Timothy`s boarding school

Chapter 4 - Temple run

It's Monday morning and today is the day I have my first practice with my new hockey team. The school could to afford to get us a coach therefore the role of training the team solely rested on me the captain. Our manager, also the Superintended came once in a while to check on us, usually the day before a game. He generally did not involve himself in the technicality and dynamics of the team.

Its 3.30 pm I am at the school grounds looking at the team I have to deal with. The team had ten form 4s, two upper sixes and fifteen juniors, making a total of twenty-nine pupils. We hardly had enough equipment as we had only twelve school hockey sticks and a couple of personal ones in addition to only six balls. This lack of equipment was attributed to the fact that soccer was considered the main sport of the school; therefore almost all funds were diverted its way. This was going to be a long season.

There were going to be hockey trials later in the season for draft into the provincial team therefore very rigorous training had to be done in preparation. The vice captain of the team was my home boy Tairees Kyle; we just called him TK in short. He was on par level with me in skill but was often referred as being better than me as he played a striking position whilst I played defense. Therefore he scored goals and I didn't, which made a lot of difference to some people. I start the training with a few running exercises.

"Why do we have to run? Can't we play a game instead?" Ashley says definitely looking bored.

"Yes, let's play a game, we will run at our own free time, because this is boring." Mike says in support of Ashley.

"No we can't, we have to get fit first or we are going to be the team at the bottom of the league table." Theo cuts me off before I can say anything. I loved the way Theo was always on my side during hockey practice. It's like he leaves his true self before coming for training.

"Who cares, I am pretty sure no one wants to come back to this damn shithole of a school next year unless I'm wrong" says Mike in frustration.

"Well true that maybe we still have a legacy to leave. We have juniors in our team remember?" I try to reason with him.

"If you make us do this fitness drills tomorrow, I'm definitely not coming for practice again" Mike says definitely trying to annoy me.

"Me too" chants a couple of juniors in unison and some seniors.

"Well guys how do you expect to win if we are not fit? I promise it's only for this week and then we move on to the game situation drills." I was definitely not ready to be captain of an empty team.

We finish our fitness drills, stretch and head straight to the hostel to take a shower. We unfortunately finished our training at the same time with the soccer boys, so the showers were ultimately packed. I managed to get an empty shower between Jack and Ryan. I always felt intimated bathing with other boys, I tried not to look but I always ended up comparing myself to next person. I always imagined myself a lesser man because of that. I look at my left side and see Ryan butt naked, water dripping done his light brown skin, shimmering in response to the sunset piercing through the high windows. He turns and looks at me. I swallow hard. I wonder why I always felt that way towards him.

"Ohhh hie Tim, how was your training with the other ladies" he manages a cheeky smile as he says it. Hockey was considered a girls' sport at our school as it had, mostly skinny nerdy guys that rarely worked out, if at all.

"Very funny Ryan, coming from someone who's the water boy of the team" I manage a cackle. Ryan was by no doubt very passionate about soccer but unfortunately soccer didn't feel the same way about him. So he rarely got a chance to play or even meet the team select. This really took a toll on him but he always never lost hope none the less.

"Would you guys hurry up? I'm punishing anyone who comes late for dinner "shouted Michael from the door in grave annoyance.

We finish up quickly and rush for dinner. Tonight there was going to be spaghetti and meat balls, my favorite. Definitely did not want to miss this rare speciality.

Anne the head girl arrives at my table and hands me a plate full of tonight's delights.

"Who is it from?" I ask, "Glenda. She said she still needs your help with Rodney". Ooh how could I forget Rodney and Glenda were still going for each other's throats, they needed me to mend their relationship again.

"Thank you" I say to Anne as she leaves my table. During all our meals in the dining hall prefects would stand as waiters, serving the students and then eat after we were gone. Most students fancied sending food to either their boyfriends/girlfriends but the prefects generally ignored their patty requests.

After dinner we immediately go for Study. Study was from 18:00 to 20:00 and we studied in rooms according to our forms. Our study monitor was Barret, the meanest prefect ever. He would release us thirty minutes late every time just for the fun of it. My desk mate during study was Valentine, the king of jokes and sarcasm. He could make you laugh no matter the mood you were in. Boys studied separate from girls for obvious reasons.

"Hey! did you hear what they said about Michael" Valentine asks me, definitely holding down a laugh."What?" I respond.

"They said, during the holiday Michael wakes up his family at four in morning telling them to get ready or he will punish them" he sniggers. Definitely not one of his best lines but I did slide in a chuckle just for the effort.

Barret looks at us, draws in his eyebrows, narrows his lips and says "Do you mind sharing the joke?" We both look away and act as if nothing had happened. In this poor lighting all thanks to the principal's lousy maintenance, we bet he could hardly tell if it was us for sure.

Just as I thought we were in the clear, Valentine whispers in my ear "Look at his eyes. I think he is the one who inspired Thomas Edison to create the light bulb." I could not take it anymore; I burst into feats of laughter and he follows right after. Barret had fairly big eyes. His stream mates would refer to him as the owl, as he could see everything, they mused.

