The F Team

by Rawah Arja

  ‘It’s like they don’t get we have other things on,’ Aaron said, almost echoing my own thoughts. He sighed. ‘Fine. Let’s just try and work it out and see what happens.’

  ‘Just don’t chuck a tantrum if something doesn’t go your way, and storm off like you did at camp,’ I sniped at him.

  He raised an eyebrow at me. ‘And just don’t smash people with food trays and throw chairs if we lose a game.’

  Training was harder than we were all used to. We practised drill after drill and failed each and every one. We were all still adjusting to our new roles and teammates, but if we were anything like this in our first game, pretty much every team was going to smash us. The only positive I could see was that Lee was seriously trying to be the new Usain Bolt. His speed was unlike anything I had ever seen. When he ran down the line, his cheeks flapped in the wind and we’d struggle to keep up.

  Aaron and I tried to take control of the drills, but we both had different set plays in mind. He wanted to play on the fifth tackle, but I wanted to grubber the ball to try and find open space.

  ‘Sir, they’re calling out different things,’ Ibby complained to Mr Archie and Mr Ahmed. ‘Who do we follow?’

  ‘They’re your captains, boys,’ Mr Ahmed said. ‘Let them know how you feel.’

  Matt rested on his knees, trying to catch his breath. ‘Can’t you guys share set plays? Like, one of you take one set and the other waits his turn?’

  ‘That’s the dumbest idea ever,’ Huss said, turning to Aaron. ‘Just let Tariq take over. You’re not that good, anyway.’

  ‘Maybe if you would pass the ball when I called it, we’d have a shot at being “that good”,’ Aaron fired back, wiping his forehead with his jersey.

  ‘What did you say?’ Huss’s pride had taken a hit and it wasn’t going to go down well.

  I pushed myself in front of Huss. ‘Relax, bro. Just try to pass when you’ve made a break and you’ve got support.’

  ‘What, you’re on his side now?’ Huss sneered, redirecting his anger at me. ‘Kol khara, bro. You and him can go jump.’

  ‘At least we know how to play and we’re not hogging the ball,’ Aaron said, storming closer. ‘I’m your captain, you do what I tell you to do.’

  Oh shit. I don’t think Aaron had any idea how close he was to literally getting his head ripped right off.

  Mr Archie and Mr Ahmed watched from a distance as I tried to hold Huss back. ‘Huss! Huss, CHILL! We’re on the same team in the comp! Remember the contracts!’

  ‘Fuck the contracts,’ he shouted, shoving me away. ‘Fuck the comp and fuck you, bro. Why aren’t you saying something to the Yahooda? You and him best mates now?’

  ‘You can’t do anything to me,’ Aaron said coolly. ‘Check yourself before you try to come at me.’

  I turned back to Aaron, keeping my shoulder between him and Huss. ‘Can you stop pushing him, you idiot? Both of you relax. Archie and Ahmed are right there. Do you wanna screw this team over before we’ve even begun?’

  Huss breathed heavily like a raging bull. ‘Don’t act like you give a shit about this team, Tariq. You’re the one that said we’d just be faking it so Mr Archie couldn’t suspend us. Remember?’

  Mr Archie and Mr Ahmed were now close enough to hear everything. I felt my stomach drop as I saw the cold disappointment in their eyes. The low clouds rumbled in the sky.

  ‘Pack up, lads,’ Mr Archie said, not even looking at me. ‘Training is done.’

  I glared at Huss. ‘Why the hell did you go and say I was faking it, ya hmar?’

  His eyes still sparked with rage. ‘What? Too chickenshit to say it in front of your new friends?’

  I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach.

  Huss grabbed his bags and stormed off.

  ‘He’s not normal,’ Aaron said. ‘He literally lost the plot over nothing.’

  ‘I had it under control but you just couldn’t be quiet for one second?’ I snapped back at him.

  ‘You expect me to be quiet when he’s threatening me and calling me things like Yahooda? What? You think I don’t know what that means?’ I tried to walk away but Aaron followed. ‘You need to do something about him. He’s the weakest point in this team and you seem to be the only one who can say shit to him.’

  ‘You think after all that I can do shit about Huss?’

