A Vision of Green (Florence Vaine #2) (8 page)

“
No,” I answer boldly, summoning every ounce of courage I possess. “I'm not breaking up with Frank, you can't tell m-m-me what to do any more.”

Dad stops smoking for a second to glance directly at me, a cruel smirk graces his thin lips as something like an idea formulates in his head. “Is that right?” he asks, and takes a drag of the cigarette, before blowing it out good and slow.

“
Y-yes.”

“
Frank's his name is it? Well listen to this Flo, and listen good, you'll break up with him if you want to avoid trouble, otherwise that boy will be back behind bars before he can blink. Oh yeah, I know about that too, that he's been in juvie. Only this time he'll be going to big boy prison, you wouldn't want that for him, would you?”

I shake my head at him in an effort to hide how frightened I am. “How do you think you can make that happen?”

A slow grin from Dad, before he reaches under the cushion on the armchair and pulls out a clear plastic ziploc bag with white powder inside. He holds it up and wags it back and forth, pulling the cigarette out of his mouth and squinting to avoid the smoke going in his eyes.

“
I'll plant this on him maybe. Perhaps something worse. What are the kids doing these days, meth? Speed? Whatever it is, with his record they'll put him away for at least a few months, maybe even a year if they find him with enough gear on him. It won't be too difficult to start a rumour that he's dealing at the school, especially considering his background. So, are you going to do as I tell you or what?”

I listen to his words and do my best to push back the tears that have suddenly sprung up in my eyes. I always knew that my dad had a mean streak, but I never realised how calculating he could be. He must have figured out that something in Chesterport was making me happy, when he discovered it was Frank he decided to put this little plan in place so that we can't be together any longer.

His threats are never empty either. I've learned over the years that when my dad says he's going to do something, no matter how despicable, he'll do it. He doesn't have a conscience, and if he does it's buried deep, deep inside somewhere.

It hurts so much to think that Frank is now on his radar, and I'll do anything to save him from getting into trouble. God, does this mean I can't be with him any more? The thought stings and makes me want to spend a week in bed, crying like the saddest person in the world. My heart is literally breaking inside. Frank is just so good and beautiful, inside and out. I can't let Dad ruin him. He's got a good life going with John and Hayley and his brothers. A family that he never had growing up. Sucking in a breath, I steel myself and look my dad dead in the eye.

“
Fine, I'll finish it. But you have t-t-to promise not to go near him once we've broken up.”

Dad smiles slyly and draws two lines over his chest, where his black, black heart resides. “Cross my heart,” he chuckles and shoves the drugs, cocaine probably, back under the cushion.

At this, Sal enters the room wearing similar clothes to what she had on the other night, too skimpy for a woman of her limited attractions. A smoke dangles from her lips. She and my dad make quite the pair. She drops down beside me on the sofa, giving her scruffy hair a good scratch. Ugh, she probably has some kind of scalp rash. I shift over so that there's no chance of us touching.

“
What's for dinner, Terry?” she asks, her voice raspy and tired, like she's only just woken up.

“
We'll order in a Chinese or something,” he tells her dismissively and gets up to go into the kitchen.

I sit there in silence, contemplating how I'm going to break up with Frank and make it seem believable. It feels like 95% of the air in my lungs has been sucked out. If Frank gets even the slightest inkling that my dad's blackmailing me into doing this he'll get angry and try to confront him. I can't handle that. I don't want Frank attracting Dad's attention any more than he already has.

No ideas spring to my mind, and I slump back against the cushioned sofa as my dad returns to the room with a slightly hyper aspect to him. I'm almost certain he shoved the coke back under the cushion on the armchair, however he looks like he's just taken a hit. His walk is all jumpy and his brown eyes are wide open. When he wipes across his nose with the heel of his palm my suspicions are confirmed. Dad will try just about any drug that he can get his hands on. I mean, he'll even resort to inhaling aerosols if he's low on money.

How polluted must his mind be if he can't even deal with being inside his own head for any length of time without something that will help him not to think? I can't deal with him right now.

I stand up abruptly and hurry to my room, feeling the need to let out the tears that are clogging in my throat. I throw myself onto the bed and press my face into the duvet, shaking as I cry. I can't believe I'm going to have to give up the one person who makes me feel like I'm worth something, just so that my dad won't try to destroy his life. It would be so simple for Dad to set Frank up, and no one would even bat an eyelid because most people in Chesterport already think that John Danson's boys are bad news.

A while later, after I've pulled off my Converse and gotten under the blankets fully clothed, I hear a knock at the front door. I can just barely make it out because Dad and Sal are playing their crappy music again. It's probably that Chinese delivery Dad mentioned earlier. But then I hear Dad talking in a loud voice, full of the joys of his coke high, and the person who replies sounds a little familiar.

Dad laughs and I hear him sing along to his music as the front door closes and someone begins coming up the stairs. My bedroom door opens just as I'm sitting up and pulling the blanket off me. I couldn't be more surprised if a pig with wings came through the door when Josh walks in.

Then it hits me, as I remember that I'd arranged for him to come over so that I could work on his aura. He looks a little spooked, probably after being welcomed into the house by my high off his face father. And a drunken, dishevelled Sal.

He takes in the sight of my red eyes and the fact that I've been in bed and asks, “Are you sick Flo?”

