Wrong Side of the Street by Sapphire Hughes (best free ebook reader TXT) đź“•
Excerpt from the book:
After his family falls apart, seventeen-year-old gay student Daniel Crawley struggles to get his life back on track. Without a home, he moves into his boyfriend's flat on a rundown east London estate, and soon befriends Amethyst, his young Goth neighbour. However, when Daniel learns Amethyst is being terrorized by a gang of rebellious youths, he ends up another victim of their violent torment, and learns that for every action, many consequences can follow.
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around.)
Tristan: Oh my God, what happened to your face? Where did you get all those ugly bruises?
Daniel: I...um...fell over. The pavement gets very slippery.
Tristan: That is the most pathetic excuse ever. I would like to remind you that it hasn’t rained in two weeks. Seriously, what happened?
Daniel: I was walking with a friend to school and a gang of hoodies beat me up.
Tristan: Oh honey, you poor thing.
Daniel: Apparently, Amethyst, the girl I walk to school with, has had to bear the same thing on her own for two years. She refuses to alert the authorities, so they must be blackmailing her in some way. Really, I should contact the Police, but Amethyst is terrified of what they will do to her in revenge if I do.
Tristan: My advice would be tell someone. As long as you stay silent, you are helping those bullies.
Daniel: You have no idea how easy it is to say that phrase, and how difficult it is to carry it out.
Tristan: So what? Are you just gonna stand by and watch that poor girl being tortured night and day?!
Daniel: Well, what is my other option?! Dive in like Superman and end up bleeding by the roadside next to her?!
Tristan: Okay, okay, just cool it. We don’t have to take any drastic measures, but I am simply worried that the longer you keep quiet the more they are going to sense their advantage over you. Bullies can smell fear.
Daniel: I’ll talk to Amethyst; she is the one who has had to deal with it for long, so it’s her decision what to do.
Tristan: Very well. I’m going to take a shower before dinner.
(Sound of feet running upstairs)
Daniel: Where would I be without him?
(Brief music)
Scene 4- Amethyst’s House
Mum: Felicity, come down here, there is someone I want you to meet.
Amethyst: Coming.
(Sound of footsteps running downstairs)
Amethyst: Oh, hello.
Flex: Hi. It’s great to meet you at last.
Mum: Felicity, this is Flex Ravens. He is going to stay with us for a while.
Amethyst: Why?
Mum: His Mum was a close friend of mine who passed away recently. Before she died I promised her I would take care of him.
Flex: Don’t worry; it is only until I get a job and a place of my own.
Amethyst: But we don’t have room, it’s cramped enough in here without a third person.
Flex: I can always crash on the couch. I don’t want to be of any trouble.
Mum: Oh, no worries Flex, we are very happy to have you here. Come on, Felicity dear. He has been having a hard time with his Mum’s death and being forced to leave the family home. Just say you’re okay with it.
Amethyst: Fine.
Mum: Flex, go upstairs and have a look around; not that there’s much to look at, but get to know the feel of the place. My daughter and I need an important chat.
Flex: Oh, okay. It was nice to meet you Felicity.
Amethyst: Amethyst.
(Sound of feet running up stairs)
Mum: Felicity honey…
Amethyst: My name is Amethyst. Can’t you get it into your head?
Mum: Your name is Felicity so I shall call you that. Before I went for a job interview this morning, I checked in my purse and I found that twenty pounds had mysteriously gone missing. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?
Amethyst: No. Maybe you lost it.
Mum: You do know that money was going towards the monthly rent, so that the landlord doesn’t have us evicted and we end up homeless on the streets. What did you spend it on?
Amethyst: I told you, I had nothing to do with your mislaid cash. Why when something happens is the finger always pointed at me?
Mum: Funnily, I find your innocence hard to believe. Are you taking drugs?
Amethyst: No! No! Of course not! What kind of person do you think I am?!
Mum: No daughter of mine is going to steal money behind her mother’s back and get away with it. Be honest with me; are you pregnant?
