying and take some slow, deep breaths for me. Hmm?’ he beckoned as he slowly wiped my remaining tears off my face with the end of his sleeve.

            As he pulled his hand away, I quickly went to grab it, but the sudden tensing of my right knuckles had caused them to sear with pain. Letting go and trying to relax them, I held them in my left hand. ‘Baz, I think I’ve broken my knuckles.’

            His eyes swelled up with shock. ‘That’s what you get for losing it. Come on, I’ll take you to the nurse.’

            ‘What? No!’ I protested. ‘Baz, we can’t.’

            ‘Yes, we can and we will. Now start walking your cute ass there or I’ll pick it up and take you there myself.’ As forward as his comment was, I knew he meant it, so I began the trek into the average front school doors and to reception, where I asked a timid receptionist where the nurse’s office was.

            ‘Well, there’s not really much damage, and not much I can really do,’ explained the nurse. ‘You will just have to take care with it and wait for it to heal on its own, unless you want to go to hospital about it.’

            I shook my head, blushed with foolishness over hurting my hand, and bit my lip slightly. I felt Baz behind me and put his hands on the back of my chair. Looking at him, he smiled softly.

            ‘Ok, well I see you’re in good hands anyways. So you’re free to go.’ I quickly stood up and walked out before there was anything else that came up.

            Walking into the hallway, I carried on down through the school towards my first class – Music, which wasn’t as boring to me as it is to most people. Walking through the door, we sneaked to go and sit at the back in the last two seats of the class. As the teacher (whatever his name was, I couldn’t really care right now) went on about percussion techniques, me and Baz went on writing some lyrics to a song and trying to figure out how the tune should go and in what notes.

            I loved piano and guitar, I wasn’t amazing at either but learning with someone whose older brother was in a good band, and well you pick up a few things pretty easy. Anyway, Baz could play drums and bass guitar and he knew a bit more about making a tune sound epic with putting the right notes in. Music wasn’t one of my only passions; I loved the arty subjects, especially drama, anything that got me acting and I was immediately up for it.

            When we next looked up, everyone was busy writing stuff down and we noticed how there were some questions on the projector screen and a booklet had been passed around. Baz went to get us one each and we set out filling it in together and him reading ahead. He could easily read faster than me, and the story of him finding out was a bit of a shock – it was a small part of a bigger story. He had told me it all...

            It started when one night he couldn’t sleep properly due to a storm passing over his town, so he headed to the kitchen where he heard some rustling from the lounge. Firstly he went to get himself some water then sneaked through to the lounge as quietly as he could, with barely any squeaks from the floorboards. Opening the door from the dark hallway onto the room, he peaked through. He could barely see anything but some shadowed figure on the couch. At first (he had told me) he thought it was his older brother, getting back home late from a night out with his mates; but then there was more shuffling and he couldn’t tell what it was anymore. As afraid as he was, he reached for the light and switched it on.

            To his shock, his dad looked over will a snarl on his face and a drip of blood down his chin from his lips and Baz’s mother lying on the sofa under him, her eyes were closed and her neck was covered in blood. Yelling hard, he ran back down the hallway and up the stairs straight into his room.

            He heard heavy footsteps make their way up towards him. Hiding in his closet, he held his breath for as long as he could, and when he did need to breathe it was as slow as he could make it and through his nostrils. The light to his room was switched on, and the slow creaking of his door slithered to his ears. Looking through the gap between the doors, he saw his dad stood about five feet away from him.

            ‘Barry, come out from the wardrobe please.’ How he knew where he was Baz didn’t know but something told him he didn’t really want to know.

            ‘Barry dear,’ came his mum’s voice from behind his dad, which to Baz at the time seemed almost impossible after what he saw.

            The sudden blinding light from his room hit his eyes, they adjusted so quickly most probably due to the adrenaline rush in his body. His mum stood there, sorrow in her facial expression; her eyes didn’t hold the light and liveliness he had learnt to notice while growing up. ‘Barry, come out.’ She reached her arm out gingerly to take his, but he flinched and stepped as far back into his wardrobe as possible. ‘Come here, your father and I will explain to you but you must come out. Please, you’re my son; I wouldn’t let anyone harm you.’ The lightness and softness of her voice penetrated through his barriers and had calmed his frame of mind. ‘There’s no point hiding from you anymore, your brother knows so you may as well, though you are a little young. Love, come here.’

            Her hand still outstretched, he reached his out and shakily placed its palm on hers. Her fingers gently and caressingly closed around his and she coaxed him out of his comfort place. Noticing how his dad now stood further back, as if to give his mum time to calm his emotions down and his shock to clump together into some part of his mind.

            ‘I’m sorry you had to see that,’ he apologised. ‘The thing is that you should know I’d never harm your mother the way we know you thought I had. She is perfectly safe; show her, Maria,’ he encouraged. Looking back at his mum, she turned her neck to him and let him see the ever so small punctures near the base of her neck. There was nowhere near as much damage as Barry had been imagining. ‘You see?’ he asked rhetorically. ‘Perfectly fine.’ He stepped closer a little. He still stepped closer and wrapped his arms around his wife and son. ‘Barry, we know what you want to ask but I’ll explain a bit later.’ He picked Barry off his feet and held him close to him.

*****