Читать книгу Mine - S.A Partridge - Страница 9

I really need to talk to Brendan about Jules.

If I was in his position, I would beat the crap out of any guy that even looked at her the wrong way, friend or not. But I can’t exactly tell him that she’s chasing me. It’s freaking me out.

I open and close my hand, trying to get some life back into my fingers. I punched the wall this morning. It happened after Reynolds gave me detention for not finishing his dumb Science project. When I’m angry, I can’t help myself. I don’t know why I’m even doing Science anyway – it’s not like I’m going to be an engineer. For me, it’s music or nothing.

If that doesn’t work out, then I don’t know. I don’t care. I just need to get Jules off my back. Kissing her would be like kissing a kid I babysit or something.

Kelwyn, who I sometimes roll with at break, frowns at me. “What’s up with you?”

“Nothing,” I reply too quickly. Even my voice sounds angry.

I’m sitting with my phone in my lap, staring at my last WhatsApp conversation with Brendan.

“If you say so. Ah man, what is that asshole up to now?”

I look up to see Marshall pushing around one of the grade eights.

“Remember when that guy was cool?” he asks, picking at a scab on his knuckle.

“Yeah, he wanted to be in Dark Father, and he lost it when we turned him away. What happened to the guy?”

“Tik. Life. The usual.”

Neither of us get up to help the kid being terrorised. You have to pick your battles, and Marshall is one fight neither of us want to have. The guy apparently pulled out his own front teeth.

We watch as the poor kid finally snaps and shouts something, which is what Marshall wanted all along. In one swift move he knocks the kid out like he’s channeling Ivan Drago in Rocky IV.

Kelwyn turns his attention back to his scab. “We need another player for five-a-side tonight. You in?”

“Can’t. Practice.”

“It must be cool getting to play at all those clubs and festivals.”

I shrug. “It’s hard work.”

He grins. “Bet you have girls all over you.”

I smile. “Sometimes. But they only like me because I’m in Dark Father. They don’t stick around for long.”

We both look up as Marshall stalks past us. He flicks his tongue between the gap in his teeth.

“Looks like Marshall has a new neck tattoo,” I say to change the subject. “Probably did that himself too.”

“That’s class. Listen, Fin. Do you have any spliff on you? I’ve got money.”

“Yeah, sure.”

He slips me the note and I quickly pocket it. Poor dude doesn’t know I’ve been ripping him off for a year. I buy a cheap bag of mostly stalks and seeds, and pocket the rest of the cash. Sometimes I even take a quarter of the bankie for myself. But hey, that’s business. I don’t feel bad. Kelwyn’s always getting new kicks and Xbox games. My old man never bought me anything. I buy my own gear – whatever I need, I take care of myself.

I push the note deeper into my trouser pocket. I could make easy money selling weed to more people at school. But I don’t want to be that guy.

“Do you want to go smoke at the back of the field?” I ask.

Kelwyn’s eyes light up like cheap Christmas decorations.

“Ja.” He bounces to his feet like a little kid.

We walk towards the wet field, where a couple of guys are playing soccer and kicking up mud under a miserable sky. I’ve already started rolling as we walk. No one will stop us. If we’re caught by the teachers I’m sure they’ll just be glad we’re not smoking tik.

Not Reynolds though. But he’s going to get his teeth kicked in one of these days.

I light up the joint and take a long pull before passing it to Kelwyn. I exhale a thick grey ring into the air, just as he starts coughing his lungs out.

I take the joint back with a smile. “Lightweight.”

I wish I could be stoned all the time. Life would be so damn simple. I take another long drag, letting the smoke drift up to my nostrils and swallowing it down again before I blow out a thick stream. Like I’m Thor, stirring up thunderclouds.

I’m about to take another drag when Kelwyn smacks the joint out of my hand and starts burying it under the ground with his shoe. “Reynolds is coming. Please tell me you have deodorant.”

I turn slowly to where he’s looking and frown. “Don’t worry about Reynolds, man. He can’t do anything to us.”

“Fok.” Kelwyn starts patting his pockets and pulls out a stick of gum. He fumbles with the packet then pops the thin strip into his mouth.

“Thanks for sharing,” I say drily.

But he’s too busy frantically scraping the chewing-gum packet over his blazer to hear me. Like that’s going to cover the smell.

“Come on, let’s walk. Act normal,” I say.

Kelwyn falls into place beside me but he keeps looking nervously behind him. I’m too stoned to care about Reynolds. “Just leave it, man. Chill out.”

“Chill out? How am I supposed to chill out? He could expel us.”

I can’t help but grin. “Expel us for what?”

I don’t know how, but Reynolds changes direction without us seeing and next thing he’s blocking our path. “What have you been doing?” he asks, his face red.

“We’re just walking,” I say.

“And why are your eyes so red?”

“Pollen. I have allergies.”

He leans in close, so that he’s right in front of my nose. “There are no flowers on this field, Einstein. Where do you think you are? Bishops?”

I just laugh and spread my arms. Kelwyn looks like he’s about to burst into tears. But Reynolds has nothing on us. He gives me a warning look before heading off in the direction of Marshall – number two on his most-hated list.

“Jissus, fok, that guy does not like you,” says Kelwyn.

I shrug. “He can join the back of the line.”