We're Not Strangers Anymore

Chapter Four - The Trip To Town

The whole class fell silent all of a sudden, apart from Jack Hodges; the tension in the room had well and truly announced itself.
'What's my problem? Stuck in a job I hate, teaching maths to little future delinquents like you lot, and you're asking what my problem is? Just take one hard look at yourselves, because in a few years time you'll be coming back here to thank me, when you're on the bloody bones of your arse that is!'
The girl sitting next to Charlie sat forward in her chair and coughed into her hand. Taking a deep breath, she said: 'Sir, you shouldn't speak to Charlie like that. He just wasn't listening, that's all, and who could blame him?'
Mr. Colshore began to laugh, and replied with, 'yeah, good point. I didn't think anyone from a family like Charlie's has ever been even capable of listening!'
Charlie slammed his hands onto the desk and stood up, approaching the short, overweight teacher with pent up rage. Mr. Colshore and fourteen year old Charlie Broomer were now squared up to each other, both looking as angry and frustrated as one another.
'Mister Broomer, sit yourself down right now, unless you want the caning of a lifetime!'
'Go on, sir. Repeat what you said, about my family. Go on.'
'Well, frankly I don't think the class wants to hear about what that father of yours used to get up to in his school days. I used to teach him for heavens sake! Your father was a scumbag, probably still is! A bully no less!'
This was the breaking point for Charlie; he'd simply had enough. He grabbed his teacher by the scruff of the neck and threw his bald head onto the desk, pinning him down to the floor and punching him in the face. The mathematics teacher was sweating like a slaughterhouse pig, wheezing violently and urging him to get off. But he wouldn't.
The whole class erupted into a wave of laughter and applause. Charlie was the only pupil not laughing; instead, his eyes were filled with tears.
'Don't you dare talk about my father like that, you smelly old bastard!'
Mr. Colshore was now a shell of the man he used to be; fierce, loud and confrontational were no longer his current personality traits, he was now just a coward, and nothing more. Eventually Charlie stood up, threw his bag onto his shoulder and stormed out, the sound of real clapping and applause playing out behind him as he left. The headmistress of the academy, a Mrs. Joanne Forbes, caught Charlie on the move and grabbed him by the collar as he made his way down the long corridor.
'Charlie Broomer, what on Earth do you think you are playing at?'
'Leave me alone,' Charlie replied furiously, wiping his eyes as he continued to walk.

A couple of hours had passed and Charlie was waiting outside the iron gates that protected the academy, jacket fastened all the way to the top, the hood firmly on his head. He had left the building almost immediately after the incident had occurred, catching the first bus straight into town. Charlie has never been into town on his own before, and it was a new experience that provided a lot of comfort. There he had discovered a whole variety of shops: some of these included Abraham's, a vintage clothing store that had apparently once been visited by Iggy Pop, Joel's Hardware Store, a place that sold mainly computers and car parts, and last but not least, Sharon's Record Shack, a small record shop that he had
spent approximately fifty-five minutes in. He didn't have the money to actually buy anything, but Charlie had discovered that he enjoyed browsing just as much as actual listening. He may not have had enough money on him to buy himself a record, but he did happen to have enough spare change for a small bag of chips on the way home, and Charlie found that that was enough to comfort him for the duration of the bus ride back to school. When he did eventually arrive back at the school's tall gates there was only one word to describe how he was currently feeling. Miserable.
He sat down on the metal railings just outside of the academy and tapped his knee quickly with his finger, miming a rock-n-roll drummer. After two minutes of waiting, he heard a clear shout, and his face lit up with joy.
'Charlie! You ready to go, yeah?'
Charlie stood up, smiling as his blazer flapped in the wind.
'Of course. Let's go this way, it's quicker.'
As they walked down the long road with houses either side of them, the two boys talked about everything. You name it and they discussed it, although comic books, films and seventies bands seemed to be the most popular topic of conversation. After twenty minutes of slow walking, Jamie looked at Charlie in a concerned manner.
'Charlie, I heard the rumours today and I didn't want to bring it up 'til you did, but it looks like that won't happen. So what went on today?'
'What d'ya mean?'
'Well, what happened in Colshore's maths class? Apparently you got really mad and walked out, teachers were looking everywhere for you.'
'Were they? Bless 'em.'
'Charlie come on man, this is serious. They said you attacked him.'
Charlie stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face Jamie right away.
'Yeah, I punched him a few times. He was speaking badly about my Dad and I just lost it, threw him onto the ground and everything. He deserved it too, the old codger.'
'Come on now, you can't be doing that. Even if he was talking out of his arse, which I don't doubt for a second. Here, shall we get the bus?'
Charlie started to walk again and Jamie followed behind, quickly catching up.
'I can't afford it Jamie, I went into town earlier after I hit Colshore, I can't afford to catch it again. My Mum'll go mad if she found out I did that.'
Jamie stopped, reached into his pocket and pulled out two ten pound notes.
'Charlie, here. I'll pay for us on the bus, it's the least I could do, and then you can keep the change.'
'Where did you get that sort of money?'
'My Dad. He gives me money all the time.'
'But, why? What do you need twenty quid for?'
'Dunno really. I've never really gotten on well with my Dad, and I think he knows that just as well as I do.'
'You don't get on with your Dad? Why not?'
Jamie looked away, focusing his vision elsewhere. His eyes began to widen and he looked visibly uncomfortable.
'Erm, I don't know.. Just some people don't get on, you know? Some people aren't compatible, and that's just life my friend. Anyway, what did you say your old lady was doing for tea? I'm starving.'
After a couple more minutes of walking, the two boys finally reached a bus stop. They sat down, took their bags off and waited. For the duration of the bus journey home Charlie stared blankly out of the window, unable to get Jamie's throwaway comments out of his head.