Sweet Sorrow(88)

Visions of terrible malice, of smashing his head into the doorframe, or running him through just as Romeo murders Tybalt.

‘Lloyd!’ said Harper. ‘Go!’

‘Goodnight, sweet prince! Goodnight!’ A moment, while the door closed, the laughter faded away.

‘Is it too late?’

‘No,’ said Harper. ‘Come on. Let’s play pool.’

‘You break. I met this girl by accident. She’s just left Chatsborne, Fran Fisher, do you know a Fran Fisher? You’re stripes, I’m spots. And she was doing this play thing, the Shakespeare thing, the one they told us about in school. Nice shot. And the only way to see her was to join, so that’s what I’ve been doing. A play. Bad luck, my go. And it’s not bad, you know, it’s fine, I quite like the people – yes! – bit pretentious but they’re not taking the piss all of the time, and it’s a nice venue. Shit! Your go. I even think it might be quite a good production. Of the play. Helen Beavis is doing the design.’

‘The Bricky?’

‘Yeah, but no one calls her that. They call her Helen. It’s refreshing. Also, she’s really good, at art and design and stuff – and it’s open-air, site-specific, in this massive house—’

‘It’s what?’

‘What?’

‘You just said it’s something …’

‘“Site-specific.” I just mean that it’s not in an ordinary theatre, it’s specific to this house. Is it my go?’

‘Why are you talking like this?’

‘I’m just explaining why I’m doing this Shakespeare play. Your go.’

‘But you’ve never done a play before. You’re on.’

‘No, and I never will again, it’s just … the summer’s so long, and I’ve got nothing else to do and I don’t know, don’t you ever want to try something … new?’

‘Yeah, but, I don’t know, bungee jumping. Not a play. Fluke.’

‘Not fluke, skill.’

‘And aren’t you just a really shit actor?’

‘Me? Yes, I’m really terrible. My go, two shots. Well, not terrible. Fran worked on the lines.’

‘Fran’s the—’

‘The girl, Juliet. You should come and—’

‘Come and see it?’

‘Yes! Why not! You know a couple of people in it.’

‘Your go.’

‘Helen Beavis, Colin Smart—’

‘Fucking hell, you’re hanging out with Little Colin Smart now?’

‘He’s all right. Lucy Tran, she’s really good in it.’

‘Number Forty-two?’

‘Yes, except no one calls her that because it’s racist—’

‘It’s not racist.’

‘Of course it’s racist, it is literally racist, it was always racist, and always stupid too because she’s Vietnamese. Not even Vietnamese, she’s British, she was born here, and even if she was Chinese, it would still be fucking racist and fucking stupid.’

‘All right!’

‘Actually, no, don’t come and see it. Just … forget it. Whose go is it?’

‘You all right?’

‘Yes, I just asked whose go?’

‘Yours.’

‘All right, top right pocket. I don’t know, Martin, it just makes a change from hanging around down here and taking the piss and being shitty to each other all the time.’

‘You think I’m shitty to you?’

‘Not you, just all of us together, the way we are. Don’t you think it’s weird? All the name-calling and jokes and stuff? I mean, when it’s someone’s birthday, shouldn’t you, I don’t know, buy them a present rather than nick their trousers and set fire to them? Isn’t that just deeply, deeply weird?’

‘I think this conversation is weird.’

‘Is it? Probably. I don’t care.’

‘I mean, yes, I think it gets out of hand sometimes.’

‘Yeah, you could say that …’

‘But I don’t think we’re bad mates.’

‘No, and I didn’t say that.’

‘When your mum was moving out—’

‘No, I know, I know.’

‘When you were fucking up all your exams—’

‘I realise that.’

‘When you were being all weird and moody—’

‘Was I? Probably I was. I was a bit depressed, I think.’

‘You were nuts.’

‘I was. Your go.’

‘But we didn’t go anywhere, did we? I mean we were there.’

‘Well you were. And I appreciate it. But if someone calls me Council or Bunkie or Nobody again, or talks about Dad like that, I’m going to … walk away.’

‘Your go. It’s just banter.’

‘Is it?’

‘Between mates.’

‘I know, but I don’t need that any more.’

‘Now you’ve got new friends? Unlucky, my go.’

‘A few.’

‘And this girl.’

‘Fran. Yes.’