Sleepless in Manchester Read online

  Dalton looked around and nodded his head. “Yeah it’s buzzing isn’t it?”

  She necked her drink in one and slammed it on the table. “Pour me another one. I’m in the mood to party.”

  Dalton lifted his glass up and swigged his drink with speed. Pouring two more drinks he watched her sink that one down too, this girl could drink. She moved closer to his side. Unfolding her slender fingers, he could see two tablets sat in the palm of her hand. “Are you ready to party now then?” she smirked. Dalton reached his fingers to her hand and picked up a tablet, his chest was rising frantically. He looked scared but tried to hide it.

  “Yep, I sure am,” he said in a distressed voice. She threw her pill into her mouth and poured some more Champagne into her glass. With a quick swig her tablet disappeared down the back of her throat. It was Dalton’s turn. Her eyes were burning into him.

  “Go on then,” she urged. The Ecstasy tablet was now in his mouth, he seemed to be debating whether or not he should swallow it. He’d read in the newspaper all about this drug and didn’t think for one minute he would ever be taking one. He could see his mother’s face now as the doctor told her, her son had died because he’d been off his head on Ecstasy tablets. Kirsty passed him a drink.

  “Here, you’ll need this to get it down.”

  The tablet was gone. Dalton kept checking his watch, the pill wasn’t working. He just felt the same as before. The beat of the music seemed to be playing with Dalton’s feet. His legs were ready to move and he thought he could dance like ‘Bez’ from Happy Monday’s. Kirsty yanked him up from his seat with a struggled grip. “Come on then, let’s hit the dance floor.” Dalton was sweating; his forehead was covered in small beads of sweat. Once he was on the dance floor the music took over his body. He was a prisoner to the beat. His jaw was swinging and he seemed to be in a trance.

  As the night went on Kirsty’s friends came to join them. Dalton was wrecked; he was busting his dance moves all across the dance floor like he owned the place. His shirt was dripping wet and it clung to his chest tightly. You could see his pink nipples through his white shirt. Dalton’s eyes seemed glazed over and he seemed in a world of his own. The other clubbers all seemed off their heads too and each of them danced as if the music controlled them. Kirsty wiped her hand across her head, she looked hot.

  “Shall we sit down for a bit, Megan and John are over there,” she pointed her finger to a table not far from them. He twisted his head over his shoulder and clocked her friends who were waving their hands in the air.

  “Yeah, just let this tune go off first.” Dalton was chewing on his bottom lip as he pointed his fingers into the air dancing to the music. Kirsty left the dance floor. Fighting through the crowds of people she seemed stressed. As soon as she reached Megan she flung her arms around her neck. Megan was her best friend since school, and they were always together.

  “Where have you been? I thought you said you would be here by ten o’clock,” Kirsty asked.

  Megan giggled, “I know we got sidetracked. We’re here now, so stop stressing. Anyway where’s Dalton?”

  Kirsty pulled away from her and shot her eyes across the club. Dalton was stomping towards them. “He’s here now,” she said. Megan was clocking Dalton; her eyes were all over him. She didn’t think he was good enough for her friend and made no secret about the way she felt. John stood up and reached his hand out towards him.

  “Alright pal, you look like you’ve been dancing for hours. Has Kirsty had you on them funny pills?” Dalton looked lost for words, he hunched his shoulders. He didn’t want them to know he’d popped an Ecstasy tablet. He looked paranoid as he fidgeted about, he never replied. John nudged Megan in the waist.

  “He’s off his fucking head; he’s well had some pills, he’s twisted.” Megan agreed with her boyfriend.

  “I know, he looks spaced out doesn’t he?”

  The four of them sat down and Kirsty placed her hand on Dalton’s lap. “Shall we get off from here, I’m bored now?” Her eyes shot at him.

  “Yeah where do you want to go?” She covered her mouth with her hand and whispered in a low voice. She didn’t want Megan to hear her. She would only have gone on with a big lecture about friendship coming before any man if she’d have told her she was leaving the club. “We can go back to my house if you want, there’s some booze there,” she whispered. Her eyes were wide open, waiting for a reply.

