Young Writers Society

On Friday, after breakfast and homeroom, a bell sent everyone flooding through the hallways and toward the auditorium’s second-floor entrance. Robert moved casually through the sea of uniforms and sauntered up to the one with the copper-coloured hair. “Hey, Nicole,” he said.

The unsuspecting female jumped. “H-hey, Robert,” Nikki said, glad that the scare was an excuse for the quiver in her voice. “You startled me.”

He laughed. “Sorry. It’s hard not to sneak up on people in a crowd.”

They entered the auditorium and went down the steps to the last empty row, filed in, and sat in an orderly fashion, which put Robert right next to Nicole. “So, how’s it going?” He angled himself toward her.

She looked at her knees, smiling. “Great, how about you?”

“Can’t complain.” Robert leaned back in his seat. “I saw you at riding the other day.”

“I know,” Nicole said.

“You were really great.”

She blushed. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Robert smiled. “You’re welcome. So, other than riding, what’s your favourite sport?”

“To watch or to play?” She finally met his eyes. Down on the stage, the headmaster was starting the assembly. He started by going over the week’s events, admonishing certain groups and praising others. But in the school of only 200, and 80 percent of them boarders, everyone knew exactly what he was going to say anyway.

Robert leaned on the arm of his seat toward Nicole, keeping his eyes forward to remain inconspicuous. “Both,” he said, quietly enough so nobody around would hear.

“Well, to play, dance, if that counts.”

“What if it doesn’t?”

“Probably tennis. To watch I’d have to say hockey.”

“Cool! Do you watch any of our school games?”

“Sometimes. I don’t go to many away games, though. First of all, I’m not a cheerleader, so I don’t often have the opportunity.”

“Not a cheerleader? Really?” Of course, he knew already knew that. He knew all the cheerleaders very well. “You probably could be. Do you want to?”

“It looks like it could be fun, but those girls are all so snooty. I tried out back in Grade 9, but I didn’t get on the squad. Since then, I’ve been so busy with other things I haven’t bothered.”

“I see.”

The headmaster rapped his cane on the stage, causing everyone to jump. “Would a certain sports captain please stop conversing with a certain red-haired young lady in the third row?”

Everybody looked at them. Nicole hid her face. Robert shrugged theatrically, so all could see. Taking up a piece of hair from her shoulder, he announced, “It’s really more of an auburn.” Nicole reddened with embarrassment as everybody laughed. The headmaster directed their attention back to the stage, and continued with the assembly.

After the crunch-schedule morning, Jumo, Rhys, and the others swarmed Nikki, overwhelming her with questions about the assembly. Eventually, the conversation turned away from how-awsome-Robert-is and how-lucky-Nikki-was-to-sit-with-him, but it seemed to Nikki that that part was exponentially longer than the following one about music.

None too soon for Nikki, the bell rang, sending everyone out of the cafeteria, across the courtyard, through the school, and onto the waiting buses. The headmaster had announced at the assembly how they would load the buses today: grade nines on bus one, grade tens on bus two, and so on. Jumo and Nikki got on bus four. Amina, Mark, and Dixie’s boyfriend Chad were already there. Jumo and Nikki took a seat together and chatted as the bus slowly filled up. Mr. Finster, the teacher from the second floor of Probita house, got on the bus and announced that each seat should have a boy by the window and a girl by the aisle. This was normal - every week they were organised differently into pairs for their work in the city.

The Helping the Homeless program was mandatory for boarding students were brought to the inner city, paired up, and given tasks that were intended to build teamwork, create positive relationships between students, and of course help the homeless. The tasks ranged from working in soup kitchens and shelters, to building affordable housing, to handing out clothes, to working with professionals in drug rehabilitation, to what was known as “street work,” being sent out in pairs to find homeless people and talk with them, tell them about the shelter’s programs, and maybe bring them there.

Robert came and leaned on the seat back in front of Nikki and Jumo. He smiled a friendly grin. “Hey, Jumo,” he said. Jumo’s heart leapt to her throat. “I think Chris looks lonely, don’t you?” He pointed a few seats ahead to a nerdish guy he had been sitting with. Chris waved and smiled with a mouthful of braces. Jumo gulped and nodded. She got up, squeezed past Robert, and went to sit with him.

Robert climbed into the window seat beside Nikki. She shifted to the aisle as he moved past. Nikki glanced around, observing who was sitting with whom: Chad and Amina, Mark and Ebony, Rein and Sarah, and so on.

