by David Skuy
Rule One — Keep it simple.
He would worry about it tomorrow.
“Rebels are on fire!” he heard Scott saying in the dressing room. He pushed the door open and whooped it up with his teammates.
10
EASY DOES IT
The Frisbee caught an updraft and flitted up suddenly. Charlie had to take three quick steps back. He timed his leap and reached with his left hand. His fingertips caught the inside lip and the disc bounced straight up. He calmly popped the Frisbee on his index finger a couple of times and in one motion brought it down and fired it to Pudge.
“Joyce-monster with the major snag,” Scott proclaimed.
Nick put two fingers in his mouth and blasted an ear-piercing whistle. Jonathon, Matt and Zachary applauded also.
Charlie bowed low to the ground.
“I know it was likely the greatest catch in the history of Frisbeedom, but I don’t want to talk about it,” he said.
Since the bus accident, with so many of them hurt, they didn’t play ball hockey that often at lunch. Instead, they had taken to tossing the Frisbee around on the field by the side of the school. Pudge lofted a floater to Julia. She bounced it several times on her finger, spun, caught it behind her back and then ripped a perfect low toss to Charlie. He did a 360 and caught it with a sweeping right hand.
“Now you’re just showing off,” Scott said.
Charlie threw it to him, but he wasn’t paying attention and it went over his head and skidded across the pavement, ending up in the middle of a group of kids huddled by the school.
“Your pathetic throw was a disappointment,” Scott said. “I used to idolize you, and now I realize how bogus you are.”
“I guess it was kind of unfair for Charlie to expect you to be able to catch a Frisbee. Shame on you, Charlie,” Nick said.
“Yo. Can you dudes toss the bean back?” Zachary called out.
Charlie’s heart sank when Jake emerged from the group holding the Frisbee, flanked by Liam and Thomas. Jake looked at the Frisbee, reared back and let it sail. It was a beauty — but it was in the total opposite direction from the field.
“Is there a level of jerk he can’t reach?” Scott said.
“I’ll get it,” Pudge said.
Charlie knew he needed to calm down or he would confront Jake, and then there would be a fight — and he’d seen how well that worked out.
“Chill, guys,” he said. “I’ll get it.” He ran off before Pudge could object. Why didn’t other people see Jake for what he really was? he wondered. Charlie found the Frisbee under a bush. He had to get on his knees to fish it out from under the branches. When he got up his pants were wet. “Perfect,” he said out loud. He jogged back to his friends.
“When I’m King of the World and Middle Earth, I’ve decided I will banish Jake from the planet,” Scott said.
“I’d rather let him rot in a dungeon,” Nick said.
“We could put him in one of those cages that hang from the ceiling,” Alexandra said.
“Like the ones where the prisoner’s hands and legs stick out?” Scott said.
“Precisely,” Alexandra said.
“We’ll need some rats,” Nick said, “and plenty of spiders.”
“And once a week we might even feed him,” Alexandra said.
They began to think of ways to enhance Jake’s dungeon experience and the mood lightened — all except Charlie’s. He could not shake his rage. Why did Jake get away with this stuff? he kept asking himself.
He felt a tug on his sleeve. Julia was looking at him. The rest of his friends had begun to wander back to school.
“Are you … did you hear me?”
“Oh. Sorry. What was that?”
She scrunched her nose to the side. “Are you ignoring me or just being spacey?”
Charlie patted his thigh with the Frisbee. “Not ignoring; definitely spacey.”
“Have you been busy lately?” Julia said. “I’ve barely talked to you the past couple of weeks.”
He saw Jake and his friends heading back to school, laughing and high-fiving. Life’s a big joke, isn’t it, Wilkenson? he thought.
“Charlie, this is beginning to feel like ignoring,” Julia said.
Charlie flushed. “No. I … It isn’t that. Sorry. What did you say?”
She clasped her hands behind her back. “Jake’s really getting to you, isn’t he,” she said.
Like his mom and Pudge, Julia had this way of knowing what was going on in his head. He’d gotten used to it with Pudge. Julia doing it still freaked him out.
