Chapter 8: He's like my brother.
The remaining four members went back up to Erin's room. Erin turned on the mixed tape she had in the player.
SWV-Right Here (Human Nature Remix)
She kept it to a low enough level so as not to wake baby Anna. Marco found himself in a familiar position, sitting in the armchair with Orla on his lap. Erin sat lengthways on her stomach along her bed, with James sitting at the edge, close enough to Erin. Orla swayed her head and arms to the tune.
"Do you mind this tune?" Erin asked James.
"Yeah, it's good."
Erin didn't need to ask Marco, she spotted him slowly bopping to the beat. Erin and James laughed at the pair.
The Verve-The Drugs Don't work.
"Marco? I have to ask you something." Erin said.
"Yeah? What is it?" Marco asked.
"Well, You and James have obviously known each other for a long time."
"Yeah?"
"…When did you know that James was your best friend?" Erin asked.
The duo glanced at each other, and spied what the other was thinking. Orla glanced between them both as they thought.
"The Lake District?" James queried.
"Yea." Marco agreed.
"You've been to the Lake District?" Erin asked.
"Yeah." They chimed together.
"Did yous two fight a pack of wolves?" Orla asked.
"…. I don't think there are any wolves in the Lake District, Orla." James laughed.
"Oh. Yetis then?" Orla replied to which Erin sighed.
"…. More like Deer and Squirrels, Orla." Marco said.
"I'd love to see the Lake District. It looks so beautiful. Did you see the village where Beatrix Potter lived?" Erin asked.
"We walked through the village and saw her house." James said
"Oh my god." Erin exclaimed.
"Squirrels are such arseholes."
"Orla!"
"YEAH! Real arseholes." Marco chimed in; Orla tilted her head in agreement.
"Any. Waaaay. What happened in the Lake District?" Erin asked.
Mark Morrison- Return of the Mack.
Marco began to tell a story about a school bully who was two years above them. A stout, round bellied six-foot "Gorilla" with thick black glasses called Brad Griffiths.
"He was a fat bastard, hi?" Orla asked.
"Orla." Erin snapped.
"Huge fat bastard." James agreed.
Marco continued the story; Griffiths had terrorised them during their first two years of secondary school. Marco told the girls about a time where Griffiths had begun to pick on the girl that James liked. James had gone over to try and defend her, but Griffiths hooked him in a headlock and Marco tried to help pull him off James.
Erin suddenly felt a familiar feeling come over her, the kind that she had when Katya had been with James.
-Why am I getting annoyed?
"When he finally let go, I still had to hold James back, cos he was seething. I'd never seen him so angry before." Marco said.
-This was before James came here. Calm down.
Erin frowned her eyes; she got up and sat on the edge of bed next to James, who was smiling as the tale was being told. Erin leant in eagerly to listen.
The story continued with the boys going to the lake district as part of the Duke of Edinburgh award programme. It was a group of 20, and Griffiths had gone on the same trip and had continued with his reign of terror. Marco explained that they were staying in a large hostel, two people to each room. The keys to the rooms were being handed out at random, and Marco and James were the last ones to get a key.
"Now, Mr Bury, who was an old school psycho strict disciplinarian; he was in charge of the trip. He had taken his key and had gone off to his room first, and now, we're the only ones from our school in the reception."
"Sounds like Sister Michael on a good day." Erin quipped.
The reception clerk was speaking to someone on the phone, and then caught the boys' attention.
"Are you with St. Theodores School?"
"Yes."
"Oh good. Your teacher says he's left some things on your coach. He's asking if someone could go and get them and bring them up to his room."
Marco then explained that James motioned to the clerk to hand him the phone. Suddenly, James started to swear and curse out Mr. Bury down the phone, donning a different voice. Saying things like "Why don't get off your lazy arse and get it yourself." Marco explained how he was frozen in astonishment at what James was doing.
Orla's eyes widened as she hung on Marco's story, and Erin leant backwards slightly, her mouth open with shock. She turned her head to look at James, who was smiling broadly.
James's verbal tirade continued over the phone, and Marco recalled hearing Mr. Bury say that he was going to come down and see who the culprit was; to which James replied with "You come down here and I'll kick your arse!" James then handed the phone back to the clerk. He then grabbed Marco and they started to run for the door. The clerk shouted out for them to stop. James then turned around, and arrogantly shouted "When he gets down here, tell him it was me, Brad Griffiths!"
