Dropping In, Page 8

  ‘It was fun,’ James says, ‘but the first time was way better.’ As we push the couch back up the hill he tells us about all the best bits of the first run again, in detail. Ranga keeps giving me meaningful glances.

  At the roundabout we check the side streets. Still nothing!

  ‘There hasn’t been a car since we started,’ Ranga says, ‘and there won’t be one either. And what’s the use of the couch if we roll so slowly that it’s boring. We have to have a two-person push-off.’

  I still think it’s risky but Jess says that the whole point was to let James feel what skateboarding is like. She says skateboarding is a bit risky — that’s what makes it so good. So finally we all agree, especially James.

  ‘You’re turning into a hoon,’ I say and he laughs.

  When we set up the couch for the next run Jess doesn’t want to drive. ‘I saw how the couch swerved from side to side when Ranga was driving. I don’t reckon I’m good enough to handle it.’

  I try to tell her that she’s just as good as me and that she can go slow like I did, but she won’t try so it’s Ranga’s turn to drive again.

  ‘Go hard,’ he says as Jess and I push off.

  James hoots. We shove as hard as we can and then I jump into the passenger seat. This time the take-off is super fast. We’re flying by the time we reach the roundabout. James is hooting his face off again, loving it, and then I see the car. Ranga’s seen it too because I hear him swear. It’s coming from our left and the driver hasn’t seen us. Ranga tries to turn the couch away from the car just as it slams its brakes on and its tyres screech. I can’t believe how loud that screech is. Then the T-bar hooks around, flicking Ranga’s feet off and the couch slides across the last part of the roundabout and slams into the curb opposite. It feels like it’s all happening in slow motion. I hear the wood crunch and splinter and then the couch tips up and throws me forwards. As I fall I get a glimpse of James flying off the high end of the couch. His face is pulled tight with fear like he knows what’s coming but there’s nothing he can do. In that split second I know that he can’t move well enough to protect himself. I land in the dirt and roll. Then I’m sitting up and I hear someone whimpering. At first I think it must be James but then I realise that it’s Ranga.

  ‘Are you hurt, Ranga?’

  He shakes his head. He seems frozen, curled in a ball, making a weird high moaning noise.

  I look around for James. He’s sprawled in a heap by the footpath on the other side of Ranga. I jump up and run over to him. He’s silent, not moving, just lying there so I reach out to turn him over.

  ‘No,’ says a voice next to me. ‘Don’t move him. He might have spinal injuries.’ It’s the car driver.

  The words hit me like a punch in the stomach. I feel like throwing up. I can’t breathe and then Jess comes pelting down the hill, her face as white as a ghost.

  The driver hands her his mobile as he crouches down beside James. ‘Ring the emergency number,’ he says. ‘We need an ambulance.’

  It’s one of those flip phones and, when she’s got it open, she stares at it for a second.

  ‘Zero, zero, zero,’ the driver says. Then he goes back to James. ‘Can you hear me?’

  James moans a bit and nods his head.

  ‘Good,’ says the driver. ‘Does anything hurt?’

  I can’t believe he just asked that question of a boy lying there like that. It looks like everything hurts.

  James nods.

  ‘Your back? Your neck?’

  James shakes his head.

  ‘Can you move your arms?’

  James doesn’t answer. He looks like he’s gone to sleep. It scares me more than when he was moaning.

  Carefully, the man lifts James’ right leg up and tips him more onto the side. He gets one of James’ hands and puts it under his cheek.

  ‘Just lie still,’ he says. ‘Don’t move until the ambulance drivers have checked you out.’

  Ranga is still making this keening noise, hugging his knees and rocking back and forth, his eyes fixed on James.

  Jess walks over and puts an arm around his shoulders.

  Just to make things worse, a few big drops of rain splatter on the road while we’re waiting. The sky is so dark it feels like the end of the world.

  20

  I’ve never seen Dad so angry. Mum either. They look even angrier than the sky outside.

