Chapter 2

Matthew stretched on the sofa in the Wilsons's house. He had been invited to watch the football with Joseph as his television wasn't working, the communal aerial on the apartment block had fallen over in strong winds and it wasn't due to be repaired until the following Monday.

"Well that's the problem with flats," Joseph told him as he passed his guest a bottle of beer with a grin. "Not enough maintenance."

Matthew nodded, gratefully receiving the amber drink. "Yeah, tell me about it. The lights were out in the stairwell the other day, it took all four of us to ring the landlord half-a-dozen times before someone came out to sort it. And the amount of money we are paying. Well, it's scandalous."

Joseph gave a snort and threw a small pack of peanuts over to his employee who thanked him. Their eyes were drawn towards the television as the home team surged forwards on the counter attack only to miss a near open goal. Both men groaned and Joseph gestured towards the television. "Five million they paid for him. It's ridiculous," he ranted and took a swig of his beer. "I could have scored that."

Katherine poked her head around the door and smiled at her father, coughing to get his attention. "Dad," she asked in her sweetest voice. "Can I borrow some money please?"

Joseph beckoned his reluctant daughter into the middle of room and glared at her, his attention removed from the television in the corner of the room. "You are not going out like that," he thundered. Katherine looked at herself, her short, skin-tight miniskirt and "boob-tube", she looked just as her boyfriend wanted to look.

Katherine screwed up her face. "Why?"

"Because you look like..." Joseph stopped and considered his next word.

There was a gasp and she folded her arms, glaring at her father. "Like a what? Say it," she barked at him and Joseph sighed.

"OK, you look like a tart," Joseph told her and she scowled and threw her arms down theatrically. "You are not going out like that."

"Well Sam likes me like this," she told him firmly and then added that she was old enough to go dressed as she wanted. This was met by a swift rebuke from her father who stated that while she lived under his roof there would be a parental veto when she went out. In the end, Katherine stormed back upstairs slamming her door with the immortal teenage line, "it's not fair."

Joseph glanced at his friend on the sofa. "Sorry," he muttered. "It's the hormones."

Matthew smiled and Katherine reappeared a few minutes later dressed in a skirt only marginally longer and a top just as tight, but had timed her arrival as Joseph's team were awarded a penalty. Matthew wondered if she was wearing a bra (it didn't look like it to him) but Joseph was sufficiently distracted and allowed his daughter to leave, "lending" her twenty pounds in the process.

"She will be eighteen next week," Joseph muttered to Matthew as the striker picked up the ball. "And she will be the death of me."

Matthew smiled. "Well you think she is bad now what is she going to be like next week?"

"I know. I just hope she gets rid of that Sam before too long, I just don't know what she sees in him." Matthew bit his lip, the subject of his daughter's boyfriend always made him rant and this was no exception. To Joseph it was Sam's fault that his daughter felt pressurised into wearing overly sexualised clothes, and it was him that was the cause of all the problems. Of course, Katherine always dismissed this theory whenever Joseph mentioned it, but Joseph was still firmly of the opinion that Sam was no good for his daughter.

"My parents were the same, they hated my sister going out with a guy down the street."

"Did they split up?"

Matthew gave a smirk. "Oh yes. But the guy she is with now is ten times worse," he said with a reminiscent voice. "We don't get on," he summarised and Joseph smiled before erupting into a loud cheer.

His team had gone one nil up.

Lewis lit his spliff and sat on the park bench, stretching out and looking up at the Sun. It was a warm day for November and he took advantage of the clement weather to be able to smoke in the nearly empty park. Lewis liked his weed, his mate got it for him cheaply and it just helped him relax and unwind.

Of course, he knew his parents would flip if they knew, and even some of his non-smoking friends expressed reservations but for Lewis it was a victimless escape that he indulged in a couple of times a week to make him feel better: where was the harm in that?

Nick passed him a small see-through bag and Lewis pocketed it, it may only be the size of a ten pence piece but it was worth twelve quid to him and he stashed it away in the false lining of his jacket pocket.

"Good batch this month," Lewis told him and took a drag on his spliff as Nick lit his joint with Lewis's matches and took a deep breath.

"Yeah, fucking good batch. We owe the man."

Lewis grinned at his friend and inhaled deeply. He steadied himself and looked at the park. "Hey she's fit," Lewis leered at a fifteen year old walking through the park with immaculate hair chatting onto her mobile phone.

Nick snorted. "No chance mate. Not a chance in hell. That's Beau's sister."

Lewis smiled coyly and watched as the girl bounced through the park; he was bored and what he wanted was to do something apart from sitting in the park and rating unattainable girls out of ten.

"Hey she's a six definitely," Nick said as Anna appeared at the top of the park. "Lose the baby and all would be sweet." Lewis scowled and thumped him on the arm.

"That's Anna," he told her and focused on her radiant glow and shapely body. "She is a ten. Definitely."

Nick swore and rubbed his arm. "Ow," he moaned. "Ten? She looks cute but she is with baby. Who wants to be lumbered with a baby on a date?"

"Yeah," Lewis muttered. "She's an au-pair. A Russian au-pair." Nick scowled and Lewis shrugged. "She's my neighbour. She's well cool."