Chapter 9

{c}”You can hold my hand, you know,”

Will wasn’t quite sure how he got home. His feet knew the way and carried him without engaging his brain—which was good, because his brain was somewhere up among the stars. Amy Robinson had kissed him. Kissed him. It wasn’t real. It couldn’t have been real. She kissed him.

When he got back to his house, Lizzie was sitting on her doorstep. She jumped up and ran down the garden path towards him.

“Amy phoned and told me what happened.”

“She did? So it was real? I didn’t imagine it?”

“No, you didn’t. And it’s about bloody time. She must have got sick of waiting.”

“Waiting?”

“You know, Will, I think you must be the dumbest clever person I know. You can’t have not known she liked you?”

“She did?”

“Will, please. She’s always smiling when she’s around you. You must have noticed. And then there are all the little touches on your arm or your leg. All the girly giggles. Amy being girly? Come on, it only happens around you. How can you not have noticed? But then, I guess, that’s the only Amy you ever see, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know. I just...”

“Yeah, well. I hope you’re going to make the most of this. You better, or I’ll kill you. She’s my best friend, remember. As are you. The two of you deserve to be happy. Make her happy, Will.”

Just as she promised she would, Amy called after she’d eaten and they arranged to meet in the local playground later that evening. It was a clear, dark night, but the playground was well lit. There was a full moon overhead, looming so large and bright that Will could make out the plains and highlands and even a couple of craters on its surface. Amy was sitting on one of the swings made from of car tyre when Will arrived, swinging gently and kicking her legs.

“Hey, you,” she said.

“Hey.” He sat on the swing next to her. “So...?”

“So...”

“What now?”

“I don’t know. What do you want?”

He looked at the floor in front of him. “Same as I’ve always wanted.”

“What’s that?” She tilted her head as she spoke.

He looked up and held her gaze. “You.”

She smiled. “So I didn’t make a fool of myself. I wasn’t sure. Well, I was. But I wasn’t. Do you know what I mean?”

“Yeah. I know.”

Will had never been so unable to express himself. It was as if the words he wanted were getting stuck in his throat. He wanted to tell her he’d liked her from the moment they’d met. He wanted to tell her that loved her. Because he did—or he thought he did. He wanted to tell her that she was the reason he’d fallen out with John Nugent five years ago. He wanted to tell her that he wanted her to be his—eternally and evermore, just like the song said.

But he couldn’t. He couldn’t say any of those things. He wanted to. But he couldn’t.

“Shall we go back to mine? We could rent a video or something?”

“Won’t your parents mind?”

“It’s their salsa night.”

“Their what?”

“Salsa. You know. Dancing and stuff. They go every week—won’t be back until after ten. We’ll have the place to ourselves.”

“Yeah, okay. That’d be nice.”

She stood up, letting the swing sway behind her. “Come on then, or all the good ones will have gone.”

They left the park walking side by side. “You can hold my hand, you know,” Amy said. She looked at the pavement and added, “If you want to.” She held her hand out to him. Will smiled and took it in his. Their fingers intertwined instinctively.

Just a few hundred yards from the park was a line of small shops—a butcher’s, a bakery, a general store, a fish and chip takeaway and a video rental store. It was a popular hangout for many of the local kids.

Including John Nugent and his cronies. Will saw them first. He stopped walking.

“Let’s go the long way. Around the back,” he said.

“What? Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?” She sounded hurt.

“No. No. It’s just. They haven’t seen us yet. Why invite all the hassle when we can avoid it? You know what he’ll be like if we walk past him.”

Amy grinned and Will knew the hurt in her voice had been faked. “Yeah, you’re right.”

They slipped unseen into the alleyway behind the shops. Will hoped they’d be able to sneak into the video shop without being seen because it was the last in the line and furthest away from Nugent, who was straddling his BMX outside the general store, but they were out of luck.

“Ha! Look at that! The tosser and the lezza holding hands. She your girlfriend now, Billy-boy? Does that make you a lezza too?”

“Ignore him,” Amy said out of the side of her mouth as she pulled Will into the shop.

“Oy, Billy-boy, I’m talking to you.” Nugent got off his bike, letting it fall to the ground with a crash, and strode towards them. Will shut the door behind him and started to walk towards the far side of the room where the latest releases were displayed. He didn’t look behind but heard the door open.

“Brownie, don’t walk away when—”