Talent...and what to do with it

Chapter 9: Jonah

No one had ever walked out on a date with me before. Not that the gig with Jess had really been a date, and actually I couldn't really say that I'd "dated" girls before. But still, I wasn't used to being turned down. Then she'd told me that we were stopping the training but she didn't really explain why. I liked Jess. She was my training buddy. Even if I had got it all wrong and there was nothing more than that between us, I still thought I deserved to know what was going on.
She found me in the canteen. I didn't notice her until I felt her touch on my arm. I smiled at her and she smiled back. Then we both seemed to remember we weren't friends anymore, even though only one of us had a clue why. She held a book out to me.
"It's your homework book. I wouldn't normally...you know...bother you. But I thought you'd need it to hand in."
"Thanks Jess." I hadn't done the homework but that didn't matter. I was pleased that she would approach me like this. Ever since I had known her she seemed to have this unspoken rule about us being friends in public. I didn't get it, but I knew it cost her a lot to come up to me in the canteen.
We stared at each other for a second. I was about to ask why we weren't going to train anymore, when she suddenly looked startled. "I've got to go. Bye. Jonah." And she was gone, out through the doors.
I turned round to see who had frightened her off. Will, Riley, Lauren and Roxy. They wandered over and automatically claimed places with me in the queue, ignoring the Year Sevens behind me. Of course Will had to say something. "Did I just see you with Jessica Mulligan? What did she want?"
Lauren's cat eyes narrowed. "Didn't you hear? He was at the Kane gig with her."
Will laughed, then looked at my face. "You're kidding, mate aren't you? There's no need to scrape the barrel. There are plenty of fit girls who would go out with you."
I knew I should laugh it off, but I couldn't.
Lauren smiled. "I think it's kind of funny. You've been keeping all the other girls guessing and all the time you've been after the school geek."
Riley didn't have the sense to keep his mouth shut. "You know what they say about the quiet ones, eh? And so is she like, good with figures?" He cracked up laughing at his own pathetic joke. If he hadn't been laughing so hard he might have noticed that his comment had pushed me over the edge.
"Leave it, Riley," Lauren said smiling sweetly in the way she always did before she delivered a poison dart. "Jonah's got a broken heart. That's what's funny about it. Jessica Mulligan's not interested in him at all."
I hardly took her words in. I was too lost in my anger. I rounded on Riley, grabbing his shirt and pulled him towards me. His grin disappeared. I vaguely remembered how much I enjoyed this moment before a fight when they suddenly realised who they were dealing with. "Don't you ever talk about Jess like that again. Do you get what I'm saying?" He said nothing.
"Do you?" I bellowed.
I felt a hand on my arm. "Jonah what are you doing? Let him go!"
"Not till he tells me he's gonna keep his mouth shut from now on."
"Jonah, look at him. Look at him, he's got the message." Somehow Lauren's calm voice broke the spell I was under, so I did look at him. His face was deep red and he was trying to say something but I was holding him too tight.
I released him and shook myself out of my furious haze. He stumbled away from me. I wiped a hand over my eyes. I dimly realised that the canteen had gone very quiet.
"Get out of here before the teacher on duty gets here," Lauren urged. "Riley won't grass you up."
Yeah, but someone else might, I thought. I walked out of the doors Jess had gone through earlier. It felt like ages ago, even though it was probably only minutes. I was shaking. I was shocked that I had let myself lose my temper like that; it had been such a long time since it had last happened. If Lauren hadn't stopped me what might I have done? Then I remembered Lauren's words. What had she meant when she'd said Jess wasn't interested? I knew Lauren too well to trust her with the truth. She loved to play mind games. I would have to talk to Jess again to find out what was really going on.
I was so immersed in thinking about Jess, that it was a surprise when Mrs Pollack called my name across the playground. "Jonah Taylor. You're coming to see the Head." I sighed.
Just like before, the Head studied the papers in front of him, leaving me to guess my fate. I knew I'd be excluded, but would it be permanent? I realised I didn't want that. Not now when things had been starting to go better for me. "So Jonah, I am looking back on the recent reports from your teachers. It seems that you have conducted yourself well up to now. Mrs Pollack has even gone so far as to say she has noticed an improvement in your attitude to your work and the effort you are putting into your homework."
I nodded dumbly. I was kind of pleased that Mrs Pollack had spoken up for me. She certainly didn't take any prisoners in class.
"Mr Jacobs has also been pleased with how your training has been going to date." He sighed and clasped his hands together, looking over the top of them at me.
"And yet witnesses tell me you threatened a fellow student, and I understand your body language was extremely intimidating. Some felt you were about to seriously hurt the boy, who I barely need say is both younger and smaller than you."
I bit back a comment about the younger boy's smart mouth.
The Head went on. "Now, if it weren't for Riley having the decency to come forward and explain he was provoking you, it would definitely be a permanent exclusion. Coupled with that his friends say you didn't actually lay hands on him."
I wasn't about to contradict him, but was stupidly grateful to Lauren and the others for backing me up. "But at the very least you scared the Year Seven students who were trying to have a peaceful break. They don't need to see that kind of behaviour and as I have said before, I will not tolerate it in my school."
I waited for the final judgement. "Now I have spoken to your mother, and I am sorry to say I have had to inform her that you will be excluded."
I pictured the future. No school. No athletics. No job. No hope. "Sir, let me..."
He held a hand up to silence me. "You will leave immediately." Then he passed me a pile of books. "You are to complete this work in the time you are at home. Mr Jacobs expects you to also continue your training. I will see you back in this office on Wednesday morning, to see if you are fit to return to class. Have you any questions?"
I shook my head. I couldn't believe my luck. I thought he'd meant permanent exclusion, but it was only a day and half suspension. That was nothing. I could actually get some proper running done. It was interesting that I had been excluded lots of times before, admittedly for worse stuff, but this was the first time that I had actually cared about it.
Mum was on the sofa watching daytime TV with a cuppa in her hand when I got home at lunchtime. She looked up in surprise, as if the Head hadn't spoken to her at all.
"Oh Jonah, you haven't got thrown out, have you?" Her disappointment coupled with the expectation that I probably had been excluded, was horrible to hear. I was relieved that I could give her good news.
"Just till Wednesday, Mum. They let me off with a suspension. The teachers and the other kids spoke up for me."
"Did they? Well that's nice." She took a gulp of her tea. "You must have made some friends then?"
"Mmm, Lauren was one of the ones who helped."
Mum turned to me sharply. "Lauren? Max's Lauren? I would stay away from her. She always was a funny one. I didn't know you were friends with her."
"Yeah, well people change. She's alright."
Mum raised her eyebrows at me. I stood up to go upstairs, but not before I caught a glimpse of her "tea". It was white wine. Mum saw that I had seen, but I said nothing. When I found her snoring on the sofa after I had been for my run, I gently shook her awake and helped her up to bed. She mumbled that she must be coming down with something, and as usual I agreed she probably was.