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sweetly, Is it okay if you babysit Nicole while I go out? I’ll give you money and that.
    God no way, Laura snarled. I was wanting an early night – she’s yours.
    Come on, I snapped back, and we were like two crocodiles in bedtime clothes. I grabbed Nicole from the ground, then went, I’ll take her out with me then. It’s your fault if she freezes.
    Fuck off, Laura said, and she wasn’t the swearing type. Mam’ll kill you.
    I already had on Nicole’s peach Puffa coat and bobble hat, and we were out the door. I made sure I slammed it. I strapped Nicole in the fold-up buggy, then wheeled her onto the pavement while the boys stood there with high eyebrows. Me and Rachel charged off in our pyjamas.
    Who’s that? Gary asked, referring to the baby. He was always dead slow and docile on tac, and I wondered why anyone would really want to be like that – I was more the uppers girl. I looked at him and said, It’s Jenni. She shrank.
    I didn’t really want Jenni in the conversation though. She only lived round the corner, and I didn’t want her coming out in case I had a chance with Dan and I still wasn’t very trusting of her. I linked arms with him while Rachel pushed the pram, and we walked softly between the stars and the estate. The sky was getting pitch-black like a planetarium. Me and Dan turned the corner at Deepdale Avenue then disconnected on the grass, Rachel trying her best to steer Nicole up the bump. That time of year the leaves were down, and we stood on the brown mush for a bit with nothing to do.
    What you gonna paint? I asked Debbie, who was shaking up the Brilliant Red and Hot Pink. I wished I’d come out in my pink HOT CHICK socks. The best thing Debbie ever painted was the roundabout at North Ormesby, spraying each rung the colour of the rainbow so when it spun it roygbived round like a colour-wheel. She was artistic like that.
    Just a throw-up or something, she replied, and I wondered if we’d throw up the Bellabrusco too. I laughed to myself. I didn’t even know what a throw-up was. Rachel passed me the bottle while we watched Debbie outline wiggly pink then block it in, shaking that clickety sound in the cans. She was covering the back of someone’s fence, and I wondered how she did it so speedy in the pitch-dark. I could hardly see Dan’s pretty little face.
    You two alright? I asked the boys, slinking around with their chins banging their tracksuit zips. They nodded. I swapped the Bella for Nicole again, then stood and pushed the pram back and forwards while cars shot past. Police often came round Beechwood looking for drug dealers and kids on motorbikes, but at least we weren’t under the curfew. Those kids in Saltersgill must get bored silly. Anyhow, the streets were quite empty round here and all, and Debbie was always dead quick to nail her pictures. She was a blur like a señorita with maracas, and yet the word DEBE was always crystal-clear in the plasticky paint. Standing back, me and Debbie jumped around for a bit, half happy and freezing to death. I didn’t know why we came out in our pyjamas so much – it was just a trend. I tucked my hands under the pink waistband, and I regretted it – I heard Gary thud fast on the soft grass, and he ripped down my PJ bottoms. Thank god for the Powerpuff Girl knickers. Everyone’s mouths got massive and they laughed, while I pulled up the pants again and felt embarrassed. I called Gary a 4-letter word then chased him round the playing field til we got tired, and he let me grab his dick-pouch for revenge. He loved it – I didn’t really dig my nails in though. We giggled loads at the other end of the field, then we hugged and he tried to grope my tits on the way back to DEBE’s piece. We were all over.
    God, I’m horny as fuck! Gary yelled, but it was no excuse. I laughed but I didn’t let him touch me any more, instead standing next to the buggy and pretending to look after Baby Nicole. Rachel was all lovey-dovey too – her and Dan had