Making the Cut

by David Skuy

  “What the …?”

  Zane and Richard threw him to the ground, took him by the ankles and began to drag him across the ground. Sticks and pine cones cut into his back. Two more defenders took hold of his arms and, laughing hysterically, they began to run with him. Charlie twisted and turned in vain to try to break free, even grabbing onto a bush, only to end up with a handful of painful thistles.

  “Let me go, you idiots!” he screamed.

  “Shut up, Apple Juice,” Zane mocked.

  Charlie suddenly realized they were headed away from the jail. “Where are we going?” he asked, getting a bit nervous.

  “How would you like to take a trip to the ravine?” Zane asked. He lowered his voice to sound menacing. “All together now, boys.”

  They began to swing him.

  “Get lost. Let go. This is dumb,” Charlie said, struggling to keep calm. There were rocks, bushes and scraggly trees leading to the ravine — and it looked a bit like a cliff. His heart was pounding. A feeling of panic spread up his back and a sick feeling filled his stomach.

  “On the count of three!” Zane declared.

  “One … two … two and a half … two and three-quarters …”

  Charlie closed his eyes in relief. They weren’t getting to three. Obviously they were only trying to scare him.

  “Okay. Let’s take A.J. to jail,” Richard said.

  “We totally got you, Apple Juice,” another kid said, laughing.

  The guys holding his arms let him go. His head banged the ground.

  “You guys are chicken,” Zane said. “I say no prisoners!”

  He grabbed Charlie’s right leg and pulled him violently towards the edge. Charlie grabbed frantically at a small rock lodged into the ground, just as Zane’s foot thudded into his ribs. Charlie felt his grip slip away.

  And then he was falling.

  For the first five metres he slid sideways, but then his hip caught the root of a tree and he started somersaulting, bounding off tree trunks and skidding over rocks. Faster and faster he tumbled until he was dizzy and totally disoriented. A sharp pain shot down his arm when a branch jabbed into his shoulder. His hip crashed into a fallen tree, sending him right over and onto his back. Terrified, he closed his eyes and raised his arms to protect his head, as his back scraped along the corner of a rock.

  And just when he thought it would never end, he thudded headlong into a large bush. It really hurt, and for a few moments he had to fight for his breath. But he wanted to give that bush a huge hug. Right behind it stood a massive boulder. He would have smashed right into it.

  He could have been killed!

  Charlie groaned and gingerly rolled himself out of the bush. At first he couldn’t even get up and he just lay there on the ground. His entire body ached and he worried there might have been some serious damage. His hip was especially painful and his hands were bloody from grabbing the thistles, but, as he got to his feet slowly, he discovered to his utter amazement that, apart from some substantial bruises and scrapes, he was okay and hadn’t actually broken anything. He could even walk without much trouble.

  Although he had the scars to prove it, he couldn’t quite believe what had happened. Zane had actually thrown him down a cliff. He really was psychotic. Charlie wanted to charge back up and pound him out. The only problem was he didn’t have wings. It was way too steep. Hoping to find an easier section to climb, he followed a path that wound itself along the bank of the ravine. For what was probably about five minutes but felt like ages, he had no luck — until, suddenly, he spied a narrow channel leading up the side of the hill, which he figured was made from the spring runoff of water from the field. It was still a very sharp incline, but, he thought, the sides of the channel should give him a foothold, and there were also a few shrubs on both sides to grab on to.

  “Come on, Apple Juice,” he said to himself. “Time to climb.”

  The first stretch was fairly easy. Then it got steep and soon he was forced to climb on his hands and knees, the rocks and tree roots adding to the bruises on his body. His hip was really throbbing now. He pushed the pain from his mind. What other choice did he have if he wanted to get back in the game? Using the shrubs as handgrips, Charlie managed to struggle his way over what he thought were the worst parts. Then he arrived to about five metres from the top. Charlie’s heart sank. Dead end.

