Cherry Smack
Reeks: The All Saints
Mei
- Life
- is
- short.
- Jimmy’s
- life
- may
- prove
- shorter.
- His
- gang
- mates
- have
- grown
- up
- and
- shipped
- out,
- and
- the
- nine
- to
- five
- is
- grinding
- Jimmy
- into
- a
- person
- he
- no
- longer
- recognizes.
- There
- has
- to
- be
- more
- to
- existence
- than
- waking
- up
- every
- Saturday
- with
- a
- half-eaten
- kebab
- and
- empty
- wallet.
- The
- wide
- blue
- skies
- of
- America
- sing
- a
- siren’s
- song,
- and
- Jimmy
- decides
- he’s
- ready
- to
- give
- life
- a
- do-over—even
- if
- it
- means
- leaving
- his
- childhood
- sweetheart
- Kelly
- behind.
- But
- Harlem
- has
- chewed
- up
- many
- a
- finer
- man,
- and
- drugs,
- power
- and
- money
- are
- fickle
- friends.
- If
- he
- survives
- the
- looming
- shit
- storm,
- Jimmy
- might
- just
- learn
- that
- the
- answers
- he
- seeks
- are
- waiting
- to
- be
- found
- in
- the
- most
- unexpected
- places.Extract.
- Chapter
- 7They
- pulled
- up,
- walked
- along
- the
- creaky
- boardwalk,
- pass
- the
- Wonder
- Wheel
- to
- board
- The
- Cyclone,
- an
- old
- fashioned
- wood
- roller-coaster.
- The
- seating
- was
- a
- mining
- cart
- with
- worn
- slated
- seats
- and
- loose
- fitting
- lap
- belts.
- Unlike
- a
- modern
- day
- coaster
- you
- felt
- more
- petrified
- than
- exhilarated
- as
- there
- was
- a
- very
- real
- chance
- of
- falling
- to
- your
- death.
- They
- could
- feel
- every
- pot
- and
- rivet
- as
- they
- squeaked
- and
- trundled
- along.
- Rawl
- deliberately
- rocked
- the
- cart
- at
- the
- top,
- stimulating
- a
- terrifying
- battle
- of
- nerves.
- Three
- people
- had
- died
- on
- this
- ride
- and
- Jimmy
- was
- going
- to
- make
- it
- four
- if
- he
- didn’t
- stop.
- Rawl
- laughed,
- the
- ride
- ended
- and
- he
- playfully
- shoved
- him
- around
- afterwards.
- He
- teased
- Jimmy
- into
- another
- ride
- straight
- away
- provoking
- him
- into
- a
- duel.
- He
- was
- trying
- desperately
- to
- hold
- up
- the
- British
- end
- but
- as
- soon
- as
- it
- kicked
- off
- felt
- he’d
- been
- shoved
- out
- a
- plane
- at
- thirty
- thousand
- feet
- without
- a
- parachute.
- He
- crawled
- out;
- with
- his
- head
- dazed
- and
- spinning,
- struggling
- to
- stand
- up
- right.
“What
- do
- you
- think?”
- quizzed
- Rawl.
“Slightly
- terrifying…but
- cool,”
- he
- grinned.
“Brit
- humour,
- I
- love
- it.
- Come
- on,
- one
- more
- then,
- ha
- ha.”
- He
- raced
- to
- the
- next,
the
- Tilt-A-Whirl
- desperately
- trying
- to
- break
- him
- but
- they
- were
- too
- late
- it
- was
- closing
- time.
- Jimmy
- faked
- disappointment
- but
- was
- secretly
- over
- the
- moon
- as
- he
- knew
- the
- ride;
- back
- in
- England
- it
- was
- called
- the
- Waltzer,
- a
- ride
- so
- violent
- it
- was
- marginally
- preferable
- to
- decapitation.
- He
- was
- relieved
- the
- trial
- was
- over
- and
- could
- leave,
- hopelessly
- nauseated
- but
- with
- his
- British
- pride intact.
pro-mbooks3 : libris
