Westpoint Tales

by Kiwi

Lindsay & Tony Bloody Southon - Pt 11

Lindsay was still red-faced as he cycled the few blocks to home. What a day! "True Love?" He didn't know about that. Could true love be one-sided?

Maybe Tony wouldn't think he was so bad when he gave him his bike back? No. That wasn't what he was doing it for. He was not even going to tell him who had got it repaired.

Next day, he went back to the cycle shop and Mr.Anderton told him what the damage was going to be. It wasn't too bad, he could afford it. The main problem was the front wheel; he was having trouble finding a replacement. Something would turn up, he was sure.

"I'll tell you what, Lindsay Reilly. I'll take a hundred dollars off the bill if you'll come and join the cycle racing club."

"Umm. No. You don't have to do that, I was going to come and sign up anyway."

"You were? Well good. We meet at the Square, 6 o'clock, Wednesday nights. You'll be very welcome, and I'm taking the hundred dollars off anyway."

"You don't have to."

"No, I don't, but I want to. Now go away and leave me to my work." He grinned.

"Right, 'bye Mr.Anderton."

"Later, Lindsay."

He was going to leave him alone, but he went back to the hospital on Sunday afternoon, just to see how Tony was. He wasn't there, he'd been discharged and he'd gone home. So, that had to be good.

Over the following week Lindsay went back to the cycle shop each day to check on the "patient". It was coming along well, but he still hadn't been able to locate a new front wheel for it. Mr. Anderton, (he told Lindsay to call him "Joel"), was always welcoming. It looked like he'd made a friend there anyway.

Leigh and Harry Stevens weren't back at school. Their granddad must be worse than they thought he was. Or, maybe they were just making sure that they were going to be in his will.

Tony Southon wasn't there either. Lindsay plucked up his courage and asked Graeme how he was. He was doing fine, he'd be back at school next week. Did Lindsay want him to tell Tony that he was asking after him? No, he didn't. He wouldn't care anyway.

On his way home from school, after checking on the cycle shop, he went to the bookshop and posted Tony an anonymous Get Well card. One with a cartoon of a cyclist on it. It might help to cheer him up. He got their home address from the phone-book of course. He would send him flowers, but that'd be a bit girly, so he didn't. They'd cost too much anyway, so he didn't.

Wednesday evening, he joined the Cycle Racing Club. After some time trials, they put him straight into the seniors' grade despite his age. That was cool. More competition there anyway.

Friday afternoon the broken bike was all fixed except for the front wheel. After checking the size, Lindsay went home, took the front wheel off his own bike and went back with that.

"Can you put this one on it, Joel?"

"Well yes I can, but I don't know whether I should. This is off your own bike isn't it?"

"Yes it is, but use it. I'll wait until you can get another wheel. I can borrow Alvin's bike anyway. He never uses it.

"Okay then. As long as you're sure."

He waited while Joel finished the bike, paid the account, (less the $100), and rode it home.

Friday night, Connie wanted him to come to a dance, but he didn't. He begged off as he had other plans and he went to bed really early, setting the alarm first.

At four thirty am., he woke and slapped the noisy bloody thing quiet. He was up, dressed, eaten and on the road by five am. It was still dark, but at least it wasn't raining. That'd be foul. He rode out of town, over the bridge and up the Gorge Highway.

Because it was dark, and Tony's bike had no lights on it, he carried a torch to warn off any approaching cars. There wasn't much traffic at that hour of the morning anyway. It was a pretty cool bike and it was as good as new again.

The day dawned slowly and he made good time. It wasn't even seven o'clock when he rolled into Isherwood. He soon found the Southon's house, it was on the left of the highway and their name was on the letterbox.

There was no sign of life in there. ('Oh good.') He dismounted, pushed the bike in the drive and leant it against the front of the house, then left. He walked quickly back out to the main road and started heading home on foot. No-one had seen him, which was good. He didn't know what he would have done if they had. 

After walking along for about half an hour, a truck stopped and picked him up. He knew the driver, Mr. Collis, so he had no problems hitching a ride. Mr. Collis took him all the way home and it wasn't even nine o'clock when he dropped him off at the front gate.

Lindsay went into his room, stripped and climbed back into bed. Mission accomplished. He was asleep again in five minutes.

Monday morning, Tony Southon arrived back at school. He didn't ride the bike, he came on the bus. Well of course he did, he had a broken arm didn't he?

Lindsay kept his distance from him, but nobody else did. He received a real hero's welcome and the cast on his arm was soon covered in signatures and tag marks.

Lindsay was pleased to see that he looked happy enough and his face was healing up nicely. The swelling and bruising had all-but gone now and he was almost back to his normal, good-looking self.

He had nothing to say to Lindsay, but he thought that he might have been watching him from a distance a couple of times.

Leigh was back as well and they patched up their quarrel, sort-of. It didn't look like they were going to be friends anymore, but at least they could be civil to each other. Lindsay spent most of his classes sitting with Paul Harris of all people, but he wasn't going to go anywhere there. That would be just too - well, messy.

Tony Southon seemed to sit with a different person in every class. He was more popular than ever now. ('How to be popular in one easy lesson - number one, get knocked off your bike. No, shut up Reilly, that's not nice. You're an arsehole sometimes.')

He spent the lunch-hour with Connie and a couple of girl friends. Connie seemed to be getting really close to them, but she wasn't telling anything. Angel had a new girlfriend, Fiona Crooks, and they left the school together, holding hands. Probably gone off bonking somewhere, according to Connie.

Lindsay felt like he may as well become a monk or something. Everyone was doing "it", except him. Tony Southon walked past with Dave Monopoly. They didn't speak.

