What, so someone told you? Thats the only way youd know you moron. Steven knew there would be no reply. Gilly knew better than to encourage Stevens sarcasm and besides, Miss Hartley had reached the front and turned back to face them.
Youre the moron Staggers. We all heard, youre much more understanding Miss Hartley he mimicked.
Steven snuck a glance at Gilly this time, not so much surprised at what he said but that he actually chose to say it when he did. He frowned heavily and glared at him, hoping he would get the point that being a moron didnt absolve him from having to think. Miss Hartley didnt like her young adults talking in class. Steven liked the way she described and treated them like adults, but attractive as she was and regardless of her manner toward them, when it came to being the teacher she did not like them misbehaving. Her reaction was swift, as Steven knew it would be.
Mr Gillespie, perhaps you would like to explain your rudeness to Mr Reinfeldt. Mr Reinfeldt, the deputy principal and one not backwards in using the cane when it was needed.
It wasnt me Miss Hartley, it was Stag, er, Steven.
She looked at Steven, the disappointment in her eyes only just misplaced by her disapproval.
You should know better Steven.
He took heart that her voice softened somewhat but the disapproval was still evident. She was nothing if not predictable about her behavioural standards. She wanted to treat them like adults but she also expected them to behave accordingly, which wasnt always easy when you are fifteen. Steven looked down and knew that he wasnt about to let Gilly spoil his day.
Miss Hartley, Im sorry, I was just asking him what the question was that I had missed before.
She visibly softened and Steven hoped the rest of the class didnt see it.
Onomatopoeia she spoke so softly give me some examples of onomatopoeia.
Squelch, bang, splash, crash, click, crunch, um Steven hated it when he reached the end of a roll.
Excellent Steven she smiled.
Steven smiled to himself but then grimaced when he heard Gilly whisper.
Smartarse!
The three oclock bell went as he was making his way across from the maths block to the music rooms. Kids were streaming out from classrooms, first formers who still enjoyed school, they always seemed to get the fun practical subjects to end their days on before going home to mom and milk and cookies. Out of the corner of his eye he noted that there were some bigger kids coming from his left, well bigger than first formers anyway. He didnt take much notice, thinking about Miss Hartley and keeping his appointment with her. As always, and much to his chagrin, he noticed that he wasnt much taller than most of the other kids now milling past him, and then Gillys voice cut across their excited, incessant and inane chatter.
Staggers got sticky fingers.
Steven stopped, and two or three of the kids ran into him. He turned to look at Gilly, and saw Steve Shaw and Ian Brady fanned out on either side of him. Gilly and Brady were wearing silly lopsided grins as if they knew something he didnt. Snake looked concerned (thats Shaws nickname because he had this nervous habit with his tongue. He and Snake actually got on quite well mainly because they always seemed to be placed together. They always seemed to do that, as if it was the easiest way, put them in alphabetical order. Whenever they had to form any sort of queue he was always directly behind Snake.) His tongue was doing its bit at a hundred miles an hour, and Steven knew that the speed was relative to the amount of nervousness being experienced by Snake at any given time.
How ya goin Snake? he ignored the other two.
Snake looked toward Gilly and damn if his tongue didnt start working at closer to two hundred miles an hour. Now Steven was worried.
Leth juth go Gilly said Snake.
As a consequence of his habit Snake lisped and he was now lisping badly. Steven worried a bit more and thought it was premature for Gilly and he to begin killing each other even though he knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. Gilly was just one of these mean kids who for no reason other than he was bigger (and dopier) than most his age, liked to play the bully. What happened next would go down in school history.
Brady would recount to others that he didnt see Staggers move, but hed decked Gilly with one punch. Snake would just nod in agreement, happy he wasnt the only witness probably.
Steven knew that it was all just blind fool luck, that if Gilly intended to bash him, then he didnt stand a chance especially as Brady and Snake were obviously there to assist. He saw red fury and just stepped forward and struck in the general vicinity of Gillys face. It was a punch that Mike Tyson would have been proud of, striking Gilly immediately under the nose and above the top lip. Steven stood there above Gilly, not knowing really how Gilly came to be on the ground at his feet, oblivious to Snake and Brady standing there open mouthed. Even Snakes tongue seemed unable to move, also stunned at the speed of the event. Steven held up both arms and formed peace signs.
Luv yas, luv yas all. And then he turned and ran.
He stopped running when he hit the top floor of the music block and then walked slowly toward the open door where he knew Miss Hartley was waiting. He heard voices and knew that she was there probably talking to one of the other of her gifted children.
Steven used the time to draw in some deep breaths, check that his shirt was still tucked in, and then he realized that there was blood on his right hand. He was reaching into his pocket for a hanky when he realized that the blood might be his and not from Gillys face. He looked closely at his fist and saw a small incision on his middle knuckle, the blood just slowly welling into it. He held the hanky tight on top of it but every time he pulled it away the blood would ooze slowly again. He wrapped the hanky around it tightly and then placed the bulk of it into a ball in the palm of his hand and curled his fingers around it. He hoped it would look normal or at least innocuous.
He stood in the doorway and surveyed the room, chairs in a semicircular pattern with music stands in front of and between each two chairs. Posters of musical instruments and composers adorned the walls. Miss Hartley was across the room kneeling in front of a young female first former explaining something about the recorder to her. He looked past her out of the far windows and heard the noises of the street as kids left for home, in buses, on bikes, in cars with their mums or in groups on foot on their way to the local servo take away. He saw the top of the milk bar across the road, which was out of bounds to school kids until three p.m. on school days, and knew that there would be fifty kids in there by now, buying lollies and milkshakes and whatever else they could afford with what they didnt spend at tuck shop.
Miss Hartley rose and the girl smiled at her, tucked her recorder and a sheet of music under her arm and jumped up and started walking toward the door. Steven didnt see her until she was immediately in front of him. He smiled at her, made a mental note that she would be cute one day, and stepped in and to one side to let her pass. She stopped when she reached him and turned back to her teacher.