Westpoint Tales

by Kiwi

Entangled Tales - 7 - Justin

They drove around to Britannia Square, pulled in to the wide driveway and parked at the end of the old grandstand. Lucas got out, changed his sneakers for running shoes and stripped off the sweat pants and top to reveal the brief, blue, running shorts and singlet worn underneath. Justin stood by the car and looked over the activity around the park.

They were joined by four others. A tall, well built, dark haired boy and three girls. One was tall and slender with long blond hair, one was slightly overweight and curly haired, and the other was also tall and thin with a short, dark, bob-cut.

"Hey Guys. This is my running partner, Carl Douglas. That's Dee Jamieson, watch her she's as bossy as they come. Claire Lewis, she's Carl's girl and, well, she's bossy too, but nice with it. And this gorgeous blond lady is my baby - Shelley Buckingham. People, this is Justin Reynolds, from the Adelphi.

"Hi Lucas," Claire spoke. "Hello Justin, nice to meet you, finally."

"Yes, hello Justin. I'm Dee and I'm not bossy at all - just a bit assertive. So you're the mysterious 'New Kid in Town'. About time you came out so that we can have a look at you."

Shelley didn't speak as she had her mouth full - of Lucas. When they broke apart, Lucas continued, "He's mysterious all right. We've been out and around all morning and I still know bugger-all about him. He can run though - runs like the wind."

"So, you run Justin?" asked Carl. "That's cool. I'm captain of the track team. Are you any good?"

"He's fast, really fast. Doesn't like racing though."

Dee spoke up, "Will you shut up Lucas. Let the kid speak for himself. It's hard to get a word in edgeways with you around. So, are you going to run with these two then, Justin?"

"No, thank you. I will sit and watch."

"Okay. We won't be long. You just find a seat somewhere. C'mon Carl, let's go for it."

The two lanky youths headed off around the track. The girls leant on the fence watching. Justin walked off, up into the grandstand. He stepped up on the tiered wooden seats and sat down, alone, to one side, up against the back wall in the shade of the overhanging roof.

A group of four, large, rough-looking youths walked up to him, and one demanded, "Move it! That's our seat you're sitting in, Little Boy."

Justin looked up at them, looked around at the hundreds of empty seats, then silently rose and went and sat down again at the far end of the building, still in the top row. The four sat for a minute, then grinning menacingly, they came across to where Justin now sat.

"You can't sit there either. That's our other seat. Move it!"

Again he looked around, then silently rose and took another place, towards the centre a few rows forward but still in the shade. The four got up and came down the seats towards him.

"Hey You," the leader snarled, but before they got any further Claire Lewis came running up into the grand- stand and stood in between.

"Fuck off Stephens! Your name's not on any of these seats. The Kid can sit where he likes. You can just back off!"

"Or what, Lewis? You gonna make us? You and whose army?"

"No army needed. Just me. Fuck off!"

"Yeah, fuck off Jerks." Dee and Shelley came up to join in.

"Oooh, he's got all his mummies to look after him. Bitches." The four youths retreated from the fury and went back up to the top.

"Honestly Justin," said Claire. "You've got to stand up to those jerks. Let them start pushing you around and they'll never stop." She glared up at where they were now sitting. "Fucking bullies. I hate fucking bullies."

"Well," said Justin, quietly. "You should not fuck them then."

This was greeted with disbelieving looks, then three bursts of laughter. Claire reached out and pushed his shoulder, laughing, "You're okay Kid. You're all right. You stick with us and we'll see you right."

"Fucking bullies," Dee snorted.

Lucas and Carl finally finished and walked back over to the car. Justin and his escorts came down to join them. The runners stood stretching, gasping for breath and draining water bottles.

"C'mon Justin, your turn now," Lucas gasped. "No racing, just go and take a few turns around the track. Show us what you can do."

Justin tried to refuse, but in the face of five pleading, insistent teens, he finally, reluctantly, agreed to run the track. He took off his gray hooded sweatshirt and baggy jeans revealing his skinny frame - long, white arms and legs, sockless black & white sneakers, plain, baggy, black boxers and a gray T-shirt.

"Cool Justin," said Shelley. "I'll time you. Twice around the track is a kilometer, near enough. Stand there at the starting line; I'll count you down, 3-2-1-go! And you give it all you've got."

At the cry "Go!" he started off from a standing start. Slowly at first - not much more than a jogging pace - then getting faster. And faster. And faster! The yelling urging him to "Run!" died away and they stood in silent amazement watching him streak around the back straight - faster and still faster!

Completing one circuit, he streaked past them. He was low-flying, his body held straight, angled forward. Bent arms were moving economically, maintaining his balance. The long pale legs flashing and the feet pounding the ground kept him flying forwards faster and faster.

By the time he completed a second circuit there was no other movement anywhere around the park. Dozens of kids and adults stood still staring at the solitary runner powering around the track at an impossible speed.

Three circuits, then, at the end of the fourth he slowed and stopped back on the 'start' line. He looked around, shrugged, and walked over to reclaim his clothes. The others still stood staring, entranced. He was not gasping, not panting, not even breathing heavily. There was no perspiration, nothing. He looked as if he had merely walked over to the start line and back.

The spell broke as his head re-emerged from his sweat shirt,.

"Awesome. Fucking awesome Man!"

"Incredi - bloody - ble Justin."

"What a run! What a Man. Amazing."

