by Felice Arena
‘You can't do a runner, if that's what you're thinking,’ snapped Specky. ‘You can't do that to Alice.’
The Great McCarthy didn't answer. He just looked around frantically and darted off.
‘Attention please, everyone,’ announced Mrs Twiddle.
The debutantes and their partners shuffled in around her.
‘Just a reminder—as we rehearsed it last Sunday. Girls will wait in the wings stage right, boys, stage left. The debutantes will be introduced in alphabetical order. Then their partners will be called out.’
Specky caught Tiger Girl smiling at him in anticipation. He also saw the Great McCarthy come out of the toilets, stop, then do a complete turn around and go back in.
Mrs Twiddle continued.
‘Together you will meet in the centre of the stage, hold for a couple of seconds, then proceed, hand in hand, down the steps onto the dance floor. From there, you will walk down the middle of the floor toward the dignitaries’ table at the far end of the hall. Remember not to rush. Take your time and smile. Once you reach the dignitaries, ladies will curtsy and gents bow. Then make your way to the starting position I gave you.’
Specky leant in to Tiger Girl.
‘This is more intense than the pre-game rev-up speech we'd get from the coach before a Grand Final,’ he whispered.
‘And,’ Mrs Twiddle said, taking a big breath. ‘Once the last couple has come down, prepare for the Pride of Erin. Wait for the musicians and my cue to begin. Finally, have a great time. Nigel and I have loved getting to know you all and think you are beautiful young adults. We really do. Oh, I better stop now or I'm going to get emotional. Have fun, everyone!’
Everyone applauded and rushed to get into place. This was the moment. The curtains pulled back to reveal Mrs Twiddle moving downstage to the far-left corner. The parents and friends seated at their tables clapped and cheered loudly. Mrs Twiddle welcomed everyone and said a few words into the microphone.
‘Have you seen Dieter?’
It was Alice, tugging at Specky's arm. She looked distraught.
‘Where is he?’ she asked nervously. ‘I've been waiting for him to come out of the toilets. So I can wish him luck. But he hasn't come out. Then one of the boys told me he wasn't in there, so where the—’
‘Look, it's okay,’ said Specky.
‘It's not okay, where is he?’ Alice panicked. ‘Mrs Twiddle's just started to announce the couples.’
Specky could only think the worst: Dieter's fears had finally got the better of him and he had bolted.
‘I'll go and find him. He'll be around somewhere. Don't worry,’ he said to his sister, as if there was nothing to be concerned about. ‘Just go and wait on your side of the stage. You won't be called for a while yet.’
Specky dashed to the very back of the hall, behind where the drama props and sets were stored, and out through a service door. He could hear Mrs Twiddle introducing the first couple.
‘Miss Suzette Amsterdam, to be partnered by Mr Mark Adams.’
Loud applause echoed as Specky made his way outside.
‘Dieter!’ he called out. ‘Dieter, where are you?’
The Great McCarthy was nowhere to be seen. Specky headed back inside.
‘Our next couple,’ continued Mrs Twiddle.
Specky made his way into the toilets.
‘Dieter? You in here?’
All the stall doors were open, except for one.
‘Dieter, are you there?’ Specky banged on the closed toilet door.
‘Yeah,’ came a grunt from the other side of the door.
‘What are you doing? My sister's freaking out. Come on! We're on soon.’
‘Speck. I know this is hard for you to understand. But I think I'm having a panic attack or something. I can't go out and embarrass myself or Alice.’
‘But if you don't do it you'll embarrass Alice anyway. She'll be gutted—in front of everyone. You don't want that to happen, do you?’
Specky waited for a reply. He heard a lot of shuffling noises.
‘Dieter? What are you doing?’ he asked.
‘There's only one way I can go through with this. And that's if I don't do it as me,’ said the Great McCarthy.
‘What? What are you talking about?’
Specky was totally confused.
Suddenly the stall door opened. Specky stumbled backward, startled by what he saw. The Great McCarthy was dressed in a tiger costume.
17. no way!
‘What the…?’ gulped Specky.
