‘I’m going out now, Mum,’ Susan said, nicking a biscuit out of the tin.

‘Don’t you want any dinner?’ Maureen asked.

‘Nah. I’m having some round Tracey’s house.’

Susan smiled as she left the house. She’d bullied some money out of the kids at school earlier and Tracey and her had gorged themselves on pie and chips. Susan skipped happily down the road. She was becoming an expert at lying and her dopey mother believed every whopper she told.

Tonight they were more excited than usual. There was a new face on the block and they were desperate to meet him. Leroy Wright was notorious in the borstal system. A Jamaican from Brixton, the kid was a legend with a reputation to die for. He’d been locked up since he was twelve for mutilating an Indian shopkeeper. Since then he’d been shunted around the country and been slung out of five different borstals. Apparently, he had taken over each one, given the screws hell and run the places as though he owned them. Tommy and Freddie had heard he was due at Feltham over a week ago.

‘We run this place, and we ain’t letting no new boy take over. We’ve gotta put a stop to him,’ Freddie said.

Tommy reluctantly agreed. He didn’t like the sound of the newcomer one little bit, but he wasn’t about to voice his doubts. Freddie was brighter than him and what he said went. After all, he was lucky to have been chosen as his best pal in the first place.

‘Hello, I’m Maria. What’s your name?’

Shocked that he had a spectator, James swung around to see where the voice was coming from. Unfortunately, he lost his balance, the stick flew out from under him and he landed flat on his face.

‘Are you OK?’ asked the friendly voice.

Picking himself up, James felt a right wally as he spotted the new girl from next door looking at him.

‘Course I’m all right,’ he said, as gruffly as he could. He wasn’t really. His knee was pouring with blood and he’d smacked his head on the path, but he wasn’t letting on. As James hobbled towards her, he felt himself go all funny inside. She was beautiful, like a princess. He looked at her enchanting face, took in her long dark ringlets, and was kind of lost for words.

‘Whaddya want?’

Maria smiled. She had the sort of smile that lit up the garden. ‘Do you wanna be friends? What’s your name?’

Momentarily, James felt short of breath. ‘Me name’s James, but me bruvver calls me Jimmy boy and yes, I’d love to be your friend.’

‘Wait there,’ Maria said. ‘I’m gonna ask my mum if I can come in your garden and play with you.’

James nodded dumbly. He was thunderstruck.

Tommy glanced at his friend. Freddie didn’t seem to have a care in the world but, personally, he was crapping himself. They were the top boys here and by the look on Leroy’s face, the ones he’d shortly be gunning for. Freddie was an extremely perceptive lad. Noticing the two screws leaving the room to sort out a small fracas outside, he pulled a sock out of his pocket and slid it to Tommy.

‘Stick some balls in there, shove it down yer bollocks and we’re leaving.’

Tommy nodded and did as he was told.

‘Please can I have my glasses back? I can’t see properly. Please don’t hurt me.’ Billy was a softie and couldn’t help his tears.

Susan smiled at Billy’s anguish. She scared the absolute living daylights out of him and she knew it. Each time she confronted him she’d force him to do a little task. These had included pulling his trousers down and showing his willy, crawling along the pavement while meowing like a cat, and digging up his neighbour’s plants and eating them. Today, she wanted to teach him the art of movement.

‘Dance,’ she said, laughing at him.

‘I can’t dance. I don’t know how to,’ Billy stammered.

Tracey aimed a kick at his ankle. ‘Do as you’re told. Now, fucking dance.’

Billy tried to jig up and down to the best of his ability. Both girls were now in hysterics and their uncontrollable laughter made him cry all the more.

‘Can I go home now?’ he sobbed.

Susan could barely speak for laughing. ‘You can’t go home until you’ve done the teapot.’

‘What’s that?’ Billy whimpered.

Susan put her left hand on her hip and positioned her right in the shape of a spout.

Billy understood now. Desperate to get home, he copied his tormentor and stood for five minutes rocking side to side. The girls were enjoying themselves so much that they didn’t notice Old Mother Kelly and her sister walking towards them.

‘Leave him alone, yer wicked little cows,’ screamed the sisters.

As Susan and Tracey legged it into the distance, they could hear Old Mother Kelly cursing them. ‘God’s watching down on you, you know. What goes around comes around and he’s bound to have a plan for evil little girls like you.’

On reaching the corner shop, Susan and Tracey stopped for a breather. Seeing Old Mother Kelly waving her fist at them, both girls lifted their skirts and flashed their bums. Giggling, they continued their journey.

‘She’s not like other girls, yer know. She can run as fast as me and she can climb trees.’

Maureen smiled. ‘Why don’t you invite her in for her tea tomorrow, James? We’d love to meet her and I’ll check it’s OK with her mum.’

James put his empty plate on the table and jumped up and down excitedly. ‘Can I, Mum? Can I ask her now?’

Ethel grabbed both his hands. ‘Don’t ask her yet. You’ve gotta play it cool, yer don’t wanna act too keen.’

James was bemused. ‘What do yer mean, Nanny?’

