Chapter 17

When she got home my mom made me scrambled eggs, all I had eaten all day was soft rice crispies. She told me I was looking a bit less battered. She told me about her day at work and asked what I had been up to. I told her about the invitation to Sunday lunch and that all I had done was sit on the sofa and watch television.

We sat and watched some dumb game shows and I had an early night.

The next day I woke up and felt a lot better. I did not fancy doing my morning run, so I just had a shower and got dressed for school. Mom was in the kitchen eating toast. She smiled at me as I walked in.

“Hey, are you going to school?” she asked.

“Yes, I am feeling a lot better today,” I told her.

“You don’t look it love to be fair,” she laughed. I knew I looked rough; I had been amazed at how bruised my face was when I looked in the bathroom mirror. My eye was still black and my lips were bruised and scabby.

I had a glass of cold milk and some milk-softened rice crispies.

After breakfast I walked with Mom to the bus stop, she got on the bus, and I walked on through the streets to school. I was wary of walking in the park for obvious reasons.

Keren, Sara, and Siobhan were waiting for me at the school gates, I got hugs from them all. It seemed my part in the fight had won me some friends. It also seemed that the story had spread around the school like wildfire.

That day, everyone said hello and praised me for standing up for Sara, even some of the teachers praised me. Luckily for me, all the classes that day were classroom-based. Which was good as I would not have fancied doing any PE lessons. My ribs were throbbing. I ached all over but not as bad as the day before.

Just after lunch, I got called into the headmaster’s office, When I got there Sara was already there sitting in one of the wooden-backed chairs that the headmaster used to make us uncomfortable.

He asked us about the fight in the park, he seemed impressed that I stood up to two guys when they were threatening Sara. He asked us if we needed anything and if we had heard from the police. We both said we did not need anything and neither of us had heard from the police.

He advised us to stay away from the park. He then quizzed me on how it was going with the Royal Navy and how Sara was getting on with her application forms. Apparently, she had applied for jobs with some of the bigger retailers in the town.

I told him about my plans and he was impressed then I asked about dropping some subjects to concentrate on others. He said he would sort it out. Perhaps this hero status has some benefits after all.

When we left the office, Sara thanked me again for what I had done, and we went off to our classes. In every class I went to I was welcomed, praised, and questioned about the fight. Some of the lads said we should get a gang together and go and find Pete and his mate and give them a good hiding. I said it was better to leave the police to do whatever they were going to do.

I did not want the fight to escalate and I was worried what effect it would have on my application to join the Royal Navy.

I had arranged to walk home with Siobhan after school. We met at the school gate. She kissed me on the cheek. My lips were still scabby and crusty. We walked home and talked about school.

Her mom and dad were impressed with me sticking up for Sara. They were both worried about my bruises. They offered me a coffee, but I was still worried about drinking anything hot. They gave me a cold Coke with a straw.

Siobhan’s dad was impressed that I stood up to two lads. Her Mom was less impressed and told me I could have been really hurt. She said fighting did not solve anything and her dad said a man has to be a man sometimes.

Siobhan and I did some homework together and once we had finished; I left their house with a gentle hug from Siobhan, my lips were still too sore to kiss, and I walked home.

Mom was already home, once we had eaten, she bathed my scabby lips with salt water, it stung like fuck, but she told me it would help.

We watched TV until bedtime.

The following morning, I got back on track with my exercises and running. I was not feeling half as sore, and it felt good to be running in the morning sun. a glance at the mirror told me that my eyes and my lips were both looking better.

The rest of the week flew by, I woke up and I ran, I went to school, and I did homework. Each day I looked and felt better. I was measuring my running times and noting them on the chart the navy lads had given me. I was getting quicker which meant I was getting fitter.

On Friday night Siobhan and I walked home, she was buzzing as she had been picked to play for the school’s netball team again the following day. I was happy for her but at the same time bit pissed off that we would not get to spend some time together. I was horny and there was no Laura to play with and I guessed Anna would be working on the market stall.