‘This is the only way I can go out there,’ mumbled Dieter through the mouthpiece of the tiger costume.
‘You gotta be kidding!’ said Specky in utter disbelief. ‘Where did you get it and how?’
‘It's the old Tigers mascot costume I used to wear for Richmond. I threw it in the boot before picking up Alice.’
‘I can see what it is,’ remarked Specky, shaking his head. ‘But you're not seriously gonna go out there wearing that? Are you?’
‘I have no other choice. This is the only way I can overcome my fears.’
Specky had a flash of Alice, Mrs Twiddle and everyone else reacting to the Richmond Tiger strolling out onto the stage.
‘This is not on, mate,’ said Specky. He knew he would have to take drastic steps. ‘There's no way you can do this. You're gonna stuff up the whole deb for all the girls. It'll be a huge joke!’
‘Yeah—like the joke's on you now you mean?’ snorted Dieter, taking the tiger head off.
‘What?’ said Specky.
‘The joke's on you, legend,’ repeated Dieter, pulling out a digital camera and snapping a photo of Specky's horrified face.
Dieter was grinning from ear to ear. ‘Alice, are you there?’
Alice popped her head into the boys’ toilets.
‘Yeah, I'm here.’ She laughed loudly. ‘I had the door open a little so I heard everything. We gotcha, squirt!’
Specky was stunned. He had been totally stooged.
‘But, but you were freaking out about dancing long before you even knew I was going to the deb with Tiger Girl,’ stuttered Specky, trying to make some sense of it.
‘Yeah, I know. I was worried in the beginning, but then, after a few rehearsals, I just faked it whenever I saw you. Alice keeps going on to me about how ya always stir her and how you said she'd have to get up early to catch you out. Well, we caught you out big-time, dude! You should see your face right now.’ He turned the camera around. ‘Check this out—here it is! Classic!’
Dieter and Alice roared with laughter.
‘So, you've been planning it all this time?’ asked Specky.
‘Yep,’ said Alice in between fits of laughter.
Dieter took off the Tiger costume. He was wearing his suit underneath.
‘You guys are demented, you know that?’ huffed Specky, as Dieter joined Alice.
‘Yeah, we know,’ said the Great McCarthy, halfway out of the toilets. ‘But you'll get over it. Some bloke once gave me a good piece of advice—“Just go with the flow”. See ya out there!’
It wasn't until well into the evening, after every debutante and their partner had been presented and they had performed the dances on the program, that Specky could crack a smile and even laugh a little at his sister and Dieter's joke.
‘No hard feelings, legend? You know you can borrow my tiger costume anytime you want,’ the Great McCarthy said to Specky, as he and Alice waltzed by for the hundredth time.
‘They're not gonna let you forget it, are they?’ said Tiger Girl, arm in arm with Specky, swirling around on the dance floor.
‘Nah, but that's cool. I'll get 'em back one day.’
‘Well, I've got something that will cheer you up—a surprise later on, at my party,’ smiled Tiger Girl.
‘What is it?’ asked Specky.
‘You'll see!’
When the ball ended, the debutantes went off to various after-parties. Many of the Year 11 girls and their partners had their own function pla
nned in the city, while the Year 10s broke off into two groups and one group headed over to Tiger Girl's house.
‘What are you guys doing here?’ asked Specky, surprised to see Dieter and Alice. ‘I thought you were off to the party in the city.’
‘We are. But I promised TG we'd hang here for a while,’ said Alice, reaching for some crackers and dip.
About twelve of the students showed up at Tiger Girl's home, all changed out of their formal wear and back in casual clothes. Most of them hung out listening to music in the lounge room at the front of the house, while the parents, including Mr and Mrs Magee, gathered separately in the kitchen and in a room leading out into the backyard.
‘Don't forget. There's a surprise soon,’ winked Tiger Girl. ‘Hey, Alice, I wanna show you those cool pillows I got for my bedroom.’
‘What surprise?’ asked the Great McCarthy, as the girls left the room.
‘Dunno,’ shrugged Specky.
‘Wake up, legend,’ Dieter smirked.
