Graffiti Heaven

by Marita A. Hansen

  Isaia said something.

  “What didja say?” Levi asked.

  The blonde woman interrupted again. She had a cute accent, sort of Russian sounding. “Please stop talking,” she said.

  “You shut it, bitch!” Isaia snapped.

  Levi’s head whipped around to his mate. And that was precisely why he would never allow Isaia to date his sister. You didn’t talk to chicks like that; oh, you could be cheeky, but never nasty. “Apologise,” he said.

  Isaia gave him a get fucked expression.

  Levi shook his head and looked over at the shocked woman. “Sorry, Miss, for my rude mate, he doesn’t know how to treat ladies right.”

  The class laughed, and the woman’s expression went from upset to a smile in an instant. Though, Isaia looked like he wanted to sock him one. Levi gave him a glare back that said, ‘Don’t you dare,’ because there was one thing he knew about Isaia and that was the bloke lost his temper easily, and it didn’t help that Isaia was bigger than him. Way bigger, the guy was one bulky bastard. Even though they were mates they occasionally got into scraps, and the only way he could compete with Isaia was to fight dirty—biting was a definite, kicking in the nuts guaranteed, poking in the eyes possible, and if there was something he could use to smash over his mate’s head he would, because if he ever got hit by a bus he was sure it would feel better than one of Isaia’s punches.

  The woman resumed talking about some kids visiting the next day. Levi smiled. Sweet, he was definitely showing up to that. He’d been planning on going over to the drug dealer’s house again, but he supposed he could put it off or even let the whole meth thing slide, because in all fairness he hadn’t actually paid for it. At first he was mad as hell that the guy had tried to trick him into believing it was coke, because he hated meth—the shit made his skin crawl—but he’d calmed down about it a few days after the argument. Though, it was still fun trashing the dickwad’s house yesterday after the Wera kid had taken off. That’ll teach the kid’s cousin for trying to rip him off.

  “How’re we gonna find that Wera scum?” Isaia asked, his expression still sour.

  “I have his last name, so I’m gonna check the phone book. Can’t be too many people with the name Rata living in Wera.”

  Isaia looked surprised. “Rata?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Shit, that name’s famous.”

  “Why?”

  “There was this tattooed bloke, a Maori with a full-faced moko, who attacked his family a few years back. He used to live next door to my aunty. He would sit out the front of his house on a chair glaring at anyone who went past. My aunty reckoned he was on drugs or sumpthin’. Though, I don’t remember any kids living there.”

  “Could be a relative.”

  “I think the guy’s in jail, but I can ask my aunty if she knows about... What’s the prick’s name?”

  “Ash, Ashley.”

  “Okay, I’ll ask.”

  “Boys!” The woman at the front of the class focused on them again. “This is your last warning.”

  Isaia smiled at her. “I was just telling my mate how I love to fuck li’l white chicks like you. I reckon I could snap you in half with my dick.”

  Except for Brett’s sniggers—the only other guy in the class—everyone went silent. The woman stared across the room at Isaia in horror.

  Levi swore under his breath, pissed off to the max. He whacked Isaia’s arm. “Apologise now.”

  Isaia shook his head, his eyes still focused on the woman. “I can walk you to your car after class.” His smile widened.

  The woman snatched up her folder, and headed for the door without a word. A few Maori girls in front of them turned to glare at Isaia, the toughest of the crew cursing him.

  Isaia laughed. “You bitches don’t know how to take a joke.”

  “You’re an arsehole,” Levi snapped. “That chick was nice, you didn’t hafta do that.”

  Isaia turned to face him. “Oh, c’mon, man, you know I was joking.”

  “She didn’t, and it sounded like a bloody threat to me. You can’t do that shit to birds, it scares them.”

  Isaia rolled his eyes. “You’re such a pussy with chicks, always pandering to how they feel.”

  “Look who’s talking, cos my cousin has chopped off your nuts.”

  “I do plenty with her.”

  “Only in your dreams.”

  Isaia smiled. “Nah, that chick loves doin’ me.”