  Dalton nodded his head, “Yeah I’m easy, whatever you want to do.” Kirsty stood to her feet and pulled the strap back up from her dress that had fallen from her slender shoulders. The dress was bright pink and you could tell it wasn’t cheap.

  “Megan we’re going to get going, Dalton has had enough,” she raised her eyes at her friend and hunched her shoulders. She was lying through her teeth and she was blaming him for cutting the night short.

  Megan bolted up from her chair, “Orr don’t go, we’ve not long been here.”

  Kirsty leant over to her friend and made sure no one could hear her lies. “It’s Dalton, he feels sick. He’s new here isn’t he, and I have to look after him. My Dad will go mad if anything happens to him,” she held her head back and giggled as she looked over at Dalton. “It’s obvious these Manchester lads can’t hack us party animals down here isn’t it?”

  Megan looked across at Dalton and weighed him up; he did look off his head. “He’s dishy though isn’t he,” Kirsty giggled. She kept her eyes fixed firmly on him, drooling from the mouth. Megan could tell by her face that she was smitten by this new kid on the block. Dalton was talking to John and he was unaware that the girls were checking him out. Kirsty held one hand on her chest and slowly licked her lip. Turning her head back to Megan she smiled.

  “I think I’m in love?”

  Megan hugged her friend. “Well if you’ve got to go, then you have to go. Ring me tomorrow and we can go out for something to eat if you want?” she gasped before adding sarcastically, “well, that’s if you have any time left for me anymore?”

  Kirsty wasn’t listening and had an enchanted look in her eyes for Dalton. Megan nudged her in the waist with her elbow, she hated that Kirsty was ignoring her. “You’re not even listening to me are you?”

  Kirsty looked blankly; slowly she came back into the conversation with a start mumbling “Yeah, I’ll ring you tomorrow.”

  Grabbing Dalton by the arm, she made her way to the exit. Dalton seemed weird as he stepped outside into the night air. He was licking his cracked lips at speed. “I need a drink, my mouth feels like cardboard,” he mumbled.

  Kirsty held her hand out on the road and flagged a taxi. “You can get a drink at my house; we’ll be there in ten minutes, just hold your horses.” He waved his hand in front of his face, he was on fire. He looked like he was going to burst. Sitting in the back of the taxi Kirsty watched him like a hawk. Slowly she placed her hand on his lap. Their eyes connected and she puckered up to kiss him. Dalton didn’t think twice about his actions. He leant forward and kissed her back. It just came as second nature to him. The plump taxi driver was looking through his rear view mirror; he loved a bit of action in the back of his cab. Slowly his banana like fingers moved the rear view mirror so he could get a glimpse of any action he was missing.

  Dalton and Kirsty were going for it; her hands were dragging through his hair as the kiss got more intense. The driver was so involved with all the seduction in the back of his cab that he never spotted the red light approaching on the road. The car screeched to a halt. Kirsty and Dalton crashed forward in their seats. The driver suddenly turned his head back towards them. “Sorry about that. It’s this wanker in front of me slamming his anchors on without any warning,” he lied.

  Kirsty pulled her dress down. She could see the perverted taxi driver’s eyes all over her like a rash trying to get a shot of her snatch for his wank-bank. Dalton snarled at the driver, he could see his eyes all over her too, he was so blatant. “Just keep your eyes on the road will you. Fuck me, you could have killed us
”.