  ‘How could you be such an idiot?’ Dad says, and they both glare at me as though I’m some sort of mass murderer. I want to try to explain how we thought we were doing something good for James and that we didn’t think anything like this would happen. I think about saying how much James wanted to do it after he saw the couch, but I don’t.

  ‘Don’t you realise what could have happened?’ Dad doesn’t wait for me to answer. ‘He could have been killed. If his pump was damaged it could still do a lot of harm.’

  ‘What really hurts,’ Mum says, ‘is how you deceived me. You got me to move my car out of the garage so you could fix the couch, not turn it into a skateboard. Then you wag school and now this.’

  I know I should be feeling guilty but I don’t, not about that anyway. Technically we did fix the couch, but I know better than to try and say that. I do feel sort of bad that I didn’t tell her what we were doing, but I know if we had, she’d have stopped us. Turns out it would have been better if she had.

  ‘It seems like every time you hang out with Warren, you do something stupid. You’re grounded — and don’t ask for how long! I’m too upset to make that decision at the moment.’

  What? That’s not fair! It’s not like we planned to do anything bad. It just turned out that way.

  ‘You’re just lucky the car driver was a doctor and that girl came along when she did. Otherwise things could have worked out a whole lot worse.’

  I keep my face straight. At least they won’t ban me from seeing Jess if they don’t know she was part of it. I don’t know what to say, nothing that would help anyway, so I just keep looking at the ground.

  ‘Look at me when I’m talking to you!’ Dad yells.

  I look up, but not at his face.

  He lets it pass. ‘We’ve been talking to Warren’s mother and we all agree that you boys need to apologise for your stupid, irresponsible behaviour.’

  I don’t know where exactly this is heading but I nod to show I’m listening.

  ‘Tomorrow, I’m taking you to the hospital. Warren will be there too. You will both say sorry to James’ mother and to James for what you’ve done. Is that clear?’ Mum’s voice is low and deadly.

  I nod.

  Then it hits me. Ranga is supposed to be in the skateboard contest tomorrow. If we have to do this, he’ll miss it.

  21

  When we walk in to James’ hospital room, he’s sitting up and his Mum is in a chair beside him. Ranga and his mum are already there. All the mothers nod to each other like members of a firing squad. At least that’s what I reckon, because this feels like an execution with me and Ranga as the guys who are about to be shot.

  James looks at us, kind of puzzled.

  Ranga’s mum clears her throat. ‘Do you boys have something you’d like to say to James?’ She gives Ranga a shove forward.

  Ranga shuffles up beside James’ bed. I stand next to him.

  ‘James,’ I say, ‘we’d like to apologise for our stupid behaviour. We shouldn’t have put you on that couch and run you down the hill. We didn’t think about the possible consequences of our actions and we’re sorry you got hurt.’

  James isn’t looking the slightest bit serious. Even with his face all grazed up and covered in cream he’s grinning. ‘Are you kidding me? That was the best fun I’ve had in years. Thanks guys.’

  Our mothers look at each other in surprise.

  Beside me, Ranga takes a huge ragged breath. He’s smiling but crying at the same time.

  ‘I’m the one in hospital,’ James says. ‘What are you bawling about?’

  Ranga grins
through watery eyes. ‘Nothing.’

  ‘Does it hurt a lot?’ I ask, pointing at James’ face.

  James shrugs. ‘No more than the rest of me hurts all the time when I’m cramping. Sticks stacked it worse in the skate park, I reckon.’ Saying that, he pauses for a second. ‘Hey! What day is it?’

  ‘Saturday,’ I tell him.

  James looks puzzled. ‘Isn’t the skateboard contest on today? How come you aren’t there?’

  Ranga smiles. ‘It isn’t important.’

  James shakes his head. ‘You would have won.’

  ‘There’s always next year,’ Ranga says.

  Right then, a big clap of thunder goes off and the rain that’s been threatening for the last couple of days finally starts to really pelt down.

