Speak No Evil Read Free

the driver’s pushed him away. The dealer fell.
    The drivers and hangers-on formed themselves into a sudden circle. There was no more laughing. Disrespect had been flung. It would have to be answered. Calvin, watching with the others, closed his eyes.
    Not knives, he thought to himself, please, not knives …
    He opened them again, slowly. The fight hadn’t started. A peacemaker had intervened. The aggrieved parties were both backing down and saving face, both relieved, although not showing it, that it hadn’t come to blades. The atmosphere, although not immediately dangerous, was still tense.
    Calvin was getting impatient. He wanted his ride. Before anything nasty happened. He looked at Renny. ‘Gan on, then. Ask ’im.’
    Renny had been transfixed by what had been happening. He seemed disappointed that there would be no fight. However, he was reluctant to move. ‘Doesn’t work like that,’ he said, not bringing his eyes around to face Calvin.
    The would-be combatants were walking away from each other. Someone made a joke. It helped.
    Calvin kept looking at his friend. ‘How does it work then?’
    â€˜Tell him, Pez.’
    Pez, smaller than the both of them, clearly a follower where the other two fancied themselves as leaders, looked up startled, as if he had just been roughly woken from a long, baffling dream. ‘Eh?’
    Renny looked at Pez. Calvin missed the message that Renny tried to send with his eyes. ‘Calvin wants to go for a ride. I told him it doesn’t work like that.’
    â€˜Aw. Right.’ Pez nodded. ‘Aye.’
    Calvin looked between the two. And saw what was going on. ‘You haven’t been, have you?’
    No reply.
    â€˜They didn’t ask you, you were never in a car. Either of you. Were you?’
    Pez looked at Renny. Renny shrugged. ‘We just … you know. We didn’t wanna … look like shites. We thought …’ Another shrug. ‘Y’know.’
    Calvin looked at the other two, at the cars. He was so near to them. But he might as well have been miles away. In another country. He felt angry, betrayed. He had sneaked out of the house in the middle of the night, ran all the way down here to meet the other two, just on the promise of a ride. And he wouldn’t get one. It was all right for the other two, their parents didn’t care where they went to at night, Renny’s especially. But Calvin’s did. It had cost him a lot to come out. He felt stupid. And angry. He wanted to hit Renny but he knew his friend’s temper would come straight out and he would end up worse off. He looked at the drivers, at the fear and aggression lurking just below the surface, waiting for another flashpoint to set it off. And suddenly felt scared. He had to go home.
    â€˜Laters.’ He turned round, started to walk away.
    â€˜Where you goin’?’ asked Pez, clearly confused.
    Calvin shrugged. Tried not to make it into a big gesture. ‘Home. Not stayin’ here with you two little-boy losers.’
    He walked away. As he passed the massed ranks of racers, one of them detached himself from the bunch, walked over towards him. The same gangsta rapper rolling gait as all the others used, baseball cap on his head, hoodie on top of it.
    Calvin stopped, looked up. The older kid’s eyes were hidden. Calvin thought his luck was in, that he was going to be asked for a ride. The kid held out his hand, flashed something hidden in the palm.
    â€˜Want some stuff? Some gear?’
    Calvin’s heart sank. He recognized the boy. It was the dealer who had been ready to fight. He still looked as if he was up for it, his anger curtailed but not satisfied. Calvin always avoided the dealers anyway. This one especially.
    He shook his head, tried to walk round him. The dealer didn’t move.
    â€˜Some blow? E? Get you happy?’ The dealer’s voice didn’t sound very happy.
    â€˜No