"I saw it but I don't believe it. Awesome."

"I forgot to time it, but that's got to be a track record. Hell, it was probably a bloody world record, Man."

"You should be in the Olympics, Kid. You really should."

Justin definitely did smile this time, bashfully. He shrugged again, "I like to run."

Dee snorted again, "Of course you like to run. I'd bloody like it too if I could run like that. But I can't, so I don't."

Claire asked, "So, you like to run. What else do you like to do?"

Lucas said, "I've already asked him that, and got nothing."

"Well it's me asking now. Justin, what else do you like to do?"

"I like to read books - factual books."

"'Kay, cool. You run and you read books. What else? Computers?"

"No. I do not enjoy computers. The screens flicker and hurt my eyes."

"Music then? Do you play anything? Or just listen even?"

"Yes. I do like music. I have a guitar. I listen to the radio and sing and make music with my guitar."

"Jackpot! Okay, if you like music, you'll love my house. Let's go round there, people. Lucas, you can drive us."

"Yeah, great. 'Bout time your folks fed us again."

"Yes! Let's go clean out Claire's mum's fridge. Eat them out of house and home."

They all crammed into Lucas' mother's small car - 3 in the back, 3 in the front, and headed off to Claire's home. Justin looked concerned and said, "But it is not necessary for Claire to provide food. We have money."

Lucas said, "Don't you worry about that, Kid. We'll spend the money all right. That's never a problem. First the Lewis's can feed us, and then later we might catch a movie. Get some DVD's maybe."

"No. Not DVD's, we can not."

"Why don't you like movies?" asked Lucas. "Oh, it's your eyes again, isn't it?"

"No, not really. I just do not want to watch films. Ever."

"Okay, no DVD's then. What about the movies - in the theatre? Do you like that?"

"I do not know. I have never been to a movie theatre."

Carl leant forward over Justin's shoulder. "You what? Never been to a movie theatre? Seriously? Where did you grow up? In a box? Well we'll have to fix that. What's on tonight?"

Claire agreed, "Yes, we'll fix that. We'll check the paper and see what's on."

As they drove along, Shelley looked at the boy next to her in the front. "I hate you, Justin. I really do." (Her smile belied her words though) "Why aren't you in school? Why aren't you running for our track team? We'd clean up with you as our star performer."

"I do not go to school."

Dee leant forward. "Well you should go to school. You're just a kid and you should be in school, for the education, for the resources and the fun. Mostly the fun. You should come to school."

"Well, perhaps. I will think about it."

Lucas said, "Yeah, think hard about it, Justin. I'm not going to race against you though."

Dee replied, "Lucas, you couldn't race against this boy if you were in your crappy old mother's car. Whoops! I mean, not your mother, the car's crappy."

"Not too crappy to ride in though, Dee?"

"No. Beats walking. Not by much, but it beats walking."

They pulled up outside Claire's home and all burst out of the car. Everyone was heading inside, but Justin hung back.

Claire looked around for him. "Come on, Justin. What's wrong?"

"It is not right to just come and eat all of your parent's food."

"No. Look, Sweetie, they don't really eat that much. There's plenty of food and we all go around to each other's houses to eat. It's the parent's job to feed us, so we'll grow up big and strong, make lots of money and pay taxes to keep them when they're old. That's how it works."

Dee turned back. "That'll be nothing new; I'm already looking after my dad. I'll look after him when he's old, but at the first sign of a wet bed - he's off to a nursing home."

In the kitchen, Claire inspected the fridge. "It'll have to be sandwiches then. Don't anyone touch that roast, that's for our dinner. Or, you could have cereal. Please eat the cereal, it's horrible."

Shelley said, "Sandwiches it is then."

Claire took out the bread and fillings and they all helped themselves. "There's coke, there's orange juice, or there's water. If you want coffee, get your own."

The six sat around the table to eat. "No food allowed in the living room. Claire's got white carpet and a fierce mother. She's a teacher you know."

As they sat around devouring their sandwiches, Carl asked, "So, have you got a girlfriend Justin? Obviously not here, I mean. Did you have one where you came from?"

"No, I have no girlfriend."

"Oh good! You can have Dee if you like, she's going spare."

"No. I do not think so."

"You don't think so? What's wrong with me then?"

"Yes, Justin. Dee's lovely. She's got naturally curly hair, and she's not bossy at all."

"No, I do not want any girlfriends. I am gay actually."

That caused much choking and spluttering around the table.

"Shit, Man. You don't just drop something like that into a conversation."

"Gay. What do you mean you're gay? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am sure. I am sexually attracted to males. That means I am gay - homosexual."

Dee said, "Okay. That means you're gay. Have you got a boyfriend then?"

"No, no boyfriend. I cannot afford to be in a relationship. I am too ill to be sexually active. It would not be fair."

Shelley asked, "So, have you ever been in love?"

"No. I have never been in love."

"Well, it's too bad. You could have had Claire's brother, Peter, he's gay too."

Claire said, "Yes Peter's gay, but I don't think he's looking either. He's spending an awful lot of time with your Jay, Dee."

"He's not my Jay, I don't own him. Besides Peter and Jay are just into music. That's all they're doing - making music. I think that's all anyway."

"Can't you see in his bedroom window then?"

"Eww! Shut up Carl Douglas, that's disgusting."

Claire said "That's their business anyway. Speaking of music, come and look in the living room, Justin."