Chapter 17

I lay on the sofa, drinking cold drinks through a straw and watching old war movies on television.

When she got home, my mom made me scrambled eggs, and 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 feeling much 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 actually going to school?” she asked.

“Yes, I am feeling a lot better today, Mom,” 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 Krispies; they were all I could manage.

After breakfast, I walked with Mom to the bus stop. She got on the bus, and I walked through the streets to school. I was wary of walking in the park for obvious reasons. I had taken one battering; I was not looking forward to another one.

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 severely 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 feel 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, go 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 about its effect on my application to join the Royal Navy. I had the feeling a criminal record would not go down well.

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 that I had stuck 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.

When Anna was looking the other way, he gave me a wink and a thumbs-up.

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. Again, I gave the park a wide berth.

Mom was already home when I got there. Once we had eaten, she bathed my scabby lips with salt water; it stung like fuck, but she told me it would help.

She had cooked up a pot of soup, which was nice.

We did the washing up between us, and then 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 just flew by. Every morning, I woke up, went for a run, went to school, and 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 afternoon, 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, a bit pissed off that we wouldn’t get to spend any quality time together. I was as horny as hell, and there was no Laura to play with, and I guessed Anna would be working on the market stall.