  Levi stood up. Even though he didn’t like Monika, she didn’t deserve to be talked about like that, even more so that it was an outright lie. “There’s no way she would do you.”

  Isaia stood. “Yeah, that’s true, but I thought you’d get upset if I told ja the truth. Better saying that I fucked your cousin than telling ya your sister rode my big fat dick last week.”

  Levi shoved Isaia into a desk. He didn’t bloody care that Isaia was bigger he was going to bust him up.

  Someone grabbed his arm from behind. “Calm down, mate,” Brett said. “He’s just talking shit again.”

  Levi glanced back at Brett, annoyed with his mate for interfering. He yanked his arm free just as something hit the side of his head, causing him to fall back into his chair.

  Isaia grabbed Levi by the jumper and yanked him up. “Don’t you ever touch or insult me again, you li’l prick.”

  Levi shot a punch into Isaia’s groin. His mate let out an oomph sound, then crumpled to the floor. Yelling came from the front of the room, “Stop now!”

  With a hand covering his left ear, Levi righted himself on the desk and looked across at the hell-hath-no-fury principal as the plump woman barged through the girls crowding around the fight like a bowling ball knocking down skittles. Mr. McCaffety from Science appeared next and squatted down to check on Isaia, who was curled up on the floor moaning.

  “Office now, Levi!” the principal shouted.

  The girls behind the principal started talking all at once, their combined voices defending him and blaming Isaia. Levi removed his hand from his ear. The principal’s angry expression changed to one of concern. She said something, but Levi stared at her in shock, the words becoming a blur along with her appearance. He felt something wet on his hand and looked down at the red haze. He swayed then collapsed.

  11

  Tiana

  The bell rang for the change of classes. Tiana and Lavinia had been sitting behind the gymnasium for the period of maths. Lavinia had talked her down, making her feel better, because she shouldn’t have listened to Joel in the first place. The guy in her opinion was NASTY—capitalised, underlined and italics all deserved. He was always spouting off rubbish to Lavinia, yet when his garbage mouth had been directed at her she still didn’t expect it. And she had no idea why he was so mad, but it no longer mattered, because she knew Ash would sort things out.

  Lavinia got to her feet and held out a hand. “At least we don’t hafta put up with Joel at our next lesson.”

  Tiana took her friend’s hand and stood up. She brushed off the grass from her black skirt. “Yeah, but I won’t get to see Ash either. I still haven’t talked to him since yesterday. I would’ve called him, but my mum was watching me like a hawk.”

  “She still thinks you slept with him?”

  “Yup, and it’s not worth arguing unless I want another slap. I should just be grateful I got off so lightly.”

  “Lightly? She slapped you, and hard. Those marks you had yesterday were nasty.”

  “That’s nuthin’.”

  Lavinia stepped in front of her as she went to move. “No, it isn’t.”

  “Monika’s mum does the same thing. She did it in front of me once when Monika said she couldn’t lift sumpthin’, cos her back hurt. She wasn’t lying either, but she still got slapped. It’s normal.”

  “No, it’s not. My mum would never hit me.”

  “You’ve never been smacked, at all?”

  “Well, not by my mum anyway.”

  Tiana frowned. She’d
met Lavinia’s stepdad and he was the sweetest person—nothing like his horrible son. “I hope you’re not talking ‘bout Joel, cos if that creep has touched you—”

  “He hasn’t.” Lavinia started walking.

  Tiana followed her. “Then look at me when you say it.”

  Lavinia turned around. “Sheesh, overreaction much. I wasn’t referring to Joel. My dad used to smack my hand when I was li’l, which is hardly grounds for abuse. My family isn’t like yours, so don’t assume things.”

  “There’s nuthin’ wrong with my family, so you don’t assume things.”

  Lavinia placed an arm around Tiana’s shoulders. “I’m not dissing them, I just don’t like the way your mum treats you.”

  Tiana shrugged the arm off. “As I said, it’s normal, so stop bugging me ‘bout it.”

  “Okay, I’m sorry.”

