Slick.

My Friends Call Me Slick- Part 6

Let's Get Food

We didn't actually make it to Nando's. We walked down the road from the pitch and stopped at a little cafe called 'Kits Only'. We walked in and on all the walls were posters and match memorabilia for rugby dating back from 1930, the amount of history collected over the generations, it was amazing. We took a side table over by the poster of Johnny Wilkinson, the newest player compared to the others. A waitress came over; I think her name was Kathy. She told us about the specials but I was starving after the match so I ordered one the all day English Breakfasts and a Vanilla Milkshake. Then Maxi showed her real colours, I thought she would have ordered a salad but NO. She ordered a ¼ pounder, what a pig, I thought with a smile. Kathy nodded and then went into the kitchen.

Maxi and I sat there talking, discussing the game. Then our drinks came. We both had red straws and Kathy winked at me, her little way of saying "oi oi". Then I asked Maxi why she dressed so differently when she’s not at school, and she said it was because she can't be bothered with dressing up just to learn.

“Who is there at school to impress?” Fair point.

As she ate she told me how year 11's were going to America as an alternative to Egypt and then it clocked with her that I'd gone to 'that' trip. She kept asking me all these questions. "Did you have fun? Make any new friends? How come you don't talk about it?" I tried to answer with yes/ no but she just wouldn't give up, a sign of a very persistent girl. In the end I had to tell her. I started ...

"It was the fifth day of the trip and we went to flea market. I was with my mates and then Miss Launsheere asked me to help her, you see she'd found a piece of fabric she liked and needed me to hold it up to see how long it was. Then a man came over and was shouting in Arabic. He pulled out a gun." At this point I choked and she looked at me sympathetically, I went on. "I was there and so was Miss Launsheere and five other women. He shot them first. I thought that was the most traumatic experience of my life but I was wrong. The next few moments changed it all; he pulled out another gun from his back trouser pocket and aimed it in our direction, BANG, BANG, BANG!" I shouted, and Maxi screeched. "I thought I'd been shot but I wasn't bleeding. Miss fell on me. The shooter was gone, I collapsed on the floor with her corpse still warm in my arms." Maxi's eyes started to fill with tears "I shouted for help. Nobody came. She started to go cold. I was left with her cold corpse in my arms, the incident on repeat in my mind HIGH DEFINITION!”

Maxi's hand stretched over to mine as a tear trickled down her cheek. "Thing is your the first person I've told." She said nothing in return, just squeezed my hand.

After that it was a bit awkward, she looked at me as if I was a sympathy act. We ate the rest in silence. At about six o'clock Justin rang me to say the coach was going back, and we had to be at Nando's in ten minutes or they'd leave without us. Nando's was the other side of town; we could never get there in time. We rushed into a taxi and asked him to get us there as fast as he could but the traffic was appalling due to the fact there was a five car pileup. Justin text me it said "SOZ, WE R GONE. C U 2MOZ." When I told Maxi she panicked, but I reassured her it would be okay and we could get a train back. "Sorry mate, can you drop us at the station instead?"

"No problem, I was going there after this fair" the man in front of us replied. We got there at 6:30 (after half-an-hour in the car). We got to the ticket booth and asked for the first train back to Reigate. The women inside the glass box with brown hair and grey roots said "Sorry the last train was at 5o'clock." She didn't seem sorry, although she found us a room for the night.

Just For the Night

The room was in a dark alley, it looked as if it should be in Crime Watch. A red neon sign on the window read 'VACNCES'. The room was £20 a night and I can see why; all it had was a small double bed, a black and white TV and a toilet with a shower head on the tap. Maxi had to pay for the time being because I had no more money.

It wasn't late but we had run out of conversation so we started to get ready for bed. She went into the bathroom. I took my rugby kit off and just left my boxers on. She then came out with her pink lace bra on with matching knickers. She was on one side of the bed and I was on the other. Our eyes met with an intense look. We were both still uncertain about what was going on. I walked to get up my bottle of water and she followed me and I turned round. She took the bottle from me; she put it on the table and kissed me gently. I didn't pull away. I kissed back harder she moved my hand to her bum; I slid it up to her breast and slipped it under her bra. We went over to the bed; it was the most passion I had felt in my entire life. We went under the covers and well as they say, the rest is history.

When I woke up her head was resting on my chest. I needed to go to the loo but I didn't want to wake her so I gently lifted her head and placed it on the pillow. It quietly tiptoed over to the toilet. I heard her wake up, she was calling my name. She sounded flustered. I stopped and rushed back, I didn't know what was wrong. When she saw me she breathed a sigh of relief. She got up and hugged me; I guess she thought I'd done a runner. I reassured her I wasn't planning on going anywhere. "I'm just going to get us some breakfast" I told her.  When I came back from the Spar on the corner Maxi was sitting on the bed, dressed and ready to go back to Reigate.  Then her phone rang with a quiet jingle and she answered. Her entire posture changed. It was her dad.

"Okay Daddy, we'll be right there." She kissed me on the cheek. "Let's go face the parents then," she said with a cheeky smile on her face. The ford was waiting for us out on the main drag. Maxi sat behind her father and I was behind, her mum, I guessed. I didn't get a look at her face but she sounded familiar. Maxi and I held each other's hand until Mr Williams looked in his rear mirror and saw us.

"You look different, what have you been up to?" he said to Maxi

"Well I've done nothing different" she giggled innocently.

My phone rang. It was Maggie. She was shouting at me; half worried and half furious that I wasn't home. I apologized and you could hear her voice choke. I felt terrible.

"I needed you!" she shouted.

"Why?"

"It's Lilly!"

"Oh God! What's wrong? Is she okay?"

Maxi looked at me "What's wrong?" she whispered.

I covered the mouth piece, "It's Lilly" I told her.

Maggie continued. "You know she has been unwell for a while, well, she fell in the shower when she fainted."

"Keep going," I urged her on.

"Well she is at St James and asking for you."

“I'm on my way now, I'll see you in an hour." I put the phone down.

"Was that your mum 'Slick'?"

"No Mum! Err Slick's parents aren't 'with us anymore'" Maxi got in quickly.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't think, so who was it?"

"Right, yes. That was my aunt Maggie, my sister is in hospital."

"What's wrong?" Maxi's parent's enquired.

"They don't know!" I said.

Julie (Maxi's mum) reassured me. "We'll get there as soon as we can, dear."