  22

  As soon as he gets home James comes over to my house. It’s only been four days since we visited him in hospital but apart from a few scabs he looks fine. It turned out he wasn’t hurt as badly as he could have been. Mum and Dad told me that if the pump had been damaged and it let go too much muscle relaxer it might have relaxed his heart because it’s a muscle too. He could have died right then.

  When I think about the accident I see James lying there all crumpled and covered in blood with Ranga wailing next to me. At first it felt real, like it was happening all over again, but now it’s more like a bad dream. The last four days have stretched out forever. They were both hurt badly that day but James is already pretty much over it. He wants a game of Dip and Gunk.

  Mum puts on the kettle for us and I’m just getting the ramp ready for James to roll into the house when he calls, ‘Hey Sticks! Ranga just ran out on the road without looking. He’s coming here.’

  Ranga leans over as he pelts past the letterbox. He’s beaming. ‘James, you’re home!’

  ‘Yeah!’ says James as if it was never in doubt.

  ‘Milo’s ready, boys,’ Mum calls from the kitchen. ‘Oh, hello Warren. Do you want a Milo?’

  ‘Ta, Mrs Whyte. That’d be great.’ He looks nervous.

  Mum gives him a big smile as though she actually likes him. ‘It was nice of you to try and do something for James,’ she says and then she looks around at all of us, ‘but you guys should think about what might go wrong before you do anything like that again.’

  We all nod together. I know I will, but I bet caution doesn’t even enter Ranga’s head next time he gets an idea. James’ either. I just hope I can get them to listen to me.

  Mum puts our cups on the table and we all sit down.

  ‘Guess what, guys,’ Ranga says. ‘The contest was postponed to this weekend ’cause of the storm. Mum says I can go in it.’

  James gives a hoot so loud that I jump.

  23

  Ranga is about to win the skateboard contest and we’re all here to watch.

  I can’t wait to watch him go off in the final battle round! He’s already blitzed the heats. No one came close even though Ranga was playing it safe. He only did the moves he can pull off one hundred per cent of the time. In the early battle rounds he pulled out some of his more technical moves. He was the best by miles but he’s still got heaps left in reserve. That bully kid, Luke, has been blitzing it too but I reckon he’s been skating at his limit. I don’t think he can step it up from here.

  Jess squeezes my hand. I’ve been rocking back and forth and saying, ‘Come on, Ranga!’ under my breath. My legs are jiggling. Jess smiles at me and I feel the grin on my face grow wider. I can’t stop it, it just spreads and spreads. Could today get any better? My grin is probably at my ears by now. James must feel the same because his face is nearly splitting in half except for when one of those random expressions comes and goes.

  Ranga’s mum is sitting next to Mum and Dad. I think she’s happy. She’s smiling but her eyes are full of tears. Parents are funny like that — kind of mixed up. Mum’s looking a bit teary too, but everything makes her teary, even birthdays.

  Jess looks like she’s about to say something when they announce the start of the final. Ranga and Luke are standing up there on the edge of the track with the officials. The judges are all there with their pads waiting. When the announcer says their names, Ranga and Luke raise their arms like they are boxers or something. Then they shake hands.

  I breathe out. I kind of expected Luke to do something, but he looks okay — even friendly! Ranga is smiling too, as though he’s not nervous at all, but he’s scratching his arm. That’s what he does when he’s worried. All of a sudden a little dark cloud of doubt comes sneaking into the back of my mind. I’m trying to push it away when Luke starts his first run.

  I hate to admit it but Luke goes off. He seems to have found a new level. Everything is working. Today his airs are higher and he sticks the landings. For the whole minute of his run he flies all over the place like a pro. The judges are nodding and when he finishes everyone claps.

  Then it’s Ranga’s turn. He stands on the edge and licks his lips. Then he tips over the edge and he’s off. I feel myself relaxing. Ranga has lifted his level too. Not just one level either. He looks like something from the future. It’s not just his moves, how technical they are or how high his airs are, it’s how he links them together. I’m just thinking Ranga has it in the bag when he falls — hard! He’s up straightaway but he’s hurt his arm. He finishes his run and stands there holding it across his body. I feel sick.