‘What?’
‘She's into you, man! Are you blind?’
‘Nah, she's not. It's Tiger Girl. We're just good mates.’
‘Yeah, right, that's a good one. Take it from someone who knows, Speck, she's into you big-time!’ For a moment Specky thought that Dieter was playing another joke on him and any second now Alice and Tiger Girl would appear laughing their heads off. But he wasn't. He was deadly serious.
‘Really?’ Specky asked, still doubtful.
‘Yeah, really. I bet the surprise is she's gonna lay the big pash on ya.’
‘The big what?’
‘C'mon, legend. I know you're only in Year Nine, but you're not that gullible. She wants to lock lips with you, dude. The big smoocha-roony—now that you're a single man and Christina's not around.
‘Look,’ he continued. ‘You don't wanna be caught out and seem clueless. In fact, if you don't wanna look like an idiot who has no idea, you gotta make the first move.’
‘What?’ choked Specky.
‘Yeah, you've gotta kiss her first. That's what she probably expects. They're probably out there talking about it now. You can't be a wimp.’
‘But we're just mates. I don't think of her that way.’
‘But look at her! She's a babe!’
Specky thought about Tiger Girl. She was beautiful, and she was one of his best mates.
‘You can work out all the other details later,’ Dieter pressed on. ‘But you don't wanna be caught out and look like a loser or offend her.’
‘Um, I'm not so sure about this…’
‘Speck. I'm only telling you this 'cause you're my girlfriend's brother and I like ya. I don't need to be here at some lame party hanging around with a bunch of Year Tens. So, you can take my advice or leave it.’
Specky didn't get a chance to answer Dieter. The girls had returned.
‘Speck,’ said Tiger Girl, pulling him away. ‘Can I talk to you?’
‘The surprise?’ asked Specky.
Tiger Girl nodded. Specky looked back over his shoulder to see the Great McCarthy nod and wink at him. Specky's heart was racing a hundred miles an hour—as if he had made a sudden lead to sprint away from a full-back. His palms were sweaty all of a sudden, and his mouth was so dry he didn't think he was going to be able to talk.
Tiger Girl dragged Specky into the hallway.
‘Um, look,’ she began to say nervously. ‘I've been thinking whether or not I should do this and, um…’
Specky caught himself looking at Tiger Girl.
Wow, she really does have a cute nose. And her eyes are really green…Why haven't I noticed any of this before? Maybe Dieter's right. Christina won't even talk to me.
‘Um, I know it's gonna take you by surprise,’ Tiger Girl continued. ‘But…’
Specky glanced back at the Great McCarthy. He was deliberately looking in their direction, which made Specky feel extra uncomfortable. He looked toward the kitchen. Thankfully there were no parents in sight.
This is it, he thought. Oh, man, how am I going to do this? How do you make the first move? I should've been paying more attention to that James Bond movie I watched last week. I think my breath stinks. I should have brought chewy with me.
Suddenly Specky leant forward and tried to kiss Tiger Girl.
‘What the…?’ she squealed, pushing him back.
Specky was completely shocked. Not by Tiger Girl's reaction, but because of the person standing at the open front door.
‘Christina!’ gulped Specky, as she turned and ran back out to her dad in the car. ‘What is she doing here?’
‘That's the surprise, you goose! I invited her to come and stay the night,’ exclaimed Tiger Girl, rushing out the door after her.
Specky couldn't believe it—talk about feeling like a complete loser. He turned and saw the Great McCarthy wincing and looking apologetic.
Tiger Girl returned a few minutes later—without Christina.
‘Well, she's gone. She didn't want to hang around,’ she puffed. ‘She thought we were an item. And I tried to convince her we weren't, which was really humiliating to say in front of her dad. Why did you have to go and kiss me? What were you thinking?’
‘Um, I thought, that, um,’ stuttered Specky. ‘I thought the surprise was that you were gonna kiss me.’
‘What? Where d'ya get that crazy idea from?’
Specky glared back at the Great McCarthy.
Tiger Girl followed his gaze and then looked back at Specky.
