by Rawah Arja
Now I understood why Riley had turned his back – he didn’t want to see our reactions.
‘So, you have white hair?’ Captain Black said, unbothered. ‘You should embrace and celebrate your differences. It’s what makes you unique.’
I clicked my fingers in Ibby’s face until he stopped staring. ‘I think you look cool without the beanie,’ Lee said. ‘I told you, you could be in an X-Men movie.’
‘Okay, okay,’ Mr Archie said, giving us a look to change the subject. ‘Let’s just do this and head back so we can have a bite to eat, lads.’
One by one, everyone had their turn to abseil down the mountain, until it was just Ibby and me left. I spent twenty minutes trying to convince him that it was safe and nothing bad was going to happen. Captain Black eventually got fed up with his whimpering and crying. He forcefully strapped the harness onto Ibby’s body and dragged him to the edge. Ibby dropped back, screaming that he was going to die.
He didn’t die of course, but Huss recorded him crying and yelling about how much he loved his mum. I strapped in, met Ibby halfway down the rock face, and helped him reach the bottom.
Mr Archie shook my hand and smiled. ‘Well done, Tariq. That’s what I want to see more of.’
PJ helped me up as the boys cheered for Ibby. Aaron’s face remained still and cold. I’m not going to lie, it felt good to be praised by Mr Archie.
We headed back to the main hall where lunch was being served. It was the first time we saw the other teams up close. There were eight teams altogether, A through H. The four teams with the most points at the end of this term would make it to the semi-finals in Term 3.
We saw some of the Greenacre boys sitting with their buddy team and they looked like they were all getting along. We chatted for a bit, and they said that their morning had been pretty cruisy and their instructor was heaps laid back.
‘Our one’s from hell,’ Ibby said, before describing what had happened on the mountain. ‘Wallah, I believe he’s Shaytaan’s brother.’
‘Okay, lads stop the chatter and go and get some food,’ Mr Archie said, breaking us up. ‘Maybe get to know your own teammates instead of lads from the area.’
We were waiting for food, exhausted and hungry, when a group of boys pushed in. Lee tried to explain that there was a line, but they ignored him.
‘Hunter, just go wait like everybody else,’ Riley protested. ‘We’re tired and hungry and you’re coming back for seconds.’
He was speaking to a stocky guy with red hair and a gap between his teeth that was wide enough to shoot a couple of goals through. ‘Hunter Carter, Captain Team A’ his name tag read. Jake and Scott, two dudes with ash-blond hair stood close to him like bodyguards. They pushed Riley around before yanking his beanie off and throwing it across the floor.
‘Who do you think you are, albino freak? You’ve grown some balls now because you hang around with some mozzies?’ Hunter jeered at Riley. ‘You and Noodles can piss off back to where you came from.’
I looked back at the Wolf Pack.
‘Trays or chairs?’ Ibby asked, scouting the place.
‘Definitely chairs,’ Huss said.
‘Nah, I think trays,’ PJ countered.
We left the line and confronted Hunter and his goons. To our surprise, Matt, Riley and Lee were standing with us too. At this point, Aaron was the only one sitting at our table with his plate of food.
Huss took a deep breath. ‘Hey, ranga. Go back to the end of the line or –’
‘Or what?’ Hunter asked, with his chest puffed out and his nose up in the air. ‘You’ll blow us up?’
Huss’s beefy legs were shaking, the first sign of him losing it. I stood in support to make sure Hunter knew we weren’t messing around. ‘Give Riley his beanie back and go to the end of the line, you racist pig, or we’ll smash you and your friends.’
Lee came closer. ‘Archie’s outside.’
I turned to look for Mr Archie, but before I could blink, Huss grabbed one of the trays and smashed it over Scott’s head. Jake tackled Huss to the ground before I took Hunter by the shirt and threw him up against the wall. Ibby and PJ took care of the rest of their team as they ran from their table. Some instructors tried to stop the fight as the other schools gathered around and watched us turn the place upside down.
I still had Hunter pinned up against the wall and as I was about to throw a final punch, I turned to see one of the A Team boys charging towards me. Then Lee tackled him to the ground.
