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Souessed they would be We’re too young to get into pubs and there’s notout by the swings, trying to look cool Dipsticks! I mean, how the hell are you supposed to look cool in a park?
"Strewth, it’s the B-ster," Trev hoots "And who’s that with our cheery old chu, guv’nor"
Trev loves a bit of old-tiets stale quick
"Anything happening?" I ask, taking one of the swings and lifting my feet up so that everyone can admire my sneakers
"Sod all," Copper says
"Looking for zoht Vinyl was one of them," Ballydefeck says
"Eat me," Vinyl retorts
"I wouldn’t even if I was a zo?" I ask
Trev shrugs "Talk of a curfew has scared a lot of people I’ht you’d have been kept in"
"It’d take more than the threat of a few zombies to keep me in," I sneer
"Aren’t you afraid of the living dead?" Kray asks
"I’hter all round I grin It’s great to have friends to slag off
Copper produces a packet of cigs and passes theood that way He’d share his last butt with you He used to take a lot of flack for being a ginger before he butched up, but I always liked hiave hiiven a few of ood at it You’d be ale It doesn’t take a stroke of genius to look at a redhead and call him Copper, but even that simple task is beyond a lot of the kids I know
I’m prouder of Ballydefeck His family’s Irish Most of us have a bit of Paddy in our blood, but his lot act like they still live in the bog, spuds for dinner every night of the week, Irish dancing co out loud in every room of their house if you pop round He was known as Paddy or Mick for years Then one night I atching a rerun of Father Ted An old priest in it kept cursing, saying, "Feck!" I put that together with the nae and came up with Ballydefeck He’s answered to that ever since
Kray digs out an iPod with a plug-in speaker It’s brand-new, the latest model I whistle appreciatively "Fall off the back of a truck?" I ask
"I don’t knohat you nantly, but his smirk ruins his show of innocence We’ve all nicked a bit in our tiin’s star student
We listen to soreat taste - and talk about TV, zoirls in his new school He says they’re hot and easy Trev, Copper and Ballydefeck listen with theirup to with them Me and Kray look at each other and roll our eyes - we know bullshit e smell it But we don’t tell Vinyl to shut up It’s fun listening to hi
After a while I spot a skinny black teenager entering the park It’s Tyler, a kid from our year He stops when he sees us, hesitates, then backs up
"Tyler!" I shout "Get your arse over here!"