was still early when he dropped me off at the jetty. Time to kill, so I plonked myself down on the seawall. It was mirror calm, and I was flicking pebbles into the water, watching tiny fish wheeling and darting away from the splashes. Behind me the car park was almost empty. Certainly nothing that looked like a green Ford. Kat mightn’t be worried about her phantom stalker, but he’d taken over my mind. I was constantly watching for him and imagining him in every shadow. He seemed to have dropped out of sight though – I hadn’t seen him for a day or so. Or maybe, I thought hopefully, he’d been arrested for perving.
It was the first time I’d arrived at the jetty ahead of Kat. Finally, she turned up in an ancient Subaru wagon with a woman driving. I guessed it was her mother, but I was too far away to see if she was as gorgeous as Jed claimed. I knew she always dropped Kat off in the mornings, leaving her to pedal home at night. She heaved her bike out of the car and locked it to the cycle stands. Then she came in my direction.
“A machine gun? You’re not gonna need
that
at school.” She leaned against the seawall beside me.
“Eh?”
She grinned, pointing at the guitar case resting between my knees. “You look like a gangster in one of those old movies. You know, carrying a Tommy gun around in a violin case.”
“It’s a guitar case.”
“I
know
that.” She looked at me as if I was particularly dense. “D’you play it?”
“Nah, just lug it around for show.”
Another grin. We were certainly getting on much better. “Really though, do you play?”
“Yeah, a bit. Mostly rhythm. I put my name down for the house performance group in the competitions. Sounded like an easy option.”
“What sort of guitar?”
“It’s just a flat-board with a couple of pick-ups. A friend of Mum’s made it for me.”
“Cool.”
I could tell she was itching to see it, but the ferry was arriving, and I stood up. It doesn’t wait around and neither of us wanted to miss it.
I might’ve been
okay
and we might’ve been getting on together a bit better, but I still didn’t get to walk with her. She made her way to school with the other girls. A strange one, Kat. She walked with them, without quite joining in somehow. Laughed when they laughed, shared their conversations – but always from the fringe. I know because I was walking behind, watching her. And I couldn’t understand it. She was the sort of kid you’d expect to be at the centre of things – only she seemed to keep within herself. Almost as if she didn’t
want
close friends.
I passed my lunch hour in the music suite, getting organised for the house competitions. We spent most of the session choosing numbers, finally settling on two tracks from Auld Bob’s Slow Death album. Keyboard, two guitars, drums and a singer called Marlene with a really cool, sexy voice.
On my way to class after lunch, I stopped at the noticeboards to check the draw for the house competitions. A voice at my shoulder said, “Hell, Cully. He’ll murder you.”
It was Kat, and I looked where she was pointing. There were only four entrants for the boxing – one from each house. And competing in the first semifinal,
Brian King (South) v Cully Dalfour (East)
.
Burger … and me.
I echoed Kat. “Hell!”
It was a bit like seeing your own name in the death notices.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Thank you for your vote of confidence.” I was trying to smile. All cool and nonchalant, but it was a struggle. I wasn’t frightened of Burger. Not really. No way did I want to fight him though – certainly not with half the school watching. And Kat was right. It wouldn’t just be a boxing match – he’d be out to inflict some serious carnage. But at least she was on my side, and even more importantly, she seemed to care.
“What are you gonna do? He’ll take you apart. You seem to have got right up his nose. What
did
you do to him?”
“Nothing much. I’ve hardly spoken to him. He
It was the first time I’d arrived at the jetty ahead of Kat. Finally, she turned up in an ancient Subaru wagon with a woman driving. I guessed it was her mother, but I was too far away to see if she was as gorgeous as Jed claimed. I knew she always dropped Kat off in the mornings, leaving her to pedal home at night. She heaved her bike out of the car and locked it to the cycle stands. Then she came in my direction.
“A machine gun? You’re not gonna need
that
at school.” She leaned against the seawall beside me.
“Eh?”
She grinned, pointing at the guitar case resting between my knees. “You look like a gangster in one of those old movies. You know, carrying a Tommy gun around in a violin case.”
“It’s a guitar case.”
“I
know
that.” She looked at me as if I was particularly dense. “D’you play it?”
“Nah, just lug it around for show.”
Another grin. We were certainly getting on much better. “Really though, do you play?”
“Yeah, a bit. Mostly rhythm. I put my name down for the house performance group in the competitions. Sounded like an easy option.”
“What sort of guitar?”
“It’s just a flat-board with a couple of pick-ups. A friend of Mum’s made it for me.”
“Cool.”
I could tell she was itching to see it, but the ferry was arriving, and I stood up. It doesn’t wait around and neither of us wanted to miss it.
I might’ve been
okay
and we might’ve been getting on together a bit better, but I still didn’t get to walk with her. She made her way to school with the other girls. A strange one, Kat. She walked with them, without quite joining in somehow. Laughed when they laughed, shared their conversations – but always from the fringe. I know because I was walking behind, watching her. And I couldn’t understand it. She was the sort of kid you’d expect to be at the centre of things – only she seemed to keep within herself. Almost as if she didn’t
want
close friends.
I passed my lunch hour in the music suite, getting organised for the house competitions. We spent most of the session choosing numbers, finally settling on two tracks from Auld Bob’s Slow Death album. Keyboard, two guitars, drums and a singer called Marlene with a really cool, sexy voice.
On my way to class after lunch, I stopped at the noticeboards to check the draw for the house competitions. A voice at my shoulder said, “Hell, Cully. He’ll murder you.”
It was Kat, and I looked where she was pointing. There were only four entrants for the boxing – one from each house. And competing in the first semifinal,
Brian King (South) v Cully Dalfour (East)
.
Burger … and me.
I echoed Kat. “Hell!”
It was a bit like seeing your own name in the death notices.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Thank you for your vote of confidence.” I was trying to smile. All cool and nonchalant, but it was a struggle. I wasn’t frightened of Burger. Not really. No way did I want to fight him though – certainly not with half the school watching. And Kat was right. It wouldn’t just be a boxing match – he’d be out to inflict some serious carnage. But at least she was on my side, and even more importantly, she seemed to care.
“What are you gonna do? He’ll take you apart. You seem to have got right up his nose. What
did
you do to him?”
“Nothing much. I’ve hardly spoken to him. He
Similar Books
