Forever Young

Chapter One - The Rugby Ball

Thursday, September 15

MacKillop Catholic College, Werribee

Frustration.

That’s all I could feel as I sat on the sidelines during Sport, watching all my friends run up and down the court, playing some form of tag. I had a broken collarbone back then, so I was forced to sit out of every lesson for Sport or Fitness. I hated it, especially since my collarbone was pretty close to healed (in fact, the next Monday my doctor told me I was right to take my sling off).

“DEREK ROGERS, WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT PUSHING PEOPLE? TAG THEM, DON’T TACKLE THEM!’

“Sorry Miss” Derek yelled back.

And so I sat there, watching them in a depressing manor. It was one of the worst times of my life. I had been playing basketball when my collarbone snapped. I remember being angry because the ambulance was taking so long. I remember being really upset because if I’d done something really bad, I’d miss out on Finals.

My Friday night representative basketball team had made it to Finals in Metro 1 (the second highest division in the state). I was team captain, so if I was out of Finals, it would really dent the team’s confidence.

It was a relief when the bell went. Derek and I rushed back to our lockers, grabbed our lunch, rushed back to the Tenison Woods Centre and borrowed out a white, Steden rugby ball. Sure, I was crippled, but that doesn’t mean I can’t take my sling off and have a kick with my mate, does it?

Anyway, me and Derek sprinted to the rugby pitch, I took off my sling and we kicked around. Eventually, the 15 minute bell rang and me and Derek had to return the rugby ball.

We got off the oval when Derek said to me ‘Oi, Michael. That’s Ally Coral and her little group over there’. He pointed to a group of girls and I immediately picked out Ally Coral.

I looked at Derek. ‘Weren’t her and Jake having it on at the start of the year?’

‘I don’t know, ask Jake’ Derek mumbled back.

We walked a few more meters before Derek stopped and gave me the rugby ball.

‘Kick it at them’ he said.

I wasn’t sure if I’d heard him right. ‘Kick it at them?’

‘Yeah man. They’re ages away, so you won’t hit them. It’ll be funny’.

‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ I thought to myself.

I didn’t realise how much that one kick would change my life, and to this day I do not regret booting that ball as far as I could.

The ball collided with my foot and went sailing a lot further then I had expected.

In fact, it went all the way into the middle of Ally’s group!

I remember seeing one particular girl, I didn’t know her name at the time, jump up in fright as the ball narrowly missed her.

Derek fell to the ground in a laughing fit, while I was both amazed at the length and accuracy of my kick, and relieved that I hadn’t hit anyone.

‘Aha, go and-ahaha-go and get the-ahahahahaha-the ball’ Derek got out between laughs.

‘Yeah, fine. Whatever’ I shot back.

I quickly jogged over to where the girls where.

‘Sorry about that’ I said unconvincingly.

The girl who had jumped in fright gave me the dirtiest look I had ever seen.

‘Watch it next time’ Ally Coral yelled at me.

I picked up the ball and quickly ran back to Derek.

‘So’ he said. ‘Did they give you greasies?’

‘Hell yeah’ I replied. ‘Worst I’ve ever copped’.

We both laughed it off and continued walking, deliberately staying away from the group of girls.

‘You go to the place where we got the ball’ Derek ordered me. ‘I’ll kick it to you then you can return it.

‘Yeah, whatever’ I replied.

I started walking to where Derek wanted me to go. Once I was there, I turned to see the ball was already in the air.

And heading straight towards the group of girls!

‘Watch out!’ I quickly yelled, but not quickly enough.

The ball bounced just to the side of the group, and hit the girl who had jumped in fright dead centre in the back.

‘What the fu-‘, she yelled in fright. She then turned her attention to me. ‘You again! I won’t stand for this mister’.

“Did she just call me mister?” I thought to myself.

I quickly snapped out of it. “Me? I was standing here the whole time!”

‘Oh’ she responded. ‘So you kicked the ball from there, did you?’

I couldn’t believe this girl! Was she really this stupid?

I picked up the ball while Derek jogged over.

I looked at him at spoke angrily. ‘You dickhead! Are you trying to get me into trouble?’

‘What are you going on about?’ he said defensively.

‘The retard on the left thinks I kicked her!’

Derek starting laughing. ‘What the hell? She’s probably from 7 Red, they’re all retards…’

‘Or 7 Brown’ I finished for him.

Then we returned the ball and headed back to Winella Building, talking about girls, homework and holidays.

The afternoon session of Double Maths was the worst.

We were studying Fractions (which I hate with a passion). Luckily, I was sitting next to DJ, so at least I had someone to muck around with.

As Mr. Tiparo rambled on about how to multiply fractions, I though about that girl from lunch.

Well, I thought to myself, I do recognize her from the schoolyard. She’s actually kind of pretty. Not that I have a chance with her, now that I’ve kicked her in the back with a rugby ball…..

The 50-minute bell rang and I was snapped away from my thoughts.

Mr. Tiparo started writing on the board what exercises in our textbooks we had to do.

I got started on the exercise, and didn’t think again of the girl I kicked in the back.