“Not sure it’s more than usual. Or maybe he’s upped his game a bit,” attempting to make a joke of it.
Julia remained serious. “Some of us have been worrying about you — and the café. I can only imagine how awful it was.” Her voice trailed off.
“The café will be fine.”
“Okay. Good. Then that’s … Okay. Just wondering.” They turned the corner and headed to the front doors. “I heard about your fight,” she said suddenly.
“It was stupid of me. Lost my cool, hurt the team; a totally dumb move.”
She flicked her eyebrows. “I think some people were happy to see Jake on his butt.”
“Definitely the silver lining to costing us the game.”
“It didn’t cost you the game. I thought it happened in the second period.”
“They gave me four minutes on top of it, and Jake got two goals on the power play, and after that the team fell apart. Some of the guys were ticked off, and I can’t blame them.”
“You’re too hard on yourself,” she said quietly, and tucked her hair behind her ears. “Not everything that happens is your fault.”
They joined the line-up to get in.
Charlie looked over at Jake and Liam. They were pretending to put on underarm deodorant. He began to panic.
“What are those clowns doing?” Julia said.
He had to think fast, or she would be humiliated!
“It’s an old joke of theirs. It’s nothing.”
“Grow up,” she snapped at Jake and Liam.
Liam saluted. “Right away, Ms Chow. But I need a shower first,” he said, emphasizing the word shower.
That lame joke cracked them up. Jake turned his back on him and Julia, and made as if he was shampooing his hair. Charlie reckoned he was about seven metres away. Not the easiest shot, but he gripped the Frisbee tightly and let it go.
Whack.
The Frisbee smoked Jake right in the back of the head.
“Sorry. Hand must have slipped,” he said.
Julia stared at Charlie, open-mouthed.
Jake rubbed his head and looked about to lose it, but then suddenly a grin spread across his face.
“There’s an expression I’ve been saving for a special occasion like this. Do you wanna hear it?”
“Not particularly,” Charlie said.
“You should: When you ride a tiger, you ride forever. Which means it’s easy to start something, but you can’t always decide who finishes it. In this case, that’ll be me.”
“Big talk, as usual.”
The mood had become so tense that a crowd began to gather, forming a semi-circle around them. His friends had already gone in, which meant he was on his own. He looked over at his rival. Jake and he had been linked since the first day he came here. He and his crew had made it hard on Charlie, always ready to tear him down, always trying to make him look bad He had thrown the Frisbee because they were dissing Julia. But now, as he stood there, alone, Jake and his friends laughing at him, the surrounding students waiting eagerly for a fight, he realized there was more to it. He was sick of Jake and how he made him feel, sick of the trash-talking, the taunts, the threats.
“Bring it, Tiger,” Charlie said.
Jake rolled his neck, his eyes ablaze, and stepped toward Charlie. Charlie braced himself, trying to clear his head. Jake was a big dude, and no slouch with his fists. He would have to be ready for anything.
/>
“Do him in, Jake,” Liam said.
“Pound the loser,” Thomas said.
Jake sneered. “Hold still. That way it’ll be less painful.” He began to bob and weave in exaggerated fashion, to the great delight of this friends and the crowd, many of whom cheered and laughed at his antics. But it occurred to Charlie that Jake was actually paying more attention to the crowd than to him, too busy showing off. If he made his move now he could get in the first shot. He readied himself.
Julia stepped in between them. “This is stupid. Enough,” she said. “You two have been at each other since grade nine. And why?”
With Julia in the way he could not get at Jake, and Jake had backed up anyway, his arms to his sides and his fists open, no longer looking like he wanted to fight. That mocking half smile he always used when dissing Charlie almost sent him over the edge, it was so infuriating. Frustrated by the lost opportunity, Charlie felt angry at Julia, as if she had cheated him from settling things.
“Joyce, I knew you were a total wuss, but I gotta admit that Chow here scares me. No way I’m fightin’ her.” He sniffed the air. “Besides, there’s a rotten banana or something around here. I’m splittin’.”