  When the scores are read out Luke is in front. Only by a little, but he’s full of confidence. I’m thinking about what a jerk he is when he turns to Ranga. I can’t hear what they are saying but Ranga shakes his head. Then Luke says something else and Ranga smiles and nods.

  Then Luke starts his next run. It’s almost the same as the first. He does the same moves, just in a different order. There might not be that much diversity but he kills it. He’s going to get another great score.

  Ranga looks nervous this time. He’s flexing his hand, making a fist and then stretching his fingers out like a starfish. He steps up to the ramp, then he looks across at all of us. We all cheer our faces off. He nods and smiles, then tips over the edge.

  I shouldn’t have worried. Ranga goes so high on his airs he almost goes into outer space. He invents grinds you’d think were camera tricks if they weren’t in front of you and his final move was some sort of flip doublerotation that happened so fast and went so high I couldn’t have even imagined it. The crowd goes ballistic as he kickflips his board into his hand and lands light as a feather on the starting platform at the end of his run. I’m cheering like a lunatic when I notice Dad doing a little war dance and punching the air. It’s weird, but cool.

  We have to wait for a few minutes as they tally scores but I think Ranga has won. Still anything can happen so we sit there, waiting. Finally the announcer calls Ranga and Luke up to the stage. He pauses for a moment, then declares that Ranga has the first set of perfect ten scores ever given by all the judges. He’s won. The cheering and war dancing start all over again. Ranga’s mum rushes up to him and hugs and kisses him, right there in front of everyone, but instead of it being uncool and embarrassing, it makes the crowd cheer even louder — even when she inspects his arm, like he’s a little kid. Just like always, she’s patching him up when he’s hurt himself.

  Then Jess is hugging me and jumping up and down at the same time. I’m hugging her back and she kisses me, in front of everyone. It’s nice and I close my eyes for a moment but when I open them, over Jess’ shoulder I see James looking at us. There is the saddest look on his face. It’s only there for a moment. He blinks it away, smiles and gives me his version of a thumbs-up sign.

  24

  I stand at the edge of the skate park with my right foot on the back of my skateboard. I’m just as scared as ever but I’m not going to give up. I lean forward but my chicken legs won’t push me off. I try again and they still won’t obey me. Then James yells out, ‘One, two, three, go!’ and I do. There’s a moment of panic and suddenly I’m flying up the other side. Then I manage
to pull my first ever air. It’s a tiny one, I know, but it feels like the biggest air ever, and I land it. I’m so shocked I just fly back up the other side and kick out.

  James and Ranga are hooting and I bow. I’m getting set to go again when I feel like somebody is right behind me. I spin around and it’s Luke. My eyes dart from side to side, looking for a way to escape. There isn’t one. He steps closer.

  ‘Cool move,’ he says.

  The End

  About the Author

  Geoff was born in the mountains of New Guinea. As a baby he liked to sit in a sand pit on the edge of the jungle, scoffing bananas. His manners have improved a little since then. Now he likes surfing, fixing up old cars and of course, writing stories. He has been a primary school teacher for thirty-five years and thinks that is why his stories are for children. His wife says he just never grew up.

  Geoff teaches at Kinross Primary School where he is always amazed at the fantastic stories the children in his class write and read to each other.

  Geoff is the author of two picturebooks: Ca-a-r Ca-a-a-r (1996) and Punzie ICQ (1999); and several novels: The Real Facts Of Life (2001), Grave of the Roti Men (2003), Babies Bite (2004), The Master (Walker, 2009) and Water (Scholastic, 2010).

  These days Geoff lives in Perth with his beautiful wife Sindy. Their two children, Jade and Josh, have grown up, left home and now have children of their own.

  You can find out more about Geoff on his website:

  www.geoffhavel.com