Chapter Twelve

Goals of the Future

The old Volkswagen Polo pulled into the usual parking space in the student parking area of Sussex Downs, right under a tree in the far corner. Most students couldn't be bothered to walk all that way so most of time the space was completely free. Zach pulled the handbrake on and turned off the engine, taking a moment to stare through the window at the decaying tree, the bark grey and the leaves yellow.

Tapping his fingers against the steering wheel, Zach found it hard to move. The trip to Thorpe Park couldn't have been more depressing. No matter how hard he had tried to have fun, the situation with Neil weighed down on him. He could put up a smile, could put up a few jokes but at the end of the day… he couldn't just enjoy himself. It used to be that he would hang out with his group of friends and ride the craziest rides and eat candyfloss until they were physically sick. It seemed like those days were long gone now.

"Stop sounding like an old man," Zach said to himself with a frown, finally opening the door and climbing out, grabbing his rucksack from the passenger seat. Shutting the door and making sure it was locked, Zach hung the worn blue bag on his shoulder and started towards the college's entrance. The air was cool outside and Zach could relax himself somewhat as he walked. Put on a smile and make your way through it, Zach told himself. He hated that feeling, though. Hated having to act his way through college. Hated having to pretend he was still strong.

He bypassed the reception building to head towards the Science building, where his Tutor was based; Otherwise he would never have stepped foot in the building. Science was certainly not Zach's forte. Not much of anything seemed to be his forte, Zach couldn't help but think as he walked into the hallway. He was still relatively early. A number of students milled around but certainly not the mad rush that the morning would bring soon enough. A line of lockers extended down the side of the hallway. They weren't compulsory but Zach preferred to use a locker instead of hefting his bag about everywhere. Textbooks got heavy.

As he opened his locker he heard a small commotion down the hallway. He held the bag in the locker with one hand as he investigated with a gaze, instantly seeing the one person he really didn't want to see.

Bobby Yates stood at another locker further down the corridor, standing over a smaller student Zach recognised as a boy named Phil, known for being a computer whiz. Bobby had a fierce expression on his face, looking for all the world like the thug he was. With a shaved head that made him look much older than he was and that one silver tooth that glinted in his mouth, Bobby made his presence known. A small group of his cronies stood behind him, egging on whatever was going on. With a stab of pain Zach recognised the large form of Neil, already looking like one of the gang.

Zach quickly looked back to his locker. Don't get involved. It's not your business. He took a few deep breaths and finally got his bag inside the locker before he heard a bang. Glancing over again he saw that Bobby had Phil up against the wall, both hands against the smaller boys shoulder. Bobby was saying something that Zach couldn't hear, but he knew that it couldn't be anything good judging by Phil's terrified expression. Knowing Bobby, he probably felt insulted that Phil deigned to look at him.

Bobby suddenly motioned to Neil and Neil stepped up, holding Phil by the scruff of his collar. Phil stiffened like a kitten as Bobby slowly rolled up his sleeves. Zach bit his lip and told himself to look away, but he just couldn't. This wasn't how college was supposed to be… this wasn't meant to be like some kind of American high school bully situation. But Bobby… He had changed all that. He had brought Sussex Downs a reputation of violence.

With a crack of the knuckles, Bobby stood in front of the frozen Phil with a posture as if he was going to hit the boy. And of course the other students milling around were ignoring what was going on and there were no teachers to be seen, even though they wouldn't – and couldn't – have done anything even if they wanted to.

"Idiot…" Zach said to himself before shutting his locker and starting to walk towards Bobby Yates and his cronies. "Get off him!" Zach said with fake confidence as he made his way up to the bigger Bobby Yates. The bully glanced to Zach and his mouth widened in a smile, showing off that silver tooth.

"Dryer! I was going to come looking for you!"

"Let him go," Zach said, looking past Bobby to Neil. Neil seemed conflicted for a moment but didn't let go of Phil's collar. Almost immediately Bobby grabbed Zach's shoulder with a harsh grip and squeezed.

"Don't ignore me, Dryer," Bobby rasped in a voice that had been mutilated by cigarettes and god knew what else. "That would be your mistake."

"You're the one making a mistake, Bobby." Zach said, hoping his frantic heartbeat couldn't be heard. It was too late to back out know. Thankfully while Bobby was indeed larger than Zach, Zach was no pushover in the size department and was able to stare Bobby in those small blue eyes of his. "Thinking you rule this place."