It turns out I will be visiting Mr Daniels again tomorrow. Today in the morning when we went to his office for our crime of playing Fifa whilst others were at the function, he had forgiven us and put us on absolute last warning. Now the prospect of visiting him again tomorrow, it's definitely making my stomach turn. Just as we were about to leave Barret's table, Michael walks in and sees us.

"Tim, you are in trouble again?" he looks at Barret "Why don't you let me deal with Tim here, we have unfinished business to work out." I don't have any a business with him. What does he want with me? I ask myself.

"Sure" Barret says "and make sure, you make his punishment very thorough"

"Don't you worry about it. I have got something lined up just for him" Michael says with a smirk on his face. I swallow hard and my heart starts beating very fast. Guess Valentine will be visiting the vice-principal alone.

Michael takes me to the senior hostel, the scariest place on compass. He takes me up the stairs, into a room at the end of the corridor on the second floor. That was the herd boy's room I reckon I heard. He first knocks and then opens the door. My eyes are met with five other pairs. The head boy, Daniel (naughtiest kid in the school), O'Neil (Daniel's best friend) and two girls who I recognize seeing but don't really know their names, all looked at me with enigmatic faces.

"What is he doing here" asked the head boy, now staring at Michael.

"I thought you needed someone to escort these girls back to the girls' hostel" he stops, takes a breath and says "well I brought you someone"

Holy s**t no way I'm getting caught with girls at this hour. I could get expelled and this damn well, won't sit well with my mother. She will definitely chase me out of the house. I start breathing heavily agitated clearly showing my discomfort. Michael holds me done with his right hand. To make it worse I suddenly notice that the girls were half naked. I'm so dead.

The head boy looks at me, clearly seeing the fear in my eyes and says "He will do just perfect" I thought he was the head boy and supposed to protect me, I guess I put my hope in the wind.

"He is such a sweet boy" says one of the girls with a joint in her right hand and the other massaging my ear lobe. She leans in on my face, ready to kiss me, I immediately look away. I could smell the strong scent of beer in her breadth. I guess she was drunk too.

She stands up straight, chuckles and says "I guess he is a bit shy"

I was to be the lookout for the girls as they entered illegally back through the gap in the fence into their hostel. If there was to be trouble I was supposed to create a diversion for them. My heart was definitely beating out of my chest. I should have gone to the vice-principal's office I jitter in regret. The whole boys' crew in the room threatened me with quite overwhelming consequences if the girls were to get caught or if I tried to report them.

I hide behind a tree as I watch the girls walk unsteadily to their entrance point. They fall once or twice before reaching it. As there were about to try to lift the fence, I spot the guard with his flashlight and dog coming their way. My body turns to stone. I have got to do something. That was a big dog, I couldn't outrun it. The guard almost reaching the girls, I nervously throw a stone right for his face. It connects and he turns to see my shadowy figure against the tree, he sends the dog after me. I make a run for it.

I avoid our hostel as it would be too easy to spot me out. I had for the classrooms, jump in through the low lying windows and had straight for the storeroom. I hide in the storeroom for  a considerate about of time and hope the girls made it. I wait it out and let the guard disappear from the scene.

I head for the hostel, after I notice that he is gone but to my surprise I find the hostel fence locked. I had forgotten that they lock the fence at exactly 10:30. I couldn't go the guard to ask him to open as it would be obvious; it was me he saw earlier. It means I have to sleep in one of the classrooms tonight. At least I was still wearing my uniform. The gate will be opened at 6:00 exactly the time for people to go for breakfast.

I head back to the classrooms; make a nice bed for myself on top of books in the storeroom. I reluctantly go to sleep hoping to wake a few minutes just before breakfast. I look at my watch as I doze off, it glowed 11:00.

I wake up at exactly 10 minutes before breakfast. "s**t s**t, I'm so late!!!" I say to the empty desks and chairs in the classroom. I exit and rush to the tap outside. I quickly was my face, polish my shoes with a piece of cloth I had in my pocket and dust myself up. I tried to look at myself in the water puddle under the tap, I didn't look that bad.

I rush for breakfast as I was already late. I get in the hall, everyone's already sited and I try to act as normal as possible. I suddenly feel so self conscious, as I notice the head boy glaring at me in addition to Michael's piercing glare. I put my head down and continue towards my table. The superintended Mr Stevens stops me in my tracks.

"Hello Mr Greensdale? Aren't you the early bird today." he says definitely trying to be sarcastic.

"I'm sorry sir, wanted to leave our room spotless. I was on sweeping duty today." He looks at me with suspicion in his eye, definitely measuring me from head to toe. I give a cheesy smile. He nods for me to go to my table. It seems he had fallen for my lousy excuse.

As I sit down, I notice Theo's curiosity. He really did want to know where I was but too bad I was going to tell him nothing. I look behind, I notice Yayen giving me his "what have done look?" I look away definitely in exhaustion of the last 12 hours' activities and continue eating my scrambled eggs.