by Jerry Cole
Laughter greeted this declaration and a moment later the bus came to a grinding halt. A moment after that, dozens of school kids jumped up from their seats like they were on fire and rushed to the front of the bus. Mr. Scrivner tried to slow them down the best he could, but they washed over him like a Tsunami over a small village.
Bryce didn’t move. Not right away, anyhow. As his friends and their girlfriends rose from their seat, held hands and kissed on the cheek, he remained seated. He had nowhere he needed to be, and no one he needed to see, and if his friends did see him, they’d inevitably try and push him onto Liana for the day.
One year ago, when this excursion was first announced, Bryce and his friends were all beyond excited. Not only was it a few days away from home and class, but it was Sydney! They knew they’d have at least a day without teacher supervision, and they’d spent hours and hours planning what they would do. It was going to be the best trip ever. But that was a year ago.
A lot had changed since then.... for his friends, at least. Bryce was exactly the same as he’d always been, but that seemed to be the problem. He wished he was into girls. He really did! But as he looked out the window and spotted Alan sneaking a kiss with Michelle, and Michelle blushing furiously and then kissing him back, Bryce knew that just wasn’t him. Not yet anyhow.
A resigned sigh and Bryce pushed himself to his feet and made his way slowly down the bus. He had something like six hours to kill, and no one to kill it with. It was going to be a long day, and probably a longer weekend. He just hoped he started liking girls soon. Fuck, he really hoped he did.
Chapter Two
Roman Nowak lay staring at the ceiling of his bedroom, trying to find within himself the urge to get out of bed and get ready for school. Unfortunately, and predictably, the urge just wasn’t there. And it wasn’t that his bed was particularly comfortable, or that he had somewhere else he needed to be, or that he was sick, or tired or any number of things that might have kept him from getting his ass up and going to school. It was simply because he didn’t see the point in going.
As a child, Roman had been told time and time again that school was the most important part of his life. If he failed at school, then he wouldn’t be able to get into a good university. If he failed to get into a good university then he wouldn’t be able to get a good job. And if he didn’t get a good job then his life would be a misery. These were all facts as far as the adults in his life were concerned and they were not up for argument.
As it currently stood, Roman wasn’t buying it. Although he had no doubt that school was important for some, he knew deep down in his heart of hearts that it wasn’t for him. He never had been traditionally smart like some of the other kids he knew, nor was he that dedicated or interested in being so. His future lay outside academia, so why bother wasting his teenage years pretending anything else.
Besides... Roman had a distinct feeling his life was going to be a misery anyway. So why fight it?
And so, Roman lay in bed, still dressed in his pj’s, staring at the ceiling as he tried to force himself to get ready and go to a series of classes he’d only fall asleep in anyway.
“Oi!” The gruff voice of his older brother, Nero, barked as he stuck his square-shaped head through the door. “What the fuck are you still doing in bed, you little prick.”
“Pondering the meaning of life,” Roman sighed.
“Huh?” Nero was stupid, and he looked it. His expression was constantly dull, his mouth always hung open just a little and he spoke slowly and awkwardly as if English wasn’t his first language.
“Nothing,” Roman sighed. “Just... hanging out – I feel sick.”
“You got school!” Nero stormed into Roman’s tiny bedroom; it was the smallest room in the house, which was saying something. He made for the bed like he meant to pick the darn thing up and throw it across the room. “And mum told me to—”
“Mum hasn’t been home in three days.” Roman scurried up the end of his bed to avoid his Neanderthal brother from grabbing him and dragging him from the room. Nero may have been stupid, but he was also a lot bigger than Roman and took great relish in the fact.
“She told me last week.” Nero stood at the end of the bed; face scrunched as he considered his next move. “She said, ‘get that little shit to school each day or it’s my ass’!”
“Full sentences and everything. I’m surprised you remember.”
