Just outside of Westport, Nz.
Jayden pulled back the throttle, feeling the engine roar beneath him. He had always believed it was almost alive, a raw beast of power. The vibrations against his legs was the beast purring, eager for speed.
Sizing up the mound of sand, he narrowed his eyes and let the bike loose. Feeling the gentle purring building into a steady roar, Jayden bent over the tank, guiding the bike with steady hands.
The jump grew in his vision, quickly getting closer and closer. Jayden held his breath as he hit, the bike launching into the air. He was flying.
Seconds stretched, as Jayden felt the air rush into his helmet and sting his eyes. He sailed clear over the dune, landing with a thud on the flat sand.
“Jay man! Did you see that hangtime? That was awesome!”
Jay turned to see another bike circle the dune and come skid to a halt beside him.
“How could I see it, Pete, if I was doing it?” Jay smiled, his voice thick with good-humored mockery.
“Ah, shuddup.”
Jay pulled off his helmet, exposing his face to the cold winds that dominated that part of the beach. He took a deep breath, tasting the salt in the air as it crossed his tongue. Jay closed his eyes, his bike idling beneath him, his long black hair damp with sweat. I love moments like this, he thought, feeling a sense of peace spread through his mind.
“Jay, enough meditating! Come’n!”
Jay opened his eyes and glared at his friend. “I wasn’t meditating. I was just hot.”
“Yeah sure man, now come on!”
Pete revved his bike and shot away, spraying sand into Jayden’s face.
Jay growled as he felt sand work its way down his top, seeking out tender areas to chafe. Jamming his helmet back on his head, the sun glinting off the gilded cross plastered on the side. Lifting his foot, he shot after the quickly disappearing dirtbike.
“You really got me a good one.”
Pete glanced up at his friend from where he was walking his dirt bike, watching him shake sand out of his top.
“You deserved it! Nobody mocks Peter Jones.”
“Actually, they do. You’re just too thick to notice.” Jay flashed a grin across at Pete, who glared back. “Whatever, man.”
Jay turned back to walking down the gravel road, knowing he had struck a nerve. Peter had always been a little stingy, Jayden felt, quick to criticize, quicker to take offence. He lifted his eyes to the ridgeline of the surrounding hills, erupting over the trees. Those hills overshadowed the town of Westport. They had been standing guard over coasters for centuries, embracing the township in a ring of uneven peaks.
In Jay’s opinion, the town itself was small, insignificant. Few visited, and even fewer stayed. This was fine with him, as he was used to the sleepy life of living in a small town. Jay would often ride down the lagoon, where the port was visited by only a few large cement boats and the fishing fleet, and always stunk of fish. Once this port was busy, teeming with activity. But once the gold was worked out of the coast, the people stopped coming, the workers left, and Westport shrank. The only other source of income was the coalmines up on one of the ridges surrounding the town, the ultimate destination of any teen planning to stay in town.
Jayden and Pete reached the end of the gravel road and halted. Ahead were houses, bordering one of the busiest roads in the town. To their left was another road, less well maintained, leading to the horse paddocks and a few small hobby farms.
“So, see you tomorrow?”
Jay nodded agreement and raised a hand as Pete turned left, and calmly walked his bike across the road. Staring blankly down the street, Jay considered jumping on his bike and trying to race home before he was spotted by one of the local cops. It was dodgy, but as the wind was picking up as the sun got lower on the horizon, turning the lush green hills a warm purple, it was looking rather attractive compared to walking home in the cold.
He was just about to jump on when he saw a cop turn out of a side street up ahead, and thought better of it. It seemed it would be the slow walk home tonight, as his bike was not roadworthy. Jay tramped down the road, keeping as left as possible, aware that the police car was slowing down as it passed, getting a good look at him in case he caused trouble later.
Jay looked straight ahead, resisting the urge to turn and glare. That would be just asking to be pulled up and asked where exactly he was going with a dirtbike, as well what he had been doing, etc.
The police were rather suspicious of Westport’s youth, as it has always been a major cause of vandalism, drunken behavior, and other petty problems around town that took up officer’s time, much better spent, they felt, on chasing down drivers and handing out tickets.
Eventually, the cop sped up again and turned towards the tip head, a wall stretching out into the sea to keep the Buller river mouth in control. Jayden relaxed, shaking out tense muscles. He had been interrogated by mistrusting officers before, and while they had found nothing to pin him on, he always felt they knew he was doing something wrong, and if only they could pry long enough they would find something to punish him for.
Continuing his way down the road, lifted his head and took a deep breath. The air was still and cooling, fresh and crisp. He studied the clouds above him and decided they looked as though cotton wool had been crossed with an apricot, staining them a light pink. Jay laughed quietly to himself at the thought. Since when did he study clouds anyway?
He was still musing to himself when he reached the High school Perched on a corner, it was a miserable building, in spite of the efforts to brighten up the grounds with plant life. Gum trees shaded the side enterance, spreading leaves and small gum nuts everywhere, perfect for tripping over and rolling your ankle. New picnic tables sat underneath, almost always covered in a thin film of water, making them useless for anything but a place for students to test out their graffiti skills.
“Hey look! It’s Jayden.!”