  No way was he going to be able to do that. He’d thought the climb to here was steep, but this was totally vertical. He scanned the surroundings for other options. About one-and-a-half metres to his right he noticed a thick tree root that jutted away from the side of the hill, forming a semicircle. If he could grab onto that root, maybe he could scramble up the side of the tree to the top. The only problem was, he’d have to jump for it — and if he missed, he’d almost certainly tumble right back down. He rubbed his hip and ribs. Not a pleasant possibility.

  Climbing back down wasn’t an appealing option either, though, and if he tried another route, he’d probably end up in the same predicament somewhere else. Charlie took a minute to steady his nerves, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. Then, he opened his eyes wide and launched himself full out at the tree root. He caught hold and curled his fingers around it, but they didn’t make it all the way, and he felt his hands start to slip. He bore his toes into the side of the hill, desperate for leverage.

  He was going to fall!

  Just as he began to slip, his right shoe hit something. Was it a rock? Charlie pressed into it firmly with his foot. It held! By pushing off from the rock, he was able to reach back up, wrap an arm around the tree root and pull himself up. The root scraped his stomach and ribs as he did, but he couldn’t have cared less, he was so focused on reaching the top. Feeling around blindly overhead, he managed to get hold of a sturdy branch. “It’s up and over time, Joyce,” he whispered.

  On the count of three, using the branch like a rope, he was able to hoist himself over the crest. Charlie immediately dropped to the level ground and lay on his back, battered, drenched in sweat and covered in mud and dirt, and replayed the entire incident in his mind.

  The sound of muffled voices interrupted this restful moment.

  “This is totally boring. We’ve been standing here the whole time. I want some action.”

  “Zane told us to guard the flag.”

  “Big deal. He ain’t my boss.”

  “I wouldn’t wanna mess with that dude.”

  “I hear ya. Guy’s an animal.”

  “Dirtiest player I’ve ever played against. He butt-ended me yesterday in a stupid breakout drill, for no reason — just because.”

  “I can’t believe what he did to that guy. What’s his name?”

  “Joyce. Charlie Joyce.”

  “He must be in some serious pain.”

  “I bet he broke some bones for sure — I mean, it’s like a sheer cliff, no joke.”

  “He’s that guy who messed with the rope on the obstacle course, right?

  “Yeah; and I heard he lost his equipment and Jen went nuts on him.”

  “Zane’s gonna get it, though; and maybe us too.” It was Richard, and he sounded worried. “I don’t really know the guy, but … well … that was crazed. He could’ve killed him.”

  “We didn’t do it. Zane did. He’ll probably get kicked outta camp.”

  “Like I care.”

  “I still don’t see why we all gotta guard the flag the whole time. At least we should take shifts.”

  “I hear ya. I’m done guarding. I wanna take a run at Blue’s flag, or at least tackle someone.”

  “Me too. Let Zane guard the flag.”

  “We can’t all go,” Richard said.

  “As if anyone’s gonna find it behind that tree. It’s the best hiding spot of all time.”

  Three of the guys wandered away, with only Richard and one other hanging back.

  Then all of a sudden it hit him. The flag! Behind a tree! Charlie looked up, and had to clamp his hand to his mouth to stop from lau
ghing out loud. There it was, tied to the back of the bush — within arm’s reach! They must have put it there thinking no one could possibly see it. He reached up and grabbed the flag.

  This was the perfect time to act. Three of the guards had left, and the other two were a good ten meters away. Climbing down was obviously out. No option left but to outrun them. That wasn’t the most appealing option either. He felt like his entire body was a bruise. His hip was killing, the thistles in his hands were really burning, and he had cuts and scrapes all over his arms and legs. But after what Zane had done, Charlie was ready to run through glass if it meant winning this stupid game.

  He crawled as quietly as he could to the edge of the bush. Richard and the other kid still weren’t paying too much attention to the flag. He got up, knotted the flag into a tight ball in case he needed to pass it, took a firm hold, and burst out from behind the cover.

  “What the …? The flag! He’s got it.”

  “Red alert! Red alert! He’s got the flag!”

  “Get him!”

  Charlie didn’t look back. His only chance was to keep on going. He broke out of the forest and onto the field, sprinting up the sidelines, Richard and the other defender pounding after him. For a second he thought he was home free, until attackers from the Red team appeared in front of him and started to charge, Nick among them. To make matters worse, Jake and Markus were also stampeding after him from the opposite side.