Ethel winked at him. ‘You’ll know exactly what I mean in a few years’ time, won’t he, Maur? You tell him.’

Maureen decided to carry on with the wind-up. ‘Yer sure will, James. Anyway, it was only last week that you told me you didn’t like girls.’

James giggled. ‘I don’t, but I do like Maria.’

Ethel ruffled his hair. ‘Is she your girlfriend, James? Go on, you can tell yer old Nan.’

James put both hands over his face. His mum and nan were so embarrassing sometimes.

Maureen nudged Ethel as she goaded him. ‘Come on, James, you can tell us. Girls don’t like shy boys, so you’ve gotta be honest.’

James took his hands away from his eyes. He stood up and put his hands on his little hips. ‘OK, I’ll tell yer, but you musn’t tell anyone. I love Maria and one day I’m gonna marry her!’

‘Marriage, eh? Shall I go and buy me outfit now?’ Ethel laughed, ruffling his hair.

About to torment James even further, Maureen was stopped by the furious knocking on the front door.

‘Who the bleedin’ hell’s that? The noisy bastards sound like the Old Bill,’ Ethel joked.

Making her way into the hallway, Maureen was relieved to hear the voices of Old Mother Kelly and her younger sister, Flo.

‘Are you OK? Is something wrong?’ she asked as she clocked their serious expressions.

Old Mother Kelly did all the talking. ‘I’m sorry Maur, but it’s your Susan. She’s been pickin’ on poor Billy Barnard again. There was her and another girl this time, treating him like a performing monkey, they were. The poor little sod was hysterical by the time we chased ’em away. It’s not on Maur, it’s bloody wicked. I mean he can’t help bein’ backward, can he? And he certainly doesn’t deserve to be bullied, bless him.’

Maureen’s heart sank. The Barnards were a simple bunch, but they wouldn’t hurt a fly. ‘What exactly was Susan doing to him?’ she asked, dreading the answer.

Placing her hands on her oversized waist, Old Mother Kelly pursed her lips. ‘Makin’ him dance in the middle of the street, she was. She had him rockin’ to and fro like a friggin’ teapot. Christ knows what would ’ave happened if me and Flo hadn’t come along when we did.’

Maureen felt terrible. The Kelly sisters had served their country in the Second World War. Nurses they’d been, and apparently were two of the East End’s finest. To try and make excuses for her Susan’s behaviour would be an insult to their intelligence.

Unable to look them in the eye, Maureen shook her head. ‘Thanks for tellin’ me, ladies. It won’t happen again, I promise yer that. I’ll give that daughter of mine such a fawpenny one when she gets home, she won’t sit down for a week. And tomorrow I’ll go and see the Barnards. Susan can apologise in person, tell ’em how sorry she is. I’ll drag her round there by the hair if I have to.’

Old Mother Kelly nodded. ‘Come on then Flo, let’s be on our way.’

With a heavy heart, Maureen shut the front door and leaned against it. She’d brought her daughter up to be respectful and kind, so what had gone wrong? To say Susan was a bad apple was putting it mildly. The girl was worse than bad, she was one hundred per cent rotten.

The fight had been hastily arranged earlier and had taken place in the shower room. It had been all fair and square. Leroy had a mate at Feltham who had been in one of his previous borstals. It was a straight two against two, with a couple of tools included. Tommy had nearly shit himself at first. He’d always been able to handle himself over the years, but that had been with wet-behind-the-ears lads, not the big-league boys.

As Leroy lunged towards him with the lump of wood, Tommy had felt like legging it. Afraid of mugging himself off in front of Freddie, he got a second wind. In a blink of an eyelid, he pulled out the sock containing the pool balls and walloped the motherfucker as hard as he could. As Leroy hit the deck, Tommy clumped him harder and harder. Maybe he was stronger than he’d ever realised. Freddie had done the other lad easily and the feeling Tommy had as he left that shower room would live with him for ever. It was a mixture of happiness, triumph and pure strength.

Finchy saw the two lads running through the corridors. Unbeknown to them, he knew exactly what had gone down and he’d been happy to turn a blind eye to it. Leroy Wright was a screw’s worst nightmare. Not only had he clumped a few, but he’d also been the cause of many a riot. Finchy smiled as Tommy and Freddie bolted past him. He could tell by their demeanour that they had been victorious. That thought alone made Finchy an extremely happy man.

Tommy and Freddie tidied themselves up and headed back to the games room. They were finding it difficult to keep the smiles off their faces and were far too excited to carry on playing pool. Sitting in the corner, the two of them spoke quietly.

‘You were blinding, Tommy. I thought I’d be doing Leroy and you’d be dealing with his mate. I’ve gotta hand it to yer. You were summink else.’

Tommy sat back in his chair. He was as proud as a peacock over what he’d achieved. In the past he’d always felt he was second fiddle to Freddie, but not any more. Today he’d proved his worth and now they were equals.

Freddie grabbed his pal’s fist in his own and clenched it tightly. ‘To us, our friendship and our future.’

Tommy smiled. ‘To us.’