Page 75 of Glow

Scott walked into the lounge to find all eyes on Debbie. Scott sank down next to her in the place Prin had just vacated.

“What the hell is going on?” Scott said. “It had better be good.”

“I’ve had enough of him,” she declared. “It’s over.”

Scott’s parents had always had a tempestuous relationship. They’d met as traders on the stock market in the late eighties. After the heyday in the City, they retired to Essex to run a pub until it went under. Now they operated a successful homewares online retail store. His father recognised a profitable trend when he spotted one. Plus he was getting better at bailing before it all went wrong.

“Again?” Scott replied. “You leave him on a regular basis. Granted it’s been a couple of years now. You’ve had a good run.”

“Less of it. When you find out what he’s done, you’ll agree with me.”

“Go on then,” Scott said. “Unburden yourself.”

Tyler, Eddie, Danny and Billy all sat up a little straighter.

“Last night, I went out with the girls,” she began. “Oh Scotty, Bob and Carol have done up The Crown. You’d love it.”

“Focus, Mother,” Scott barked.

“Sorry. Anyway, they called last orders and we fancied carrying it on. Cheryl wanted me to get out the karaoke machine and you know I can’t resist.”

Scott shuddered. Most of his childhood holidays featured Debbie ruining at least one Celine Dion song in front of a crowd they had to face at the pool the next day.

“So we walk straight into the lounge and there’s your father. He had disgusting porn on his laptop, his trousers round his ankles and his…well I don’t have to tell you what he had in his hand.”

Scott leapt up. “Jesus Christ. Mother, upstairs now.”

A disgruntled Debbie got up and went to the door.

“What would you all do?” she asked them.

“Now!” Scott repeated.

With a sigh, she obeyed him. Scott could not believe the turn this night had taken.

“Shut up,” he said to his friends who were absolutely rigid.

Eddie, clearly wrestling with a snigger, held his hands up. “We didn’t say anything.”

As Scott followed his mother out, he heard them all collapse into hysterics. To be fair, he would do exactly the same if it was any of them. Still, the shame burned into him.

When he got to his room, Debbie was holding up the silver jockstrap he’d left on his bed to surprise Prin with.

“Taken up sport, have we?”

“Never you mind what I’ve taken up,” Scott replied, snatching it out of her hand. “What the bloody hell are you playing at? Have you ever used a mobile phone? A bit of notice wouldn’t have hurt.”

“I’m so sorry I needed to be with my boy,” she said, sitting down on his bed. “I’ve been humiliated in front of my friends.”

“And now so have I, thank you very much.”

She waved him away. “You’re all gay. You understand this stuff.”

Scott sat down on the other side of the bed. He threw the jockstrap onto the chest of drawers.

“You can sleep in here,” he said. “I’ll make up a bed on the sofa.”

And further down the evening sinks. He would have to wait until the other four ran out of booze before he could begin to think about sleep.