  Charlie was surrounded. He searched frantically for an escape.

  “Charlie, I’m with ya!”

  Slogger was tearing up field to his right. Charlie cut towards him.

  “Take him down, boys.”

  Charlie waved Slogger off. “Go wide!” he yelled.

  Slogger nodded.

  Charlie ran right at Nick and his Red teammates. At the last second, he slowed and whipped the flag across his body to Slogger, and then threw his body forward, crashing into the would-be tacklers. Nick and two others were knocked clear off their feet, and the others had to jump to the side to get out of the way. As if he needed it, two guys ended up falling on him.

  Had it worked? He would die if all this agony had been for nothing.

  Thud.

  Someone ran right into his ribs, and he gasped for breath.

  “That’s for being a loser, Apple Juice.”

  Charlie scrambled out from under the pile. Zane laughed at him.

  Charlie took two steps forward and drove his forearm into Zane’s chin, sending the bulky defenceman crashing to the ground. Before he could turn back around, however, someone else bodychecked him and he fell heavily on his hip, pain shooting up his entire side.

  “How did that feel?” he heard.

  Charlie looked up. Of course Jake would hit him from behind.

  The next second, however, Jake joined him on the ground.

  “Why don’t you tell me how that felt?” Nick said. He reached down and pulled Charlie to his feet.

  Jake and Zane stood up together. Zane’s face was beet red. He was in a total rage. “You’re done, Apple Juice. You’re totally dead.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  Slogger came up beside Nick and Charlie.

  “Just try. We’ll hammer all three of you,” Zane snorted.

  Simon shoved Jake aside and took his place next to Charlie. Gabriel joined next, and then Scott came tearing over.

  “Bring it,” Slogger said quietly.

  Tweet. Tweet. Tweet.

  “Gentlemen! Have you lost your minds? Fighting over capture the flag?” Jen was glaring at them with her hands on her hips.

  Charlie kept his gaze firmly fixed on Zane.

  “Get back to your respective teams, right now.” She pointed at Charlie. “A word in private please, Mr. Joyce.” Charlie stayed put, while the others rejoined their teams. “I’m really, really, really disappointed in you,” Jen said quietly. “I think you’re a good kid, and I’ve tried to be patient, but you have to admit you seem to be involved in …” She paused and brushed her hair from her eyes. “I mean, whenever I turn around you’re in a … situation. I saw you attack Zane, and while I think Jake was out of line, and I’m going to talk to him about that right now, I don’t understand your behaviour. Do you have anything to say?” As usual, she had no idea what had happened, or simply didn’t care. Anyway, he didn’t feel much like explaining.

  “I’m tired of this bogus camp,” he said fiercely. “I know you’re not interested in the truth. All you’re interested in is giving me a hard time.”

  Jen looked shocked. She gave her head a shake. “We’ll discuss this later,” she said finally. “Line up with your team.”

  As soon as Jen set off towards the Red team — presumably to speak to Jake — Nick and Scott came tearing over.

  Charlie reached his fist out to Nick. “Thanks for bodychecking Jake out of the way.”

  Nick shrugged. “I should be thanking you for giving me the chance.”

  “You got to bodycheck Jake, and I missed it?” Scott slapped his forehead with his hand. “Tell me everything. Don’t leave anything out, especially the part where Jake splats to the ground and starts crying like a baby.”

  “What did Jen say?” Nick asked.

  Charlie shrugged. “She was on me about knocking Zane down.”

  “How could anyone be against that?” Scott said, throwing his hands in the air.

  Nick suddenly grew serious. “Hey, Charlie. What happened to you? You’re covered in dirt, and there’s blood on your shirt, and —”

  “Gentlemen, please go to your banners,” Trevor ordered.

  Nick and Scott gave Charlie a concerned look as he left for the Blue end.

  Slogger met him halfway.

  “Did you get across?” Charlie asked him. “What happened?”

