On the twentieth, the last Saturday before Christmas itself, Tav found himself sitting on the fence by Ponds Forge tram stop, waiting for Luca to escape from swimming club, and kicking his heels off the railing. It was cold and windy, but crowded; the trams were packed, and yet the thirty quid Mam had given him burned a hole in Tav’s pocket. He had plans for him and Luca today. The twentieth was their—well…
He was jolted out of his thoughts when an unpleasantly familiar face appeared at the leisure centre doors.
So there went the little s**t. Tav hadn’t seen Jack for over a week. He’d been skipping school or off sick or some such s**t. Far as he knew, Luca hadn’t seen him either, but Tav hadn’t dared to ask for fear of getting wound up and losing his s**t again.
Now, he reckoned, Jack h