Mr. Finster nodded to the bus driver and the bus started moving. Everyone looked at Mr. Finster expectantly. He took up a box from the front seat and began making his way to the back of the bus, handing out a messenger bag to each seat. “Today’s assignment is street work.” An excited murmur rose from the students. “You and the person you’re sitting with will find a homeless person, share a meal with them, and learn about why they are on the streets. Take pictures, and get his or her signature if you can. Don’t forget to give him or her information about the shelter’s programs. Individual instructions are in your bags. As always, call if you get into trouble, and the bus is leaving the shelter at four-thirty.” By this time he was back at the front of the bus, bracing himself on the front two seats. “Any questions?” There was no response. “Good.” The students’ attention turned from the teacher to each other.

Nikki sat the bag on the seat between her and Robert and took stock. The kit provided everything they would need for their task. There was a camera, a cell phone, three water bottles, and three plastic wrapped sandwiches. There was also a pen and some paper. The paper told them what area to look for their homeless person in, and the nearest teacher, who would only be a short distance away. It had some questions they could ask, as well as space to record their observations and the conversation, and a line for the person to sign on. A separate pocket held some bandages, antiseptic cream, pepper spray, and a pocket knife. Lastly, there was a pamphlet from the shelter to give out.

There were still twenty minutes left of the bus ride. Robert and Nicole resumed their conversation about hockey. The first NHL game of the season was on TV the next night, Toronto at Vancouver. “I’m definitely watching it,” declared Robert. “Because, you know, I’m from Toronto. On top of the Canucks being kind of the school’s adopted team.”

“I’m from a farm in Idaho,” Nicole laughed. “Hardly professional sports at all, unless you count tractor racing.”

Robert laughed. “Tractor racing? That’s a thing?”

“Yes!” said Nicole. She proceeded to tell him about farm life, and all the while he was thinking about how well this was going.

They arrived at the shelter, got quickly off the bus, and went in the general direction of the streets on their instructions. After a few minutes of searching, they found a girl about their age with a scarred face, ripped clothes, and extremely messy hair. She was sleeping under a muddy, torn blanket in an alcove in an alleyway. Nicole quietly took a picture.

Robert crouched down and gently woke her up with a nudge. “Go away!” she screamed, jumping up in the corner and holding her blanket around her. “I don’t have your damn money! Just go away!” She collapsed into the fetal position, crying. “Don’t hurt me, please don’t hurt me,” she whispered.

“Hey, hey,” Robert said, “This is Nicole and I’m – ”

“I said I don’t have your money!” she screeched.

“Let me,” said Nikki. She knelt down and spoke in gentle tones. “We don’t want any money. We just want to talk. Here – do you like club sandwiches?” She took one of the sandwiches out of the bag and offered it to the huddled girl, who took it eagerly. She unwrapped it and bit in ravenously. Nicole handed one of the sandwiches to Robert and took one for herself. Robert sat on a nearby milk crate as Nicole passed the water bottles around. She convinced the girl – who said her name was Jessie – that it really was water, not some vile concoction, by taking a drink out of the bottle she was holding out. Jessie took it, sniffed, and tasted it cautiously, then drank like she hadn’t seen water in days – which she might not have.

Slowly, Nicole convinced her that whoever Jessie owed money to, it wasn’t them. She explained that they were from Richard Howse Memorial Boarding School – which would explain the uniforms, Jessie noted – and they were working with the Salvation Army shelter down the road. She gave Jessie the pamphlet and got her to sign their paper.

Robert, feeling he had gained at least a little bit of trust, asked why she was on the street.

“Drugs.” Jessie shrugged.

“Haven’t you got any family?” Nicole said.

“Used to. Don’t know ‘bout anymore.”

“What made you start taking drugs?” asked Robert. He leaned ahead with interest.

“Friends, I guess, and I was bored. Started going out with this guy named Justin who used, and I didn’t want to stop, you know? Nah, rich kids like you wouldn’t understand.”

“Oh, believe me, I understand,” Nicole laughed.

“The family never have much money, see, and Justin – it was like he had everything. I was never a bad kid, just had nothing better to do with my time. Justin made drugs seem so awesome. He was a dealer. Then he left me and I was still hooked. Then I was stealing to get my fix, quit school, run away from home, and all of a sudden I’m here."

“So, who is it you owe the money to?” Nicole asked.

“A dealer. Owed him money for coke, stole from some guy to get it, turned out it was his buddy, now they’re both after me.”

“The shelter can help you,” Nicole said, glancing nervously at Robert. He nodded. “Why don’t you come back with us now?”

“What’ve I got to lose,” said Jessie, and she got up and followed them to the shelter, where a worker came and took care of her. Robert and Nikki sat down on the sidewalk to fill out their report. Between the two of them, they recalled where they had found Jessie and what had been said. Robert complimented Nicole on how pretty her handwriting was, and how well she handled the situation back there. She grinned and, as Robert had come to expect, blushed, letting her hair fall in front of her face to hide it. He felt like reaching out and tucking it behind her ear. This time it wasn’t going to be a fast-paced physical relationship like he’d had with so many others. This time he was going to do it right: slowly, create a foundation of friendship first, then build a relationship on top of that.