  Slogger opened his mouth to respond, then stopped and took a closer look at him. “Um … are you okay? You look all messed up. There’s dirt all over your face, and your clothes are all torn. Hey, is that blood?”

  Charlie could only imagine what he looked like. “I’ll tell you about it later,” he said. Zane, Richard and the others would expect him to tattle.

  As he joined his Blue teammates, he saw Simon hold the Red flag over his head.

  “Outstanding!” Charlie shouted, and he went over and gave Simon a high-five.

  “It was a classic tic-tac-toe — a three-way passing play,” Slogger explained. “You tossed it to me, I lateralled to Gabriel, and he flipped it Simon for the win.”

  “Wish I could’ve seen it,” Charlie said ruefully, rubbing his sore hip.

  “Where did you find the flag?” Slogger asked him. “We were looking all over the place.”

  “I heard you got captured,” Gabriel said. “Who freed you?”

  “I spotted the flag in a bush near the ridge,” he explained. “Got in behind and high-stepped it up the field. Never would’ve made it without Slogger coming to my rescue.”

  The rest of the Blue team crowded around them.

  Pete stepped to the front. “Awesome display. I only saw the last part when Joyce took out five guys.”

  “I don’t think there were five,” Charlie said modestly.

  Pete turned to him. “You certainly paid the price. Can’t believe you stayed in the game. How’d you ever get back to the field?”

  “I saw the flag in a bush,” Charlie said, hoping Pete wasn’t talking about Zane.

  Only that’s exactly what he was talking about. “No, I mean after you got tossed. It’s good to see you in one piece. That must have been painful.”

  “Slogger got the toss,” Gabriel broke in. “Charlie threw the flag to Slogger, and then I got it and then —”

  “Not the toss of the flag,” Pete said. “I mean after Zane and his boys tossed Charlie down the escarpment. Some guys on the Red team told me. Wait till the coaches hear. They’ll kick them outta camp for sure.”

  A murmur rose among the players and all eyes turned to Charlie. He swallowed hard.
It was tempting to let things run their course and see Zane get what he deserved. But …

  “I’m gonna forget about it. I’ll get mine back on the ice.”

  They were silent. A slow grin crossed Pete’s face.

  “So you got the flag by …?”

  “Climbing back up right behind the bush where they’d hidden the flag,” Charlie finished.

  There was a long pause in which no one said a word. Then, all at once, everyone started cheering Charlie and high-fiving and hugging each other. Slogger gave Charlie’s back a pounding, which made him wince.

  “Hold it down over there. Can everyone come to centre field, please?” Trevor held the cup over his head. When they got there he said, “We’ll start another game soon. But first, how about we present the hardware to the Blue team.”

  He felt a bunch of hands push him from behind, and Charlie went forward to take the cup. He thought he saw Jen’s face harden when he took it. This time he didn’t care what she thought. He’d earned it. Charlie took the cup from Trevor’s hands and held it aloft.

  Jen’s expression suddenly changed. “Charlie, what happened to your clothes?” she asked in a concerned tone. “And you’re bleeding on your —”

  “As if you care,” he snapped.

  Charlie continued to hold the cup over his head as he ran back to his teammates. He heard someone from the other team call out, “Got your sippy cup, Apple Juice?”

  But there was no way he was going to let them ruin this for him.

  He clamped an arm around Slogger’s neck and called out, “Victory lap, boys. Let’s go!” and despite the throbbing in his hip, his burning hands, and the other scrapes and bruises on his body, he led the Blue team around the field.

  15

  APOLOGY ACCEPTED

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  “It’s open.”

  Nick and Scott came into his room. Charlie lay in bed.

  “Don’t you trust me to get up?” Charlie said, peeking out from under the sheets.

  “Trust Charlie Joyce to be on time for anything?” Scott said incredulously.

  Charlie threw the covers off. He was fully dressed. “Got ya.” He slid tentatively out of bed, still sore from his fall down the escarpment and Zane’s kick in the ribs, his hands still stinging from where the thistles had dug in. He could use a day off and, to be honest, he wouldn’t be that upset if he was suspended for yelling at Jen.