Julia shook her head. “What’s with you?”
“Nothin’,” Jake said. “I’m just gonna go inside. Something’s bothering my nose. Might be my allergies.”
“I will join you, Mr. Wilkenson. There is something odd in the air ,” Liam said, barely covering up his laughter. “Toodles, Char-Char.” Roscoe and Thomas laughed outright.
The crowd began to drift away. Jake blew them a kiss and bumped fists with Roscoe and Thomas. Both of them roared at something Jake said, and then they disappeared into the school.
Soon Charlie and Julia were alone.
“Are you going to tell me what they’re up to? I know it’s something to do with me,” Julia said.
Charlie’s frustration slowly disappeared. Maybe she had butted into his business by stopping the fight; but then again, a fight might have gotten him in serious trouble with the school and it would not have solved anything. When would he ever learn? Every time he lost it with them he ended up looking dumb. Besides, he had to admire her bravery. It could not have been easy for her to jump in between two angry boys.
Charlie took a deep breath and gave his shoulders a shrug on the exhale. He was still jacked up from the close encounter with Jake. “They’re being themselves — jerks,” Charlie said slowly. “It’s an old routine of theirs — they are suggesting … my showering habits could be better.” He prayed she believed him.
Julia did not answer immediately, but soon she allowed herself a smile. She gave Charlie’s shoulder a light punch. “I still think fighting is totally ridiculous — but for what it’s worth I know you would’ve taken him.”
Charlie was not so sure, and he was willing to bet she was not really either, but it was nice to hear her say it anyway. The bell rang, and they walked over to the school. He opened the door and followed her in.
“Can I trust you to go through the rest of the afternoon without starting another fracas?” she said, a slight smile lighting up her eyes.
“I’ll be a good boy — for today, at least.”
“Not exactly the answer I was looking for but I’ll take it. See you later.”
“See you, Julia.” He paused. Should he thank her for sticking up for him? It might sound like he was actually afraid to face Jake straight on, though, and the idea of a girl defending him in a fight was embarrassing.
Before he decided, Julia pushed through the inner doors and was gone. It was with some relief that he watched her head down the hallway, and it occurred to him that just as he had been connected with Jake since he came to Terrence Falls, so too had he been connected with Julia.
11
STRESS TEST
Bang!
Charlie smashed his combination lock against his locker. “Total waste of twenty minutes,” he muttered. He had forgotten his knapsack in history class and had to find the janitor to unlock the room. And he had to get back home in time to get Danielle and Hannah to their drama class.
Bang!
It was probably pointless, but another combo smash against the locker made him feel better, and he raced off down the stairs. He burst through the double doors and turned left toward his house. Pudge, Scott, Nick and Zachary were milling around outside. Pudge waved.
“Toss the bean,” he called out.
“Hi, guys,” he said. “I forgot my bag in a classroom, and had to find —”
“We know. You forgot something and then forgot something else and then misplaced something and now you can’t find it or remember what you were looking for, and, of course, now you’re late,” Scott said.
“Let’s at least toss the bean around now that Jake’s not here,” Pudge said.
“About the Frisbee,” Charlie said tentatively. “I think Jake might have it. I might’ve thrown it at his head.”
“Perhaps we could get the back story on that,” Zachary said.
He told them quickly, leaving out the part about Julia.
“Jake stole my Frisbee?” Pudge said.
“It appears so,” Charlie said.
“I’m gonna miss that Frisbee,” Scott said. “It was round and circular … and round.”
“And it was round,” Nick said.
“Gotta run, guys,” Charlie said. “I’m late. Gotta take my sister and her friend to a drama class, and a few other things to do. Sorry. Catch you at the game tonight. Huge game. We beat the Snow Birds and the Rebels are back in business.”
