Steven Dunne - Deity

‘You want me to sort out next-of-kin for Wilson?’

‘Set it up.’ Noble turned away. ‘Oh, and John. Better get PC Patel over to Alice Kennedy’s to let her know we’ve found a body before she hears it from someone else.’

‘Someone else?’ said Noble.

‘The someone else who tipped off Yvette Thomson.’

Noble nodded, tight-lipped. ‘Want Patel to tell her it’s not Kyle?’

‘As long as she makes it clear that nothing’s definite until ID.’

Noble took out his cigarettes and offered one to Brook. He declined with a faint shake of the head.

‘I missed it, John. I completely missed it.’

Noble’s brow furrowed. ‘Missed what?’

Brook looked him in the eye. ‘The evil. There’s a fox in the henhouse and these kids are in danger.’

‘Where’s Dad?’ panted Jake, coming to a halt and opening the gate for his mother.

‘Gone fishing,’ she replied.

‘Why the-’ Jake stopped himself. It was pointless. He’d tried before. His mother worked all hours serving in a bakery for a pittance and his dad wouldn’t give her a lift into town even on his Saturday off. ‘Bye, Mum. Love you.’

Jake’s mother smiled back in that way she had. That makes it all worthwhile , the smile told him. He knew she’d be wearing it all day. She blew him a kiss and he watched her turn the corner to catch the bus. He was relieved. He loved his mum to bits, and he didn’t know why, but when he was alone, everything seemed less intense.

He finished a couple of warm-down exercises in the front yard and pulled off his sweat-stained top, closing his eyes to the piercing early morning sun. It was going to be a beautiful day and so far he had it to himself. He sat bare-chested on the front step revelling in the steam rising from his torso then fished out his iPhone to check his messages. His mouth fell open — he had a text from Kyle.

Jake read the message, dismayed. He closed his eyes again, this time squeezing a drop of moisture on to his cheek. He wiped his face brusquely and roused himself. It wasn’t too late. He reread the message then dialled 999 but rang off before the first ring had ended. He tried to think. He returned to Kyle’s message and sent off a reply. Where r u? Feds looking everywhere .

He leaned on the gate awaiting his reply, trying to forget the accusation in Kyle’s message, trying to ignore its truth.

A couple of teenage girls rounded the corner, each sucking urgently on a cigarette. They both wore far too much makeup, tight, low-cut tops and short skirts. They walked arm-inarm towards him, giggling as they drew near enough to give his smooth torso a serious examination.

Jake knew one of them and smiled faintly in their direction.

‘Hey, Jakey,’ said Trina. The two fifteen year olds stopped at his gate and made no pretence of looking anywhere but his body. ‘We’ve seen you on the internet.’

‘And on the news,’ said Trina’s friend. ‘’Bout that slappin’.’

Jake smiled again, wishing they’d keep walking. ‘You’re up early, Trina. Wassup?’

The girl from three doors down leered at him, her head doddering on its axis like a nodding dog. ‘Just jamming, beautiful. We ain’t been bed yet,’ she slurred. Jake could see she was drunk as she swayed against her equally drunk friend. She winked at him. ‘Not to sleep anyway, eh, Shazz?’ She roared with laughter and both started squealing incomprehensibly at each other.

‘Whoa. Too much information, girlfriend.’ Jake smiled.

‘That’s not a surprise,’ said Trina with a conspiratorial wink at Shazz. The two smirked at each other, finishing with a synchronised, ‘Mmmmmm.’

Jake continued smiling, willing them to move on.

‘You got any vodka?’ asked Shazz.

‘We drink vodka,’ confirmed Trina. ‘We take drugs too, don’t we, Shazz?’

‘All the time. But our best drug is vodka. You got any, Jakey?’

‘Shazz’ll blow you for a bottle.’ Trina cackled.

‘Fuck off, Trin,’ screamed Shazz and they both fell into a fit of the laughter, shouting and squealing as they jostled each other.

