His mum was still at work when Ryan got  home. Her boyfriend, Colin, was in the  hall-way putting down some new floor-boards.  

        "Mind where you step, mate," Colin said in a stupid Australian accent. "You'll have to do your old kangaroo jump."  

        "You're so funny - not!" Ryan snapped as he stepped over the gap in the floor-boards.  

        Colin had always put up with his insults before, so it took Ryan be surprise when the big man stood up and blocked his way to the stairs. Had he pushed him too far?  

        But Colin's voice was calm when he spoke.  "Listen, I know how you feel. You're thinking,  Why do I have to put up with this guy in my  house? I didn't choose him. I wish my dad was  here. But the fact is, your dad walked out on  you six years ago, Ryan, and he's never made  any effort to contact you. I know how hard  that must be for you. But I'm not a bad guy.  I've been living here for five months now - isn't  it time we tried to get along? I really like you and I think we could be friends."  

        Ryan looked him in the eye and sneered,  "Oh, yeah? Well, think again." Then he stepped past him and went upstairs to his room.  

        He was shaking with anger. How dare that  creep talk about his dad like that? He reached  behind the cupboard and pulled out the photo he had hidden there. Even after all this time he always got a stab of pain in his heart when  he looked at it. His dad was standing next to his mum on a beach and they were both smiling in the sunshine. If only it could be like that again.  

        He put the photo back and pulled the DIAVOLO out of his pocket. It was such an amazing phone that, for one crazy moment, he felt as if he might find his dad's number on it and be able to speak to him again. Mad.  

        "Open," he said, and the beautiful phone came alive.  

        The letters and numbers swirled and formed the logo, DIAVOLO 666. Then the  Welcome, Ryan screen opened.   He lay on his bed and started to load his address book, then he said, "Brandon," and sure enough the phone found the number and began calling it. Brandon's phone was engaged. And so was Adam's. Maybe they were talking to each other. Jamal's phone was turned off.  The only one of his friends who answered was  Harry.  

        "Hey, Ryan - what's up?"  

        "Trying out my new phone."   "Cool. This your new number, then?"  

        "Yeah," said Ryan.   "OK, I've got it. I'm watching a DVD. Catch  you later."  

        Ryan ended the call, looked through the  menu and chose TV. A list of the channels  came up and he selected one he hadn't heard  of ...- "Diavolo Special". He almost dropped the  phone as the screen filled with a porn movie.  The girl was really pretty and he couldn't take  his eyes off her. Then, suddenly, the man hit  her and knocked her to the floor. She had  tears in her eyes and she started to scream as  the man threw himself on her. It was horrible,  but he was still watching it when his door suddenly opened. He jumped in shock as his  mum came into the room.

         "Close!" he said quickly, and the phone closed down.  

        "What're you doing?" his mum asked.  

        "Just playing with my new phone," he said,  holding it up. "Isn't it great? I got it at the car  boot sale. Only ten quid."  

        "That's cheap," his mum said as she sat next to him.  

        "How was work?" he asked, hoping she  wouldn't go into too much detail about the  hospital. Sometimes she told him about all the  terrible things that happened on the cancer  ward where she was a nurse, and he hated  having to listen to the stories of illness.  

        "Oh, rushed off our feet, as always," she said. "Ryan ..."  

        "What?"  

        She sighed. "I hear you've been rude to Colin, again."  

        "Ah, little baby been crying and telling tales, has he?"  

        "Honest, Ryan, I don't get you. You never  used to be like this."  

        "It's him! He's pathetic, Mum! He drives  me nuts with his stupid jokes all the time. And he's taken over everything. Always doing things on the house and cooking and stuff."  

        "I'm glad he does. You never help me with  jobs around the house - you never have."  

        "It's our place - not his!" Ryan shouted and  he could feel stupid tears coming to his eyes.  "It's soon going to be his, too," his mum  said, walking to the door. She turned. "He's  asked me to marry him and I've said yes."  






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