‘What the hell, Nintendo?’ I asked, helping him to his feet. ‘You almost killed yourself.’
‘I think I might have lost some feeling in my body.’ Lee wobbled, trying to keep his balance.
Mr Archie and Captain Black rushed in to stop the fight.
‘Those animals attacked us for no reason!’ Hunter cried out to his principal. Team A’s principal, Mr Wilson, was older than Mr Archie and had nothing like his muscles. He had a pointy nose and fluffy white eyebrows that hadn’t been brushed in years.
Huss now charged at Hunter but was stopped by Captain Black. ‘Don’t lie, you dog!’
‘This sort of behaviour is unacceptable,’ Mr Wilson said, hovering around Mr Archie and waiting to see his reaction. ‘I demand that these boys be reprimanded and face the full consequences of their actions.’
‘Bro, you started it,’ Ibby yelled at Hunter. ‘You took Riley’s beanie and laughed at him.’
‘They’re lying,’ Hunter replied. ‘I was just getting food.’ ‘Everyone out!’ Captain Black ordered. All the schools left except for Team A and Mr Wilson. ‘That means you too, Mr Wilson.’
His face fell as he reluctantly left with his team. Clearly, he wanted to stick around and watch us get punished.
We sat and waited with icepacks as Mr Archie paced back and forth, trying to gather his thoughts.
‘It’s not their fault,’ Lee finally piped up. ‘Hunter’s a bully who’s been doing stuff like this for a long time. I don’t know why he’s even allowed to be in this competition.’
‘I don’t have control over other schools’ decisions, lad,’ Mr Archie said. ‘We were supposed to pick students who either had potential or needed direction, which I guess explains why some of you were chosen, too.’
‘But these guys were the first to throw a punch,’ Aaron said dryly. It was clear to me now. He hadn’t spoken the whole time, but as soon as the chance came to make me look bad, he took it.
‘At least we stood up for your boys. You just sat there and ate while your team needed help,’ I snapped back.
‘So bashing people and leaving the cafeteria in a mess is what I was supposed to do?’
Aaron’s close-lipped smile and his hands in his pockets only added to his smug attitude.
‘Nah, bro,’ PJ said to Aaron. ‘You’re missing the point. If anyone laid a finger on my boys, they’d be lucky to walk out of here alive.’
‘So, murder is supposed to show that I’ve got your back?’ Aaron asked, laughing to himself.
I turned to Riley who sat quietly. ‘How haven’t you punched him in the face yet? He watched you get put on by these guys, and now he’s blaming us for sticking up for you?’
‘Enough!’ Captain Black shouted. ‘You used physical violence to deal with a problem and that’s unacceptable.’
‘I don’t want to be in this program anymore,’ Huss said, still angry, knees shaking. ‘I’m out. I don’t care what you do to me. It’s not like anything worse can happen that isn’t happening already.’
‘You think it’s that easy to leave?’ Mr Archie said, standing in front of him. ‘You will see this program through to the very end. I don’t care about what you want. You boys doing whatever you’ve wanted all this time is why we’re here in the first place.’
We were ordered to clean the hall before being placed under cabin arrest until Mr Archie came back with a verdict. We sat on our bunk beds in silence, and even though part of me hoped that we were just kicked out of the program, I knew tha
t our school was too important just to give up.
‘Ey, Nintendo.’ PJ finally broke the silence. ‘You’re actually alright. I saw how you helped Tariq and took that kid out.’
‘Thanks,’ Lee said, beaming with pride. ‘You alright, Riley?’
‘I’m sorry, boys,’ Matt walked over with his head in his chest. ‘I should’ve helped, but Hunter is a psycho.’
‘All you ever do is say sorry,’ Huss said. ‘Next time, try actually doing something.’
Riley had his earphones in and was facing the wall when Ibby bounced onto his bed. ‘It’s not bad, bro. Like, your hair is actually different, but good different, yeah? Isn’t it, boys?’
‘Yeah, well,’ Riley said, pulling out his earphones and sitting up. I never noticed how small and frail his body was, but then anyone looks like that when compared to Ibby. ‘People call me a freak or “Snow Boy” most of the time. It’s why I keep my beanie on.’