Nero took a moment, but when the insult landed, his eyes bulged, and he scrambled onto the bed to attack Roman. “I said get your ass to school you little—”
“All right, fuck.” Even for his age, Roman was small. So, it was only too easy for him to duck underneath his lumbering brother and dart for the door. “I’m going, I’m going.”
“Don’t let me catch you skipping either!” Nero shouted after Roman as he hurried toward the bathroom. “You skipped all last week – I know you did you little—”
Roman never did hear what profanity Nero chose to finish with. Out the door, he took sharp left and quickly slammed the bathroom door closed behind him. This was followed by the locking of said door, and then double checking it was locked. Nero was almost always talk, but some mornings his mood was such that he liked to take it out on Roman. Better to be safe than sorry.
What Nero had claimed was true, Roman had skipped all of last week. This entire year in fact, he’d probably made it to class maybe half the time, if that? He just didn’t see the point in going! More frustrating was whenever he tried to explain this to someone, they refused to listen! After all, Roman was only seventeen, which meant to any and every adult ever that he was just some stupid kid who didn’t know what he was talking about.
That ‘stupid kid’ spent a little longer than he had to in the shower that morning as he decided what he was going to do that day. And when he was out of the shower he stood in front of the mirror, staring at himself, hating everything he saw. From his greasy jet-black hair to his pasty-white skin to his long, bumpy nose and odd shaped chin and narrow shoulders and... and... and everything! Roman was a loser, and as he looked at himself, he could see why.
There was a razor sitting on the side of the sink; his brother’s, used to shave God only knew what. In the heat of the moment, Roman picked the razor up and stared at it. He then looked to himself, his hair in particular. He’d always hated his hair. And not just the color. But the way it parted in the middle, and how flat and thin it was, and how long and awkward and ugly too. He hated it! Without thinking, or caring, Roman wet his hair, pumped as much shaving gel into it as he could and then shaved it off.
He was as bald as an eagle by the time he was done, and truth be told, he loved it. Even if he didn’t, he was excited to see what reactions he’d get. His teachers would hate it. His classmates would laugh at it. And his brother would probably beat him up for it. Perfect!
Ultimo Public High School was located smack-bang in the middle of Sydney, but that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Surrounded on all sides by tall buildings filled with the rich and successful, Ultimo Public High School was home to those that would never work in one of the buildings they were forced to gaze up at each day. Every kid to the last was either from a broken home, had a drug riddled mother and father they never saw, or a family that just didn’t care about them. This school was where the degenerates of society went, and Roman was no different.
Roman didn’t go into school that day. There was a park bench just across the road from the entrance, which Roman sat himself down on instead. Then, he whipped out his sketchpad from his bag, balanced it on his knees and did the only thing that really brought him any joy: he drew.
Milling by the entrance to the school, some one-hundred and fifty feet away from where Roman sat, were a group of girls from his year who looked as if they too were deciding if it was worth skipping class for the day. As they huddled together, heads bent forward in discussion, Roman started to draw them. Nothing fancy, just a basic life-sketch to get him started.
; The girls were dressed in the required uniform – white button-down shirt, dark-gray skirt, black shoes – but it was the little pieces of flair in their uniform that Roman focused on. One had knee-high socks pulled up to her thighs, another had her skirt rolled at the front to show off her flat stomach and another puffed on a cigarette like it was a life-source. And Roman drew it all.
It wasn’t even the drawing that Roman enjoyed, truthfully. It was the process of creation. He didn’t like books. He didn’t like learning. What he liked was making something out of nothing, creating something that hadn’t existed before but now did forever. Right now, drawing was how he did this. He didn’t think he was a great drawer, but he didn’t care. Anything to keep him from going to school.
The girls themselves were apparently attractive, at least that was what Roman was told. They were the popular girls, and their angular faces and shapely bodies had the other boys in his year pining for them. But Roman didn’t give a damn. Not about them, or any other girl for that matter. Even the boys in his school didn’t really interest him... and that included the three boys that exited from the school right now.