Amethyst: No! Just because you slept with a married man doesn’t make me a whore as well!
Mum: Young lady I am…wait, come back here, I haven’t finished speaking to you… (Sound of feet running up stairs. Mum sighs.)
(Brief music)
Scene 5- The Street
(Sound of footsteps walking)
Daniel: So what’s he like, this new guy?
Amethyst: He’s doesn’t say much, really. Never reveals anything about where he is from, and Mum keeps her trap firmly shut. Mostly he just lies on the couch all day and plays his Nintendo DS. Claims to be searching for work but I haven’t seen him lift a finger since he arrived.
Daniel: Strange to think your Mum’s never happened to mention him before, then suddenly he turns up out of the blue and she seemingly knows his entire life history, but is acting like its top secret.
Amethyst: Yeah. I have tried asking her about it, though she tells me so little our conversation potential is next to nothing.
Tyler: (In the distance) There they are!
Amethyst: Oh no, Tyler and Roxy are here again. I thought I had got away today.
Tyler: Hey loser, have you got the money?
Amethyst: Here you go. (Gives Tyler the money) Twenty pounds is all I found without Mum getting suspicious. Now please, will you leave us alone?
Tyler: Twenty pounds. That’s it?! From now on, the payment goes up to fifty pounds.
Amethyst: Fifty pounds? My Mum is unemployed and the landlord is threatening eviction. We are hovering above the poverty line as it is.
Daniel: Hang on, why on earth are you paying him? What is the money for?
Tyler: You little friend pays me so that my gang doesn’t shove burning rags through her door and burn down the house she’s too pitiful to afford.
Daniel: Blackmail? You have crossed a line stretched really far, Tyler. I am going to call the police right now and put you where you belong; behind bars.
Amethyst: No, Daniel, you will only make things worse.
Tyler: The witch is right. In fact, this is what happens if you get the cops on us.
(Tyler snatches Amethyst’s phone from her.)
Amethyst: Get off! Hey! Please give it back; my Mum worked so hard to buy me that phone.
Tyler: (Crushes the phone under his foot.) Well, now her hard work was worth nothing.
(Amethyst starts to cry.)
Roxy: Look at her cry. Little baby!
Tyler: I’m gonna make the piggy squeal louder.
(Sound of screaming)
Daniel: LEAVE HER ALONE!!
(Sound of sirens. Screaming stops.)
Tyler: Cops are coming. Quick, we gotta scarper.
(Sound of footsteps running away.)
Daniel: Amethyst? It’s okay. It’s okay. They’re gone. Here, take my hand. Let’s go back to my place.
(Brief music)
Scene 6- Roxy’s Flat
(Sound of feet running upstairs.)
Roxy: (Calling) I’m just going to do my Maths homework, Mum. No need to come upstairs; you just carry on watching Bargain Hunt or whatever it is. (Quietly) That woman is so thick sometimes. Now, time to get Facebook up. Oh look, Amethyst is online, perhaps I’ll write her a little message or two; Tyler would like that.
(Sound of window opening and feet jumping.)
Roxy: (Startled) Tyler! You scared me. How…how did you get in here?
Tyler: Remember that assault course thing I did with school last summer? Well, I tried utilizing my newfound skills by scaling up the drainpipe and jumping through the window; easy as pie.
Roxy: Well, keep your voice down, or Mum will throw a fit if she discovers you in here.
Tyler: Let her; I ain’t afraid of no old hag. What are you doing, Roxy baby?
Roxy: Writing messages on Amethyst’s Facebook page.
Tyler: Let me see. The little Freak deserves every word of it. (Sound of kissing) After you have finished that, we can snuggle down and have some fun like we planned.
Roxy: Tyler honey, about that. Despite your enthusiasm, I’m not sure I’m ready to lose my virginity yet.
Tyler: Why not?
Roxy: I don’t know; it just doesn’t feel right.
