Georgia by Lesley Pearse Read Free Book Online Page A

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    ‘Get her, Bev,’ the small blonde shouted. She was poised on her toes, clenching and unclenching her fists with blood lust in her eyes.
    Bev was winded. Her face flushed like a tomato. She lunged heavily at Georgia again. This time Georgia put her foot out, caught her legs and tripped her up. Bev crashed down on to the pavement, flat on her face. Georgia stepped forward to screams of delight from the other girls.
    Leaning over and catching the girl by her hair, she twisted Bev’s head up and round to look at her.
    ‘Had enough yet?’ she said almost casually, as she saw a trace of blood coming from an angry red mark on the girl’s forehead.
    This was the danger point. If the other girls leapt in now they could beat her to a pulp.
    Bev struggled to get up. Georgia waited until she was on all fours, then swiftly kicked her up the backside, sending her crashing to the pavement.
    The other three girls had backed right away now, clearly terrified of being involved.
    The circle of spectators moved in closer.
    ‘Wack her, little’un,’ someone shouted. ‘It’s about time someone stood up to her.’
    Georgia sat astride Bev’s back, holding the girl firmly by the hair.
    ‘Hurts doesn’t it?’ she asked, teeth gritted. ‘It hurts black girls too, or did you think we feel nothing?’
    ‘Get off,’ Bev called out, her voice shaky as if on the point of tears. ‘We was only teasing you.’
    ‘And I’m only teasing you,’ Georgia pushed her head back down to touch the pavement. ‘But I’ll stop if you apologize and tell me you’ll leave me alone in future.’
    ‘Fuck off,’ Bev shouted, wriggling and trying to turn under Georgia. An unpleasant smell of sweat wafted up to Georgia.
    ‘That is very rude,’ Georgia said, grinning round at her audience. ‘You smell of B.O. too. Looks like I’ll have to give you another taste.’ She pulled sharply on the girl’s hair, then crashed her head down again to the pavement.
    This time Bev was sobbing.
    ‘You’ll apologize?’ Georgia looked around at the crowd. ‘In front of witnesses?’
    ‘Yes,’ the word came out like a groan.
    ‘Right. Repeat after me. Bev is a bully. She is also a fat, smelly slut.’
    ‘Bev is a bully,’ the girl whimpered.
    ‘Louder,’ Georgia tightened her grip again.
    ‘Bev is a bully,’ the girl said.
    ‘Go on!’
    ‘She is also a fat, smelly slut.’
    ‘Very good. I will never, or allow my friends …’
    ‘I will never, or allow my friends,’ Bev was crying freely now.
    ‘To bully, or frighten anyone, especially black girls.’
    Georgia waited until Bev had finished. Still sitting on Bev’s back she looked across at the other three girls who cowered against the wall.
    ‘That goes for you three too,’ she said, lowering her voice to one of menace as she’d been taught in drama classes. ‘I’ll be watching.’
    Calmly she got up, crossed over to the tree to collect her satchel, slipped her blazer out, and swaggered off towards the bus stop.
    She allowed herself only one glance back.
    Bev stood alone, crying and dabbing at her forehead. Her friends had vanished, the rest of the girls were standing talking in small groups.
    Once on the bus she could not stop shaking. She had been lucky, if Bev hadn’t been like a charging rhinoceros she would have noticed that it wasn’t physical strength that beat her, but preparation and speed. If Bev or another bully caught her unawares the next time she might be the loser.
    *
    ‘Is everything all right Georgia?’ Celia came up to her bedroom after tea as Georgia was doing her homework. ‘You didn’t seem yourself yesterday or today. Is there something you want to tell me?’
    ‘No, Mummy,’ Georgia looked up and smiled. ‘I was just worried about all this homework. I don’t know whether I’ll have time for dancing and singing now.’
    Celia sat down on the bed.
    ‘You’ll make time.’ She picked up the teddy bear she’d given Georgia on her first day in the house