Stars and Hearts

  Chapter Nineteen

  The party was already in full swing when I arrived. Dudley was the first thing I saw. He had managed to squeeze his big legs into black leather trousers, which wasn’t the nicest sight, but at least he seemed to have started wearing some different clothes in the last few weeks – thank God! He wore a navy shirt and a black leather biker jacket and was stood chatting up the pretty young redhead from wigs and make-up, she looked extremely uncomfortable. I crept around the back of them, hoping he wouldn’t see me.

  Then my heart plunged as I spotted Ty with Trashy Tracy. They didn’t see me – they were too busy gazing into each other’s eyes. She was wearing a scrappy looking grey dress. She didn’t look a patch on me. Then I spotted Rose and Kalisha and made a beeline for them. They looked more than a little tipsy as they both grinned at me.

  “You took your time,” Rose said. “We thought you weren’t coming.”

  “I almost didn’t,” I replied. “I don’t think I’ll stay long.”

  “Where’s Suki?” asked Kalisha.

  I looked around the crowded room. Suki and Mick weren’t there.

  “Send her a text,” said Rose. “We don’t have her number.”

  I reached into my bag, pulled out my phone and tapped away at the archaic keyboard.

  I made it to the party. Where u?

  I can’t come, came the shock reply. I want to die.

  What?

  Mick’s a monster.

  Eh?

  He has a temper. I really thought he was going to kill me.

  Did he hit u?

  No - but scared me badly.

  Where r u?

  Just got home.

  Sick of struggling to type on my blinking museum piece, I stepped out of the room and phoned her.

  “Hiya,” Suki sobbed down her phone.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. One minute we were driving to the party getting on fine, then he flipped like someone had flicked a switch and he completely changed. He called me annoying. Then he speeded the car up and went on to the motorway driving at ninety miles an hour, screaming abuse at me. I really thought we were going to crash. I was sure I was going to die.”

  “Oh Suki. He sounds mad!”

  “He is.”

  “I hope you’ve told him it’s over.”

  “Not yet. I didn’t want to risk him going crackers again. It is over though. I can do better than that.”

  “A million trillion times better. He looks like a bloody horror doll baby freak anyway. Come to the party.”

  “He might be there.”

  “There’s no sign of him yet. Anyway, we’ll all protect you. You’ve been looking forward to tonight.”

  “I’m very shocked. I’m really not sure …”

  “I’m not surprised. Would you like me to come and see you?”

  “I don’t want to ruin your party. I’ve just made myself some hot sweet tea. I’ll see how I feel in a bit.” She hung up.

  I returned to my colleagues and explained the situation. They were both horrified.

  About twenty minutes later, Rose gasped and pointed towards the door. I turned around and there was Mick casually strolling up to the buffet table, smiling at everyone like nothing had happened.

  “I’m going to give that jerk a piece of my mind!” Rose screamed.

  “Me too!” growled Kalisha.

  “Me three!” I said. Then I ground my teeth so hard I nearly broke one.

  My middle aged colleagues guzzled down two glasses of wine each, psyched themselves up and then rushed aggressively toward Mick. I followed them.

  Mick reeled back in horror as I shook my fist at his big fat head.

  “What’s up with you?” he asked, his lip curling into a sneer.

  “What’s up with me?” I yelled. “What’s up with you?”

  “Nothing’s up with me. Calm down bitch!”

  I felt hot from head to toe with anger. “Don’t you tell me to calm down!”

  “We heard about the motorway drama!” Kalisha said, glaring at him.

  “Oh,” he said. “Well she shouldn’t be so annoying.”

  “Suki is not annoying,” Rose said angrily. “You’re annoying!”

  “Whatever!” Mick said, holding both arms in the air as though we were aiming guns at his stocky little body.

  “Stay away from Suki – she’s too good for a jerk like you!” Rose yelled, as he walked away.

  “Yeah,” I added. “You alien headed scumbag freak!”

  Mick headed for a group of drunken actor friends. Within five minutes, he’d started eyeing up some weird girl who looked like a vampire, then he made a beeline for her.

  “Halloween party’s been and gone,” laughed Kalisha. “Looks like they’ve turned up a few weeks too late!”

  “They look well suited,” I remarked. “They could make a horror movie together. In fact, I’ve got a title for it already – Scumbag Freaks!”

  Rose and Kalisha laughed in agreement. They laughed even harder when they saw his face fall as the girl rejected him.

  I suddenly found myself thinking about the day of Suki and Mick’s first date, when Suki had come to our flat talking nonstop and planning every detail of a wedding. Perhaps she’d been doing the same to him when they were in the car. I could now see why he’d called her annoying – she’d probably wound him up badly. Still, that was no excuse for putting the girl in such a dangerous situation.

  Then Suki appeared. Her eyes were swollen from crying so she’d plastered her face in make-up in an attempt to look better, but she now looked like she’d had some horrendously bad facelift job. Poor kid. I threw my arms around her.

  Her little face lit up like a beacon. “I’m not going to let dastardly Mick ruin one more second of my life,” she said, smiling gently.

  She grabbed my hand, pulled me onto the dancefloor, beckoned Kalisha and Rose over and began bopping about. Kalisha and Rose started dancing straight away but, as usual, I was a bit slow to get enough confidence up to start moving. Then I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor began playing - so appropriate for Suki after tonight’s events, and then I really got into it – the four of us danced and sang to the song with the whole room watching and clapping. I was confident pervy Dudley wasn’t staring as he’d disappeared – probably wandered off with some floozy.

  After a wild time dancing, we grabbed some snacks and drinks from the buffet table and stood at the side watching everyone else.

  Then Dudley appeared again with some strange dreadlocked black man in a baseball cap. The mystery bloke had his head at an odd angle like he was trying to hide his face. He also had a dark scarf over his nose and mouth – very odd. Was Dudley harbouring some escaped criminal? As I nibbled my pretzels and peanuts, they stood there together chatting. The odd guy continued to look sideways at the floor, but Dudley appeared to be looking in my direction all the time. I got the distinct impression they were talking about me, which I found very sinister. What the hell were they saying?

  Then the pair of them began walking in my direction, the odd bloke still looking at the ground nervously. Now I was nervous too. As they neared me, the man removed the scarf from his face, pushing it downwards so it was hanging from his neck, then he looked directly at me. Suddenly realising who the mystery man was, I gasped. Then everything went black and my legs gave way.

  “Yazmin’s fainted!” I heard Suki shout.