Chapter 4 A Friend In Need…

Chapter 4 A Friend In Need…

In which Cúan confronts the school bully with his new training and a little help from his friend.

“What’s this little culchie bringing into my schoolyard?” exclaimed Alex to the five-lamp gang. His angry red hair was cut short and bladed even shorter. Even though it wasn’t as short as his dreaded temper fits which always led to trouble and often as not to someone else’s red blood being spilled. Alex stood up suddenly from the bench opposite the school yard gate from which he watched the comings and goings and made believe that it was his to rule.

He was over six feet in height, with strong white teeth showing against his sneering red lips set against a deep tanned skin. His good looks hid a cruel streak and his muscular frame made him feared and respected in equal measure by the other students of the school. He was an outstanding athlete in P.E., basketball, athletics and especially hurling. He had represented the school in all of these and as a result got a pass on his bad behaviour from many of the school staff. In truth he was cheeky to his teachers and made little effort in any subjects apart from P.E. and Metalwork.

Cúan watched the tall 5th Year student striding across the concrete with juniors scattering out of his way, leading his grab bag of hangers on and droppers out. Here comes trouble, he said to himself and leaned casually against the gate.He dropped his sports bag and on reflection, unhitched his school knapsack but held fast onto the hurl. Its handle wavered in his left hand. He flicked idly at a dandelion clock and watched its airborne speeds float up into Alex’s contorted, angry face.

“Hey Cuckoo, who said you were allowed to bring a hurl into school with you?” Silence reigned. “You may be a senior but there’s no way the scrawny likes of you will be let try out for the school or club sides! Hand over that hurl or you’ll regret seeing me today.” “Alex if you were smart, you’d know I regret seeing you every day.” quipped Cúan. There was a hushed intake of breath followed by a giggle from the now gathered circle of boys. More and more of them congregated around the gate. There was a chuckle from one of the brighter hanger-ons who realised Cúan had just dissed Alex. The chuckle died a death in his throat when Alex glared at the offender. His face looked like thunder and his fists balled and clenched showing white at the knuckles.

Alex decided the newcomer deserved to be taught a lesson. He said, “It will be difficult to try out for the team after school with a broken hurl.” He suddenly made a grab for Cúans hurl. But quick as he was with his grab, Cúan was ready for him, his left hand blurred further left leaving Alex’s hand swiping at empty air. As Alex’s right arm crossed his face with its momentum, Cúan ducked his right shoulder and shot his right foot to the outside of Alex’s right foot, stepped swiftly to that side and pivoted anti-clockwise which put him looking at Alex from behind. Alex’s eyes swivelled to his right disbelieving what he had just seen.

“I hope you’re faster on the pitch than in school,” taunted Cúan, “otherwise we’ll need to handicap the opposition to let you catch them.” Alex’s face burned. He felt the crowd’s amusement at his embarrassment, and he determined that he needed to teach Cúan manners before Alex’s reputation as a threat in the yard was being ripped to shreds. He felt a fury rise within him like a red mist dropping over his eyes.

“Oh yeah?” he shot back, probably not the greatest comeback, just a distraction as his left hand felt under his jumper behind him for a knife. “Let’s see who has the edge now!” he screamed and slashed viciously around at Cúan’s face. The knife glittered evilly in the sun and the crowd leaned back out of the way. Faces stared shocked and afraid of where this was about to go.

But Cúan’s face wasn’t where it should’ve been, it was moving closer as he stepped inside of the arc of the blade. His eyes looked into Alex’s calmly as his hurl swung up to protect Cúan from the knife which rattled harmlessly off its edge. “You’ve got three problems,” said Cúan coldly, “one, you’ve lost control of yourself and that’s bad. Two, you’ve brought a weapon into a personal dispute and escalated it, that’s worse. But three, you have picked on someone whom you don’t know at all and because that person’s me, that’s the worst thing you could have done!”

With that Cúan kicked out with his left foot and snapped Alex’s right knee from under him. As he started falling to his right, he threw his right hand out to save himself from the from the ground, Alex felt the hurl chop viciously on his left wrist, forcing him to drop the knife on the ground. There was a white blur and the bass of the hurl appeared at his throat only to shove him sprawling backwards on his backside; disarmed, disabled and disrespected before the whole school. He was fuming.

Cúan bent over, picked up his two bags and coolly strode off between the panting crowd as the school bell rang. His feet felt like lead; his heart was hammering in his chest, his breath was laboured but outside he appeared laconic, lazy even casual, in other words like a legend.

All day long in the school; as he trudged from locker to class, to the labs and the library Cúan kept his wits about him. The corridors crowds seemed hushed, even scared in expectation that it was not over. His best friend Ferdy had heard what had happened and he followed Cúan to all his classes and breaks, chattering dryly in his ear.

Ferdy was well weird… a sixteen-year-old Retro Mod complete with mullet, green parka jacket, Jam and Who buttons all over it, drainpipe cut school trousers and a school tie hidden out of sight far below the V-neck regulation school jumper and he wore black Converse runners. His head was full of New Musical Express editions and the weirdest Spotify playlist in school. He was an adopted child with no siblings. His elderly parents were two local GPs (Mr. and Mrs.) Dr. and Dr. Ferguson. He was a surprisingly gifted and tenacious corner forward who preferred to play from the left field… naturally.

