Ricky glared at Jude. “You’re my problem, Judy. What ’ave I told you about being outside? I said I’d kick the shit out of you if you left your house, didn’t I!”
Jude sighed. He was trembling, but Ashley knew he was doing his best to hide it. “Sorry for needing to get some fresh air. Jesus!”
Ricky stepped up to Jude and glared right in his face. “You don’t deserve fresh air, you fucking weirdo. Your mum should make you live in the attic. Fuck, you can’t even look at me straight, you freak.”
Ricky’s friends laughed. The twins hooted in tandem. Lily cackled.
Jude took a step back. “I’m getting laser eye surgery next month, so my lazy eye can finally stop annoying you. Great news, seeing as you bring it up every time we meet. Your concern is heart-warming.”
Ashley chuckled internally. If Jude was getting laser eye surgery, he hadn’t told her about it.
Ricky scowled and lifted his shaved right eyebrow into a jagged arch. “You fucking cheeking me, mate?”
Jude shook his head and exhaled. “No, Ricky. I just don’t know why you have such a problem with me.”
Ricky appeared to think for a moment. Then he punched Jude in the stomach and laughed. “Must be yer face,” he said.
Ashley stepped in front of Jude to protect him. “Leave him the fuck alone, Ricky. Why you gotta be such a bastard?”
Ricky glared. “Why do you even hang around with this loser? Like, I would never fuck you in a million years, but you can still do better than him.”
“You reckon?” Her heart thudded against her ribs. Her fists clenched in anger. “Because Jude has a massive dick and knows how to use it. In fact, his dick’s even bigger than Lily’s.”
Lily stepped forward. The pale, freckle-covered menace was several inches taller than Ashley, and her wild, frizzy ginger hair cascaded down to her waist like a nest of exotic snakes. She snarled at Ashley. “You fucking calling me a man?”
“Think she’s calling you a tranny, Lil,” said one of the twins, chuckling.
Ashley went to say something, realising she should try and defuse the situation, but before she got the chance, Lily spat right in her face. Ashley reeled backwards, wiping her left eye and cursing in repulsion. “You… you mental bitch.”
Jude grabbed her and pulled her back before Lily could do anything else. They tried to walk away, which was probably a smart choice, seeing as they were outnumbered and a mile from home, but Ricky grabbed Jude and shoved him up against the railing. “Where do you think you’re going, Judy?”
He hit Jude in the stomach again.
Jude doubled over and gasped. “P-Please, just leave me… leave me alone.”
Ricky straightened Jude up against the railing and shoved him back so hard that he struck his skull on the bars. “What if I don’t? What if I throw you off this bridge and put an end to your sad little life?”
Ashley wiped the last of the spit off her face and growled in defence of her friend. “I would say the railing is too high. So stop with this bullshit.”
Jude was silent. He shuddered and tried to catch his breath.
Lily and the twins cackled. “Fucking do him,” said Lily. “I reckon we can get him over the railing.”
Ashley saw the pain and fear on Jude’s face and could take no more. She threw a punch at Lily but missed, yet it was enough to send the other girl dodging back a step. When Ricky turned to see what was going on, she shoved him hard. He tripped over his own feet and crashed against the railing. The resounding clonk of his head hitting the bars was satisfying, as was his pained tirade of curse words.
Ashley grabbed Jude and pulled him. “Move!”
The two of them took off along the overpass. The others didn’t pursue right away, waiting for Ricky to get back on his feet first. It bought Jude and Ashley a few seconds head start.
It had been a while since Ashley had sprinted at full pelt, and it made her realise now how much her breasts had grown. More and more lately, they got in her way, especially when she was dancing.
Street dancers don’t have ginormous tits. Why does my body hate me?
Jude was faster than Ashley, probably motivated by the fear of another beating, but he kept looking back and adjusting his pace. Sometimes she wished he would fight back against Ricky – throw a punch – but that just wasn’t who he was. Jude wasn’t a fighter.
Lily, Ricky, and the twins gave chase, yelling threats. Jude and Ashley had a small lead. The problem was there was nowhere to go. The entire area was closed between Redsow Woods and the playing fields. There were no houses for half a mile.
“They’re… gunna catch… us,” said Jude, already out of breath. He clutched his ribs where Ricky had punched him. “We have to… lose them somehow.”
Ashley looked back at their pursuers. Ricky’s face was bright red. He was blowing air out of his cheeks like an angry bull. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that it looked like he wanted to kill them.
Jude searched left and right. He pointed towards the woods on their left. “Let’s try to hide in the trees.”
“If they catch us in the woods, we’re fucked.”
Jude didn’t give her any choice. His panic caused him to leap into the ditch that ran alongside the path and head for the trees. The woods started with thorny bushes and spindly trees, but things grew thicker after a few metres. Ashley and Jude often trudged through the lighter areas when they were looking for something to do, but she didn’t fancy getting cornered inside the woods. At least on
