Edenham Comprehensive

Tyler’s not at school the next day. The rumours are spreading around the school like wildfire, all completely and utterly ridiculous as usual, but there is some element of truth in them. They all put it down to the fight yesterday between him and Reuben.

People give Reuben strange looks as he passes them in the hallway on the way to the registration, a mixture of fear and wondering and something that looks suspiciously like admiration. It’s a little unsettling but, noticing his consternation, Casey gives him a reassuring smile and squeezes his hand a little, and he can’t help but smile back.

They’re in their form room when they find out about Tyler’s mysterious absence, overhearing a conversation between a group of girls behind them that goes something like this:

“Did you hear? Tyler’s not in school today.”

“Oh-em-gee, do you think he’s like, okay?”

Reuben and Casey roll their eyes in unison, still pretending not to be listening.

“I heard he was in hospital or something. He was pretty badly hurt after yesterday.”

“No, I heard he wasn’t showing his face out of shame or something.”

“That’s so not true. Tyler let Reuben beat him up. He didn’t want to hurt him. He’s got nothing to be ashamed of. He was being the bigger man.”

Reuben’s mouth drops open and he snorts derisively, muttering something to the effect of ‘I’ll show them who’s the bigger man’, only much less polite. Casey bites back a smile, shaking her head at him.

“I heard it was because of his sister.”

The girls fall silent as if trying to be respectful. It doesn’t last long; within thirty seconds they’re discussing the various attractive parts of Tyler’s anatomy, including but not limited to ‘his dreamy blue eyes’.

Reuben makes a disgusted face and turns away from them. “No accounting for taste, is there?” Casey chuckles lightly. “So why do you think Tyler isn’t here?” he asks, sounding uncertain.

She shrugs, not looking particularly bothered. “He’s probably still sore about yesterday – literally and figuratively – and figured a broken nose was as good an excuse as any to skive school.”

“You think he’s all right, then?” he says, with only the slightest twinge of guilt. But it’s enough to let her know what’s going through his mind.

Casey places a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Reuben, you didn’t hurt him that badly. Couple of scratches, few more bruises and a broken nose. Not exactly life-threatening, is it?”

He nods somewhat doubtfully. “I suppose.” He leans back in his chair, staring thoughtfully at the wall opposite. Somehow, though, she can tell it’s not the wall-mounted display he’s seeing. “So what happens when Tyler’s not around? Do all the rules go to shit and people start going crazy?”

“Not likely,” Casey snorts. “His deputy keeps people in order, and besides, people are too scared of what Tyler would do to them when he got back.”

“Well that’s crap,” Reuben mutters. “People really need to lighten up around here.” And then his face flashes with inspiration, and a wide smile appears on his face.

She narrows her eyes at him. “What?”

He only winks at her. Jumping over his desk, he clambers onto the empty teacher’s desk at the front of the class and surveys his classmates.

“Gather round, everyone!” he calls, cupping his hands around his mouth. People turn, facing him, their expressions a mixture of curiosity and confusion. “As you may have noticed, our illustrious leader is mysteriously absent today. Do you know what that means?”

A few people call out ‘no’s but most people just look bored, or aren’t interested. Reuben resists the urge to roll his eyes.

“Tyler isn’t here. He can’t control you. He can’t stop you. You can do whatever you like,” he enunciates, his voice carrying easily over their heads. “Anything. Absolutely anything.” He glances round the blank faces, frowning. “Don’t any of you remember what it was like to be free?”

Clearly not. This crowd’s going to need some more encouragement, he realises.

“Come on, people. Lighten up a little!” he exclaims. “You can’t tell me you actually enjoy being mindless, brainless sheep. Start a riot! Kick a chair over!”

Someone actually does kick over a chair, and Reuben’s torn between cheering and smacking his face into his palm.

“I didn’t mean literally,” he mutters. “Guys, don’t you get what I’m saying? Just for once, just for today, go crazy. Do whatever takes your fancy. Go mental. There’s no one to stop you from completely and utterly losing it.” He looks round at them, seeing the reluctance in their eyes. “Bloody hell, how much encouragement do you lot need to break the rules for once?” Reuben wonders, shaking his head. “We need chaos. Pure, simple chaos. Think you can manage that?”

A few people still look confused, but lots are nodding, looking enthusiastic. Chaos is an attractive prospect, particularly if they’re the ones causing it. As he jumps down from the desk, he can hear people discussing plots, thinking up ways to break both Tyler’s rules and the rules imposed on them by the school itself. He can’t help but grin as he makes his way back to his chair.

