The Youngest Booth

Chapter 27

Jay's P.O.V.

The paramedics came and confirmed it. Missy was dead. I felt like my world had crashed down. Me, Hayley and Nas were all sitting on the sofa crying. Mum made us tea whilst Mrs Paracha spoke to the paramedic. 

"I made tea," Mum told us.

"Simone, they don't want no tea, love," Zaffar told Mum. Mum sat down with us and pulled me and Hayley in close. I loved that she was here but why did it take this for Mum to give a damn. Mrs Paracha walked back into the room. 

"What did the paramedic say?" Nas asked. I didn't give damn what they had said.

"She couldn't tell me much. Thinks maybe she hit her head in the accident, some kind of internal bleeding," Mrs Paracha answered. Nas got up and stormed out. I stood up too. I felt so angry. I kicked the wall and properly broke down. 

"Jay you going to be ok," Mrs Paracha told me.

"No, no I'm bloody not. She's the only one who's always been there for me and Hayley. What are we going to do now?" I shouted and a whole new wave of sadness washed over me. Mrs Paracha hugged me like my Mum never did.

~that night~

I was lying in bed, crying more than I have ever done in my life. The door opened slightly and Hayley walked in.

"Can I get in?" she asked. I pulled the cover back and she climbed in. I wrapped my arms around her and we lay there in silence.

"What are we going to do?" Hayley asked after a while.

"I don't know," I said truthfully. She carried on crying.

"Look LeeLee we're going to be okay," I reassured her. I couldn't say her name when I was little so that was what I called her. She smiled weakly.

"Promise you'll never leave me JJ bear," Hayley said.

"I could never leave you," I said and I hugged her even tighter. 

We went to school a couple of days later. Everyone was yelling and arguing in the quad but they all went silent when me and Hayley came in.

"What you all looking at?" I shouted. We carried on into school. Riz caught up with us and showed us this video of some guys beating up the kid who was driving the car. It was bad. Even though I was bloody pissed at the guy, he didn't deserve that and deep down I knew it had been an accident. 

"Is that really him?" Hayley asked.

"Everyone's seen it. Someone would of shown you eventually. Rather it were me," Riz told her.

"I'm glad you showed me it. And I'm glad he got battered," Hayley said.

"They didn't do it for Missy. They did it because he was brown," Riz said.

"So? He killed my sister," Hayley said. Hayley got up and stormed away. Razia ran after her.

"Look," I said once they had gone, "You're right. She's just annoyed, we both are but she does know, deep down, that it weren't for Missy."

~after school~

Hayley was aggressively buttering her toast and Mum was sitting on the sofa. 

"I'll do that for you, love," Mum told her as she got up.

"I can do it myself," Hayley shouted.

"Talked to Zaff. We both think I should stay here for a bit," Mum said. Hayley ignored her. 

"I just want to be here for you, love. For both of you," Mum told us. She didn't know how long I had wanted to hear her say that. But why? Why did it take Missy dying for her to look after us?

"Do you know how long we have waited to hear you say that?" Hayley asked.

"Missy had to die before you gave a damn," I said. Hayley stormed out the house and me and Mum followed. 

"Hayley! Hayley!" Mum begged.

"Get your hands off me," Hayley shouted.

"You can't run away from this," Mum yelled after her.

"Hayley?" Nas said as she stormed past her.

"Just stay away from me, Nasreen, I don't want you nowhere near me, all right?" Hayley screamed and she stormed down the road. I stormed away down the other end of the street. I needed to get away.

"Jay!" Mum yelled.

"Leave me alone," I shouted. I pulled my phone out my pocket and called Kiaan.

"Bro, you at the rec?" I asked.

"Yeah man. You coming?"

"Fuck yeah. Got any cider?"

"Of course bro. See you in a sec." I hung up and ran to the rec.

"You good bro?" Kiaan asked when I arrived.

"Hell yeah," I said and I picked up a can of cider.

~a few hours later~

I woke up and I had no clue where I was.

"Where am I?" I asked.

"You're at home, love," Mum said. I tried to sit up but my head felt it was gonna explode. Then my stomach lurched. Hayley threw the bucket out just in time. 

"I'm sorry," I said.

"It's ok," Hayley said.

"No, no I'm sorry," I said.

"Do you remember what happened, love?" Mum asked.

"Err I remember that I had some cider," I said.

"More than some," Mrs Paracha said. I hadn't realised she was there.

"Sorry I just, I wanted to get away from it all," I explained.

"You can't, love," Mum said. I started crying.  She was right.

~a few days later~

It was Missy's funeral. We all followed the hearse down the road. Miss Keane, Miss Carter and Mr Evershed were there. I was looking at the speech I had written. It took my ages because there was just so much I wanted to write. 

"I always told her that she was going to go far and some people might say that she didn't but she did. She always helped everyone; have a problem, go to her. She was amazing. Looked after me, Hayley and Nana when she was 13. And I know that she'll be up there, right now, looking after Nana. Probably singing some One Direction song or dancing away, trying to figure out a plan to confess her love to Harry Styles," I said.