Jayden lifted his head, pushing his fringe out of his eyes. His eyes met those of another teenage boy, standing next to the wall of the office building. The teen's short dark hair was spiked up, no doubt with the hardest gel he could find. A dark coat kept the light wind off, the silver zips glinting slightly as he shifted. He forward, his heavy boots crunching against the pavement.
Spread out behind him was a large group of other teenagers, their dress in blatant imitation of their leader’s, giving the effect of a young and rather undisciplined gang.
“Jay, my man. Wanna give us a hand?”
With a wave of his hand, the boy split the group to expose the wall. Across the freshly painted extension of the office were the words ‘Skool is gay’ in florocent spray paint. Surrounding that were dozens of other comments, such as ‘Mrs Miller sux,’ and ‘we don’t need no educatin,’ written smaller and, in some cases, obviously with shaky hands.
Kelvin held his hands up, showing off their handiwork. “Like it? Feel free to add, if you like.” He grinned, his dark eyes daring Jayden.
“Show us what kind of man you are.”
Jay stared at the wall. Half the words were spelt wrong, only proving their ignorance. He laughed. “School sucks? Maybe you should try it sometime. Might improve your graffiti.”
Kelvin’s face darkened, all pretence at good humour gone. “I always knew you were a bad one, Jay.” Glancing at what Jay was holding, he grinned again. “Nice bike. Mind if I try it?”
Jay gripped tighter to the bike. Anger crept into him, heat spreading from the pit of his stomach. “Touch it and die, Kelvin.”
“Die?” Kelvin leaned back as if hurt, innocence spread across his face. “Oh, I do apologize. I didn’t realize you loved it that much. How about you married it, hey?”
In the back of his mind, Jay heard this and laughed. It was so pathetically schoolyard it made him almost feel sorry for such a dimwit. Almost.
“Yeah sure. How about, oh, you be my best man. Get to kiss the bride, eh?”
Kelvin’s expression darkened, his mouth drawn into a deep scowl. “Fuck it. How would you like it if I just took your precious bike, huh, wise guy?” Kelvin took a step forward; his followers fanning out around Jay like a flock of vultures.
Kelvin glanced around, meeting the eyes of his would-be attackers. Some held his gaze steadily, their trust in their leader complete. Others glanced down, as if shamed by their own actions. A few looked positively eager to jump Jay right then and there. Turning back to Kelvin, he smiled slightly and spoke, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
“How many guys does it take to beat up a Jay?”
“That’s it! GETTEM!”
Jay was assaulted from all sides. A foot came out of nowhere, aimed at his gut. He grabbed it and twisted it, sending the black-clad teen tumbling to the ground. Spinning on his heel, he deflected another wild punch at the side of his head, and kicked the puncher straight in the gut. He doubled over, retching, before landing on his arse. The others hang back, wary now. A few circled, watching for an opportunity. Most of the other, less experienced fighters stood still, watching Jay carefully.
“What are you waiting for?! Get in there!” Kelvin screamed, anger sending his voice into a screech. The group lunged again. Jay fell into a steady rhythm, deflecting, hitting and spinning to meet the next attacker. His breathing was steady and deep, as he was taught in his judo classes.
I always knew they would come in handy, someday, Jay thought distractedly, rolling a large attacker over his hip and sending him sprawling on the cobbles. He placed a solid punch into the next attacker's face, sending blood spraying from his nose with a crack. He fell back, screaming.
Turning, he high-kicked another teen in the chest, sending him straight into the wall, where he slumped, gasping for breath. Again, the group fell back. One guy, taller then the rest and almost as broad at the shoulder, stepped forward, cracking his knuckles.
“Oh, you’re in for it now!” Someone jeered from the onlookers.
Jay nodded. “Hello, James.”
James bared his teeth in a snarl. “Shut it, Jay.”
Jay fell into a fighting crouch. “A little one on one, hey?”
“Yeah.”
Jay braced himself for the attack. Suddenly, pain exploded from the back of his head, and Jay fell to his knees, dizzy. He put a hand down on the smooth cobbles to steady himself as James turned back into the group.
His vision swam, as his hand faded in and out of focus. Something warm and sticky dripped down his cheek, before dropping to the cobbles.
Jay peered as red flowers blossomed in front of his eyes. Vaguely he realized that it was his own blood, but it was pushed to the background as he fought back waves of pain. Kelvin stood over him, panting, the plank gripped tight in his hands. It hadn’t been a terribly strong hit, being unwieldy and awkward, but Kelvin was triumphant all the same.
“That’s what happens when you mess with me, scumbag.”
Jay’s eyes closed as nausea swept him, dragging at his consciousness.
“Kelvin! It’s the pigs!” A guy, his hair spiked up punk-rocker style, came dashing around the corner.
“Shit! Deal to you later, Jay.” Kelvin spat, turning on his heel and signaling for the others to disappear.
Then the throbbing started. Jay felt his arm give out from under him, sending him sprawling to the cobbles. Faintly Jay heard a car door slam, and a blue light flared on and off through his eyelids.
This the first chapter of a co-write between me and squallz, who will do chapter two, and so on. All crits welcome!