Charlie dropped his long board to the ground and pushed off as fast as he could go. The whirring of the wheels was usually a comfort. This time it made him more anxious because he could not make them go any faster. It had been less than two weeks since his mom had started her baking business, and it was as if his entire life had changed overnight. His mom was out of the house by three-thirty or four in the morning now, and she was in bed by nine o’clock at night, sometimes earlier. That meant Charlie was making breakfast and lunch, for himself and Danielle, plus doing laundry, plus taking Danielle to her drama and hockey, plus putting out the garbage and the recycling, plus doing house-cleaning. Danielle helped out a bit, but most of the work fell on his shoulders.
As he pushed his way up the hill to his house he tried to work out a strategy. First, make sure Danny eats her sandwich. Second, over to Hannah’s house, and then walk them to drama class. The class was an hour, so he would have time to get home and eat before his game. Then back to pick up the girls — and pray they were not late like last time or did not fool around too much on the way home. Pudge’s dad was supposed to pick him up at eight. He should be back in time, and if he got lucky he might have twenty minutes to work on his science homework. He also had to fold the laundry. It had been sitting there for two days, and his mom had left him a note about it this morning.
He was not complaining — if this meant they stayed in Terrence Falls than he was happy to do it — but still, it was exhausting just thinking about all that.
* * *
He slammed the front door behind him. “Next time you’ve got to get ready faster,” Charlie said.
“You told me that about twelve hundred thousand times,” Danielle said, “and your stupid hockey game isn’t my problem.”
“Thanks. Really appreciate that after rushing around like a madman to get you to your drama class. Why is your drama class my problem?”
“It wasn’t my fault that the class was long. We were working on something.”
“Don’t give me that. You were messing around with Hannah.”
She stomped off. Charlie forced himself to unclench his fists. Mom could deal with her now.
“Hey, mom. Danny’s home. I’m off to hockey,” he called out. There was no answer. She must be sleeping already. He peered out the window. It was getting late. Pudge’s dad had better get here soon or they would be late, and he did not need that on
top of everything else. He looked out again. Where was he?
A fretful five minutes later he saw headlights turning into the driveway. Finally! He pulled the door open, held the knob for a moment, and then closed it. Even though his sister had been beyond irritating, he was starting to feel a little bad about getting so mad at her. He ran to the kitchen. “If you need anything to eat, there’s that half a sandwich in the fridge, and there’s a piece of chocolate cake too. I’m going to my game.” He paused slightly, and added, “And I’m sorry for yelling at you. I’m just stressed. We’re playing the Snow Birds and it’s a big game. We really need this one.” Then he noticed the chocolate cake and sandwich in front of her.
“Poor Charlie,” she said. “You always make yourself crazy.” She yawned and with her elbows on the table leaned her head into her right hand.
Classic Danielle. Just when you wanted to kill her, she made you laugh. “You’re right about that. Mom’s sleeping, so you’ll have to go to bed on your own. Not too late, either. Nine-thirty at the latest.”
She screwed her eyes tight and scrunched her mouth to one side. “Mom’s not here, crazy one.”
The doorbell rang.
Charlie stared at his sister. “What? That’s impossible. She said to me she’d be back by seven-thirty at the latest.” He looked over at the stove. It was 8:10.
“I checked her bedroom. Nada.”
The doorbell rang again. He groaned and went to the door.
“Mr. Joyce. I know you love the thrill of being late, but I have a reputation to uphold,” Pudge said.
Charlie’s mind was racing. “This is a nightmare. My mom’s not here … I can’t … Danielle is here …”
Pudge turned pale. “But we gotta go.”
“Hold on a sec. I’ll call her cell.” He ran back to the kitchen and punched at the dial pad feverishly. “Answer. Answer.”
“You’ve reached the Rainbow Café. Please leave a message and …”
He jabbed the End button and redialled. Again, he got her voicemail.
“What’s going on, dude?” Pudge called out.
“I’m calling my mom … No answer.” He closed his eyes. His mom was bound to be home soon. Danielle was ten … She could be on her own for a few minutes … half an hour … couldn’t she? He had promised Hilton and the guys he would not be late again … and not against the first-place Snow Birds … But he’d promised his mom too. He looked over at Danielle. She had polished off the cake and was chomping into her sandwich. His stomach felt like it had shrunk into a tiny ball. He ran back to Pudge.