  ‘He’s a goddamn liability, and you know it. He’s got no place on this team and I’m amazed you guys bother with him at all.’

  I turned around and shoved him in the shoulder. ‘You think I’ve forgotten that the only reason your team puts up with you now is because they decided to buy your bullshit apologies for being an arsehole all these years?’

  He narrowed his eyes. ‘At least I’m trying to do something different, instead of sitting back and complaining how nobody gives me a shot just because I live in Punchbowl.’

  At those words, I felt the fight go out of me. It was like I was sinking into the ground with each step I took. Everyone around me expected me to move mountains, and I had no idea what the hell I was supposed to do.

  ‘Listen, Aaron, Huss is my best mate. He’s been my best mate since before we could even walk. I don’t know what you expect me to do but –’

  ‘But what?’ he interjected, standing staunch in front of me. ‘You too scared to tell him that he needs to back down?’

  ‘What, like how you told Hunter to back down when Riley’s house and bike were graffitied over the weekend?’

  The other boys, who had been trying to pretend they were invisible all this time, suddenly all turned to stare at Riley.

  ‘What did that khanzir do?’ Ibby demanded.

  ‘Graffiti?’ Aaron repeated. ‘What are you talking about?’ ‘Whatever, man,’ I said, pushing past him as Riley tried to downplay what had happened. ‘Don’t act like you don’t know what Hunter is capable of. How about you pull up your mates, then I’ll consider pulling up mine.’

  Ibby: Hey, Hussy…Huss the Hog. We’re waiting for you at Tariq’s.

  PJ: Don’t forget it’s movie night.

  Ibby: Bob said if you don’t come in 5 min,

  she’s never going to talk to you again.

  Tariq: Stop chucking a sook and come. Mum

  made you macaroni bi laban.

  No response.

  Huss lived on his phone and I could see that he’d read the messages. So he was choosing to ignore us.

  Ibby threw a few cushions at me. ‘Just say sorry, Tariq. He feels you didn’t have his back.’

  ‘He’s the one that snitched on me to Archie and Ahmed. They didn’t speak to me all day. He didn’t have my back.’

  PJ scooped up a few spoons of macaroni like he hadn’t eaten in days. ‘Yeah, but Hussy didn’t mean it. He does stuff like that when he’s angry.’

  ‘Wallah, I am so fucking sick of that excuse!’

  Amira lay down in my lap and looked up at me through her glasses. Aunty Salma had bought her a pink fairy skirt, which she now wore over her overalls. ‘Haram for Huss. It was an accident, Tariq. Just message him one more time.’

  Mulan was locked out of the Emperor’s palace and now had to find another way to help her friends even though they had left her in the mountains and turned their backs on her. I didn’t want to message Huss. I was still pissed at him for exposing me to Mr Archie and Mr Ahmed, but I knew if I didn’t check up on him, it would grow into a much bigger problem. Huss didn’t let things go. He brooded and festered until he exploded.

  Tariq: Let’s just forget about it. Bob is waiting

  for you. We’re almost finished Mulan and

  about to start The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

  Huss: Yallah be there in 5.

  Chapter 16

  Between the potholes, missed red lights and a completely unused left blinker, I was lucky to survive Miss K’s drive to the girls’ high school for the next poetry workshop. She squinted over the steering wheel most of the way there.

  ‘You sure you do
n’t need glasses, Miss?’ I asked, gripping my seatbelt. ‘You’ve crossed a red light again and –’

  ‘Orange light, thank you very much,’ she said. ‘My fiancé bought me this new car and I’m getting used to it.’

  ‘Miss, you’ve been engaged for like a million years. When are you going to have your wedding?’

  ‘Soon,’ she said, then looked at me. ‘And no, you won’t be invited.’

  Anwar leaned forward to poke his head between us. ‘Hate to break this up but, Miss, I’m finding it hard to work with Mariam. I’m trying to stick to the topic of “Place”, but all she does is rap Cardi B songs. C’mon, Miss, it’s not fair.’

  Miss K turned into the school parking lot before driving up onto the kerb.

  I turned around and pushed Anwar’s head back. ‘You almost made Miss lose control of the car.’

