Wee Rockets by Gerard Brennan Read Free Book Online

Sinead, the lazy bitch, disappeared upstairs as soon as they'd arrived, leaving Paul to watch the child as usual.
    "So you saw me last night," Danny said.
    "Aye."
    "And?"
    "I'm freaking out for you."
    Danny wanted a cigarette but couldn't have one in front of his football hero brother. He took slow, deep breaths like the guidance counsellor at school taught him after he was first caught smoking in the school toilets. Quitting advice. It did nothing for him. Paul maintained eye contact and Danny was afraid to break it. In the silence between the two of them, Wee Owen's mouth-breathing became an unbearable noise pollution. Danny had to break it.
    "You don't need to worry about me, Paul." He managed a small smile and a wink.
    "Like fuck I don't. Stephen McVeigh thinks you've been up to some serious shit. And he's going to be watching you and your mates like a hawk until he has some sort of proof of it."
    "What's he think we've been at?"
    "He reckons you're in the gang that's been out mugging grannies all over West Belfast these last few months. Them scumbags they call the Wee Rockets."
    Danny felt the heat of his reddened face in his ears. His brother's calm and non-threatening manner made it harder for him to feign righteous indignation. Outright denial wouldn't carry any weight.
    "And what do you think?"
    "I think you better be very careful. McVeigh isn't listening to me. He just wants me to fuck with your head and guilt you into confessing. I can't believe you'd be so evil as to take money from defenceless pensioners, but he can't be convinced."
    "What do you think I should do then?"
    "Let your mates know about McVeigh and his crazy idea. It probably wouldn't hurt if you asked a few question to try and weed out the real culprits. But be careful about it."
    "So you don't think I'm a Wee Rocket, or whatever they're called?"
    Paul stood up and looked down on Danny. He put a hand on his little brother's shoulder and squeezed. The pressure hurt but Danny didn't flinch. Paul's expression changed from worried brother to scary motherfucker in a blink.
    "No, I couldn't think that of my own flesh and blood." Paul's grip tightened, pushing his thumb further into the soft flesh beneath the collarbone. Danny couldn't hold his poker face. He hissed in pain like he'd just burnt his fingers on a hot plate. Paul leant in even closer. Danny could feel his warm breath on his face. "But if I found out you were running with those cunts, I'd cut your throat. It'd be an easy thing to do since I wouldn't consider you a brother anymore."
    "Paul, please let go of me." Danny cringed at the sound of his own voice. Weak and small.
    Paul loosened his crushing grip and slapped Danny's cheek. It wasn't a hard slap but it stung Danny's pride. His own brother, treating him like a bitch. Something he'd not forget in a hurry.
    "I'm glad we got that sorted out," Paul said. "Do you want a tin of coke?"
    ###
    Joe washed the scratches on his cheek. He wondered if he could get any lower. It depressed him to think that he might have bottomed out at fourteen years old. His ma hated him now; he was sure of it. He found no comfort in the mirror above the sink in the bathroom. His reflection stared back at him, ugly and ashamed. The moustache he was so proud of seemed tatty and stupid. A barcode. The swarthy skin the girls at the park whispered about -- just loud enough for him to hear -- seemed yellowy; like the skin of old men who spend all day waiting for buses outside the Royal Hospital.
    He focussed on the three parallel lines running from cheekbone to chin on the left side of his face. He'd suffered worse in schoolyard scraps and street fights, but those shallow scratches hurt his heart. Even the physical pain of his assaulted balls had faded, but his insides tried to crawl out his throat. His mother's post-fight expression replayed on a loop in his mind.
    He splashed water on his face to avoid looking at his tears.
    Sleeping pills. His ma kept her sleeping pills in