SO COLD (18+) currently editing

Chapter 24

"I'd be dead as soon as I step foot on that soil. He'll bury me next to my mother. I'm a kafir with a white deadbeat dad. The whole village will come out to see me hang."

"Do you think it's wise to go to the funeral, then?"

"I wouldn't miss the funeral for the world." He turned his face away and stared out of the window. "Every relative will be coming. It's going to be a family reunion none of us will ever forget."

Something about the way he said that troubled me. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and inhaled deeply. "Irvin, you do know that you can talk to me, right? Even if you don't want to talk, I will be here for you. If you want, I could come to the funeral with you."

"That won't be necessary. I appreciate it but I'm fine."

"You're fine?" Sceptical.

"Yes. I actually feel great."

"Oh." And that was all I could say.

***

The hallway smelt of disinfection. With the floor scrubbed clean, there was no evidence of today's earlier event. I hadn't heard about Charlie but I hoped he was alive so he could walk through the door and relive the shooting. Irvin went straight to the kitchen and put his head into the fridge. I thought he was getting ice for his face but he kicked the fridge door shut, chewing cold cuts.

I went upstairs to check on Daniel. Screechy psychedelic rock music slipped out from under his closed door. His taste in music was questionable. I knocked a couple of times but got no response so I walked in. Daniel and a girl I didn't know were sitting on the edge of the bed, tightening a belt around his upper arm. I knew I wouldn't like her. She had a shitty dyed job, eyes drowned in black eyeliner and obvious nipple piercings. "Who're you?" she challenged. She held a lit lighter under a spoon, dissolving water and heroin.

"You gotta be kidding me."

Daniel was clenching his fist, his veins jutting out, and he told me to get out.

"Who the hell is she?"

"She's just a friend. Chill, Ebony."

Ebony glared at him. "She better 'just be a friend.'"

"Daniel. Are you really going to be doing this? You've got college starting tomorrow."

"This bitch acts like she's your mum."

"You look like you're fúcking twenty five. Why are you hanging around a sixteen year old?"

She jumped up, setting the lighter and spoon carefully down. "Who the fúck does this bitch-"

Daniel grabbed her wrist and pleaded to me. "Shay. Please leave."

I thought about it and then shut the door behind me. I called James. "I think you should get over here. Daniel is-"

"I'm with my son. Call Cole."

I called Cole. "Daniel is shooting up heroin. Irvin's grandma is dead. Could you come over?"

He promised to be at the flat in half an hour. I paced the landing for a couple of minutes to waste time and then walked down the stairs. Irvin was standing on a chair, still in the kitchen, reaching up to fiddle with the smoke alarm. "Need a smoke," he explained without a prompt from me, grunting, "it's pissing outside."

My phone rang in my pocket. I saw it was Jade and declined the call. "You want a drink instead of a smoke? I can go on a run." I didn't have any money so I don't know why I said that. Maybe I can run outside with my hands cupped and collect rain water.