I shrug and reply softly, “No, at l-least not in the physical sense.”

Josh looks around the room, leaning back against the door-jamb. “Are those your parents downstairs?”

“
Not both of them, that's my dad and his latest girlfriend Sal.”

He nods and rubs his jaw, glancing once at my neck where there's probably a big red burn mark from when dad pulled hard on my top earlier.

“
Good to hear, the woman tried to grope my crotch. That might have been kind of awkward if it was your mum. They seem...out of it.”

I stand, straighten out my clothing and fix the blanket back into place. “Welcome to my life,” I murmur.

“
I thought you lived with your granny or something,” he says, coming to sit down on the edge of the bed.

“
She died.” I tell him blankly.

Josh looks a little uncomfortable now. “Oh, sorry about that.”

“
Don't be, she w-was old,” I say, my harshness surprising me. Dealing with Dad tends to make me a little extra hardened about things.

“
So, what are they on exactly?” he asks, probably morbidly fascinated by my lower class existence with a drugged up father and his slutty, decrepit looking girlfriend.

“
I think the question is, w-what are they not on? But I don't really want to talk about that.”

I try to picture what Josh's home life might be like. His dad's an undermining arsehole, but other than that he probably has a comfortable set up. A mother who takes care of his every need, maybe a younger sibling or two who he can play football with on the weekends in their massive back garden. A nice bit of money in his wallet at all times. Being an only child, I've always wondered what it would be like to have a brother or a sister. Someone to share the experience of growing up with.

“
Okay. But what happened to your neck, Flo?” he says, pointing at the offending red mark.

“
Nothing,” I answer, pulling my top up to cover it. It's a little disconcerting having Josh sound concerned about me. “Listen, I know I said I'd help you this evening, but I'm not really in the right place for that at the moment. We can do it s-some other time.”

“
You're blowing me off?” he asks, incredulous. God forbid somebody cancel plans on him. People like Josh just can't seem to get their heads around the fact that the world doesn't revolve around their precious needs.

“
Sorry but I've got a headache. I wouldn't be able to concentrate.”

“
I know a good cure for headaches,” he says, reaching out and running his hand over my hip. I almost jump halfway across the room.

“
What do you think y-y-you're doing?”

Josh sits up a little straighter and sighs. “God Flo, is it that difficult to figure out? I fucking like you okay, even if people at school say you're weird.”

I'm in too much shock to fully comprehend the fact that Josh has just admitted to liking me. Instead I get caught up on the other part of what he said. “People at s-s-school s-say I'm weird?” I hate how the very idea hurts my feelings. I'd like to think I'm above worrying about what others think of me, but let's face it, nobody's really like that no matter how much they claim to be.

Josh shakes his head. “Seriously, that's the bit you're going to focus on? Fine, yes people think you're weird Flo. You've got this whole,
I see dead people
thing going on. It freaks everybody out. But, well, I find it kind of sexy. You've constantly got this look in your eyes, like you can see into my soul or something.”

I suddenly begin coughing fitfully. I can't see dead people or Josh's soul, but I can see his aura, and everyone else's.

“
Maybe you're the weird one for finding the girl who sees dead people sexy,” I bite back.

He grins and stands up, making his way toward me. I continue to step away until my back hits the wall. “So you admit it, you can see dead people, ghosts?”

“
No, of course I can't. I'm just not like everybody else, but I won't apologise just because they can't handle the idea of someone who isn't exactly like them.”

“
What is it then? How are you different?”

I look away and out the window, where the dark Chesterport forest lies in the distance. I draw my attention back to Josh. “None of your business. You better go now. Dad and Sal might be tolerable at the moment but they're only going to get worse as the night wears on. You don't want to be here for that.”

Josh shakes his head and gets up to leave, but just as he reaches the door he turns back to face me. “Will you be okay Flo?” He gestures down the stairs through my open bedroom door.

I sigh. “I'm used to it. Go.”

He looks like he's having a hard time making a decision. “Fine, I'm going.” He grins at me. “Now I can tell everyone I've been in your bedroom.”

“
You wouldn't dare.”

“
I most certainly would.”

A wave of exhaustion hits me, I've got too much going on already without having to worry about Josh spreading his lies. I know it's not a lie that he was in my room, but obviously people will draw their own conclusions from that one piece of information. Without thinking, I walk right over to him and put both of my hands on his shoulders.

“
Please, don't do that,” I plead with him, looking him right in the eyes. His breath catches for a moment, perhaps in surprise of my actions or because of the fact that I'm touching him. It unnerves me how close our faces are, but I need to convince him somehow to keep his mouth shut. If Frank ever heard about this it would hurt his feelings, even if I explained that it was entirely innocent. On my part at least. Especially now that I have to break up with him in order to pacify my sick bastard of a father.

Josh leans toward me, his pupils are small as he focuses in on my lips. Oh God. I draw away quickly. He smirks.

“
All right then Flo, it will be our little secret.” He winks and leaves the room. I have to restrain myself from kicking the door in frustration. He
thinks
there's something going on between us now. Brilliant. He's going to become even more unbearable to deal with. I know he's gone after I hear the front door open and close. I'm relieved he didn't bump into Dad or Sal again on the way out.