SIDEKICK

Chapter Twenty: Party Hard or Go Home

CHAPTER TWENTY

Party Hard or Go Home

“So we’re screwed huh?”

Everyone is in our sleeping quarters, a section that the Den have given to Quartz and various other branches that have come for the Meeting. Naveen sits on the edge of the bed beside Seth and Victor, Deidre is sat on the couch beside Lance, his head hung low. I move my attention to Joseph and Peter, who have been vocal the whole time.

“This is fucking ridiculous!” Joseph roars. “They’re the bad guys here! Why are they attacking us when there’s some fuckwits like Deity out there?!”

“You guys had to go and make a mess,” Naveen injects coldly, her glare pierces across the room. “If you had just stuck with the plan –“

I hold my hand up and interrupt, “Plan? What plan?”

Naveen turns her attention to me. “The ‘plan’ was that we would be nice, polite, and follow whatever they say even if we don’t like it. They’ve been watching us for ages and they were waiting for a chance for us to do something stupid. The amazing thing,” she points her thumb to Joseph. “Is that these two idiots decide to make a charade and gave them the perfect excuse to do whatever the hell they like.”

“Now we’re going to be disbanded,” Oliver murmurs from behind the couch. “Thanks guys.”

Peter stands up. “Look! They were destroying John in there! He was going to found guilty!”

Les speaks up, “That’s true. You morons did save John back there, but your method screwed the rest of us big time! This has been our home for nearly 900 years. This is our clan! And all we asked you to do is one simple thing. Don’t screw up. One thing guys!”

Joseph now is standing and shouts back, “Why are you so upset? You didn’t even want to be clan leader! Now you don’t have to be!”

“It doesn’t mean I don’t want this Clan to end!” Les roars back.

Eventually, everyone is shouting at each other across the room. I hear some swears, insults, blames. Meanwhile, I’m just here.

Sitting by myself.

Well this is awkward.

Suddenly, I see Victor who’s been sitting on the floor the whole time slowly get to his feet. Amongst the fighting, no one but me seems to notice him stand up in the middle and take off his enormous headphones.

His mouth opens.

“SHUT THE HELL UP!”

In that instant everyone shuts up. I’m shocked. I have barely heard that kid speak a whole sentence in my entire time in the clan.

Their faces are plastered with awe.

I guess they’re amazed too.

Slowly, their faces turn from shock into shame. Joseph looks up slowly to Naveen.

“Sorry Rusty,” he mumbles. “I didn’t mean it when I said you were a fat carrot.”

“Seriously? That’s your apology?” Naveen answers.

“C’mon!”

“Fine, whatever.”

Deidre apologises to Lance. “Oh this palava is my entire fault Master. I shouldn’t have insisted we attend the Meeting. If we didn’t, none of this would have happened.”