The Feud (32 page)

‘Me name’s Frankie. What’s yours?’

The lad shook her hand. ‘Extremely pleased to meet you, Frankie. I’m Jed. Jed O’Hara.’

As the recognition hit her, Frankie nearly dropped her glass in shock. ‘I think we have met before, at a party when we were young,’ she mumbled.

‘What party? Where?’ Jed asked her.

‘I’m Frankie Mitchell. Eddie Mitchell’s daughter. I can’t remember where the party was, but I think your dad and my dad made you and my brother fight with one another in a boxing ring. I can’t remember exactly what happened, but I think you beat my brother, ’cause my mum was hysterical.’

Jed laughed. ‘I know your face, but I don’t remember the fight. My father made me spar with so many kids over the years, I sort of lost count.’

With her heart pounding, Frankie gratefully accepted Jed’s offer of another drink. ‘Let me take these drinks back to me mates – they’ll think I’ve gone missing,’ she said.

‘You go and tell your brother that you’re OK, and we’ll meet back here in five minutes. I’ll buy you another drink then. The music’s proper loud, ain’t it? We can go outside and talk,’ Jed said, grinning at her.

‘Who’s that boy? How do you know him?’ Joey asked, as Frankie appeared by his side.

‘We’ve met before,’ Frankie replied casually.

This was neither the time nor the place to mention the name Jed O’Hara. Joey was a drama queen at the best of times. ‘Where are the girls?’ Frankie asked Joey.

Joey pointed towards the dancefloor. ‘Dom’s such a show-off, he’s teaching them some new moves. I’m gonna join ’em – you coming?’

Frankie shook her head. ‘I’m gonna stand at the bar and have a drink with that boy I know.’

Joey smirked. ‘You like him, don’t you? It’s written all over your face.’

‘No, I don’t. I’m just chatting, that’s all,’ Frankie said agitated.

Joey was full of suspicion as he watched his sister walk away. They knew all the same people and he wondered where Frankie knew the lad from.

‘Are you OK?’ Dominic asked, as Joey joined him on the dancefloor.

‘Yeah, sort of. Do us a favour, Dom, you’re taller than me. Keep an eye on Frankie, she’s standing up the bar with some bloke with dark hair. I don’t like the look of him. I don’t know why, but keep watch for me.’

‘Frankie will be fine. You’re just being overprotective, as any decent brother should,’ Dominic whispered in his ear.

Frankie felt like an idiot as she stood up at the bar alone.

‘Wanna dance?’ some spotty-faced jerk in dungarees asked her.

‘Fuck off,’ she replied angrily.

‘Worried I’d forgotten about ya, was ya?’ said a voice beside her.

Jed’s confidence was appealing and Frankie couldn’t help but giggle. ‘I was hoping you had. I prefer him over there,’ she said, pointing at Mr Dungarees.

Jed laughed. ‘Let’s go outside, we can have a proper chat. I can’t hear meself think in here.’

As she followed Jed outside, Frankie was nervous, but also excited. The Berwick Manor was remote and, apart from a few revellers and a mass of parked cars, the outside was a kind of ghost town.

‘Follow me,’ Jed said, leading her away from the car park.

After a five-minute walk, Jed grabbed her hand and sat down by a tree. Not backwards in coming forwards, he pinned Frankie down on the sweet-smelling grass and plunged his tongue down the back of her throat.

Frankie succumbed to his kiss and then, as realisation kicked in, pushed him away. ‘I thought you wanted to talk,’ she said defensively.

Jed smiled. Her face was even prettier when she was angry. His mum was always trying to fix him up with fellow travelling girls. He’d slept with loads, but none of them had captured his heart. They were too common and tarty for him. Not like Frankie – she was feisty and beautiful.

Jed held her hand. ‘Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to be forward, but I had to kiss you. I remember you now. You were the little rawnie who stole my heart at Pat Murphy’s party. Memory like an elephant, me. I think you came to me dad’s house once and I sat in a car with ya.’

Frankie didn’t remember going to his house. ‘How comes we ain’t bumped into one another over the years, then? Your dad lives near me, don’t he?’ she asked.

‘I moved away. Me old mum caught me father at it, so we went to live in Basildon. Didn’t like it there much, although there was a good nightclub down the A127. Elliot’s it was called, but I think it’s shut down
now. Shame, I could have taken you there for our first date.’

Frankie smiled. This boy was gorgeous. ‘What you trying to say? Do you want me to go out with you?’ she asked shyly.

Trying his luck again, Jed chuckled as he held her down. As he lay on top of her, he knew she was aware of his erect penis rubbing against her. ‘I’ll take you anywhere you want. I’ll treat you like a proper princess. Come out with me tomorrow.’