Tyler: If you refuse, I will tell everyone at school that you’re frigid, including all your snotty ex-boyfriends.
Roxy: Why would you do that to the girl you love?
Tyler: Because I always get what I want. Hey, don’t be down, we got each other, baby, and that is all that matters. No one else; just us.
Roxy: I guess you’re right, as usual. I mean, why should I care about such a stupid little thing as my virginity when I got such a fit boyfriend to lose it with?
Tyler: Now you’re talking my language. Now close that laptop and come join me on the bed.
Roxy: Okay, honey (Quietly) What choice do I have?
(Brief music)
Scene 7- The Tube Station
(Sound of intercom system)
Intercom: This station reminds passengers to keep all personal belongings with them at all times.
Flex: No...hang on…no, I’m sure there isn’t a link to the Northern Line at this station. Oh, why didn’t I ask Mrs. Anderson for a map? Um, excuse me; do you know which a tube I need to get to Piccadilly Circus?
Tyler: Hey dude, I haven’t seen you around here before.
Flex: I’m Flex, and yes, I am new to this area of London. I used to live in Knightsbridge.
Tyler: Ah, so you’re some kind of rich kid.
Flex: Not anymore; my parents got divorced when I was three and after that my Pa disappeared. Then my Ma died a month ago and I had no income to keep up the payments on the house.
Tyler: Shame, mate; my Ma’s probably dead already, but I’ll never know. Dad claims the slag never told him she got knocked up and he only found out when she dumped me on his doorstep before moving on to the next guy. I don’t believe him; my Dad’s lied to me my whole stinking life. He swore he’d never get in another relationship and now suddenly he’s on the train to Manchester for a new life with his lap-dancing girlfriend. But I don’t have to be brushed aside anymore, because I got my own gang, and people are so afraid of us they don’t dare to stand in our way.
Flex: Well, I don’t know about that sort of thing, I’m trying to get a job somewhere. I live with Patricia Anderson and her daughter Amethyst; any chance you’ve heard of them?
Tyler: Wait, you live with them? Mate, you could do way better than them.
Flex: You think so?
Tyler: Yeah, with a cool name like Flex, you could be a rally car racer, or a stuntman. Tell you what; if you punch that queer who follows her around like a puppy, I might let you join my gang. We are the Kings of this
Tristan: Oh my God, what happened to your face? Where did you get all those ugly bruises?
Daniel: I...um...fell over. The pavement gets very slippery.
Tristan: That is the most pathetic excuse ever. I would like to remind you that it hasn’t rained in two weeks. Seriously, what happened?
Daniel: I was walking with a friend to school and a gang of hoodies beat me up.
Tristan: Oh honey, you poor thing.
Daniel: Apparently, Amethyst, the girl I walk to school with, has had to bear the same thing on her own for two years. She refuses to alert the authorities, so they must be blackmailing her in some way. Really, I should contact the Police, but Amethyst is terrified of what they will do to her in revenge if I do.
Tristan: My advice would be tell someone. As long as you stay silent, you are helping those bullies.
Daniel: You have no idea how easy it is to say that phrase, and how difficult it is to carry it out.
Tristan: So what? Are you just gonna stand by and watch that poor girl being tortured night and day?!
Daniel: Well, what is my other option?! Dive in like Superman and end up bleeding by the roadside next to her?!
Tristan: Okay, okay, just cool it. We don’t have to take any drastic measures, but I am simply worried that the longer you keep quiet the more they are going to sense their advantage over you. Bullies can smell fear.
Daniel: I’ll talk to Amethyst; she is the one who has had to deal with it for long, so it’s her decision what to do.
Tristan: Very well. I’m going to take a shower before dinner.
(Sound of feet running upstairs)
Daniel: Where would I be without him?
(Brief music)
Scene 4- Amethyst’s House
Mum: Felicity, come down here, there is someone I want you to meet.
Amethyst: Coming.
(Sound of footsteps running downstairs)
Amethyst: Oh, hello.
Flex: Hi. It’s great to meet you at last.
