Breaking Britain (Completed)

Chapter 7

7
Saturday 5th January 2030
13:30

          'I'll pick you up at four', Chris Richards said to his twelve year old son, as he pulled up in the Challwell school driveway.

          'Okay dad', Michael could see his two best friends and was eager to exit the car, Roger and Dan were walking towards the pitch carrying their bags.

          Mary, Chris's wife had not wanted Chris to take Michael for the school match this weekend. Not with all the violence that had been going on. Michael was one of two mixed race boys in the school team, so Mary had rung Roger's mum to confirm that Roger was attending. He was, so Mary reluctantly agreed that Michael could go.

          Michael rushed out of the car and chased after his friends. His friends heard his shouts and waited for him. Roger and Dan were in a conversation about Mary-Ann.

         Mary-Ann was a girl Dan had initially been attracted to. After divulging his attraction to her to his two best friends, they started to feel the same attraction towards her. None of this had any real significance, as Mary-Ann did not reciprocate any of their feeling towards her.

         'Did you see her last week, during PE, when she was playing rounders?'

         'Yeah, she was well good'

         That's how their conversations went on. If they weren't talking about Mary-Ann, they were chatting about football.

          They met up with the rest of the team on the pitch side. George Bull, the physical education teacher and the coach that weekend, explained their starting positions to them. There were four substitutes and the game allowed for "rolling subs", which meant they could make as many substitutes as they wanted, at any time and players were allowed to enter the field of play as many times as required.

         Michael was starting in central midfield. Later, he knew, Mr Bull would move him into a strikers role, but for now he started in his favored midfield role. Dan played in central defense, he would definitely play the whole match and was very consistent in that role. Roger started as a substitute.

         The appointed referee, who happened to be the woodwork teacher spoke to both teams asking for a fair game and ensuring all the children were wearing shin pads and football boots.

          The teams warmed up, at either end of the pitch and Mr Bull called over Michael, Roger, Edon and Chen, to the pitch side, away from the other boys.

          'Hi guys. I just wanted to thank you personally for coming out this weekend. I know, with everything going on it must have been a difficult decision to make'.

           The four boys remained silent, unsure how to respond to his statement.

           'That's it boys, you can return to the warmup now'

           They all turned in unison, racing back to the warmup, feeling slightly more uncomfortable.

         The match started and after the first ten minutes, neither goalkeeper had had to make a save. Challwell school had come the closest, when Chen had got on the end of a cross, but was unable to steer it goal wards.

         Michael had started well, taking control of the midfield, spreading the play well and dribbling past players easily. One of those players was a boy called Owen Willson.

         Owen was large for his age and was put in midfield to tackle and win the ball. His aggression was a vital part of his team's tactics, to unhinge the opposition. After failing to make any successful tackles on Michael during the first ten minutes. Owen decided to foul him, he started by pushing Michael over, by the end of the half he was flying in with both feet on Michael ankles. He had given away twelve fouls in the first half and that was taking into account that Michael had occupied the substitutes bench for fifteen minutes of the first half. Right at the end of the half Michael had threaded a ball through for Chen, who had slotted the ball into the net.

           Challwell lead by one goal and the second half followed the same process, only they had now doubled up on Michael and the fouls were flying in. The referee chatted to Owen, but was reluctant to book him. The woodwork teacher had refereed nearly every home match for the past three years and had never issued a yellow card.

           Five minutes into the second half Michael had a word with the referee, explaining that the two boys were not only physically abusing him, but also verbally abusing him. The referee stated he hadn't heard anything, but promised to listen out for it.

           It was fifteen minutes into the second half when the referee lost control of the match. Michael had received the ball from defense, saw the boys coming in on him and side stepped both, leaving them on the floor, whilst he ran off with the ball. Owen, was fast to get back to his feet and ran up behind Michael, just as he was about to pass the ball and kicked him in his knee. Michaels knee buckled sideways. The referee blew his whistle. Michael fell to the ground. Owen momentum took him close to Michael, where he kicked Michael's head, as though it was a football.

           'Go back to your own country, you nigger'

           Those were the words Michael heard as he blacked out.

            The referee blew three times. Dan flew into Owen knocking him to the ground, others sprinted over, a few punches were thrown, racial abuse was banded around. Adults were attempting to break up a melay, that involved eights children, without physically touching them, for fear of legal repercussions.

            The fight lasted ten minutes and when the children disbanded, it was clear Michael was in need of immediate medical attention.

             'George, phone for an ambulance', the referee yelled, while putting Michael in the recovery position.

             The attention was all on Michael. One four year old boy, held in his mummy's arm, turned away from the ramifications of the fight, a fight his mummy couldn't take her eyes off. She had come to see her son, Ryan and although her son had been involved in the altercation, he had attempted to act as a peacemaker.

              'Mummy, mummy, that boy's not moving'

            'I know dear', the mother responded. After a moment of thought, she realized her four year old son wasn't looking in the direction of the group. She turned to see where the child was looking and spotted a boy lying on the ground motionless.

           Chen lay quiet, his eyes rolled back and the handle of a kitchen knife protruding from his stomach.