‘Right. I get it,’ she said, annoyed. ‘It's McCarthy's fault…Speck, we're mates,’ she continued in a softer voice. ‘You're like a brother to me. And even if I did like you that way, I wouldn't chase ya, 'cause I know how much Christina means to you.’
Specky shook his head, upset that he had allowed himself to be pressured by Dieter.
‘Besides,’ said Tiger Girl, ‘I thought you were gonna do something to show Christina how much you care?’
‘I was. I am. I had it under control! So why did you have to go and invite her without telling me?’ replied Specky, turning it back on Tiger Girl.
‘'Cause I thought you could talk, just in case whatever you were planning didn't work out. She knew you'd be here and she still came, didn't she?’
This was getting too complicated for Specky. Trying to understand girls was tough work.
After the party, Specky went home knowing one thing. It was going to be doubly hard for him to impress Christina and get her to like him again. With that in mind, he knew what he had to do the next morning.
18. emotional rival
‘Excuse me. Mr Li?’
‘Yes?’ replied Screamer's piano tutor, smiling warmly. ‘How can I help you?’
Specky knew there was no way Screamer would agree to sit the audition if it clashed with the footy game—he had to find out more details.
‘The audition?’ said Mr Li. ‘It will be held on the eighth, next Sunday, at the Victorian College of the Arts on St Kilda Road. Derek's pencilled in for ten-thirty in the morning.’
It's two hours before the State selection match, thought Specky.
‘I very much hope Derek will make it through,’ added Mr Li. ‘He is lucky to have a friend like you who supports him. Are you a musical friend or one of his football friends?’
Specky coughed nervously, feeling a little guilty to be calling himself one of Screamer's friends.
‘I play footy with him,’ he replied.
‘One should never ignore their true passion,’ Mr Li went on. ‘Passion feeds the soul. Derek's soul is fed every time he plays the piano. He is very lucky to have so much potential. And I hope he comes to realise that before it's too late. But very talented people sometimes have to make very difficult choices.’
For a moment, Specky pondered what Mr Li was saying—maybe Screamer would have to choose between piano and football, but he didn't have to choose yet.
‘Well, thanks for your time,’ he said, standing up.
‘You're
not staying? Derek should be here soon for his lesson. I'm sure he'd be happy to have you sit in.’
Yeah, right, if only you knew, thought Specky.
‘No, thanks, Mr Li. I gotta get going.’
And with that Specky made his way out of the building, only to run straight into Screamer outside.
‘What the hell are you doing here?’ he growled.
Specky froze, but he realised this was probably his only opportunity to talk to Screamer. He took a deep breath and launched straight into it.
‘I think you should do that audition,’ he said quickly. ‘Mr Li thinks you have a real good chance. I know it's on the same day as the State trial game, but you can do the audition and still make it to the match in time.’
‘What's it to you if I do or I don't, Magee?’ Screamer replied, stone-faced.
‘I just think you should, that's all.’
‘Bull!’ snapped Screamer, taking a few steps toward Specky. ‘You don't care what I do. What's the real reason?’
‘What?’ asked Specky, as if he had no idea what Screamer was talking about.
‘Enough of the good-guy act, Magee! Tell me what the hell you're up to.’
With Christina on his mind, Specky was surprised at the answer that suddenly popped into his head.
‘Look, um, the truth is that I came here this morning to convince you to do this audition for Christina—she's the one that cares if you play piano or not. But then I realised that it's not just that. That's not what's important.’ Specky was stuttering now, trying to find the right words. ‘What's important is that everyone, including you, deserves a fair go. Everyone deserves to go after their dreams and not just do things to make other people happy.’
Screamer shook his head, biting his bottom lip. ‘You're pathetic, Magee!’ he snarled, brushing past Specky. ‘Just keep your big nose out of my life.’
Screamer walked up the steps into the building, his back toward Specky.
‘I know about your brother, Craig,’ Specky blurted out.
Screamer stopped at the top step and slowly turned to face him.
‘I'm sorry you lost him,’ Specky said hastily. ‘I know that he was a gun footballer—a legend in the making.’