Mum: Felicity, this is Flex Ravens. He is going to stay with us for a while.
Amethyst: Why?
Mum: His Mum was a close friend of mine who passed away recently. Before she died I promised her I would take care of him.
Flex: Don’t worry; it is only until I get a job and a place of my own.
Amethyst: But we don’t have room, it’s cramped enough in here without a third person.
Flex: I can always crash on the couch. I don’t want to be of any trouble.
Mum: Oh, no worries Flex, we are very happy to have you here. Come on, Felicity dear. He has been having a hard time with his Mum’s death and being forced to leave the family home. Just say you’re okay with it.
Amethyst: Fine.
Mum: Flex, go upstairs and have a look around; not that there’s much to look at, but get to know the feel of the place. My daughter and I need an important chat.
Flex: Oh, okay. It was nice to meet you Felicity.
Amethyst: Amethyst.
(Sound of feet running up stairs)
Mum: Felicity honey…
Amethyst: My name is Amethyst. Can’t you get it into your head?
Mum: Your name is Felicity so I shall call you that. Before I went for a job interview this morning, I checked in my purse and I found that twenty pounds had mysteriously gone missing. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?
Amethyst: No. Maybe you lost it.
Mum: You do know that money was going towards the monthly rent, so that the landlord doesn’t have us evicted and we end up homeless on the streets. What did you spend it on?
Amethyst: I told you, I had nothing to do with your mislaid cash. Why when something happens is the finger always pointed at me?
Mum: Funnily, I find your innocence hard to believe. Are you taking drugs?
Amethyst: No! No! Of course not! What kind of person do you think I am?!
Mum: No daughter of mine is going to steal money behind her mother’s back and get away with it. Be honest with me; are you pregnant?
Amethyst: No! Just because you slept with a married man doesn’t make me a whore as well!
Mum: Young lady I am…wait, come back here, I haven’t finished speaking to you… (Sound of feet running up stairs. Mum sighs.)
(Brief music)
Scene 5- The Street
(Sound of footsteps walking)
Daniel: So what’s he like, this new guy?
Amethyst: He’s doesn’t say much, really. Never reveals anything about where he is from, and Mum keeps her trap firmly shut. Mostly he just lies on the couch all day and plays his Nintendo DS. Claims to be searching for work but I haven’t seen him lift a finger since he arrived.
Daniel: Strange to think your Mum’s never happened to mention him before, then suddenly he turns up out of the blue and she seemingly knows his entire life history, but is acting like its top secret.
Amethyst: Yeah. I have tried asking her about it, though she tells me so little our conversation potential is next to nothing.
Tyler: (In the distance) There they are!
Amethyst: Oh no, Tyler and Roxy are here again. I thought I had got away today.
Tyler: Hey loser, have you got the money?
Amethyst: Here you go. (Gives Tyler the money) Twenty pounds is all I found without Mum getting suspicious. Now please, will you leave us alone?
Tyler: Twenty pounds. That’s it?! From now on, the payment goes up to fifty pounds.
Amethyst: Fifty pounds? My Mum is unemployed and the landlord is threatening eviction. We are hovering above the poverty line as it is.
Daniel: Hang on, why on earth are you paying him? What is the money for?
Tyler: You little friend pays me so that my gang doesn’t shove burning rags through her door and burn down the house she’s too pitiful to afford.
Daniel: Blackmail? You have crossed a line stretched really far, Tyler. I am going to call the police right now and put you where you belong; behind bars.
Amethyst: No, Daniel, you will only make things worse.
Tyler: The witch is right. In fact, this is what happens if you get the cops on us.
(Tyler snatches Amethyst’s phone from her.)
Amethyst: Get off! Hey! Please give it back; my Mum worked so hard to buy me that phone.
Tyler: (Crushes the phone under his foot.) Well, now her hard work was worth nothing.
(Amethyst starts to cry.)
Roxy: Look at her cry. Little baby!
