Robert Swindells: Daz 4 Zoe

And that’s where the kids go. Round the clubs. And if you think that’s safe you’re crazy. It’s not safe. In fact it’s downright dangerous, but that’s all part of the fun.

The reason it’s dangerous is, two reasons. First, you’ve got money and they don’t, and they know you have it, and there’s a lot of them and only a few of you. And second, they hate you anyway ’cause you’re a Subby and they’d as soon kill a Subby as look at him.

So yes, it’s dangerous, but you’ve got one thing going for you and it’s this. You’re here to spend money. Cash money, and cash is scarcer than hen’s teeth in Chippyville. They call it peanuts. They’ll kill for it, but killing brings the cops and they’d rather get it some other way. You spend it, they got it. You have a good time spending it, you’re gonna come back again. And again. And again. And even a dumb Chippy knows you don’t kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. So, as long as you tread soft and don’t go looking for trouble, you should be okay.

I say should be, because every now and then a Subby’ll disappear while chippying. Sometimes a whole earful goes out and never comes back. They’ve probably run into a Dred squad, or some guy looking for a fight. You can never be sure, see, and that’s where the kick is. Right down there where the butterflies play.

Anyway, I’m going to tell you what happened the night Tabby and me went out. The night it all began, only Daz wants to say a bit first. It will be a bit ’cause he doesn’t write too good but I wish you could see him. Your knees’d go weak, he’s so brilliant.

Don’t you never go of wiv no Dred our mam sez, but wot woud you do eh? How woud you feal if you was 1 of us.

We do wot we can rite. We do. You cant graft if ther is non and ther is non. And its not easy to get a barf neever. Not wivout water its not, and we dont hav water a lot of the time.

And thay sit up ther in veezavill, larfin and tellin each ovver how them Chippys never graft and them Chippys never wash and them Chippys do this and them Chippys do that and them Chippys do the ovver. Its alrite for them innit. They got graft. Water. Peanuts. Its alrite for them wiv all them fast motors and brand new doodys. They mite wel larf wiv ther hi fences and dazzlers and bouncers garding them and al that. i’d larf.

It’d be bad enuf if thay staid behind ther fences but thay dont. Not all ov them. Sum com owt at nite, Chippying. Thats wot thay call it – Chippying. Means coming down ahrend, clubbing. Thay got clubs. Posh clubs, but thay got to come snooping in ars dont thay, giving it the la-di-la and larfin. Thay got peanuts to buy the best booze and get of wiv ar wimmin. Were dirty and funny, rite. But not ar wimmin. Thats diffrent innit.

I hate Subbys. Hate them. Mister James up at the school sez a long time ago ther was no Subbys and fings wasnt so bad. Then Brittan rite – Brittan won the fork lands and got grate and sum people got to be Subbys and sum dint and that was us. So wot i fink is, get rid of the Subbys and fings’ll be better. Stands to reason dunnit.

And that’s wot the Dreds all about. Killing Subbys. You cant join til 15 and now I am so watch out you basteds i’ll show you topping our Del.

It was a Friday, I remember that, because when Tabby mentioned going out I thought, well, at least I won’t have to be up for school tomorrow.

I’m not saying that was my first thought. It wasn’t. I’m not that cool. My first thought was What? Who? Me?

It was ten to nine and we were parking our bikes. I’m fitting my front wheel in the slot and thinking about nothing in particular and she says, ‘Fancy coming out tonight?’

‘Huh – where?’

‘Out. O-U-T. You know – down town.’

‘Chippying?’ My voice is a sort of croak. I know kids Chippy but nobody ever asked me before. It’s a bit of a shock.

‘Sure, Chippying,’ she says. ‘What d’you think I meant?’

I looked at her. ‘I didn’t know you went out.’

‘I don’t tell you everything I do,’ she says. ‘And anyway I only went once before.’

‘When?’

‘Three weeks ago. Four of us, in Ned Volsted’s car. There was Ned, Tim Bixby, Sara Fanshaw and me. It was brilliant.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’

She shrugs, doesn’t answer. Instead she says ‘You in, or not?’

‘Who else is going?’

‘Ned, Larry Turner and me. And you, of course.’

‘I haven’t said I’ll come yet. What about Tim and Sara?’

‘What about them?’

‘Why aren’t they going again?’

‘How do I know? Busy, I guess.’ She grins. ‘Or chicken.’

‘Why – did something happen? Something bad?’

She shakes her head. We’re walking away from the bikes. ‘Nothing happened. I told you – we had a great night. You in or out? I can get somebody else.’

‘I don’t like Larry Turner. He’s a creep.’

‘So?’ She shoots me a dirty look. ‘You don’t have to marry the guy. Just sit in the same car is all.’

It was then I had the thought about not having to get up for school. I don’t want to kid you – I was nervous. In fact I was scared. Also, I didn’t know how I’d get away. What I’d tell my parents. I mean you can’t say ‘Oh, by the way, Dad, I’m off down town tonight with some of the kids. We thought we’d get drunk, do a little coke, maybe dance with some of them husky Chippy guys. Look for me around three a.m.’

A part of me was terrified, and yet I wanted to go. I did. I felt I should anyway, because Tabby asked me and maybe she’d cool off if I refused. Stop being my friend. I don’t make friends easily and I don’t think I could stand that. So I told myself I didn’t have to get up for school tomorrow, and then I said okay, I was in.

And that’s how it began.

We used my cousin as an alibi. That’s really why Tabby invited me. I knew that. Last time they used Sara Fanshaw’s sister but Sara wasn’t coming this time. Tabby’s nice and all, but she’s a user if you know what I mean. My cousin Alice lives over in Fairlawn which is the suburb next to ours. It’s four miles. Alice and Jim have a big place with ponies on it and Tabby loves to ride. My mother has taken us over there a few times so there was no problem when I told my folks. When it was time I said ‘See you’ and walked out and Ned picked me up at the end of the street. Easy peasy.

Ned’s eighteen. He’s in the sixth form. He’s off to university in the autumn and says he won’t be back. He’s lived in Silverdale all his life and he reckons eighteen years in Silverdale’s enough for anybody. I don’t know. Whatever he does he’s going to end up living in some suburb, and I hear they’re all the same.

We picked up Larry next. He’s sixteen, which makes him two years older than Tabby and me. He’s a weedy little guy with snaggle teeth and zits, but his dad’s a Silverdale Selectman and he thinks that makes him a star.

Tabby was waiting on the corner. She got in the back with me. The city’s south of Silverdale but we were supposed to be heading west for Fairlawn, so we cruised along Westgate and stopped at the barrier. Ned rolled down the window and we sat looking innocent as the bouncer on duty stuck his head in. Bouncer’s Chippy for security guard.

‘I.D.?’ We passed him our cards. He flicked through them and handed them back.

‘Destination?’

‘Fairlawn.’ Ned has this very open smile. ‘We’re off to ride ponies with Ms Wentworth’s friends.

The smile cut no ice. ‘I don’t care if you’re off to ride giraffes with Dracula’s uncle, kid. Stay on the freeway and keep moving, right?’

‘Right.’

‘Got gas?’

‘Yessir. Full tank.’