As Roman drew, he watched the three boys approach the girls and start to flirt with them. Roman knew the boys well enough, even though they were a year ahead. Bigger kids, and so stupid that it took the three of them to complete the task that one should have been able to do, they also took great relish in making Roman’s life a misery.
When Roman spotted them, he considered running. Ordinarily, the oversized fake-leather jackets that Roman always wore, or the chain he liked to decorate himself with, or the black boots he always had on were enough for them to pick on him. But with his newly shaved head, he could only imagine what they would do. But Roman also wanted to finish this drawing... so he took the risk and continued, hoping that they wouldn’t see him.
No such luck.
No sooner had the three boys joined the girls than their leader, Kai, looked across the road and spotted Roman perched on the bench hard at work. He nudged his two friends and indicated to Roman.
“Oi!” Kai shouted out. “Fag! What ya doin’?!”
Roman didn’t respond. He put his head down and continued his work. He almost had the piece done... he just needed to finish the outlines...
“You perv!” Kai then shouted. He and his three friends began to move from the girls and across the road. “Get over here!”
Roman hurried. He could feel the blood begin to pump through his body as it always did just before he was attacked. His hand began to shake, his leg began to wobble. That vile taste that always formed on his tongue began to form. But still he drew.
“What ya do to ya head, fag!” Kai shouted out.
“You look even crazier than usual. Homo!” Jace, the second in command of the three joined in.
“Get over ‘ere!”
And Roman was done. Without giving it a second thought, without even considering the possibility of darting into school and finding a teacher for his own protection, Roman quickly shoved his sketchpad into his schoolbag, threw it over his shoulder and ran in the opposite direction of the school as fast as his feet would take him.
It was a shame that the way Roman was dressed wasn’t conducive to sprinting. His boots were called Doc Martens, and they were large and awkward. His jacket was made of cheap leather, hung as low as his knees and billowed out as he ran, and his pants were a little too tight – on purpose – and the chain hanging off his belt kept slapping into his knees. But still he sprinted... and the fact that he could hear the three bullies chasing him also acted as a sort of inspiration to not slow down.
Having grown up in Sydney, Roman knew it like the back of his hand. As such, he was able to dart down a nearby alleyway that he knew had a narrow opening at the end. Through this he scuffled, came out the other side and then sprinted down the road toward Broadway. From there it was a sharp turn through traffic which honked and beeped at him as he dodged, and then across the road and down Harris Street – one long, never-ending stretch.
Roman could hear the thud of his shoes as they hit the pavement. He could hear his heart beating hard in his chest, and his breathing was labored as he kept pushing himself. In fact, the only thing he couldn’t hear were Kai and his friends giving chase.
The destination was Darling Harbour, for no other reason than Roman enjoyed the sound of the water slapping at the docks. When the beautiful harbor came into sight, Roman took a sigh of relief and slowed down. He had won today’s chase... but tomorrow he might not be so lucky, or the next day, or the next. Really, life right now was about survival and it would be all the way to graduation—
“Oi. Fag.”
Roman’s face drained of color, and even before he had a chance to look for an escape, the three boys were on him. Somehow, they’d known where he was going to go. Somehow, they’d gotten there first. And somehow, they had managed to surround him.
“Cute haircut.” Kai reached out and scuffed the top of Roman’s head. He then shoved him backward so that Roman tripped into Jace.
“Did your boyfriend do it for you?” Jace pushed Roman back and into the third boy, Mack.
“Yeah,” Mack laughed stupidly and shoved Roman. “Your boyfriend.”
The three boys towered over Roman like giants from some sort of fantasy tale... only twice as ugly. They wore stupid grins, punched their curled-up fists into their hands and chuckled in a way that made them appear as dim as they were, but also extremely menacing.
Roman managed to catch himself from falling, stood up straight and turned to face Kai. “Actually, your mum did it for me, Kai. Just after I finished with her.”