Tyler: I’m gonna make the piggy squeal louder.
(Sound of screaming)
Daniel: LEAVE HER ALONE!!
(Sound of sirens. Screaming stops.)
Tyler: Cops are coming. Quick, we gotta scarper.
(Sound of footsteps running away.)
Daniel: Amethyst? It’s okay. It’s okay. They’re gone. Here, take my hand. Let’s go back to my place.
(Brief music)
Scene 6- Roxy’s Flat
(Sound of feet running upstairs.)
Roxy: (Calling) I’m just going to do my Maths homework, Mum. No need to come upstairs; you just carry on watching Bargain Hunt or whatever it is. (Quietly) That woman is so thick sometimes. Now, time to get Facebook up. Oh look, Amethyst is online, perhaps I’ll write her a little message or two; Tyler would like that.
(Sound of window opening and feet jumping.)
Roxy: (Startled) Tyler! You scared me. How…how did you get in here?
Tyler: Remember that assault course thing I did with school last summer? Well, I tried utilizing my newfound skills by scaling up the drainpipe and jumping through the window; easy as pie.
Roxy: Well, keep your voice down, or Mum will throw a fit if she discovers you in here.
Tyler: Let her; I ain’t afraid of no old hag. What are you doing, Roxy baby?
Roxy: Writing messages on Amethyst’s Facebook page.
Tyler: Let me see. The little Freak deserves every word of it. (Sound of kissing) After you have finished that, we can snuggle down and have some fun like we planned.
Roxy: Tyler honey, about that. Despite your enthusiasm, I’m not sure I’m ready to lose my virginity yet.
Tyler: Why not?
Roxy: I don’t know; it just doesn’t feel right.
Tyler: If you refuse, I will tell everyone at school that you’re frigid, including all your snotty ex-boyfriends.
Roxy: Why would you do that to the girl you love?
Tyler: Because I always get what I want. Hey, don’t be down, we got each other, baby, and that is all that matters. No one else; just us.
Roxy: I guess you’re right, as usual. I mean, why should I care about such a stupid little thing as my virginity when I got such a fit boyfriend to lose it with?
Tyler: Now you’re talking my language. Now close that laptop and come join me on the bed.
Roxy: Okay, honey (Quietly) What choice do I have?
(Brief music)
Scene 7- The Tube Station
(Sound of intercom system)
Intercom: This station reminds passengers to keep all personal belongings with them at all times.
Flex: No...hang on…no, I’m sure there isn’t a link to the Northern Line at this station. Oh, why didn’t I ask Mrs. Anderson for a map? Um, excuse me; do you know which a tube I need to get to Piccadilly Circus?
Tyler: Hey dude, I haven’t seen you around here before.
Flex: I’m Flex, and yes, I am new to this area of London. I used to live in Knightsbridge.
Tyler: Ah, so you’re some kind of rich kid.
Flex: Not anymore; my parents got divorced when I was three and after that my Pa disappeared. Then my Ma died a month ago and I had no income to keep up the payments on the house.
Tyler: Shame, mate; my Ma’s probably dead already, but I’ll never know. Dad claims the slag never told him she got knocked up and he only found out when she dumped me on his doorstep before moving on to the next guy. I don’t believe him; my Dad’s lied to me my whole stinking life. He swore he’d never get in another relationship and now suddenly he’s on the train to Manchester for a new life with his lap-dancing girlfriend. But I don’t have to be brushed aside anymore, because I got my own gang, and people are so afraid of us they don’t dare to stand in our way.
Flex: Well, I don’t know about that sort of thing, I’m trying to get a job somewhere. I live with Patricia Anderson and her daughter Amethyst; any chance you’ve heard of them?
Tyler: Wait, you live with them? Mate, you could do way better than them.
Flex: You think so?
Tyler: Yeah, with a cool name like Flex, you could be a rally car racer, or a stuntman. Tell you what; if you punch that queer who follows her around like a puppy, I might let you join my gang. We are the Kings of this
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