BooksBarbecue
Back The Bad Place
Chapters (72)
  1. Cover
  2. THE BAD PLACE
  3. Contents
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. Acknowledgements
  71. About the author
  72. An Invitation from the Publisher

It was pandemonium inside, and stifling hot. The air-conditioning wasn’t on because the youth worker who was driving them had jumped out to nip to the toilet in a pub across the road. The interior was rank with the heavy musk of body odour after a day in the sun. All the kids were sweltering in their T-shirts and jeans.

Becky and Karin were sitting in the back row discussing everything under the sun, enjoying each other’s company, the conversation jumping from one subject to another: the boys Becky fancied at school, her favourite boy bands, a sparkly nail varnish she’d discovered.

Paul’s hand swung suddenly over the top of the chair in front of Karin and swiped at her head, giving her a shock, and Becky launched herself out of her seat to try to slap him back. The second time he appeared, Becky was ready with her fists clenched. ‘I mean it, Paul, leave us alone!’

In the row ahead of Simon and Paul, Michelle was nodding to music on her headphones, while Lydia watched gulls swoop to the pavement on the seafront to grab morsels of food.

That was when the driver’s door opened and someone climbed in and turned the keys in the ignition. The engine roared and the minibus swung away from the kerb.

‘Seriously?’ said Becky when Paul reappeared over the back of the seat, looking to make more trouble. ‘If you lay another finger on either of us I will destroy you.’

Becky raised her eyebrows in a steely challenge, ready to teach him a lesson. Karin loved the way Becky’s eyebrows arched like fighting alley cats.

Paul froze, weighing up the odds, and then waved her away, as if he couldn’t be bothered. ‘You’re lucky this time,’ he said. ‘I’m going to let you off.’

Becky made a sarcastic face. ‘Yeah, big man, we’re so lucky.’

Simon laughed like a drain, because he knew Paul didn’t fancy messing with Becky. Karin’s heart swelled with love for her friend, because Bex didn’t take any shit from anyone, certainly not some divvy boy like Paul. Karin didn’t care that she felt sick from all the sweets and fizzy drinks she’d consumed, and that it was sweltering in the vehicle, because she was with Becky. She dreamed they would be best friends for ever, and they would take the same exams at school and get the same grades, so they could go to the same university to study on the same course, and live together into old age.