‘Well, I’m glad you find it amusing. Now make yourself bleedin’ useful. Get me TCP out the medicine box. I need to bathe me wounds.’

Vinny Butler wasn’t having much luck getting his leg over Bonnie Tarbuck. Sucking her tits was as far as she’d let him go, and that did nothing for Vinny. In fact, it left him cold.

A beautiful June day, it had been Vinny’s suggestion he organize a picnic and they take it over Vicky Park. He’d asked his mum to rustle one up, but told her not to push the boat out. ‘Just sandwiches and a few sausage rolls is fine, Mum. I ain’t splashing the cash on this one,’ he’d added, much to his mother’s delight.

‘What you brought a blanket with you for?’ asked Bonnie.

‘It’s a picnic blanket. In life, if you’re gonna do something, you gotta do it in style, girl.’

Bonnie leaned towards Vinny with another of her kisses, which he hated. She liked to shove her tongue down the back of his throat. ‘Are we officially boyfriend and girlfriend now, Vinny? Only I don’t see you much. You’re always busy lately.’

‘If you want nice things in life, you gotta work hard to attain ’em, Bon. One day, when I have kids, I wanna be able to give ’em everything,’ Vinny lied. He loved his little sister and Champ, but couldn’t imagine ever having kids of his own. He knew what soppy birds liked to hear though. That slut Yvonne had taught him that much.

‘So, are we boyfriend and girlfriend then?’ Bonnie giggled. She totally adored Vinny. All her friends were terribly jealous she was dating him, he was fast getting a hard man reputation and she was dying to tell them they were officially a couple.

Having brought the blanket with him for different reasons than he’d admitted to Bonnie, Vinny winked. ‘I’ll have a think about it and let ya know before we leave the park.’

Taking this as a yes, Bonnie clapped her hands together like Champ often did when excited.

Vinny forced a smile. Considering she was eighteen, Bonnie was so immature. She was pretty, had a good body, but all Vinny wanted from her was a wank and a shag. He’d be sixteen this autumn, his only sexual experience so far had been with Macca. He needed that memory to be wiped once and for all, which was why he’d chosen Bonnie. The most attractive, single, local bike.

‘Oooh, I know what I meant to tell you,’ exclaimed Queenie.

‘What?’ Viv asked.

‘Two things. Vinny bumped into that bloke the other day, that Bob.’

‘Bob who? I know about six Bobs.’

‘Bob the Bookie, from that pub where Vinny glassed those bikers in. He was the one who kissed our hands and you rushed to the loo.’

‘Oh, that tashy-faced pervert. And?’

‘Well, we know nobody grassed Vinny as we never had the Old Bill round. But Bob found out about the bikers. I dunno how, ’cause they were obviously too scared to snitch too. Turns out, one lost the sight in an eye and I think they had about a hundred stitches between ’em.’