In Too Deep Read Online Free PDF Page A

eating, it’s technically legal.’
    ‘I’m eighteen,’ I say, pulling a face. ‘I just forgot my ID.’
    ‘Course you did.’ He grins and draws down on his pint. A tide line of foam gets caught in his moustache and he seems to know this, allowing his tongue to feel about to clean it up.
    ‘I kind of wanted to be alone,’ I say. ‘But thanks for the drink.’
    ‘I reckoned you looked sad.’ He holds out his hand. It’s pale and ruddy, fitting with his sandy-red hair. ‘I’m James. Who are you?’
    I don’t want to tell him my name, but then I don’t want to upset him either. I’m hemmed into the corner and would have to ask others to move to get out.
    ‘Hannah,’ I say stupidly.
    ‘Hannah who?’
    ‘Yeah, right,’ I add, not so stupidly.
    ‘Fair enough,’ he says. ‘But I’m not your average creep in the park, promise.’
    I can’t help the laugh. I tuck my wayward hair behind my ears.
    ‘What makes you different to other creeps, then?’ I ask, grinning coyly.
    ‘I have better-quality puppies and kittens for you to look at. And nicer sweets back at my place.’
    ‘That must mean you have a car,’ I say, teasing. I crack the ring pull on the Red Bull. ‘All the best creeps lure you into a car.’
    ‘I do have a car,’ he tells me. ‘Want to go for a spin?’
    ‘Yeah, right again.’ I roll my eyes, pouring the Red Bull into the vodka glass. I take a long sip, studying James over the rim. He has a caring expression, and I suddenly feel an overwhelming desire to tell him everything. Blurt it all out.
    ‘You going to spill the beans then, or what?’ he says, as if he’s read my mind. ‘You’ve got problems written all over you.’
    He rips open the bag of crisps, splitting it down one side and laying it out between us. I take a few, shoving them in my mouth, buying myself a few seconds.
    ‘I don’t normally do this,’ I say. ‘You know, accept drinks from strangers.’
    ‘And crisps,’ he adds. Unusually white teeth flash through his beard. He’s actually quite good-looking, though too old for me. Besides, guys are the last thing on my mind.
    ‘I can tell you’re really sad,’ he says. ‘It’s like you’re giving off this vibe.’
    ‘Maybe.’
    ‘Boy troubles?’
    ‘Maybe.’
    ‘Dump you for another girl? If so, he’s an idiot.’
    I laugh, dropping my head forward so my hair falls from behind my ears. I shake my head.
    James leans back, folds his arms. ‘So you were the dump
er
, then.’ He drinks more beer.
    ‘It’s complicated.’
    And, oh God, it is.
    ‘You’ll get over it. Meet someone else. One day when you’ve got a career, a mortgage, a husband and a couple of kids, you’ll look back and remember old James in the pub and think, He was right, you know. I
did
get over it.’
    ‘What are you, some kind of sodding guru that stalks girls in the park and then spouts shit?’ It comes out a bit harsh, especially as he’s bought me a drink.
    ‘Almost,’ he says, reaching for his pint and standing up.
    ‘Sorry,’ I say. ‘That was mean.’
    He drops back down into his chair. ‘That’s better, Hannah,’ he says, making me think he’s creepy all over again. ‘Finish that up and I’ll get you another. Then you can tell me all about it.’
    And so he does. And then I do.
    When he asks for my phone number I tell him that my mum would have a fit because he’s really old.
    ‘It’s probably illegal for her to have a fit about that. If you’re over eighteen, like you claim,’ James says as we turn down my street. Actually, it’s not my street, though he thinks it is. I’m not completely retarded, even after three double vodkas.
    ‘I’ll be OK from here,’ I say, stopping under a street light. ‘Thanks for the company.’ I feel a bit sick.
    ‘Phone number, Hannah. You were going to give it to me, remember?’
    ‘I don’t think I was.’
    James’s face goes blank. I wonder if he’s a fast runner. Good job I’ve got my Converse on. I glance down