He scratched his left ear, stuck a finger in, had a good rummage around and was examining the ear wax as they sat over two mugs of tea in the canteen. “Alex is spitting fire and he’s telling the ‘brains trust’, that hang on his every word, that they’re all to meet up on the road outside school to get you. What are you going to do?” Cúan looked around nervously “I’ll try to avoid him Ferdy, and the gang he has hanging around with him. You know that Noddy Grundy, Spitzy Spillane and the two half-Lawlors.” “Will you help me?” he studied Ferdy closely. Ferdy had just poured his mug on the table and was using his index finger to train a dribble of tea across the table to drip over the side like a mini brown waterfall. “Were you saying something?” asked Ferdy looking up puzzled. “I was asking if you’ll help me after school with Alex’s gang?” “Oh yeah, sure I’m already on it.” Replied his pal grinning away to himself. ‘What now? ‘ thought Cúan, but Ferdy was quite the trickster so he hoped he had something up his enormous green parka sleeve.

When the bell went for the last class, Ferdy headed out of the class. At the lockers Cúan found him fiddling on his phone and giggling to himself. “Hello Ferdy? Going home? Alex’s gang?” “Oh.” Said Ferdy loftily, “Let’s just be ready to go out by the main gate in about two minutes.” “C’mon.” he said, “Let’s head up to the principal’s office and see what ‘Tyson’ is doing.” ‘Tyson was Mr. Tom Furey the school principal.

Loitering outside the principal’s office, Cúan wondered at how calm and cool Ferdia seemed. A door opened and ‘Tyson’ strode out looking around. His face was an angry red ball of impending death as he rushed past them into the yard. Ferdia ginned evilly and nodded to Cúan that they follow ‘Tyson’. As they emerged into the sunlit yard the Five Lamp Boys converged on the two of them led by Alex who emerged from the shadow of the gate, swinging his own hurley and blocking their path. “Well, well, it looks like it’s payback time.”

Cúan set his jaw and held up the Gaebolg across his chest. Just as he was mentally preparing for a fight across five fronts, defending Ferdia who was unarmed, ‘Tyson’ appeared around the enormous bins and grabbed Alex by the scruff of his neck. “Leary, ya pup! My office now! Your mother’s on her way in and if you want any school to go to tomorrow, you’ll grovel and apologise for your sick behaviour!” A stunned Alex was hauled off at double time his feet pedalling under him as ‘Tyson’ half lifted, half pushed him through the double doors leading to the principal’s office. The now Four Lamps gang, considerably dimmer without Alex and confused as to what they were doing or if ‘getting’ Cúan would be getting themselves and Alex in more trouble, looked at the 4th Years and then at the office and then back at the 4th Years again.

“Ah yeah lads,” drawled Ferdia, “I’d say he’s in there half an hour, or maybe even an hour tops.” Then taking the stunned Cúan he said, “Let’s go.” As they passed through the gate, Cúan remarked to Ferdia, “I wonder what Alex did that got him into so much trouble?” “He did nothing.” said Ferdia, “That was me!” “You?” exclaimed Cúan. “Ah yeah, about a week ago the dumb Alex had himself logged in on one of the computers in the library. Then he just got up and left. I had been waiting for a go on one of the computers to do some assignments when that fool was looking up models and race cars. You know he’s supposed to be in the exam year. Anyhow as Alex thinks logging out is something lumberjacks do with rivers, I decided to just look at a little of his stuff.” “What stuff?” said Cúan, “Ah the usual, internet search history,MMA, sexy videos,violent fighting and hamsters… yeah apparently he has a thing for cute hamsters… anyway the rest, passwords, PIN number, IMEI number on his phone, his PUK number. Do you know he has one password for everything, and he even sent himself an email to remind himself of it? Imagine having to write down and send yourself your one and only password. He’s beyond an idiot!”

“But what about ‘Tyson’?” “Oh yeah, so I used Alex’s school email account to send ‘Tyson’ a meme its Mrs…” Ferdia produced his new top of the range phone with a stunningly large screen. A meme appeared, it was an animated gif of a field of poppies then from the left came a jester character with Mr Furey’s face embedded on it dancing and jingling to the middle of the screen. From the other side came a shy milkmaid character only with the school secretary’s Marilyn’s face on it. Then the two faces started bumping off each other and a little bubble representing kissing came up floating to the top of the screen. Cúan sat open mouthed, “When did you make that?” “In Economics class right after break. Then I sent it to ‘Tyson’ as an attachment from Alex’s email account.” “But,” said Cúan, “I hear that if they examine the metadata of the meme, they can identify the account it’s made on.” For the first time Ferdy looked nervous. “Oh.” He said, “That’s not good.” “No.” said Cúan, “Its not, but if it comes to it I’ll explain why you made it.” “Yeah you will,” said Ferdia “because I used your account to make it!” and off he went grinning. Cúan shook his head… maybe it would have been better just to have gotten beaten up. They say a friend in need is a friend indeed.. but in Ferdy’s case Cúan wasn’t so sure.