“So, are you coming to the game tomorrow?” Siobhan asked as we walked home.

I thought about it for a few seconds. I had my chores to do but nothing else planned so I figured I should go and be supportive. She was sort of my girlfriend after all.

“Of course, what time does it start?” I asked.

“The first match starts at midday,” she said with a smile.

“And how many matches are there?” I asked I knew nothing about netball, to be honest.

“There are four teams in the tournament,” she told me, “So there will be six matches.”

When we got to her house, she told me she was eating out with her folks, I made my excuses and walked home on my own. It was a nice evening, and it was good to be out and about.

Mom was working late so I did my homework and cooked our tea. We ate off our laps in the living room and then we watched Television until bedtime and then turned in.

The following morning, I did my exercises and did an extra-long run. It was a cool morning and it made running easier. I felt a lot better; my bruises were fading, and the crusty scabs had come off my lips.

Mom was in the kitchen when I got home. I drank a glass of milk with my rice crispies.

“So, you only have another week at school,” she said, “I spoke to Sue last night and if you still fancy going to help her, I will book a train ticket for Saturday morning.”

“That’s great Mom, but do you mind me going?” I asked between mouthfuls of food.

“No, Sue needs the help and with Siobhan away at her training camp you will need something to keep you busy,” she said with a smile.

“That’s true” I replied. There were no distractions to keep me at home.

“But you need to promise me to do some revision, you have exams coming up.”

It seemed funny that I would be leaving school six weeks after the holiday. I had still not heard anything from the Navy about the pre-sign-up training camp or the medical.

Mom left for work, and I did my chores. I cut the lawns, trimmed the hedges, and emptied the bins.

Then I went for a shower, I had decided to try a cup of coffee after my shower. It stung a little as my lips were still sore, but it was not as painful as I thought it would be.

I had just got dressed when the was a knock on the door. There were two police officers at the door.

They asked if Mom was there, and I said she was at work. I took them into the kitchen and offered them a drink, once I had made them both cups of tea, they asked me how I was feeling and asked me a few questions while they took some notes.

They told me the two lads had been charged with assault as well as a few other things and that I might have to give evidence in court. They left a number for my mom to call if she had any questions and then they left.

As I was letting them out the postman was walking up the path. He handed me a bunch of letters.

“Bloody hell lad you have been in the wars!” he said with a shake of his head.

“You should see the other bloke,” I joked. It was an old joke I had heard a few times on the television.

I closed the door and checked the letters, most were for Mom, I had three letters two were stamped with the crest of the Navy, and I tore the first one open. It was a letter about the training camp. It was due to start the week after I left school, perfect timing. It listed the gear I needed to take and gave me a breakdown of the week.

There would be written tests, and physical tests as well as that we would get to go sailing and canoeing.

The second was about the medical. I had to have that before the training camp. It listed the places I could have it done and the telephone number to call to book it in.

I was extremely excited. I rang Mom at work and filled her in on the police visit and the letters from the Navy. Once I had hung up, I opened the other letter, I knew before opening it that it was from Aunty Sue.

It was just telling me about the stables and life and stuff. I made another coffee and wrote her a reply. I could post it on the way to the netball tournament at school.

I got to the school, there was quite a crowd. There were some refreshment stalls and an ice cream van.

I found Siobhan, she was with the rest of the team, some of the girls I knew some I did not. They were just about to start their first game. I kissed her and wished the best of luck. Then I took my seat in the stands.

I watched the game, Siobhan seemed to play well but to be fair I did not know enough about the game to be sure, anyway her team won which was the main thing. We had a hug when she came off the court. She looked great in her netball kit, her strong, tanned legs attracted a lot of attention from the other lads in the crowd.

We found empty seats in the stand and sat hand in hand. I got a few jealous looks from some of the other lads but it did not bother me at all.