Tuesday was more of the same. Tony came to school on the bus again, of course. Lindsay actually hoped that he'd never ride his bike out on the highway again. He saw Graeme Southon pointing at him as he was talking to Tony. But nothing came of that, Tony just shook his head as he walked away from his brother.

Wednesday was no different except that Leigh seemed to be "faithful sidekick" to Kerry Williamson now. Whatever. He had other friends.

After school, Lindsay went out for a short ride on Alvin's bike, not far, just out to the cement works and back. Then, after an early dinner, he rode around to the Square to meet with the cycling club. He was welcomed there again and the secretary, Bryce Hartigan, wanted to know how come he was using a different bike. He just told him that his was under repair and he was using his brother's bike. That was all right, wasn't it? Yes, of course it was.

He did a couple of warm-up laps, then, on returning to the grandstand, he saw that the club, apparently, had another new member this week - Tony Bloody Southon. Damn. Why did he always try to be the best at everything? It wouldn't have hurt him to leave Lindsay alone in the one sport where he could shine.

He sat in the grandstand and watched as Southon did some laps of the track in a time trial. They decided to put him straight into the seniors as well. Damm. The kid really was good at everything he did. He still had the cast on his forearm too. If he could ride like this when he was still recuperating from his accident, what was he going to be like when he was 100% fit?

Maybe Lindsay should give up? Withdraw and go find something else to do? No, stuff'’im. He was here first and he was good at this too. He'd give Southon a run for his money.

Southon wasn't going to bike all the way home after the track meet was he? No. When they were sitting waiting for the juniors to get out of the way, he heard him telling someone that he was staying in town for the night, at his granddad’s. He'd be staying there every Wednesday night from now on.  Well good. At least he shouldn't get run over on his way home. Lindsay wasn't eavesdropping, not really, but he heard what they were saying anyway.

The juniors finished and the first group of seniors lined up to race. Lindsay was, of course, going to have to race against Tony Bloody Southon. Never mind. He might beat him, but he'd make him work for it. At least Lindsay's front wheel would be first over the line, though he'd never know it.

The pistol fired and the race started, fifteen laps. After just a couple of circuits, the other riders fell behind and he was way out in front, closely followed by Southon. Either the other guys were taking it easy on the newbies or he and Southon really were the best in the field. Either way, it was a two-horse race.

He eased off a little and let Southon come up beside him where he could keep an eye on him. 5, 6, 7 laps and they were racing neck by neck, way ahead of anyone else. 11, 12, 13 laps and they were still there, slugging it out. After the fourteenth lap, Southon put on what was obviously his last reserves of speed and Lindsay easily matched him.

Halfway through the fifteenth, he looked at the determination on his rival's face. He was trying his hardest to win this. Lindsay knew that he could do it. He still had more to give and he could beat him here. He could win for once.

The finish line was coming up; they had the tape out and across the track. He could win this. He glanced across at Southon again, and, he pulled back. He eased off on the pedals and let him go ahead. 'Whatever. Let the "poor little bugger" win if it's that important to him.'

Tony Southon crossed the line first and Lindsay came in second.

He thought that he'd be happy to win, but he wasn't. Lindsay was off his bike, sitting on the lawn by the bandstand, drinking water and cooling down, when Southon rode over and stopped in front of him.

"What the fuck did you do that for?"

"You talking to me? What did I do what for?"

"You know what. Why did you let me win?"

"Did I? You won. You're the best, as always."

"I'm not the best, not here. You could have done that, you had me beaten. Why did you let it go?"

"I didn't let anything go. You won. You beat me, again."

Southon got back on his bike. "Fuck you Reilly. Don't do me any favors. If I can't win by myself, I don't need you giving it to me." He rode away.

'Well! You try to do something nice -'. Lindsay was pissed, again. Fuck him too. Next time he would beat him, no matter how much he wanted to win, he would beat him.

On the way home, he had a change of heart. Stuff'im. He was tired of always battling against Tony Bloody Southon, he wasn't going to do it anymore. He was finished with the Cycling Club, he wasn't going back. Southon could have it. As a matter of fact, he could have everything, he was going to stop beating him in the classroom as well. He'd pull back there too and let Southon be the best at everything. From now on he'd be second-best. Southon was a far better person than he was anyway.

Maybe if he stopped trying to compete with him at every turn, then just maybe they might find a way to be friends. He was tired of always being enemies.

He arrived at home and told Alvin that he could have his bike back, he wasn't going to use it anymore and, when his own bike was fixed, he was going to sell that too. Joel would be happy to take it off his hands.

Alvin said nothing but he looked at him like he didn't know him. After Lindsay had gone to shower and to bed, Alvin rang Connie to see if she knew what was going on. She didn't, but she was going to find out.

Friday lunchtime, Lindsay didn't eat with Connie for once. She had a new companion and he wasn't sitting eating his lunch with Tony Bloody Southon.

"Hah!" He wasn't annoyed, he was highly amused actually. If Tony Bloody Southon thought that he was going to steal another girlfriend away from him, he was in for a big surprise. Connie was not into boys, not at all. Not even super-cool boys like Tony Bloody Southon. So, no worries there.

Still, he couldn't help watching them from a distance. He kept glancing over at them where they sat on the new wheelchair-ramp outside the library. They were sitting close together, talking intently but with a few laughs as well. He wasn't worried, but he couldn't help wondering what they had to talk about anyway.

Tony Southon and Connie Crestani? No. No way was that going to happen.

‘Out of luck there, Southon.’

He caught up with Connie later in the day, but she wouldn't tell him what they were talking about. "I don't tell people what I talk to you about either, Lindsay my Love."

That night he had a phone call, which wasn't unusual. But this one was, it was from Tony Southon!