"I don't think I rule this place. I do rule," Bobby said. "What're you gonna do, has-been? Huh?" With a motion of his finger Bobby beckoned over his goons. "Go on, Neil. Let the little one go. I don't care about that anymore. I have new business." Neil nodded and let go, letting Phil scamper off down the corridor. Zach was glad to see the boy go, but wasn't so glad to see the five students now surrounding him. He could feel his muscles tensing under his skin.

"Five on one… Hardly fair," Zach said, forcing a smile. "Though I suppose you've always needed help."

"Careful, Dryer," Bobby threatened. "You should know better than to make fun of me."

…You're right, I should know better… Zach subtlety looked at Bobby and his goons and could see they were getting ready to pounce, like Hyenas on a fresh kill. Zach expected they would get him down on the ground and kick the crap out of him. ...Screw it. In for a penny, in for a pound… With his mind made up, Zach struck first.

His fist struck Bobby true on the nose, knocking the bully back. Immediately the others raced forward and grabbed Zach, pulling him backwards. No matter how much Zach struggled he couldn't get out of their grasp. A couple threw in a few cheap shots to the stomach but otherwise they stayed off him as Bobby slowly got back up to his feet. One hand covered his nose and a small trickle of blood dripped down his smiling lips, staining his teeth a fierce red. Wordlessly, he motioned with his finger again. The goons looked at each other but followed the direction, letting Zach go and walking back behind Bobby.

"…Enjoy your day, Dryer…" Bobby said with wide, crazed eyes. "I'll see you at the end of the day." With that, he turned his back. He and three of his goons started to walk off, leaving only Neil behind to look at Zach with pity.

"That was stupid…" Neil said.

"Huh…" Zach adjusted his shirt. "Just standing up for myself. Something you wouldn't know anything about, coward." Zach shook his head. "Just fuck off and go run after his tail. It's all you're good for."

Neil seemed about to open his mouth to say something but closed it again and walked off with one last glance at Zach. As soon as he and the rest disappeared from view, Zach let out an exhausted sigh and leant back-first against the lockers. "Christ…" He whispered out through clenched teeth. He slowly slid down the locker until he was sitting on the ground, knees drawn up. "…Idiot… Stupid… Now you've only gone and pissed the biggest hard-ass in town off. Standing up for yourself… Stupid decision, stupid, stupid."

"I personally think that was rather brave."

At the feminine voice, Zach looked up to see Naomi Collado looking down at him with those mystifying dark eyes of hers. "I'm afraid you'd be thinking wrong," Zach replied after a moment of wondering why the heck Naomi was talking to him. Their interactions were few and far between, most recently on the minibus, coming from different walks of college life. Especially since Naomi was known to be somewhat of a lone wolf. Though, now that Zach came to think of it, all of them that were on the minibus were lone wolves of a kind. The timid Lacey who was often too nervous to strike up conversation, the resolute Paige who had rumours swirling about her, the rebel Jade whose music career came before her college one, then he and Naomi…

"You seem rattled," Naomi said after watching Zach for a moment. "And not because of Robert Yates."

"Don't let him hear you say his name like that," Zach said with a small chuckle as he pulled himself up to his feet. "I'm not rattled… just deep in thought."

"You do not seem the kind to keep deep in thought," Naomi said.

"Do I make that kind of impression?" Zach raised an eyebrow. "Damn. Guess I'll forever look like an idiot, eh?"

"I did not mean it like that."

"I know, don't worry, it's just the way I am," Zach smiled. "We've never spoken properly, have we?"

"We have never had cause to."

"So this is a cause?" Zach gestured to himself. "It took me looking pathetic on the floor to strike up a conversation with you? Man, if I knew girls were into that I'd have started doing that years ago."

"Why do you do that?" Naomi asked, moving to stand with her back against the lockers so she was side-by-side with Zach.

"Do what?"

"Make these jokes and brush things off as if they are nothing. It does not seem like you."

"With all due respect, I don't think you know what makes me, me." Zach replied.

"I think it is a coping mechanism…"

"What are you, my psychologist?" Zach grinned. "Look, Naomi, I appreciate you… I dunno, talking to me out of pity or whatever but I don't need it. I had a moment of weakness, that's that. I expect Bobby Yates is going to beat the tar out of me, but that's life, I suppose. It's a dog-eat-dog world and Bobby is one heck of a dog."

"I was not talking to you out of pity," Naomi seemed irritated as she narrowed her eyes at Zach. "As I said before, I thought you were brave. Perhaps that was a false assessment."

"…Sorry, I didn't mean to brush it off…" Zach shook his head. "As much as I've fantasised talking to girls like you, I actually suck at it."