Kai’s eyes flashed a white-hot rage and Roman immediately regretted his decision to say anything. Why the fuck did he speak? Why?! He knew these guys well enough and knew that once they were done pushing him around, they’d probably get bored and leave. But now... who the fuck knew what they’d do.
“What did you fucking say?!” Kai grabbed Roman by the scruff of the neck and pulled him in toward him. His breath stunk like he hadn’t cleaned his teeth all week, and their off-yellow color suggested this to be fact.
“Nothing,” Roman said immediately. He could feel the other two closing in around him. “Just... I...”
“Oh, now ya shut ya trap?” Kai sneered. “But here, I’ll shut it for ya. Just in case.” Kai raised his fist back, Roman closed his eyes and readied for the beating he was about to receive when --
“Hey!” Roman didn’t recognize the voice. But it was enough to stop the fist from connecting with his face. “What’s ah... what’s going on?”
As one, Roman and the three bullies turned to see who had so randomly called out to them. And as one, they all frowned in total confusion at the sight of an unknown teenager, probably around the same age as them, headed straight toward them.
He was tall for a teenager, even more so than Kai who was the biggest of his friends. He was also reasonably well built with broad shoulders and strong arms. But he was somehow also lean at the same time. His skin was tanned, his hair was brown with blond running through it from the sun, and his smile was... it was fucking perfect.
Roman’s savior smiled a big, white, confident grin as he strolled casually toward the four. He didn’t look at all put out by the situation, or even scared. It was like they were all his best friends, and he was just saying hello.
“Who are ya?” Kai asked without letting go of Roman.
“Name’s Bryce,” the strange kid, Bryce, shrugged. He had a square shaped face and a perfectly proportioned nose. “I’m here on a school trip but I’m a little lost – you guys ever heard of Woolgoolga?”
The three bullies stared dumbly at Bryce as he inserted himself in the middle of them. Again, it was shocking how casual he was being, how unconcerned. So much so in fact that Roman even felt the grip loosen on his shirt.
“No?” Bryce continued with a shrug. “I don’t blame you. It’s a bit out of nowhere really – anyway.” He
laughed and then slapped Jace on the back. “Like I was saying, I’m not from here – I’m lost, is what I mean. Do any of your guys know where the nearest Billabong store is? I want to get myself a new pair of boardies.” He indicated to the pair of boardshorts he was wearing. “I figure this place has to have some. It’s fucking huge, after all.”
“Huh?” Kai asked again. He could not have looked more confused. But again, his grip on Roman continued to loosen and Roman was able to gently pull himself free.
“You?” Bryce pointed right at Roman. “Do you ah... you must know where it is? The store, I mean.”
It didn’t take Roman long to figure out what was happening. “Yes!” He yelped. “I mean,” he gave his throat a clear. “Yeah... I can show you.”
“Perfect!” Bryce sidled in next to Roman and even put his arm around his shoulder. In that moment to, Roman had never felt safer. “Let’s go.”
Roman didn’t argue, and the bullies didn’t try and stop him. Maybe it was because Bryce was a pretty big guy and Kai and his posse didn’t want to take the risk? Or maybe it was because they were still too dumbstruck to register what exactly had happened? Whatever it was, Roman wasn’t going to question it.
“Thanks,” he mumbled out the corner of his mouth the moment he was free of the bullies.
“Just keep walking,” Bryce spoke softly as he continued to look ahead. “Just a bit more.”
And they did. For several moments more, the two walked in silence with Bryce’s arm slung over his shoulder the entire time. For anyone watching, it would have looked like the two were old friends going for a stroll along the harbor. The truth, whatever it was, couldn’t have been further from this.
But Roman didn’t question it. Truth be told, he liked the way Bryce’s arm felt around his shoulder. He liked the way Bryce was smiling and laughing even though he hadn’t said anything funny. The truth was, even though he didn’t know squat about who this kid was, he liked him.