Frankie had never felt so sexual in her life. Richard Jones at school had tried to rub himself against her once. She had frozen and then punched him in the cock. Richard had screamed in agony and had never spoken to her again. With Jed it was different. His eyes, his cheeky smile, his erection – she was hooked by it all.

‘I can’t come out tomorrow. It’s mine and Joey’s sixteenth birthday today and me parents have organised this boring family barbecue for us.’

Feeling himself getting a little bit too excited, Jed rolled off her. ‘What about Sunday? Meet me Sunday.’

Frankie nodded. ‘OK. Where and when?’

Jed laughed. She wanted him and he knew it. ‘I’ve gotta mobile phone. I’ll give you me number and you can ring me tomorrow. Anyway, tonight’s not over yet.’

As he kissed her again, Frankie felt an unusual sensation wash over her. She had always known she wasn’t gay, like her brother, but most of the boys she had met had done nothing for her.

‘Just stroke it for me,’ Jed panted, placing her hand on his big, hard cock.

Frankie felt the fullness of it through his jeans. She had
never really touched one before and it was massive, like a snake.

‘Do you wanna see it?’ Jed asked her.

‘Frankie, are you out here? Frankie, where are you?’

‘Shit – it’s me brother,’ Frankie said. She pushed Jed away, stood up and pulled herself together.

‘I’m over here, Joey. Just having a chat. I’m coming back in now.’

Joey glared at Frankie as she reappeared looking dishevelled. ‘What have you been doing?’ he whispered accusingly.

‘Nothing. Don’t fucking start on me. You bat the other way, remember?’ she spat back at him.

Annoyed, Joey grabbed Dominic’s arm. ‘Come on, leave her to it. We’re going back inside,’ he said.

Jed held Frankie’s hand as they walked towards the entrance of the club. ‘Dordie! Is he the other way, your brother?’

Frankie shook her head. ‘Not as far as I know. He’s had loads of girls,’ she lied.

Chuckling, Jed tilted her chin and kissed her with a passion. ‘I’ll think you’ll find he is, Frankie. I reckon that geezer with him is his boyfriend.’

Frankie shrugged. She wasn’t about to start discussing her brother’s private life with anyone.

As soon as they re-entered the Berwick, Jed went to get some more drinks and Frankie searched for Joey. ‘What you got the hump about? Where have the girls gone?’ she asked as she caught sight of him.

Joey spoke abruptly to her. ‘The girls have all gone to a party in Dagenham. They met some lads they knew. What was you doing with that boy? You were doing something, Frankie.’

‘Having a fucking kiss and cuddle, is that all right? Don’t go all psycho on me, Joey. I’m sure if I can accept the way you are and what you get up to, then you can accept that I’m only human, too.’

Feeling a bit silly, Joey hugged her. ‘I’m sorry, Frankie. You’ve never really had much track with boys and I was just worried about you. Who is he, anyway? He don’t come from round here, does he? He’s got a funny accent.’

Too frightened to spill the beans, Frankie lied. ‘His name’s John and I know him through an old friend of mine. I’m not sure where he comes from, but I think he’s from up north or somewhere.’

‘Me and Dom have had enough of it here now. We might go back to the B&B. Are you coming? You can bring John if you like. Dom’s got some drink,’ Joey said, hoping she had forgiven him.

Frankie smiled. ‘Give us five minutes and I’ll ask him if he wants to come.’

Jed laughed as Frankie repeated the story. ‘So I’ve gotta pretend I’m called fucking John, now, have I?’

‘Please. I’ve been thinking about that party years ago, and you knocked Joey out, if I remember rightly. I don’t want him to remember who you are.’

Desperate to get the beautiful Frankie alone in a bedroom, Jed promised he would keep his trap shut. ‘I’ll just say goodbye to me mates, give us a minute,’ he told Frankie.

‘Where are your mates? Shall I come with you?’ Frankie asked him.

‘My mates are vultures. They’ll take one look at you and they’ll all want you for themselves. Stay here and wait for me,’ Jed told her.

‘Are you ready?’ Joey said, spotting his sister standing alone.

Frankie looked around. Jed had been gone ages now and she was worried he’d had a change of heart. As she saw him bowling towards her, relief flooded through her body. ‘Here he is,’ she told her brother.

Outside the Berwick, Dominic jumped in a taxi.

‘I’ve got me pick-up truck here. Come with me,’ Jed told Frankie.

Unable to say no, Frankie told Dominic and Joey to go on ahead and climbed into the Toyota Hilux.

