Too Much Trouble by Tom Avery Page A

scanning the faces. Julia, Kammy, Dwayne, Kieran, Carla supporting Sofina, Alex, Sastre, Ibby, Freddie, Jamal, Prince. Where was Terri?
    I thought this and then said it out loud. ‘Where’s Terri?’
    Jamal looked around too, and then echoed my question. ‘Where is Terri?’
    Everyone was looking round now. Terri definitely wasn’t there.
    Jamal looked down the street we’d come from, then said, ‘Mr Green is gonna be well pissed if she’s been arrested.’ Prince was looking at me. A worried expression crossed his face. ‘She’s such an idiot. He’s gonna kill us!’ Jamal continued.
    â€˜Are we going back for her?’ I said.
    Ibby snorted a laugh but it was Jamal who replied. ‘Are you mad? Go back for
her
and get ourselves arrested too?’
    I glanced round the group. I couldn’t believe theywould all agree with Jamal, but no one spoke up.
    â€˜I’ve gotta call Mr Green. Where’s a phone box?’ Jamal said. Jamal was the only one in the group who had Mr Green’s phone number.
    â€˜You’re serious?’ I said. ‘We’re not even going back to look for her?’ I could feel myself beginning to get angry. The kind of anger where you can’t stop yourself exploding. Even if you’re speaking to someone that you know you should be nice to.
    Jamal stared at me. He wasn’t used to people questioning him.
    â€˜Shut up, Em,’ Kieran said, taking hold of my arm lightly.
    â€˜But she could be in trouble!’ I said, brushing Kieran off and staring back at Jamal. I could feel most of the group backing away. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Prince, his gaze shared between me and Jamal.
    â€˜Emmanuel, shut up.’ This time it was Prince who spoke.
    But before I could answer, Jamal spat, ‘You’re a fool, Emmanuel! I mean it, Mr Green is gonna be so pissed. But don’t worry, I’ll just tell him that it was your fault she got caught. Maybe he won’t take it out on the rest of us then.’
    I carried on staring at Jamal. I was seconds away from exploding. Then I heard a shout.
    â€˜There she is!’ I turned round to see Terri trotting along the road towards us. She was almost smiling.
    I looked at Prince. He gave a big sigh of relief. Maybe he was relieved because Terri was safe, maybe because of what I might have done if she hadn’t turned up, but I think it was because he didn’t want to see an angry Mr Green. Prince had seen enough angry adults.
    ***
    When we first saw my uncle in England he was angry. He came out to the airport to get us. He didn’t hug us like he used to or even smile. Prince clung on to my hand. I clung on to Prince’s too.
    We got a train from the airport into town. My uncle didn’t speak to us much. He asked a few questions about our journey but he mostly stared out of the window.
    Then I remembered what my mother had told me. ‘My dadda says you were right, Uncle Victor.’ I spoke quietly, looking at the uncle who felt like a stranger.
    Uncle Victor took his gaze from the window and fixed it on me. ‘It makes no difference,’ he said. ‘He is there in trouble and I am here in trouble.’ Then he resumed staring out of the window.
    When we arrived at my uncle’s house there were several men and women there. They were all as dark as my uncle and all looked as displeased to see us as he had.
    One woman shouted, ‘What are they doing here, Victor?’
    â€˜What am I supposed to do with them?’ my uncle shouted back.
    â€˜I don’t care, just get them out of here!’ The woman stormed out of the room and my uncle followed.
    We were left with strangers. Some stared at us, others carried on with what they had been doing before we disturbed them. Two men were playing cards whilst smoking long cigarettes, another was picking at some food.
    A woman who had been sitting on the lap of one of the card