Erin gasped with the realisation of what James had done. She laughed with her mouth still wide open in astonishment. Orla smiled wide, also catching on to the scheme. James started to shake with laughter.
"So, what happened next?" Orla asked.
Marco explained that they ran down the hallways. They had just opened the door and got inside their room, their hearts pumping with a mixture of adrenaline and fear. Marco told how he'd just begun to ask James WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE… But then, they heard Mr Bury screaming at the top of his lungs for Brad Griffiths. They heard him marching down towards their hallway. Griffiths' room was in the same hallway as them, and he had peaked out of his room, with a look of confusion on his face. Mr Bury eyed him as he turned the corner, and power walked past the boys' room and grabbed Griffiths by the arm pit and marched him back down the hallway and around the corner. Marco explained how Griffiths' face was a picture of sheer fear.
"That is a cracker!" Orla laughed.
"James! You never-" Erin started, But then, she paused and shot James a look.
"…Wait a minute. No. No. There's no way this is true." She claimed.
"It is." James insisted.
"Ach, catch yourself on, James. That's a real craic that is Marco." Erin replied.
"Erin, I promise…" James proclaimed.
Erin smirked at James, but then Marco caught their attention. He was humming and gently shaking a small silver camcorder in his hand. James's eyes widened at the sight of it. Marco's grin grew as wide as The Grinch.
"You didn't?!" James gasped. Marco simply nodded.
"What is it?" Erin asked, astonished.
"Just my camcorder… where I recorded the whole thing." Marco said proudly.
"Oh Grand! Let's see it!" Orla shouted.
"Will yous keep it down in here?!" Mary whispered sharply as she flung the door open.
"Sorry ma." Erin whispered. Mary shook her head and closed the door.
"Orla!" Erin whispered sharply, slapping Orla's knee. Orla held her hands up in admission.
Marco switched the camera on, and the group gathered round him to watch. James gawked happily at the old footage which was only a few years old. His face went red when he saw himself goofing around for the camera. Erin laughed and gave him a mocking "awwww" as she saw the slightly younger James on the screen. Orla spotted that Marco had a very "Beatles" style haircut, which made her laugh. Sure enough, the events played out as Marco had said. Both girls were shocked and approved of the bold prank that their shy friend had executed. The end came when they laughed at Marco's footage of Brad Griffiths' growing annoyance as he argued and protested his innocence to the teacher.
"Oh my god! That is easily the funniest thing I've ever seen." Erin laughed.
"What? Marco's hair?" James joked. Marco shot a shocked look and the girls laughed.
"You Sarcee bastard!" Marco shot back. Shoving James's shoulder. James shoved him back, laughing.
"So that was when YOU knew James was your best friend?" Orla asked, pointing at Marco.
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"…I guess it was because, it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. And it was MY mate that did it. To me, he became a legend that day." Marco smiled. Orla and Erin smiled approvingly.
"What are YOU James? When did YOU know Marco was YOUR best friend?" Erin asked.
"A couple of days later." James said.
"What happened then?" Orla asked.
"Well, I guess the clerk had been off work for a few days. But near the end of the holiday. Mr Bury came to our room. And he said that the clerk had pointed us out as the culprits." James said.
"Christ! What was he like?" Erin gasped.
"I remember he spoke very slowly, and VERY… sternly. We were absolutely cacking it. He asked us which one of us was responsible. And then… Marco spoke up and said that it was him." James said.
Orla's eyes widened and turned to look at Marco.
"Is that true?" Orla asked. Marco nodded.
"You took the blame for James?" Erin asked. Marco nodded again.
"Why?" Orla asked him. Somehow, already knowing the answer.
"Well, it might be hard for you to believe. But we always promised we'd have each other's back. And we always did. He's more than just a mate to me… "Marco started.
"More like brothers, right?" James smiled. Which made Erin smile, she glanced between them both as they locked hands in a UAMC handshake.
"Did you get the cane for that?" Orla asked. Marco laughed softly.
"…No. Just a couple of week's detention. I guess Mr Bury probably knew it wasn't me, because he must have known Griffiths would have come for us." Marco guessed.
"Can you imagine if he did?" James laughed. Marco joined him in the chuckle.
"I think that has to be the coolest thing I've ever heard." Orla said. "You protected our James. You're really cracker, Marco." Orla said. She leant in and kissed him on the cheek. Erin and James laughed as Marco's face turned red.
"Come on now girls. Time for the boys to go." Mary said through the door.