  ‘Relax, it was just a small bump,’ she said. ‘Anwar, we’ll talk about this later. All of you just go to the office and sign in while I get some things from the car.’

  Ibby: Huss, where are you? I’m waiting for my V.

  PJ: It’s your turn to shout us manoush.

  Huss: I’ve got some stuff to do. I’ll see you boys later.

  Tariq: Make sure Archie doesn’t catch you

  jigging. He’ll kick you out, yeah?

  I turned back to see Miss K carrying a few heavy bags. ‘You’re not superwoman, Miss. Let me help.’

  ‘Thanks, Tariq,’ she said, shaking out her arms. ‘You can be a gentleman when you want to be.’

  ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah. Am I going to cop another lecture?’

  She smiled. ‘I get it. There’s been a lot to take in over the last few weeks. How are you holding up?’

  We walked towards the office. ‘Besides Mr Archie and Mr Ahmed not talking to me and Huss mad about the Cronulla captain, yeah, everything’s sweet, Miss.’

  ‘I heard what happened at training yesterday,’ she said. ‘I was disappointed to hear that you were just pretending.’

  I didn’t have an answer for her, so I changed the subject, putting the bags down. ‘What the hell is in these?’

  ‘Books,’ she said, gesturing at me to keep walking. ‘Our library is about to go under renovations, so I thought the girls’ school could make use of them.’

  By the time I reached the library, I thought my arms were going to fall off. Mrs Pepper welcomed us in and gave me a wink. ‘Thanks for bringing those in for us, Tariq.’

  ‘He’s really sweet when he wants to be,’ Miss K said, smiling. ‘Okay, Tariq just put them next to the computers and get to your partner.’

  Jamila was already typing away on her laptop, with a pen held between her teeth, when I made my way over to our desk.

  ‘Hey,’ I said, putting my bag down opposite her.

  She tapped away a bit more then looked up. ‘Hey.’ She put the pen back between her teeth and resumed typing. Her hair was up in a ponytail today, with a purple bow just behind her right ear. I tried to remember some of the conversations I had rehearsed in my head to try not to come off as a creep.

  ‘So, what are we going to do for our presentation?’ I asked, feeling my heart beat a little faster. ‘Do you want to talk about it?’

  Jamila looked up from her laptop again. ‘Yeah, sure. What did you have in mind?’

  I looked around the library as I sat down beside her, and realised that most of the people here already knew what they were doing. They’d had an extra week to work it out, of course. ‘Honestly, I’ve never done anything like this before, so I have no idea.’

  ‘Did you have an idea about a place we could write about?’

  I was staring at her laptop while I tried to think, when I noticed her wrists were covered in drawings of flowers and vines. ‘You drew those?’

  ‘Tulips and roses. They’re my favourite.’

  ‘So, are you into tattoos?’

  Jamila smiled. ‘No. I hate the idea of anything permanent on my body. I can wash this off.’

  This was promising too. I forgot all about finding an idea for our presentation in favour of getting to know her better. ‘So, you’re new right?’

  ‘Yeah. We moved here a few weeks ago from Campbelltown. You know the day your friend got stung by a bee and the whole ice-cream truck thing?’

  I tried not to wince when she brought that up. It might be better to stick to the topic at hand. ‘So, I was thinking about writing about my school. You know, it’s going through a lot of stuff right now, and maybe if I write something about it, I could help somehow.’

  I started to tell her about all the things that had happened over the last few weeks, how our school was in deep trouble. She tore a piece of paper from her book and passed me a pen. ‘Don’t worry, it’s not the one I had in my mouth. Look, a good place to start is to write down everything that you just said. Write what you like about your school and your community and everything. Then we can weave it together with my piece about home.’

  I sat up straight and accidently bumped her knees. ‘That wasn’t on purpose, I swear. I don’t want you to think that I wanted to touch you or anything. I would never want to touch you.’

  She swallowed a laugh. ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘Yeah, yeah,’ I said feeling the sweat collecting around my neck. ‘It was an accident, I swear.’

  ‘I believe you, relax.’ She started twirling her pen between her fingers. ‘Look, I think it would be really good to do slam poetry for our project.’

  ‘I still don’t get this slam stuff, though.’