As Jed expertly swung out of the car park and followed the taxi, she smiled at him. ‘How old are you? When did you pass your test?’ she asked him, impressed.

Jed laughed. ‘I’m younger than you, you dinlo. Us travelling boys don’t need driving licences. We’re taught from an early age how to drive. I’ve been tugged before – got away with it, I did. I told the gavvers I was me brother. Me cousin gets hold of bent insurance certificates. Filled it out meself, I did. The gavvers are mugs, they know nothing.’

‘What’s gavvers mean?’ Frankie asked, bemused by his slang.

‘The police, you dinlo,’ Jed said laughing.

The B&B was a shit-hole bang opposite the A13. It wasn’t built to be paradise, but to serve a purpose for workmen and party-goers.

‘We’ll go in me brother’s room. His mate, Dom, has got a load of drink in there,’ Frankie informed Jed.

‘You go and grab the drink off them. I wanna spend some time alone with you, Frankie. We can’t chat properly in front of your brother.’

Dominic handed Frankie a bottle of vodka and two cartons of orange juice.

‘Are you sure you’re gonna be OK, Frankie? Please
don’t do anything you’ll regret in the morning,’ Joey begged her.

Headstrong, Frankie waved away her brother’s fears. ‘Yous two have a good time. Don’t make the walls shake,’ she giggled as she shut their door.

Taking a deep breath, she entered the other room.

‘Come here, sexy,’ Jed said, smiling at her.

As Frankie got under the flimsy quilt, she realised that Jed had taken his jeans and pants off. ‘Stop it,’she squealed as he put her hand on his penis. She had never felt a naked one before and it reminded her of the raw jumbo sausage that her dad cooked at barbecues.

Laughing, Jed poured out two large vodkas and handed her one. ‘You ever tried an E?’ he asked her.

Frankie shook her head. ‘I’ve heard about them, though,’ she replied casually.

She had to sound knowledgeable; she didn’t want Jed to think she was some stupid schoolgirl.

Jed lent out of the bed and pulled a small plastic bag out of his jeans. ‘I’ve gotta couple here. Shall we do one?’ he asked her.

‘I dunno. I’ve got to be home early,’ Frankie said awkwardly.

Jed put one on his tongue and washed it down with vodka. ‘Come on. It’s your birthday – enjoy yourself,’ he urged her.

Desperate not to look boring, Frankie took the white tablet from him and swallowed it.

‘There’s my girl. American burger, that is. They’re the bollocks, they are. Make you feel horny, they do.’

Frankie poured herself another vodka and orange. The tablet looked just like a paracetamol, and she was sure it wouldn’t do much to her.

Jed had a portable radio in the front of his truck and
had brought it up to the room with him. ‘I need a slash, find a station,’ he asked Frankie, as he put his jeans back on.

Frankie got off the bed and felt herself go all weird. She felt happy, but very sick at the same time. As Jed came out the toilet, she raced towards it. ‘I feel funny, I think I’m gonna be sick,’ she mumbled.

Jed chuckled. ‘Bring it up. Looks like seaweed, it does. Once you’ve spewed, you’ll feel fine.’

Frankie’s heart was pounding as she looked at the weird-coloured stuff that had come from her stomach. ‘Wow,’ she said out loud. Jed wasn’t wrong, she now felt amazing.

Bounding out of the bathroom, Frankie grabbed his hand. ‘Turn the music up, let’s dance,’ she screamed.

Frankie and Jed’s high lasted all night.

At 6 a.m. Jed urged Frankie to lie on the bed with him. ‘I want you to be my woman, Frankie,’ he told her earnestly.

As his tongue connected with hers, Frankie let out a moan.

‘Let me fuck you,’ Jed whispered in her ear.

Frankie shook her head. She might be high, but she still knew what was right and wrong. ‘I do like you, Jed, but not tonight, not yet. I’ve only just met you.’

Jed couldn’t help himself. He usually got his own way with every bird he went for. He held his penis in his hand and tried to guide it inside Frankie.

‘No! I said no,’ Frankie said angrily.

‘Just let me put it in. If you don’t like it, I’ll pull it straight back out again,’ Jed pleaded with her.

As he tried to enter her, Frankie pushed him away. She wasn’t ready for this; it wasn’t right.

‘Please, let me do it,’ Jed begged her.

‘No. I said no and I mean fucking no,’ Frankie told him.

‘Just wank me off then, please,’ Jed said, grabbing Frankie’s hand.

Fuming, Frankie squeezed his balls as hard as she could.

Jed let out an almighty yelp. ‘Why did ya do that?’ he shouted.

‘I’ve had enough now, Jed. I’m going home,’ Frankie said, as she jumped out of the bed