The corners of Naomi's mouth curled up at this. "Girls like me?" She echoed.

"You know… smart ones." Zach waved around the students milling about. "A lot of these girls are just jumping on the bandwagon. I don't blame them really. You either join the crowd or get isolated as a freak. Being unique in a school like this really doesn't do you any favours. Not that you seem bothered by what people think of you."

"People can think what they want to think," Naomi said. "But at the end of the day, this is college. This is still school. This is our last year here. Next year, none of this will matter. Robert Yates will be nothing more than a memory. He can claim his so-called 'rule' of the school all he likes. I believe this is a place for teenagers to develop their personalities and find out just what they want to do in life. I believe that schools are about progress, not fitting in with the crowd. At the end of the day, if you act like everyone else, then you are just copying others. Being unique is nothing more than following your own goals and striving for them." As Naomi finished talking, she noticed Zach was unusually quiet. "What is it?"

"I think that's an amazing way to look at education. I respect that."

"So what do you want to do with your life, Zachary?"

"Woah, woah, please, call me Zach. Last thing I want is to see my mother when I look at you," Zach grinned before looking at the opposite wall. "Honestly… I don't know. I don't really have anything I'm good at."

"Perhaps that thinking is the wrong way of thinking."

"What do you mean?"

"You seem stuck on the thinking that you have to be good at something in order for it to be a future. But you are not going to get good at something by wishing to be good at something. You have to go out there and try things out. You cannot just sit down and hope and wish for things to be good at."

"…I suppose… What about you, what do you want to do in life?"

"I want to explore," Naomi said instantly. "I want to explore what nature has to offer. None of this ancient city stuff, though. I want to explore untouched lands. Great forests, expanses of deserts, mountain peaks… I want to see it all. I want to be able to stand at the edge of a volcano and feel the heat on my cheeks… I want to be able to stand upon thin ice and see the water swirling underneath…"

"That is not something I'd expect you to want to do." Zach rubbed the back of his neck. "I thought you'd want to be a doctor or a lawyer or something."

"Why would you expect that?"

"Because… well, don't mind me saying this but you look the part. You're wearing expensive clothes and you speak with the manners of a Victorian housewife."

"So that defines my future? In that case, then perhaps what you are good at is flipping burgers and stacking shelves."

"…Ouch." Zach winced. "I think I deserved that one."

"Who we are and what we look like and two very separate things," Naomi said with a tone that brooked no argument. "You can change your appearance to represent who you are to a certain extent but there are some things you cannot change on the outside that you can only change on the inside."

"And the way you speak?"

Naomi looked to Zach. "I believe I read a great too many olden day books when I was a child."

"Hah! And here I was expecting some other answer of wisdom. Naomi, you are absolutely amazing. Just when I think I know what you are about to say you go and twist it completely." Zach shook his head in delight. "Just amazing, really."

A clearing of the throat distracted the two of them, causing them to look up at Paige Calloway standing over them with her arms crossed and a small smile playing on her lips. Both Naomi and Zach were friendly with Paige though neither really hung out with her. No-one really hung out with Paige Calloway.

"I hate to interrupt," Paige said as Zach and Naomi nonchalantly took a step back from each-other. "But we have a little bit of an situation. You two remember that crash we saw yesterday morning?"

"The one that guy drove away from?" Zach looked confused. "Is there some kind of issue?"

"Of sorts," Paige smiled. "The police have asked for the students on the minibus to record statements for them. They're upstairs in one of the unused classrooms." Paige didn't pay no mind to the fact she was lying out of her teeth. If she came out and spoke about Death and the List to these two normal students then they would just laugh at her, especially considering she was the girl who spoke to the sky. It would be easier to get them to Jeffrey this way and once up there they'll be more inclined to listen.

Naomi and Zach looked to each-other but while Paige was many things she wasn't known to be a liar. If it were anyone else, Zach would have suspected Bobby Yates had put them up to it but Paige was probably one of the only people in school who wouldn't bend before the school thug.

"Right now?" Naomi asked, glancing up at the clock on the wall. "We have classes."

"Hate to say it but the police are generally more important than classes. Besides, I doubt it will take that long," Paige shrugged. "And while I'm at it, have either of you two seen Jade Skysong today?"

"Haven't seen her," Zach said. "I know she's got a performance later in the week. I expect she's probably practicing for that."

"Shame… I guess she'll have to miss it for now. Right, come on, follow me. We've no time to waste." Paige grinned again. "They don't really have the patience to wait for us mere students."