The Last Breath Of Reggie Warrington

Chapter 28: What Hurt The Most

With my sister brainwashed by that awful tv show, I quickly nipped upstairs to get changed. Grandma's bedroom door was open and I entered the room. Inside it smelt like she did, that unusual smell of Astral cream that clung to every inch of her house, a pinch of lavender and just a trickle of cat wee. Seriously what was with old ladies and cats?

My grandma hadn't had a cat in a good few years, but standing proudly on the windowsill was several photographs of moggies long since passed. Big ginger Nelson, evil Emily, Peter and Little Thing. Oh yes, she really had a cat years before I was born called Little Thing. Goodness knows what people thought she was calling for if it ever went missing! Bet it made the neighbours blush!

Laid out neatly on Grandma's bed were several items of clothing, including a pair of high waisted full briefs that all old ladies seemed to wear. I could feel my heart sinking inside my chest as I took a closer look. The trousers, plain and black weren't too bad, they looked more like school or work trousers than ones to wear going out, but I could cope with them. Then something flowery caught my eye. Large pink blooms on a yellowish orange background. With my fingers, I picked it up. It was, as I feared, a blouse. A horrible, revolting blouse that was really only fit to be stored on a hanger in a charity shop. I loved my grandma, she was like a second mum to me, but for crying out loud she had a terrible taste in clothes.

I got changed quickly and headed downstairs. As I reached the bannister, I pulled my coat and wrapped it around me to conceal the evil that lurked beneath. Shoes on, phone in the bag, the right time to go.

"Mum! Gran! I'm going."

"Red top milk, Chloe!" A voice called from the kitchen, though how I heard it over Lilly's stupid show, I don't know, "grandma only uses red top milk."

It wasn't too bad outside, the sun shone nicely and a warm breeze gently blew the branches creating a peaceful sound, but inside I didn't feel very peaceful. Inside I felt like a turd. A big fat stinking lump of brown turd and it wasn't just the fact I was wearing my grandma's clothes. I was having one of those days, and the fact I still felt angry with Lily for turning the news off, made me feel worse. Why couldn't she have left it on long enough for the newsreader to say the name of the boy Libby found dead the night before? Times like that I wished I were an only child.

The corner shop was only a short walk away. As I crossed the road outside the house, my eyes scanned the passers-by hoping not to bump into either of those awful busybodies from the other day. I walked down the high street, my mind engulfed in my own thoughts and still confused about Libby.

'How did she know Ethan didn't set fire to my house? How would she know that? Unless.... unless...'

No! I wasn't going to let my mind force me into thinking bad about my best and longest friend. She'd been there for me when no one else was after everything that happened with Reggie, and I trusted her like I trusted Lilly and Maddison, like another sister. Sister from another Mister and all that crap. I didn't know what to think, what she said was still strange no matter how much I loved and trusted her.

The bright blue shop front came to view, cut flowers in buckets of water stood outside, most looked dead or at least partially dead which made me wonder if they did really have water inside the buckets. Petals of pink and yellow roses littered the pavement, all trodden in and squashed in the cracks. I opened the door to the small shop and approached the newspaper stand. I stood for a moment, my eyes glued to a headline of the Sun newspaper, photograph of a boy I thought I recognised caught my attention.

"Cranborne Killings, second body found."

Cranborne Killings? Seriously? I couldn't believe what I was reading. I quickly took the paper and hiding down the milk aisle, I began to flick through the pages.

'Second teenage boy found dead in Cranborne last night has been named locally as 17 year old Stan Tully.'

Tully. Stan Tully. It was a name I'd heard somewhere before but I couldn't for one second think where. Whoever Stan Tully was he was still a life with a future, someone's son, someone's friend. Maybe he had a girlfriend he planned to marry who'd be heartbroken, or maybe I needed to concentrate on my own life instead of mourning someone I didn't know.

The name went around and around in my head is if I were stuck on a round about, spinning and whirling, unable to see properly. I picked up the rest of Grandma's shopping, a Daily Express newspaper, a pint of low fat red top milk, and a loaf of bread, but instead of putting the Sun back, I added it to the rest of the shopping. I paid for the shopping and even for a good strong 10p plastic bag, I left the shop and headed back to Grandma's, but still I couldn't get that name out of my head.

Who was Stan Tully and where had I heard that name before?

As I walked down the road my mobile phone began to ring. I placed the shopping down on the ground and sat on a bench to answer the call.

"Chloe?" said Libby, "i know who it was, the boy who died, he was Ethan's boyfriend!"

My friend spoke so quickly that I couldn't understand a word she said. But I did, however manage to catch the words 'Ethan's boyfriend.'

"What? What do you mean he was Ethan's boyfriend?"

"Come over and I'll show you everything."

"Lib, I'm sorry I can't. Not now. Maybe in a couple of hours or so, I'm going out with Madison and Lily, we haven't got any clothes since the fire. You can come with us if you like, it could be fun?"

Libby exhaled loudly sending a crackling sound down the line, "that's fine! I'll see you later."

And with that, she cut off the call. I'd already had Reggie, Derek and Ethan acting strangely around me, the last thing I needed was Libby suddenly going all odd on me as well. But what could I do? I was wearing my grandma's knickers, and the worst blouse ever created. I needed clothes, more clothes, we all did. Not just that, my little brother's dad was killed in the blaze and the poor kid still didn't know. I had to put my family first. Whatever was going on with Libby had to wait. I had clothes to buy and just maybe a secret or two to discover.

I hurried down the toad towards my grandma's small property. The front door was open and I could see Mum waiting for me, talking to Madison and Lily, cup of tea in her hand.

As Lily saw me walking down the road, she called my name as if she hadn't seen me for a very long time. I'd only been gone a few minutes for crying out loud. I smiled at my family and handed Mum the shopping so she could take to grandma. Mum placed the bag down on the ground and handed each of us an envelope, our names written on the back in Grandma's handwriting.

A black taxi waited outside the house to take us into town to buy a few clothes.

"There's £150 each. That's all you can spend. Basics only, Chloe. Knickers, bra, something to wear when you're out, something to wear at home and school stuff. Understood?"

I nodded. Mum had a difficult enough day ahead of her without me taking the piss and spending all my money on a new dress or makeup or something that would probably make me look like another Shrek character.

I put my envelope into my bag and Mum handed Lily's to Madison to keep hold of. She turned and walked back inside, closing the door carefully behind her.

Madison stood in front of the taxi, as she opened the door for Lily and I to climb in.
"Where to first?" She asked.

I shrugged my shoulders and let out a sigh, I didn't really care about which shop we went to first, or what bra I was going to buy. The words Reggie spat during the last time we spoke still found themselves stuck in my mind. Why would anyone be so vile to another human being? Did our friendship mean nothing to him? What hurt the most was that he believed what he said and knew what to say to hurt me the most.