Page 20 of Someone in the Water
‘I think it’s great,’ I say, trying to ease the tension in the air. It’s not entirely true. While I don’t understand why Izzy dislikes Jack so much, there is something damaged about him. And Archie is too nice to be hurt. But then again, I slept with Dom to escape a scary old man, so I’m not really in a position to judge.
‘What do you mean by plenty to cope with?’ Harriet asks, leaning forward. Now she’s digested the news, her thirst for gossip has kicked in.
Archie lays his hand on Jack’s clenched fist. ‘That’s not really—’
‘No, it’s fine,’ Jack interrupts, flashing Harriet one of his more attractive smiles, while the plastic cup crackles in his grip. ‘You try being a gay kid on an estate like mine.’ He reaches for Archie’s wine and gulps it down. ‘You get the shit kicked out of you for not supporting Spurs, so you can imagine what fucking boys gets.’
‘Were you bullied?’ Harriet asks, sounding uncharacteristically compassionate.
Jack shrugs. ‘Given the cold shoulder at school. Knocked around by a few dickheads on the estate.’
‘Jesus, that’s terrible.’
Jack hunches over his empty cup. ‘I don’t want your sympathy.’
‘Why not? You deserve it.’
‘No I don’t,’ he mutters. ‘Not after what I did.’
‘Why, what did you do?’ Izzy asks, her voice colder than Harriet’s.
‘He didn’t do anything, not really,’ Archie says quickly. ‘Jack argued with his family. Said some cruel things to his mum and dad a few days before he came out here. You know, like we all do when we’re angry. No one was hurt.’
‘I don’t,’ Izzy says, staring down at her wine.
‘You don’t what?’ Dom asks, reaching for a new bottle. He twists the cork, and I jump when it pops.
‘Argue with my family. At least, I haven’t for a long time.’
‘What, you’ve never fought with your parents?’ Harriet asks. ‘You expect us to believe that?’
Izzy looks up, her expression clouding over. ‘I promise it’s not worth it. Arguments can have consequences that you’ll never forgive yourself for.’
‘So can staying silent,’ Archie counters in a solemn voice. He doesn’t say anything more, but I can guess what he means. Archie has told me that his family live on an estate too – except a very different one to Jack’s. A Scottish estate with grouse shooting and garden parties. Extreme privilege, but probably not the easiest environment to grow up in if you’re not following the rules of the establishment either.
‘My mum has spent thirteen years wishing she’d stayed quiet and kept her opinions to herself,’ Izzy finally says, in a quiet voice, without looking up. ‘I tell her not to feel guilty but …’ Her voice trails off.
‘What did you argue about?’ Harriet asks quietly.
Izzy finishes her wine, then scrunches the cup in her hand, the flimsy plastic cracking in her fist. She looks up. ‘No, it wasn’t me. Mum argued with my dad. Just before he died. And now she can never take it back.’
‘Jesus, Izzy, that’s fucking awful,’ Dom mutters.
‘I don’t like to talk about it.’
‘Of course,’ Dom says, his tone unusually respectful.
But Jack’s tongue clicks with disapproval. ‘So Izzy gets to choose which parts of her life we can talk about, but the rest of us have to bare our souls. That sounds fair.’
‘Don’t be a wanker, Jack,’ Dom warns.
‘He’s got a point though, hasn’t he?’ Harriet says. ‘Izzy had no respect for Archie and Jack’s privacy when she forced them out of the closet, then made out like Jack doesn’t deserve Archie’s affection. But when it comes to her own private life, she wants to pick and choose what she tells us.’
‘Maybe it’s another one of her lies,’ Jack says. ‘Maybe Izzy’s dad is alive and well, and she’s just attention-seeking.’
I hold my breath in shock. How could Jack suggest such a thing after what Izzy has just shared? I turn towards her, ready to console her, but Izzy doesn’t look like she needs comfort. She’s staring at Jack like she wants to kill him.
Frankie