  The rest of the journey continued in silence. Kirsty’s hands cupped Dalton’s; you could see him squeezing at it every now and again. Once the taxi fare was paid they both walked down the path towards her house. Her home was like something out of Dallas and he compared it to the Southfork ranch owned by the Ewing family. Dalton dipped his head - he was out of his depth here. This must have been how Fallon felt every time she came to his house in Manchester. Chewing rapidly on his lips he walked at the side of the rich girl. The lights were on in the house and she was shaking her head. “What the hell are they still doing up at this time, they’re usually fast asleep by now. She checked her silver Tag wristwatch. Pressing the handle down on the door she trudged inside. Dalton stood waiting for her instructions; his eyes were all over the place. His face was white and he was dripping in sweat. Kirsty dragged at his arm and led him into the front room. The sound of the television could be heard. Kirsty’s father Ted was sat in the cream leather armchair looking shocked. He sat forward in his seat watching Dalton’s every movement. “Dad this is Dalton,” she said. “Remember, I told you about him, it’s Brian’s son.” Ted nodded his head slowly as he picked up his glass of Brandy from the side of the table. He slurped noisily. Dalton was crumbling, his legs wobbled like jelly and every second that passed his face was getting redder. Ted reached his hand out towards him.

  “Nice to meet you son, your Dad has told me a lot about you.”

  Dalton looked sheepish; his eyelids were flickering rapidly, he was going under. Without any warning liquid started pumping from his mouth all over the cream shag-pile carpet. Ted was up in arms as he bolted up from his chair.

  “What the fuck!” he shouted out. Kirsty was in a panic and looked horrified; she grabbed him by the arm.

  “Dalton quick, come on, get into the garden.” Ted was heaving as the smell of the vomit hit his nose.

  “The dirty bastard,” he mumbled under his breath. Ted was a rough and ready sort of guy; he’d come from nothing and built his empire on his own. A real person he liked to call himself. Wretching noises could be heard from outside. Kirsty was at the side of Dalton and she was holding a cold glass of water in her hands. Every now and then he would take a swig, but he looked like death warmed up. Dalton melted onto the grass at the side of him. His eyes just stared at the moon above his head and he looked entranced by it.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked.

  He turned his head slowly and gawped at her. “I feel as rough as a bear’s arse. It must have been that pill you gave me. It’s done me in.”

  Kirsty spun her head around and made sure nobody could hear him. “Ssshh,” she whispered as she held one finger up to her mouth. “If my Dad ever got wind of me taking any drugs he’d go ape, so keep your voice down will you?” she shook her head, she was panicking. “That’s all I need, my Dad on my case.” Kirsty thought for a few minutes. In the past she’d had a few run ins with her father and he told her point blank that if she didn’t get her act together she would be carted from the family home. And he meant every word he said; he was no bullshitter. Ted had throttled his daughter on more than one occasion in the past and if her mother hadn’t been there he would have hurt her badly.

  Ted’s kids were his life and every day that passed he was doing everything he could to make sure they never lived the life he had when he was younger; he’d had a rough upbringing. Kirsty helped Dalton up from the floor. Her mother’s voice could be heard from inside the house, and she didn’t seem too pleased. Ted had made her get up out of bed to clean the vomit up off the floor. There was no way in this world he was cleaning it, he couldn’t, he was still wretching at the smell of it. Dalton sipped his water as he sat on the stone wall in the garden. Kirsty went inside the house and she could hear every word her father was saying to her mother.

  “Fancy bringing him here when he’s pissed as a fart, I mean; look at the state of the fucking carpet now. We’re gonna have to get a new one.” His eyes shot to his wife who was on the floor with a small red bucket at the side of her cleaning the spew up. “It stinks doesn’t it love?”

  Jess lifted her head up and shook her head at her daughter. “He’s right, look it’s all stained now.”

  Kirsty swung her body about and looked embarrassed. “I’m sorry; it must have been the chicken we’d eaten before. I feel a bit rough too. I bet it wasn’t cooked properly.” Kirsty rubbed the bottom of her stomach trying to get some sympathy. Jess carried on scrubbing the carpet with a small grey scrubbing brush and looked upset.

  Dalton stood in view at the doorway. Rubbing his hands through his hair he stuttered. “I’m so sorry. I’ll pay to get it cleaned.”

  Ted held his head back and chuckled. “Do you know how much this carpet was lad? It’s not your everyday piece of shite you know.”