‘Really?’ Ibby asked, confused. ‘They don’t call you Ghostbusters?’
I threw a pillow at Ibby. ‘Oi.’
Riley smiled, then shook his head. ‘No, they don’t.’
‘See boys, he can take a joke! Unlike some people.’ Ibby pointed to the top bunk where Aaron lay.
‘I know you’re talking about me.’ Aaron rolled over.
‘Shut up, Mayonnaise. I wasn’t trying to keep it a secret,’ Ibby retorted.
‘Mayonnaise?’ Matt asked.
PJ sniggered. ‘Cos he’s oily and white.’
Before Aaron could respond, Mr Archie walked in with Mr Wilson and the whole of Team A. Apparently, the only way to keep us both in the comp was to shake hands and apologise. We did it, not because we meant it and definitely not because we felt bad at all, but because we knew that we had a chance to smash their heads more on and off the field if we could stay in the comp.
‘It was the only way to keep you lads in,’ Mr Archie said once the other team had left. ‘I’m not going to dwell on the situation, but let me tell you one thing. If you ever lay your hands on anyone else in this program, you’ll all be expelled from both the program and your schools.’
Huss was still furious. It was as though all of Mr Archie’s words went in one ear and out the other.
‘Tariq and Aaron, outside with me,’ Mr Archie said. ‘We need to talk.’
He closed the door behind us. I could see the other boys’ heads peeking through the blinds.
‘I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but it has to stop, and it has to stop right now. You both have so much potential but are falling far short of the captain role.’
Aaron and I argued again, refusing to see eye to eye on anything Mr Archie was expecting from us, the ‘two potential leaders of this team’.
‘Enough. Show some respect towards each other,’ Mr Archie said in a stern voice. ‘And have some respect for yourselves. I’m not saying you have to be best friends, but at least be civil with one another.’
I felt like I was six years old again when Dad use to force me to shake hands with my cousins after a fight and apologise.
‘Aaron, you can go inside. I need to talk to Tariq.’ Aaron slunk into the cabin without a backward glance.
Mr Archie and I went for a walk to the footy field. He put his hand on my shoulder. ‘I admire your resilience and your courage for defending your teammates, Tariq. And heck, I can’t believe I’m saying this, Team A probably deserved it.’
Wait, what?
‘But rules are rules,’ he continued. ‘I was once a lad, too. Most of my youth was spent trying to survive the boys that targeted me on the streets, who were all three times my size. I was raised by a single mother in a working-class neighbourhood in Belfast. It wasn’t much different to Punchbowl.’
‘So you had to watch the rich kids in neighbouring areas get all the glory, too?’ I said.
‘And all the local politicians shower them with gifts while my friends and I watched from the back gates. Yeah, I’ve been there, lad.’
‘Didn’t it make you want to punch them?’ I asked, thinking about all these times our school had been left behind.
‘Maybe at first. But then I realised I was only cutting my opportunities short,’ he explained. ‘They called us animals but it didn’t mean we had to act like it. Words have power, Tariq. But their words can’t define who you are.’
‘So I should’ve just stayed quiet?’
‘No, lad. Just don’t swing chairs and trays,’ he said with a bit of a laugh. ‘See, my ma was a strong lady who didn’t accept excuses. She told me I always had a choice in any situation: revenge or compassion. She said that revenge only served my own ego. It achieves nothing else. And now, I’m telling you the same. Just think, Tariq. That’s all I’m asking you to do. Think before you act.’
‘Your ma sounds like a ballsy lady,’ I said. ‘My dad always tells me that I’m “smart but dumb”.’
‘I know, lad. We talk on the phone.’
Okay, that’s not weird at all.
My eyes followed the patterns of his sleeve tattoo until I saw a woman’s face. ‘Is that her?’
‘Her seventy-seventh birthday. Right before she passed.’ I looked at his tattoo again. ‘And where’s your dad on here?’ ‘I don’t consider alcoholics to be worthy of a place on my body,’ he said simply. He then told me the stories behind the rest of his sleeve tattoo: the Irish flag with two swords crossed just above some Celtic patterns that wrapped around his arm, along with a pair of shamrocks and a pot of gold with the quote ‘See you on the other side’.