‘Go on,’ Trina urged Jake. ‘You know you want to. She’s got all the shag bands, the dirty ho.’

‘She must be very proud.’

‘I have too,’ said Shazz, her head to one side, as though he didn’t believe her. ‘You got any vodka then, Jakey?’

‘It’s seven o’clock in the morning.’

‘Don’t mean we can’t have a party,’ replied Shazz, pouting her most alluring slut-face.

‘I’ll pass,’ said Jake.

Shazz turned to Trina and rolled her eyes. ‘Told you.’

‘Told her what?’ snapped Jake.

‘We heard you was a bumder,’ explained Trina. ‘Wilson’s mate told us. You’re in love with Kyle Kennedy.’

‘Piss off, you sket.’

‘It’s true innit?’ Shazz nodded. ‘Only a faggot wouldn’t wanna jizz on my tonsils.’

‘She swallows an’ all.’ Trina leered, and they started laughing and screeching again.

‘You love Kyle,’ they chanted. ‘You love Kyle.’

Jake’s breathing quickened and he grabbed Shazz by the shoulder and marched her into the house. ‘Want some vodka, bitch? Wanna see how much I hate faggots?’ Shazz turned round with a grin on her face and winked at Trina as Jake pushed her up the stairs.

‘Wait for me, Trin,’ she shouted over her shoulder. ‘Shouldn’t be long. Here, your mum’s not home, is she?’

‘Course she is. She wants to watch.’ He opened his bedroom door, pushed her in and slammed the door behind him. When Shazz turned round, Jake had already dropped his tracksuit trousers. ‘Come on then, ho. Get to work.’

Shazz grinned at him and took out her gum to stick on Jake’s bedroom mirror. ‘Nice package. But shouldn’t your fuckstick be pointing north instead of south?’ She giggled.

Jake grinned maliciously at her. ‘That’s your job, slut.’

Shazz smiled and dropped to her knees, cupping his penis in her hands. ‘Shouldn’t take long. Bobby P reckons I’m the best ever.’

Jake closed his eyes as she went to work and tried to concentrate, but all he could see was an image of Shazz and Trina laughing at him through their slack mouths. He strained to see her head bobbing up and down and felt any hardness waning. Then he pictured Kyle looking on and the tears began to well.

He opened his eyes and stared at the poster of Morrissey, a gift from his friend, and he began to harden again. But over and over his thoughts turned to Kyle. His smile, that little curl of hair on his puny sideburns, those beautiful eyes with their too-long lashes. He’s with me, he’s doing this. He loves me. He wants me.

With an almighty grind of his teeth Jake climaxed and he fell backwards against the door. Shazz was already on her feet, popping her chewing gum back in, a triumphant gleam in her eye. ‘Whaddaya think? Better than a Dyson, yeah?’

Jake wrenched his tracksuit back up to his waist and closed his eyes again. What have I done? What a bastard I am. Wanna see how much I hate faggots? Kyle was right. ‘Get out, you slut,’ he whispered softly.

‘Fuck off. Where’s my vodka?’

‘You’re a whore as well as a slut. Now get out!’ he rasped, his eyes bulging in his sudden rush of anger.

Shazz put her hands on her hips and planted herself. ‘Not until I get my vodka, bumder.’

Jake grabbed her by the hair and hauled her down the stairs, the pair of them screaming at each other. He wrestled open the front door and threw her on the ground. ‘Get. Out.’

‘You fucking poof,’ she bellowed as Trina came to her aid. ‘You’re a fucking faggot,’ she snarled at him, rubbing her knee. ‘He couldn’t get it up, could he?’ she told Trina. ‘He’s got fag mags all over his bedroom, and paedo porn, you wanna see it, Trin, it’s dread.’ Turning back to Jake, she screeched, ‘You better not ha’ gi’n me AIDS when you touched me, you fucking arse-loving boner bandit.’