The Last Breath Of Reggie Warrington

Chapter 23: Best Friends Code

I'd said it. Said the one thing Ethan Campbell would hate me for, to the one person who was known at school as Loose Lipped Lib. But how was I supposed to know that she would blurt it out? And to who?

If only I'd kept my gob shut. I didn't really have to tell her that his real name was Willy Wigglesworth. I'd told her not to say a word. She hadn't broken the best friends code? Had she?

I sat in silence, a creepy, eerie silence, my mind full of regret for telling about Ethan. I was what he sprayed on my house. I was a grass, a snitch, a tell-tale. But the way I saw it, it wasn't as if he'd sprayed graffiti on the school wall, I'd seen and told the teacher. I'd told my best friend his real name, even though he told me not to. Even so, what I did was wrong, he'd trusted me and I'd let him down, but to deliberately set fire to someone's house, just because they made a mistake, was nothing more than sick.

I told the officer everything. How Madison and I went to the house and accidentally discovered Ethan's name was really Willy Wigglesworth, how he told me not to tell and that I'd confided in my best friend.

I had a good mind to go over to Ethan's and tell him straight, I didn't mean to tell her. I wanted to get a duvet cover, a big can of spray paint, write the name Willy Wigglesworth, and hang it up outside his house. That's what I wanted to do, but reality had other ideas.

Mum and I sat for a moment while Mr Edwards showed the policeman out. I'd seen more than enough police for a while and, although he was a nice enough chap, I couldn't wait to see the back of him.

I watched as he got into his car and began to drive away, knowing damn well where he was going to next. Mr Edwards entered the room and explained to Mum how, as head master, he needed to discuss my schooling. I had other ideas and decided to leave them to it.

I closed the door behind me and headed upstairs towards Libby's bedroom. I could hear her talking on the phone and would have just gone straight in until I overheard something important.

"Willy Wigglesworth, ha! Yeah! I mean that's like the most awful name I've ever heard in my life... poor Chloe... yeah... he's like gay as well... yeah... he's like got a boyf and stuff... and..."

I pulled open the door. "What do you think you're doing? I trusted you and this is what you do? Some best friend you are!"

Libby sat on the bed, her mouth open, gaping, like a gormless goat. Her blue eyes stared at me. Not blinking and not a single expression on her face. I grabbed my bad and stormed downstairs so fast, I didn't even see the last step.

One foot slipped, my whole body contorted as I rolled down the stairs. A sharp stabbing pain flew up my ankle and I knew I'd done some damage. Footsteps pounded the stairs, heading in my direction.

"Chloe, oh my god! What's happened?"

I rolled my eyes and glared at her.
"Got your phone with you? Why don't you go call someone? Tell them stupid Chloe's fallen down the stairs!"

Mum and Mr Edwards flew in from the sitting room and carefully, they helped me to my feet. Trying to hide the pain I was in, I looked up and Mum.
"Can we go?"

They helped me into the sitting room and I rested my leg up on a pretty patterned footstool. I watched as Libby hurried into the kitchen, returning a few seconds later with a bag of frozen peas.

"Here," she said and passed them to Mum, who, after taking off my shoe and sock, placed them on my ankle.

"Ooh Chloe, what happened?" Said, Mum.

"Nothing. I slipped. I just want to go."

Mum looked at Mr Edwards, who looked back at her with eyes full of unnecessary pity.

"Actually Chloe, Mr Edwards and I have been talking and until we can find somewhere to stay, it might be better if you stay here for a while."

That was the last thing I wanted to hear and this, the last place I wanted to stay. I was homeless and Derek dead and it was all her fault. I blamed her entirely and now I had to stay in the same room with her?! Life was so not fair!

NO! Not a hope in hells chance. She's a gossip-hungry self-obsessed twat. That's what I wanted to say. But the look in Mums eyes said it all. The last thing she needed now was for any more drama. It was time for me to do as I was told and stay put. I assumed Libby and I would be alright in time.

Mum and I sat and talked for a while and to me, it felt like old times. Before the blasted day, she set eyes on dirty Derek. But, like all dreams, it didn't last forever.

The loud ringing of my Mums mobile phone echoed through the room. I watched as she rummaged around inside her handbag, throwing everything onto the coffee table until she found the device.
"Betty McGee?"

I couldn't hear what the other person said, but I didn't need to. Mum's face quickly became contorted with sorrow and I knew then what had happened. Tears leaked from her eyes like rain in a storm.

"Thank you for letting me know."

"Mum?"

She took a deep breath, but I knew it. I knew he was dead and it was no one's fault but his own.

"Derek's dead, isn't he?"

Mum nodded and I felt sorry for her. She was mourning the man she loved, but the man she married died the moment he started to drink and failed to stop. He hadn't been that man for years and mum knew it.

I couldn't feel sad that Derek had died. I've said this and I will say it again, as far as I was concerned, good riddance to bad rubbish. Even so, I wouldn't wish to burn to death in their own home on my worst enemy. Which reminds me...

Talking of bad enemies, Reggie was, until he died, very high on my list, actually, on everyone's list, I would have thought. If Ethan had set fire to my house, killing Derek in a blaze of death and misery, I thought back to Reggie, the boy who knew the truth about him. Reggie knew Ethan was gay, or bisexual or whatever he called himself. Not only did he knew, Reggie had a gob as loud as a foghorn on bean cane legs, but he'd told everyone what he thought of Ethan. Even describing what he'd apparently seen in a minute and often stomach-churning detail, which was really inappropriate when eating sausages. Everyone who was anyone knew Reggie 'knew' Ethan was gay. Just no one believed him. Until now.

A question stuck in my brain. If he could kill Derek, what about Reggie?