I wouldn’t say that we hugged it out and it was all good. But for the first time since we’d met in our school hall, I felt like Mr Archie was a human being after all, and not just some spy sent by the government to make our lives miserable.
Chapter 10
On the second day of camp, the organisers decided we should do a bushwalk. Which would have been fine, I guess, except that it started at 10 p.m.
We trained during the day, with Captain Black and Mr Archie trying to find ways we could work together. We did team-building exercises, like trust falls. They didn’t work. We either dropped each other or couldn’t get the timing right when someone was going to fall and then failed to catch them altogether.
We did a trivia quiz thing, where we had to answer questions about rugby league teams and the person who answered the most correctly got rewarded with a break – something this Captain Black guy didn’t generally believe in. PJ won.
Now Day 2 was almost over, and the only thing left to do was the night bushwalk and campfire competition with the other schools. The first team to finish the trail and build a campfire near the river would win. The last team would have to make and serve breakfast to the rest of the schools in the morning.
All the teams met under the floodlights on the footy field and waited for the race to begin. When we passed Team A, Huss ran his finger across his neck.
Hunter nudged his mates. ‘Hey, look at this rat. He thinks we’re scared of him.’
Huss heard him, and doubled back. ‘Khalas, Huss,’ I said, blocking his way. ‘I told you, we’ll get him later. If you do anything stupid now, Archie will kill us. Everyone’s watching.’
‘Who cares about Archie?’ he grunted, still trying to push towards Hunter with closed fists.
‘Just relax, bro. We’ll deal with it when the time’s right.’
‘You only care because you want to be captain,’ Huss said with disgust. ‘I thought we said we wouldn’t take this sports comp seriously?’
‘I’m not taking it seriously. But remember what you told Dad this morning.’
Dad had called just after breakfast to check up on us.
‘See, Tariq, I knew you and Huss good boy. You make me very proud,’ he’d said. ‘Is Huss good? Does he have everything he need? Let me talk to him.’
‘Salaam, Uncle,’ Huss said.
‘Huss, you being good boy, yes?’ Dad boomed over the phone. My parents still act like it’
s the olden days and they need to shout over the phone to be heard. Aaron huffed in annoyance and moved to the far end of the cabin. Fine by me – he should’ve kept moving, right out of the cabin.
‘Yes, Uncle,’ Huss answered.
‘You show other boys how Muslims behave. You show how we strong, clever. Good Australian.’
‘Wallah, yes, Uncle.’
‘You stay out of trouble. You make me so proud.’
Huss had rolled his eyes, but he was also grinning. ‘Yes, Uncle. Nothing to worry about.’
Ibby snatched the phone. ‘Uncle, we didn’t use trays and chairs to smash some guys. That didn’t happen, yeah?’ He smiled till his eyes disappeared, then he gave us a thumbs up like he had everything under control.
PJ and Huss tackled him to the ground while I pretended that the reception was cutting out and hoped Ibby had spoken too quickly for Dad to understand. ‘I’ll call you tomorrow, Dad. Salaam.’
‘Alright, alright,’ Huss said now. He hated disappointing my dad, so I knew I could rely on him not to start shit this very second. It wasn’t just enough to get Hunter back – we also had to get away with it and leave no clues that lead back to us.
‘Trust me, his time will come and we’ll destroy him – without anyone pointing the finger at us.’ I turned Huss around and we caught up with the rest of our team.
Captain Black gave Aaron and me each a torch. ‘These two will be your leaders and the only source of light you’ll have to guide you through the bush.’
‘Unlike the hiking or abseiling we did yesterday, this challenge requires you lads to work as a team and figure out how to make it to the finish line in complete darkness,’ Mr Archie explained. ‘Which means no fighting, no arguing, and if things get hard, talk to each other. Captain Black and I will be waiting on the other side for you. Good luck.’
‘Have you done bushwalks before or lit a campfire?’ Aaron asked me. ‘Or don’t you people do that?’
‘Nah, we people have never started a fire or walked at night,’ I replied sarcastically.
‘Relax, it’s just a question.’
‘Can we hurry?’ Ibby asked hopping up and down. ‘Wallah, I think a spider crawled down my top.’