  Lavinia set off walking. Still annoyed, Tiana followed. She hated the way Lavinia always made out that her family was better, which Tiana totally disagreed with, considering her parents weren’t divorced like Lavinia’s, let alone throwing Joel into the equation.

  They rounded the gymnasium together and crossed the sports field. Industrial buildings stood as a backdrop for the students running around the track, accompanied by a curtain of rain clouds ready to shower them at any moment.

  Tiana and Lavinia headed through the maze of classrooms, aiming for Economics, something that Ash stayed well clear of. He hated anything to do with numbers and was struggling with the compulsory maths class. He constantly got frustrated, telling her that he was too stupid to understand it. But Ash wasn’t dumb, far from it; he was just good at other things, like art, which was his next class.

  “I wanna check on Ash,” Tiana said, as they pushed through a group of students heading in the opposite direction. No matter what her brother had claimed, she was still worried that Levi had hurt him.

  “Can’t it wait until lunch?” Lavinia asked. “Cos that’s clear across the other side of school, and I’m not missing another class.”

  Tiana stopped in front of the entrance to the maths building. “I didn’t say you had to come.”

  “But Joel will be there, so you should wait until we can take him on together.”

  Tiana smiled. “Yeah, you can pull his hair and I’ll kick him in the shins, then we can run screaming like li’l girls.”

  Lavinia laughed and held out a fist. “Deal.”

  Tiana knocked it with her own then followed Lavinia inside, weaving through students and one or two teachers. She followed her friend into the economics room, feeling a lot better. At least in this class she didn’t have anyone from her homeroom, other than Lavinia and Kelley O’Brian—who never harassed her. If anything, Lavinia was right about the girl. Although Kelley had a bad reputation she was nice to everyone, well, except for maybe Jenna, but someone would have to be a saint to achieve that.

  Usually Kelley sat on the other side of Lavinia, her interest in the hot teacher all too obvious. Today she was hunched over a desk at the back with her auburn hair hiding her face. Tiana watched as Lavinia walked over to Kelley, asking what was wrong.

  “Nuthin’,” Kelley replied without lifting her head. “Just wanna catch some shut-eye.”

  Lavinia walked back to her desk at the front and they both sat down. For once Mr. Taylor was late—a rarity. The no-nonsense man was usually rigid with his timekeeping and everyone else’s. If you were a minute late he’d stare you down until you apologised to the whole class. Apart from that the man was nice, quite happy to go over the same points if anyone didn’t understand something.

  Other students entered and settled in their seats. Chatting filled the room, all friendly, no yelling or threats from bullies. Maybe that was why she liked Economics so much, because the students here were more interested in learning than stabbing each other in the back like Brutus did to Caesar.

  Tiana glanced out the window. Students walked in both directions, some in a hurry, others taking their time. A group of seniors started laughing and wolf-whistling as a short boy with ginger hair shot past them. Someone shouted, “Streaker!” sending the class in a clamour to get to the window. Tiana stayed in her seat.

  After several seconds, Lavinia sat back down. “Didja see that? I think it was Llewellyn Davies. He was butt naked. I saw his thingy.”

  “Thingy?” Tiana grinned, doubting it was her drama partner, the guy too timid to do something like that. “Is that a scientific word?”

  Lavinia started laughing, covering her mouth as the teacher entered the room. Mr. Taylor didn’t look like what Tiana expected from an economics teacher. His appearance seemed better suited to a sports educator or a SAS soldier, because Holy Mother, the man had big guns—his arms huge.

  “Class, settle please,” he said.

  All the students moved to their chairs, a few still laughing.

  Mr. Taylor placed his brown satchel on the desk. “Tiana, please collect your belongings and go to the office.”

  Taken aback by the request, Tiana went still.

  He smiled at her. “You’re not in trouble; your mother wants to see you.”

  That wasn’t what was bothering her. She got up and headed for the door with her bag. The only other time her mother had come during class was when her grandmother had died.

