Could be a Star

Chapter 25

In one weeks time, it will be the week of the show. We've got Wednesday night with the band, lunchtimes, two full days to rehearse next Monday and Tuesday and that's it. I know my lines and dances and cues and everything, but I'm still sure something is going to go wrong. All I can do is wait and rehearse.

Max and I are headed to rehearsal on the stage when our path in the corridor crosses with Alex and the clones.

The expected happens, the usual really. 'Fags', 'Benders', and so on. I don't see Ricky at the back, but I assume he must be with Zack Kingston because he's not there either. As I have before, I keep my head down and worry about Max. But this time, I don't need to.

'Go away, Alex,' Max suddenly says to my surprise.

'Oh shut up, you puff,' Alex spits at him.

That's my line, I think and maybe Max thinks the same because he does something incredible.

Suddenly, without any warning, Max the tap dancer punches Alex the clone right in the face.

I gasp and clasp my hand over my mouth.

At first I'm shocked, then I'm horrified, then amazed, then impressed and then absolutely delighted.

But Max doesn't stop there. He rams Alex against the wall and kicks him with his knee right between the legs as all the clones and me stare in amazement, our mouths wide open. It's crazy, it's very shocking, its amazing!

Inevitably, someone shouts that there's a fight, and students come rushing to see what's going on. Of course, teachers hear too and Mrs Dean, the deputy head, comes waddling down the corridor. She shouts and Max to calm down and he let's go of Alex immediately, leaving him to crumble to the floor. The audience of students chatter to each other asking who it is and stuff as the clones stand with their mouths hanging open seeming like they are glued to the spot. Alex doesn't have any cuts or bruises or anything, the worst of it is that his cheek is red and I imagine he's hurting quite a lot in another place too.

Mrs Dean asks for me and Max to come to her office immediately and for Alex to come too when he's finished being on the floor.

Max and I follow Mrs Dean through the corridors and I look up at his face which seems just as shocked as I am.

I can't help but grin, I feel fantastic, even when we sit down in Mrs Dean's dark office across the table from her.

'You two,' says Mrs Dean 'What happened? This is not typical behaviour from boys like you,'

Max's hands are shaking and I have to sit on my own to stop myself from reaching out and holding them.

'It wasn't his fault, miss,' I begin.

'Miss,' Max cuts in 'It was all me, Jack had nothing to do with it, he just happened to be with me at the time,'

Mrs Dean sighs.

'Okay, Jack,' she says 'You're off the hook, I'd like to talk to Max alone. But don't ever let me catch you being part of anything like this again, do you understand?'

'Yes, Miss,'

As soon as I get out of the office, I walk as fast as I possibly can towards the school hall where the rehearsal is happening. I burst in, without considering that they're practising a scene.

'Mr Sharp!' I say and he and everyone else turns away from the scene.

'What's the matter Jack?' he asks.

'Max!' I say. I seem unable to form sentences without thinking really hard about it 'It was amazing! He's in Mrs Dean's office now! He punched him right in the face!'

Everyone looks around at each other, confused, but I'm still grinning.

'Wait,' says Kerry 'Max punched someone in the face?'

I nod.

'Oh my god,' says Mr Sharp, springing up into action and heading towards the door 'Kate, you're in charge, I need to go and sort this out,' and he rushed out of the room.

'What's he going to do?' I ask Kate.

'I don't know, what even happened?'

'It was Alex,' I tell everyone

'Alex who?' asks Liam

'Him from yeah eight,' I say excitedly 'I don't know his second name,'

'Oh it'll be Alex Franks,' one of the ballet girls chips in 'He's a idiot,'

'And what?' says Kate 'Max punched him right in the face?'

'Yeah because he's been a douche to Max for ages,' I tell her 'It was fantastic!'

Everyone in the rehearsals who knows Alex seems to think he deserves what he got. I can't agree enough, I'm so happy for Max.

After a while, Mr Sharp comes back to the rehearsal.

'What happened?' I want to know.

'He's been suspended for two days,' says Mr Sharp 'Well, the rest of today and tomorrow,'

'What?'

'She was going to try and kick him out of the show! Can you believe that!' he says 'I thought it was mad! I mean, Max has never done anything like this before,'

'Well I'm just glad you got him out of it!' says Kate 'That would have been a disaster!'

Back in lessons in the afternoon, I can't concentrate. People have heard about the fight and don't really know who Max is, but they seem pretty happy he did what he did. He's becoming a bit of a hero, I think. It seems that Alex has been a douche to more people than I thought. People ask me about the fight, they seem to think I was part of it, but I give all the credit to Max.

At the end of the day, I hear someone tell the story to their friend.

'Yeah, he punched him right in the face and there was blood everywhere! Apparently they fought like all over the school and the crowd followed and everything and both boys had black eyes and anyway in the end one of them fell down the stairs!'

I grin and feel better than I have done in ages.