  Jess tried to calm her husband down, she knew he’d go over the top given the chance. Standing to her feet she picked the bucket up and smiled at Dalton. “Oh worse things have happened in this house believe me,” she shot a look at her husband trying to diffuse the situation. “Ted you’re one to speak, remember when you spilt that full carton of Chicken Bhuna all over the new sofa.”

  Ted snarled and walked to Dalton’s side, he wasn’t backing down. “Yeah, I do remember love, you remind me about it every other day,” he raised his eyes at Dalton and he seemed to be calming down. “A woman never forgets you know, they don’t remind you of all the good things you’ve done for them in their lives, only the bad.”

  Jess chuckled. “Oh stop feeling sorry for yourself Ted, come on anyway. Let’s get to bed. It’s late you know, and you know what you’re like when you haven’t had enough sleep.” Kirsty smiled at her mother, she’d saved her bacon yet again. If she hadn’t have been there Ted would have been rambling on all night long about all his life stories.

  Kirsty and Dalton were alone for the first time. He was constantly apologising for spewing his ring up on the carpet. Placing a single finger on his lips she paused and stared at him. “Will you be quiet for one minute and just kiss me.” He looked gobsmacked, he knew he should have told her that he had a girlfriend in Manchester, but this was too much of a good thing to pass by. She leant over and flicked the lamp switch at the side of him. Kirsty pulled him down flat beside her on the sofa. He was fidgeting; his necklace was sticking into his neck and causing him pain as it surged deep into his skin. He quickly shoved his hand down the front of his shirt and moved it out of the way. Was this a warning from Fallon that he was betraying her? He didn’t seem to care. Dalton lay on his side; his chest was rising at speed. This girl was hot and he was completed aroused by her. His crotch had risen in front of him and a wigwam shape had formed in the front of his pants. Kirsty got back up from the sofa; she quickly held her ear to the door. Kicking her shoes off and flinging them to the side of the room she nodded her head towards him, she looked pleased.

  “They’re in bed now, you won’t hear a peep from them all night.” Dalton raised a half- hearted smile and moved over on the settee so she could get back next to him. They both lay chatting for a while and they were getting on like a house on fire. Kirsty wanted more from the night and didn’t hold back. Slowly she dug her hand down the front of his pants, Dalton tensed. Closing his eyes, he held his breath and sucked his stomach in so she could get her hand into place. Kirsty was a more experienced lover than him and she let him know exactly what she wanted. Before the night was over they were having sex. Dalton was lying staring at the ceiling, and there was a single tear forming in the side of his eye. Reality hit home now and he realised he’d betrayed his true love in the worst way possible. Kirsty rested her head on his chest, she was falling asleep. Looping his hands above his head he listened to the sound of the clock ticking away on the wall. With every beat it seemed to be calling out Fallon’s name he was restless and couldn’t sleep.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Four months passed, and Fallon still was sat in Manchester waiting for Dalton, her knight in shining
armour so she called him. He’d told her that he was paying for her ticket up to London in the near future but she didn’t believe a word he was saying anymore. He was full of shit. Dalton had changed so much lately and she knew he was slipping away. Every time he called her all he wanted to speak about, was his new life in London and all the clubs he’d been going to. He was so up his own arse these days. Perhaps her mother Beryl was right; she was punching above her weight. Dalton still phoned her on a regular basis and that was all she had to keep her going.

  Fallon sat moping in the front room with Lesley. Billy could be seen walking into the back garden. Fallon was tired and hardly made the effort these days to look her best. Craig Jones had drained any drop of life from her. Every day she found it hard to cope with what he’d done. Lesley sprang up from her chair and straightened her hair; her eyes looked excited as she clocked Billy coming through the back door. Fallon was sprawled on the sofa in a horizontal position and seemed in a world of her own. Her eyes were focused on the TV but she didn’t seem to be watching it. Every day that went by was the same; she was falling into a dark hole of depression. Billy stood at the door and held a cunning look on his face. Digging his hand into his tracksuit bottoms he pulled out a wad of cash, he’d had a good earner. Lesley was watching his every movement and sat chewing on her fingernails.