  Tiana hurried down the hallway, her heart pounding like a bass. She entered the office through the sliding doors and stopped in her tracks. Her mother stood up from the red couch in front of the reception desk, her eyes bloodshot.

  “What’s wrong, Mum?”

  “There’s no need to panic, the doctor said he’s going to be alright.”

  “Who’s gonna be alright?” Tiana asked, her voice almost a shrill.

  “Levi was hurt at school. He took a punch to the head and was knocked unconscious. Your father’s with him at the moment.”

  “What!”

  Her mother placed a hand on the small of Tiana’s back and ushered her through the front sliding doors.

  “How bad is he hurt?” Tiana asked.

  “The doctor said he’ll be fine.”

  Tiana was directed between cars and across the tarmac towards her aunty’s minivan, the red clothing sign on the side bright against the white background. Monika’s mother sat behind the wheel, her stern face a younger and slightly slimmer version of Tiana’s mother.

  Tiana slid open the side door and climbed into the van, seating herself next to her cousin. Monika glanced at Tiana, her eyes also bloodshot.

  “Is Levi really alright?” Tiana asked again.

  “Yes!” her mother snapped from the front. “Now, be quiet.”

  Tiana mouthed at her cousin, “What happened?”

  Monika looked angry for a second, then turned away.

  Tiana focused her attention on the front as the minivan pulled out of its parking spot and drove towards the exit. “Where are we goin’?”

  “To the hospital of course,” her mother said.

  “Please, Mum, what happened to him?”

  “I told you, he was punched in the head and knocked unconscious.”

  Tiana felt like yelling at everyone to tell her the truth, because something didn’t feel right, especially with Monika crying next to her. Monika didn’t like Levi, always complaining that he was mean to her, which was about the only female Tiana had ever seen him snap at.

  “If he’s alright, then why’s Monika crying?” Tiana knew she was going to get yelled at, but stuff it, she needed to know.

  Her mother angled her head around the side of the front passenger seat. “She’s crying because of YOU!”

  Tiana went stiff. “Me? Why?”

  “Apparently your brother got hit defending your honour, because Isaia said he slept with you. That’s what the girls who overheard the conversation told the principal.”

  Tiana’s mouth fell open.

  “You can’t even deny it?” her mother said, her face aghast.

  “Of course I didn’t sleep with
Isaia.”

  “How can I believe you after yesterday? Is that who was in your bedroom?”

  “No, it wasn’t Isaia. And I’m not lying, I can’t stand the creep.”

  “You protest too much.”

  “It wasn’t Isaia, and I never slept with anyone. How many times do I hafta say it?”

  “Don’t you dare speak to me like that! This is your doing. Levi is in the hospital all because of you.”

  “It’s not my fault, I have nuthin’ to do with Isaia.”

  “Stop lying!”

  “I’m not lying!”

  “So help me, as soon as we get home I’m going to strap the truth out of you.”

  Tiana went stiff. The last time her mother had strapped her was six years ago when she’d lost the dog because she’d been too wrapped up in playing with the kids down the road. Her mother had even used the buckle after the dog had been found run over.

  “No, Mum, I’m telling the truth. Isaia likes me, but I would never do anything with him.”

  “Liar!” Monika shouted.

  Tiana glared at her cousin. “I’m not; you know I don’t like him.”

  “That’s what you tell me, but you still gave him a blowjob.”

  Tiana’s stomach dropped; her cousin’s words like a horror movie that she couldn’t rewind. “Why would ja say that?”

  “You said he pestered you for a blowjob!”

  Tiana’s mouth went dry. She didn’t know how she managed it, but the words came out, “I didn’t give him one.” She looked at the adults up front, terror taking over. They didn’t say a word, probably as shocked as she was. “I said he pestered me, but I never said I gave it to him. I don’t like him, I like someone else. Isaia’s horrible, always harassing me. I just never said anything cos I didn’t wanna upset Levi.”

  Monika continued with her assault, each word making Tiana feel sicker. “How am I s’posed to believe that when you did it for Ash so easily? There’s no way I misheard that. You even said you liked it.”