Salt Water

Chapter 4

By the time I got to school my hand was excruciatingly painful. But each time I flinched at the pain I couldn't help grinning. I had punched pretty boy Benedict and he wailed like a little girl. Ha! Okay, I know that wasn't very mature of me and it probably didn't reflect my true pacifist nature... Still, I couldn't help smiling. I sauntered into the school grounds and Ricky walked over to me.

'Hey!' He frowned at my hand that I was cradling. 'What happened to you?'

'I punched Benedict,' I grinned.

His face dropped and his mouth fell open, quickly spreading into a wide grin that seemed to cover his whole face. 'Ah no, Kate - why do you do something like that when I'm not around to see it? I would have given my mom's front teeth if she had any to see that...'

I sensed an idea brewing in his scheming shaven head. 'No! You cannot organise a fight and play bookie! This stays between us, d'you hear me?'

He frowned at me disappointed. 'C'mon man Kate - we can make a killing... I hope you're not going to do a Darth Vader on us and turn to the dark side, hey? I mean, just now you end up chopping your kid's arm off then he has to kill you...'

'I think I need to go to the nurse.' I was feeling a bit dizzy.

'Benedict is going to sue you if there's damage to that pretty little face of his. And if he goes to the doctor, this is gonna be all over town. You'll be the local hero. Except for the chicks that dig him - you might want to invest in some bodyguards. There'll be a lynching or necklacing for sure if they find you alone...'

'Are you offering your services?'

'Uh, let me think... Fighting off a bunch of hot babes with very little clothing on... YES! You can count me in for that. But you know - chicks can get wild. My auntie Betsy once hit a guy out cold for 3 days. I swear, it's true.'

'Was he dead?' I pulled my nose up.

'No, but he wasn't altogether with it after he came around, if you know what I mean...'

'Isn't your Auntie Betsy a tiny bit bigger than the chicks Benedict has hanging around him?'

'Yes, but my Auntie Lynn's skinny and almost as tall as you - she broke my uncle's arm in three places cos he asked Auntie Betsy to dance at their wedding.'

'Woaw... Your family clearly has anger issues.'

'Yah,' Ricky beamed proudly. 'But only in the women! So, what are you going to do now you're a hero?'

'A hero? For what? Losing control? How stupid is that? I would much rather have some more profound accolade bestowed on me, thank you very much.'

Ricky groaned. 'Stop with that rubbish - you know my talents are limited to verbal diahorrea and mildly entertaining facial expressions.' He walked with me down the passage to the nurse.

'You are way too self-deprecating - I've seen that copy of Dostoyevsky that you hide in your bag...'

'Dosty what?'

'Uh-huh.'

Mrs Mullaney frowned at us - her lips a thin and unimpressed line.

'What are you two doing in the passages before the bell has rung?' She asked.

'Little accident, Miss.' Ricky yanked my arm up and almost shoved my hand under her nose. I thought I would pass out from the pain he inadvertently inflicted.

She barely managed to stop herself from swearing and barked, 'Go to the nurse, immediately!'

Ricky nodded and as we walked a little further on he muttered, 'What do you think we were doing, you miserable old hag. That woman thinks we're grade 3's or something.'