Chapter 22
Bus - 4 pm
Bus Driver: End of the line.
Dard: (looking out the window at the huge houses with swimming pools) This is it?
Atth: No. (They get off the bus.) We have to walk a bit.
Dard: How far? (They start walking.)
Atth: Couple of hours.
Dard: Isn't there a bus?
Atth: Nuh, no bus drivers would dare go near the east side. (Waiting to see her reaction)
Dard: (swallowing) Is it really that bad?
Atth: (smiling) For some, but we'll be fine.
Dard: Why will we be fine and others aren't.
Atth: It's all bout respect.
Dard: And people respect you.
Atth: Yep.
Dard: Why?
Atth: It's not important.
Dard: So, are you in a gang or something? (Finding the whole thing interesting)
Atth: Nope.
Dard: Are there gangs?
Atth: Of course.
Dard: Why aren't you in them?
Atth: I work alone; anyway I'm mates with both gangs in my suburb.
Dard: Do they have fights?
Atth: It's not like the movies, but yeh we have rumbles; I don't join in unless it's against another gang.
Dard: Rumbles?
Atth: Organised Street fights.
Dard: That's sick.
Atth: Uhuh.
Dard: What's gaol like?
Atth: It wasn't gaol, there's a difference.
Dard: Which is?
Atth: They've got a colour TV.
Dard: (thinking its all novel.) Have you ever seen anyone die?
Atth: Yeh.
Dard: Who?
Atth: How long do you have? (Dard looks at him shocked.) Ok, um, a guy in juvie hung himself once.
Dard: Why?
Atth: He couldn't take it I guess.
Dard: How'd he do it?
Atth: Nicked a belt from a guard and tied it to the bars in the bathroom.
Dard: Did you see him?
Atth: I was the lucky one that found him.
Dard: That's sick.
Atth: Uhuh. (They approach a fence.) Here. (Putting out his hands to help her up)
Dard: Can't we go around.
Atth: Nuh, we'll have to pass Juc's.
Dard: What's that?
Atth: (Smiling) Run down building our 'arch enemies' hang out in.
(They get over the fence and Dard starts walking up the street, looking around at the run down houses with neglected gardens. Atth runs after her, stopping her by grabbing her shoulder. He pulls down her shirt, trying to get it to cover her stomach. She smiles as he touches her.)
Atth: You got anything longer you can wear?
Dard: No, why?
Atth: (taking out a flannelette shirt from his bag.) Put this on.
Dard: Why?
Atth: Just do it. (He starts walking up the street.)
Dard: Why?
Atth: (turning around) You want to be mistaken for a prostitute? (Dard glares at him and puts it on.)
*****************************************************************
Horizon - Afternoon
Rhys watches his parents leave, then starts to walk back to his dorm. Maddy runs up to him.
Maddy: Hey.
Rhys: Hi.
Maddy: (thinking of something to say) Have your parents left?
Rhys: Yeh, yours?
Maddy: Yeh.
Rhys: How'd it go?
Maddy: Wasn't as bad as I thought. What about you?
Rhys: Could've been worse. My father could've killed Peter instead of just arguing with him.
(They sit down on a bench)
Maddy: Can I ask you something?
Rhys: (not sure where she's heading) Sure.
Maddy: Have you ever though about, killing yourself? (She whispered the last part; Rhys looks up at her in shock. He hesitates, but realises he can't lie to her.)
Rhys: Yeh.
Maddy: Same.
Rhys: Is that why you're here? cos you tried?
Maddy: Yeh.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please review, no reviews = no new chapters.
Bus - 4 pm
Bus Driver: End of the line.
Dard: (looking out the window at the huge houses with swimming pools) This is it?
Atth: No. (They get off the bus.) We have to walk a bit.
Dard: How far? (They start walking.)
Atth: Couple of hours.
Dard: Isn't there a bus?
Atth: Nuh, no bus drivers would dare go near the east side. (Waiting to see her reaction)
Dard: (swallowing) Is it really that bad?
Atth: (smiling) For some, but we'll be fine.
Dard: Why will we be fine and others aren't.
Atth: It's all bout respect.
Dard: And people respect you.
Atth: Yep.
Dard: Why?
Atth: It's not important.
Dard: So, are you in a gang or something? (Finding the whole thing interesting)
Atth: Nope.
Dard: Are there gangs?
Atth: Of course.
Dard: Why aren't you in them?
Atth: I work alone; anyway I'm mates with both gangs in my suburb.
Dard: Do they have fights?
Atth: It's not like the movies, but yeh we have rumbles; I don't join in unless it's against another gang.
Dard: Rumbles?
Atth: Organised Street fights.
Dard: That's sick.
Atth: Uhuh.
Dard: What's gaol like?
Atth: It wasn't gaol, there's a difference.
Dard: Which is?
Atth: They've got a colour TV.
Dard: (thinking its all novel.) Have you ever seen anyone die?
Atth: Yeh.
Dard: Who?
Atth: How long do you have? (Dard looks at him shocked.) Ok, um, a guy in juvie hung himself once.
Dard: Why?
Atth: He couldn't take it I guess.
Dard: How'd he do it?
Atth: Nicked a belt from a guard and tied it to the bars in the bathroom.
Dard: Did you see him?
Atth: I was the lucky one that found him.
Dard: That's sick.
Atth: Uhuh. (They approach a fence.) Here. (Putting out his hands to help her up)
Dard: Can't we go around.
Atth: Nuh, we'll have to pass Juc's.
Dard: What's that?
Atth: (Smiling) Run down building our 'arch enemies' hang out in.
(They get over the fence and Dard starts walking up the street, looking around at the run down houses with neglected gardens. Atth runs after her, stopping her by grabbing her shoulder. He pulls down her shirt, trying to get it to cover her stomach. She smiles as he touches her.)
Atth: You got anything longer you can wear?
Dard: No, why?
Atth: (taking out a flannelette shirt from his bag.) Put this on.
Dard: Why?
Atth: Just do it. (He starts walking up the street.)
Dard: Why?
Atth: (turning around) You want to be mistaken for a prostitute? (Dard glares at him and puts it on.)
*****************************************************************
Horizon - Afternoon
Rhys watches his parents leave, then starts to walk back to his dorm. Maddy runs up to him.
Maddy: Hey.
Rhys: Hi.
Maddy: (thinking of something to say) Have your parents left?
Rhys: Yeh, yours?
Maddy: Yeh.
Rhys: How'd it go?
Maddy: Wasn't as bad as I thought. What about you?
Rhys: Could've been worse. My father could've killed Peter instead of just arguing with him.
(They sit down on a bench)
Maddy: Can I ask you something?
Rhys: (not sure where she's heading) Sure.
Maddy: Have you ever though about, killing yourself? (She whispered the last part; Rhys looks up at her in shock. He hesitates, but realises he can't lie to her.)
Rhys: Yeh.
Maddy: Same.
Rhys: Is that why you're here? cos you tried?
Maddy: Yeh.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please review, no reviews = no new chapters.