He laid on his mattress watching the news until he heard a knock on the door. He'd taken his Jacket off, but put it back on. He opened it surprised to see Megan. He was about to shut the door but she pushed it back into his face.

"Look Daz I'm sorry"

"Too late" Daz was surprised by her strength as she slipped past him and went into his tiny flat. She was quite shocked at how messy it was, but because Daz knew what she really was, he didn't care what she thought anymore. He just wanted her out. She walked into his place and was appalled but ignored the state his home was in.

"I need to explain, I know what I said shocked you, but I want you to have a better life"

"Meaning?"

"Meaning I'm trying to protect you, from those people, from being looked down on, I like spending time with you and you like me"

"Did"

"You still do, admit it" She stepped closer to him and put her hand on his Jacket and slid it down his chest. He backed away. "I know you're a little...common"

"Cheers"

"But I thought you would keep away from them in the first place, I've met most of your mates, they're all...you know, so when I saw your mate..."

"Saleem"

"Whatever they call themselves these days, I was shocked. I mean you already live in a rat infested estate" Megan pointed out and Daz realised she'd disliked him and was stringing him along for a while.

"I'm looking at one right now"

"Don't be like that...do you wanna lower yourself further, by talking to them? They're horrible"

"How would ya know? ya don't talk to any!" Daz found her attractive the first second he met her, he couldn't deny that, but now when he looked at her he just felt angry at himself for falling for her charms. He stared at her digusted.

"Don't raise your voice at me, I'm a good person, I just don't want to waste my time with people like that and neither should you, calm down, come to my place...you could even spend the night, dad's out and..."

"Go"

"No, why?" Megan asked.

"Cause I'm not like ya and just cause me mates are like me I don't mind people who ain't"

"Do you know how difficult it was getting into their car, having to sit so close to them, I did that for you, you don't know where they're from, what they do, I was nearly sick"

"You make me sick, get out" Daz opened the door he wasn't going to pull her to the door that would mean touching her and he was only going to do that with plastic gloves.

"I'll call you tomorrow, see if you've seen sense" Megan told him.

"I won't answer, go back to ya snobby git of a dad and ya BNP leaflets" Megan calmly looked at him with a cold stare willing to wait until he calmed down to give him another chance, she smiled at him and walked out. He quietly shut the door and Daz roughly took his Jacket off and sat on his mattress. He thought the state of his place might have put her off, that's why he would never show her in when she usually came round but now the shoe was on the other foot. She'd come round seen how bad his place was and still wanted him, whereas Daz looked down on her, and almost felt sorry for her. She had some serious problems. If truth be told, his friends wouldn't mind Megan being the way she was. She was pretty, funny, probably good in bed and for Daz's mates, what she thought about other people wouldn't bother them. They'd probably even laugh about it with her. But Daz had another person to think about. Actually he thought about him constantly ever since they met, but Daz could never tell him that. How could he be with someone that hated Saleem? If Megan had been a bloke he would have said worse than he did tonight. He decided to call Saleem to see how he was.

"Ya Alright mate?"

"Yeah you?" Saleem asked.

"Wanna meet tomorrow?"

"With Megan?"

"No way, just us"

"Ok, as long as you tell me what really happened"

"K, but ya not gonna like it" They agreed to meet the next day after college. Saleem told his parents that he was going to a mates and would call them when he was leaving. He went straight to Daz's and met him outside.

"Wanna go for a drink?" Daz asked.

"If your buying" They went to a pub and Daz got the first round. Saleem stared at him.

"So you gonna tell me about her?"

"She's got issues mate"

"You mean she didn't like your fashion sense?"

"No...she don't like ya. Or Aisha"

"Oh, she's like...that" Daz nodded.

"So you wanted to meet to tell me we can't be mates?"

"No, I told her where to go"

"You can be with her I won't mind" Saleem tolf him, testing him.

"I mind"

"Look Daz, I know your mates, some of them think like that...to be honest it wouldn't surprise me if you thought..."

"What?"

"I don't have to say it"

"Ya think It'll rub off on me? Daz finished his drink and left, with Saleem tagging along after him. "Daz wait" Saleem said almost running to keep up with Daz's strides.

"Nah, ya think that I'm just gonna wake up one day and kick the crap out of ya?"

"People change...I can't trust people...some people judge like a flash and...well you wouldn't understand"

"Why wouldn't I?" Daz asked him angrily.

"My family, my friends, my own people get it"

"Ya sound just like like her"

"Who Megan?" Saleem asked him.

"I don't call her that no more, but yeah"

"I want us to be mates Daz, but don't pretend that you know what it's like for me, cause you don't"

"I can try" Daz said trying to reason with him.

"Me other mates don't have to try, they live it" Saleem told him.

"I'll let you get back to 'em them" Daz walked off home and Saleem walked behind him, but stopped, unsure of what to do next.