Casey’s arms are folded, her lips set into a thin line. “Nice speech. Reuben, are you sure this is a good idea?”

He leans back in his chair, his lips curled into a smile. “Yep. It’s about time this school had some good old-fashioned anarchy.”

***

By the time lunch rolls around, twelve people in their year alone have gotten detentions for messing around, being insolent and, in a few cases, breaking things. Mindless vandalism is a start, but they’re going to need to be more organised if they’re going to truly make a difference.

Reuben glances around himself as he and Casey make their way outside, and he thinks, for the first time, that he might actually be in a normal school. People are talking and laughing and there’s actual noise: the sounds of people going about their daily lives and having a good time doing it. Gone are the silent hallways, filled with fear and oppression. And all it took was a few simple words, spread like a virus through the school from one person to another. He tries to think about what life could be like if it was like this every day, but the notion is too tantalisingly wonderful to think about for too long.

“I think you may have been right,” Casey comments as they pass a football game made up of Grade 1s, 2s and 3s from all years. “Maybe people did just need a kick up the backside to get this started.”

Reuben only smiles, hardly daring to hope that this could be it. That Tyler would come back tomorrow and it would all be over. That he’d never be able to impose his tyrannical authority on them ever again.

But then, as they turn the corner to their spot, they catch sight of something that makes them grind to a halt.

There’s two boys standing a few feet in front of them, one backed up against the fence and the other towering over him, his fingers curled into fists at his sides. He’s a Grade 1, he’s got to be, and the other is his Grade 3 slave.

“Where’s my homework, Ian?” the Grade 1 demands, jabbing his finger in the Grade 3’s chest, who winces. “I needed it done by today. Today.”

“I’m s-sorry, G-Gareth,” Ian stammers, pushing his glasses up his nose. “I d-didn’t have enough t-time.”

“D-didn’t you?” Gareth mimics him, sneering. “Tough. Does the phrase ‘I own you’ mean anything to you?”

In that instant, Ian looks terrified. “P-please, I’m s-sorry, I’ll d-do it, I p-promise. I can g-give it to you t-tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow isn’t good enough,” Gareth replies, in a deceptively soft tone. “See, I’m going to get it in the neck now for not having my homework. Is that my fault?” Ian doesn’t respond; he’s too terrified. “Is it?” Gareth repeats, more roughly this time.

“N-no,” Ian squeaks.

“No,” Gareth repeats with a certain amount of satisfaction, “it isn’t. So you’re going to have to be punished.”

And that’s when Reuben’s had enough. He starts towards them just as Gareth grabs the other boy by his collar, but before he can reach them, four familiar boys appear from seemingly nowhere and advance upon Gareth.

One of them steps forward, smiling benignly.

“Marty,” Gareth says evenly, hauling Ian around in front of him as if using him as a human shield. “How you doing?”

“Great, thanks,” Marty replies cheerfully. “I’d be a whole lot better if you let go of Ian here, though.”

Gareth’s face screws up with confusion. “Huh?”

“Let go of him, Gareth,” Sam says calmly, stepping forward so he’s in line with Marty. Raj and Dean join on either side of them, and suddenly they look a whole lot more threatening than Gareth, standing there all by himself.

He seems to realise this. Narrowing his eyes, he glares at each of them in turn. “You can’t tell me what to do. I’m a higher Grade than you.”

“So?” Raj challenges. “Why does that make you in any way better than us?”

Gareth splutters, clutching for an answer, but the truth is, there is none. All the carefully constructed arguments fall to pieces when there’s nothing to back them up any more.

“Why don’t you do the whole of humanity a favour and go back to the rock you crawled out from under, eh?” Marty says, his voice uncharacteristically cold.

“Who’s going to make me?” Gareth sneers, and for a moment his bravado has returned. “You lot? Don’t make me laugh. You wouldn’t dare touch me.”

They seem to falter at that, sagging, losing some of whatever it is that made them perform this unbelievable act of chivalry. But then Dean, the tallest of them, takes a step towards Gareth, peering down critically from several inches above him.

“Wouldn’t we?” he says softly, and for a moment there’s something in his eyes, something nameless and powerful and dangerous. “You’re outnumbered.”

Gareth’s eyes flick nervously from Dean to the other three, looking as menacing as they can manage. Which, in all honesty, is not particularly much, but still. He glances at Ian, who seems to be standing a little straighter now, then back to Dean.

“He’s not worth it, anyway,” he mutters, grudgingly conceding defeat. Without another word, he storms away, shoving past the boys as he goes.