  She exhaled. ‘Remember, it’s just spoken-word poems that you perform live. Think of it almost like rap. It’s, like, punchy and emotive, I love it.’

  I tried to swallow, but my mouth was as dry as the desert as I watched her talk with her hands about some Bankstown Poetry Slam place that she loved going to.

  ‘It’s awesome now because I don’t have to travel so far to get there. I’m happy I’m back in the area.’

  ‘You lived here before?’

  ‘I only lived in Campbelltown for a couple of years because my mum was from there, but then she moved to Dubai and my dad wanted to be back next to our cousins.’

  ‘Were there any Lebbos there?’

  She raised her eyebrows. ‘Lebbos?’

  Now my palms were sweating too. ‘You know what I mean.’

  ‘I do, but it’s a degrading word for our people. Doesn’t it bother you that people associate that word with negative connotations?’

  I shrugged. ‘Yeah, but if I use the word and take pride in it, then doesn’t that mean the power is with me? Like, they can’t hurt me if I own the word.’

  She stopped twirling her pen.

  ‘But I get what you’re saying,’ I continued. ‘I think it just depends on who you’re with and the intentions behind the word.’

  Jamila stared at me for a second. ‘And you’re from Punchbowl Boys?’

  Before I could reply, Mrs Pepper walked over and sat beside Jamila. ‘We going alright here? You figured out what you’re doing?’

  Jamila caught my eye and smiled gently. I was so shocked at the friendly expression that I didn’t notice her handing Mrs Pepper the page I’d scribbled on.

  ‘Here’s what Tariq has done so far.’

  THINGS I LIKE ABOUT PUNCHBOWL BOYS

  • My friends are there.

  • It’s close to home.

  • I can take my sister to school and still be on time.

  • Mr Ahmed treats us like his younger brothers and helps us try to stay out of trouble.

  • Miss K is like my school mum and gives me advice about school and girls.

  • It’s a place that has helped some boys stay off the streets.

  • I get to play footy every lunch.

  • It’s a part of where I live and it’s where my brothers went to school too.

  • My teachers give us chances even when we stuff up. It’s a place where they earn money and help their own families.

  �
�� I can keep an eye out for my cousins and make sure they’re not hanging around with anyone in gangs.

  At last Mrs Pepper put down the page.

  ‘It’s a good start. Lots of heart.’ She gave me a penetrating look. ‘I can’t wait to see what you do with it.’

  I couldn’t decide if she was talking about the poetry, the school or my heart.

  Chapter 17

  On Thursday evening, the night before our first game, Amira and Uncle Charlie made us sit around the living room and colour in the sticker labels for their honey business that Feda had gotten printed.

  ‘Couldn’t you have paid extra and got them in colour?’ Abdul asked, blowing on his fingers. ‘My hands are killing me trying to stay within the lines.’

  ‘Most kids nail that skill in kindy,’ Feda replied, powering through sheet after sheet of stickers.

  Mum and Dad sat outside under the pergola and watched the light rain fall on the garden while Uncle Charlie washed jars in the shed. Aunty Salma scrolled through her phone and showed us pictures of her villa.

  ‘Lebanon is beautiful,’ she said. ‘Would you like to come and visit one day, Tariq?’

  ‘Nah. I’d rather stay in Australia.’

  She slid down from the couch then and onto the ground beside me and Amira. She was bored and wanted gossip. ‘Why? Is there a girl you like? Is that why you don’t want to leave?’

  I shook my head. ‘No. It’s just I don’t know how to speak Arabic properly and –’

  ‘It’s okay, Tariq,’ she said, bumping her shoulder against mine. ‘I won’t tell anybody.’

  I looked around the living room to see my siblings staring at me with a range of expressions on their faces.

  ‘Golden boy like one girl?’ Feda said, rolling her eyes. ‘Tariq’s way too popular to like only one girl.’ Was she covering for me? I knew she had her suspicions about Jamila. She was probably just being a psycho for the fun of it.

  ‘No,’ Aunty Salma protested. ‘He’s not like that. Right, Tariq?’

  Anger management strategy no. 4: Respond when you’re calm.

  ‘She’s just trying to cover for the fact that she’s old and no one wants to marry her,’ I blurted out.