Ian looks up at them, his eyes welling up with a gratefulness he can’t ever express. Dean gives him an awkward pat on the back, and the other three grin at him.

“Ian, right?” Marty says casually. “Fancy hanging out with us for the rest of lunch?”

“S-sure,” Ian says, smiling widely.

And without another word, the five of them walk away, past Reuben and Casey hiding in the shadows.

He steps forward, his mouth hanging open. She joins him, shaking her head with disbelief. They look up at each other, and promptly burst out laughing.

“That was amazing,” she whispers, once their laughter has subsided. “Just- amazing.”

“Unity,” Reuben says softly, “truly is a wonderful thing.”

***

“I can’t believe how well that went,” Reuben chuckles as he and Casey walk out of school at the end of the day. “It was like- it was like the system had never even been there.”

Casey nods, but she doesn’t share his enthusiasm. Anarchy never really appealed to her. “I suppose.”

“You suppose?” He nudges her gently. “Case, it was incredible. If we can do that in one day, think of what we could do with Tyler gone forever...”

He trails off, staring at the clouded-over sky, a dreamy expression on his face. Shaking her head, Casey starts off without him, expecting him to catch up.

“Reuben?” comes a very, very familiar voice from behind him. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

Reuben pivots slowly, the smile dripping off his face. “Georgia. What do you want?”

The Grade 1 looks tired, like she hasn’t slept in days. Good, Reuben thinks vehemently. Serves her right to be guilty after what she’s done. His hostility must show on his face because she gives him a strange look.

“Are you okay?” she asks uncertainly.

He grits his teeth. “Never been better. Now did you want something? I’ve got to catch Casey up.”

“I was just wondering what really happened with Tyler yesterday,” she says quickly. “I mean, there’s so many stories going around, I figured I should go to you for the truth.”

“Why don’t you ask him?” he replies roughly. “I mean, seeing as you two are such best buddies and all.”

Her forehead creases into a frown. “What? What are you on about?”

“Don’t act innocent,” he snaps. “Tyler had you spying on us for him. You told him everything.”

“What- Reuben, what the hell are you talking about?” she demands.

“You fed me all that crap about him breaking your heart but the truth is, you don’t even have one, do you?” he says bitterly. “You’re a cold, heartless bitch, Georgia. I never should’ve believed anything else.”

He turns to leave, but she grabs him by his shoulder and spins him back round.

“I don’t know where you get off accusing me of all this shit but I am not a spy and I do not appreciate being called one,” she growls, her eyes narrowed into slits. “I don’t know where you got this ridiculous idea from but-”

“Tyler told me, okay?” he cuts her off, shrugging off her hand. “He knows everything and it’s all down to you. He told me. Some friend he is, eh?”

“You believe him?” Georgia exclaims, incredulous.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do.” Reuben glares at her. “He knows things. Things no one else knew except you. He knows about me and Casey. He knows about the plan. He knows about my family and it’s all your fault.”

“Hold on a second-”

“No,” he says harshly. “I will not hold on a second. Tyler cornered me, tried riling me up by telling me he knows, and that it’s all down to you and that guy he’s got following me. Then when that didn’t work, he tried using Casey and when that didn’t work he used my family and I lost it and I hit him and I started beating the living shit out of him and if Casey hadn’t pulled me off him when she did I would have killed him.” He exhales slowly, raising his eyes off the floor to look at her. “That’s what you wanted to know, right? The fruits of your labour? Well congratulations, you did it. I hope you’re happy with the bastard.”

“Reuben, I- I didn’t do this,” she whispers, her voice catching. “I swear, it wasn’t me. I didn’t tell him anything.”

He smiles bitterly, looking at her sideways on. “You know what the worst part is? I thought you were better than this. I thought you were like us. But you’re not.”

“Reuben, I am not a spy!” she protests, her whole body shaking. “I didn’t even know he knew!”

“If it’s not you then who is it?” he says quietly. “Eh?” Silence. “Knew it,” he mutters, turning away from her.

“Reuben-”

“Don’t.” His voice is razor-sharp, and she flinches as if he’s slapped her. “Just don’t.”

He storms off, cold fury etched in every line on his face. Georgia stares after him, nonplussed. A single tear trickles down her cheek, and she lifts a feeble hand to wipe it away. Then, with a quiet exhalation of breath, she turns and trudges away.

It’s typical, really – nothing good ever lasts. The bad is always lurking around in the background, waiting to leech the goodness out of everything it touches.