Nikki crossed the final t with a sweep of her arm. “And, we’re done.”

“Nikki!” Jumo called, “You are sitting with me on the ride back to school.” Nikki went over to her, smiling. They laughed and talked as they walked away. Robert leaned back on his hands and looked up at the cyan sky, quite pleased with himself.

Mark sat down beside him. “That went better than expected,” Robert said. “A friendship is budding between us.” He paused, observing the people on the street, from the way his schoolmates acted, waiting here on the sidewalk, to random strangers going about their business.

“Friendship? Since when do you want to be buddies with chicks?” Mark said.

Robert laughed. “No way, man. It’s the whole Project Perfect thing. She has to think I’m in it for the friendship.”

“What, you mean what the cheerleaders get isn’t good enough for her?” Mark chuckled.

“She’s a different kind of girl, Mark. I’m going to have with her what I tried to have with Dixie.”

“I remember that. Man, was that relationship ever backwards. From what I know of Nikki – oh, Nicole, right? From what I know of Nicole, she’s not going to be like Dixie was. Not that I’d turn down a girl like Dixie,” he laughed. A teacher whistled and signalled for everyone to get on the busses. “Hey, I’m going to sit with Ebony, ok Rob?”

Robert nodded and got on the nearest bus. He glanced around for a place to sit. Several girls sat alone, looking intently at him. He chose Penelope, a new cheerleader this year, yet to go through initiation. He asked nicely if he could sit by her, and of course she said yes. He asked would she mind terribly if he sat by the window? No problem at all.

He sat and rested his forehead on the seat ahead. She was sure to know what was expected of her, the older cheerleaders made that very clear early on. Robert knew, too, what had come to be expected of him. This was exactly what he meant when he said it was too easy around here. The problem was, he had three girls to initiate, but he would have a lot less time than he usually liked. He’d have to do all three “rituals” before things got too serious with Nicole. Even now he’d have to be a little extra creative. He didn’t know what she knew about the initiation, and he’d like to keep it that way. The cheerleaders tried to keep it mostly within their ranks to lessen the chances of teachers finding out. He wanted Nicole to trust him like his parents used to trust each other. Guys like him didn’t just get that kind of trust. One-woman guys like Mark got that kind of trust. As much as he enjoyed his lot in life, he always envied Mark’s stability.

“Are you ok?” Penelope had such a caring attitude. What a shame that she was associating with those snobs.

“Yeah, I’m find. I’ve just got a headache.” He cleared his throat.

“So, um, Dixie was telling me and the other first timers about certain things all the cheerleaders do when they first get on the squad. I… um…”

“How about tomorrow night?” She gulped and nodded. He told her where and when to meet him. She seemed nervous, so he got her talking about something she liked. He put his forehead against the seat again and went back to thinking about Project Perfect. When she stopped talking because she thought he wasn’t listening, he assured her he was, reminding her of his headache. He asked something about her favourite band to convince her, which kept her happy all the way back to school.

Jumoke had to know about every second Nikki spent with Robert, and had her say it over again at supper. Nikki hoped Rhys, Sabrina, and the others would get tired of hearing about her friendship with Robert, but no such luck. The girls kept asking questions until they knew every last detail about Robert.

The football team had an away game that evening, and there was ample bussing, so a large portion of the student population was gone for the evening. Jumo went along, and took her giant yellow “Jumo loves Robert” sign. The halls were almost silent when Nikki left her room after getting changed out of her uniform. She spent the evening in perfect peace: after finishing her homework and paying a visit to Johnny Boy, she checked a book out of the library and curled with it up in her room until lights out.

The next morning, Nikki slept in. Jumo woke up with the sun and was gone when Nikki’s alarm rang at 9:30, reminding her not to miss breakfast. She got up, got dressed, and went to the cafeteria. It had rained overnight, leaving the air crisp, fresh, and cold. Nikki hopped over mud puddles, careful not to kick the moisture-laden grass that grew over the sides of the damp gravel path.

After breakfast, Nikki went to send an email to her parents. She spent the rest of the morning in the computer room on the third floor of the cafeteria building.

On Saturday afternoons there were competitions, often sports games, between boarding houses. Fides and Probita were on one team, Vires and Superbia on the other. Today’s choices were hockey, tennis, and math games. Jumo and Nikki played doubles tennis. They won two of their five matches, although one was because Megan wouldn’t stop texting.

At supper, school spirit filled the air. Even as people straggled in slowly, in ones, twos, threes, and fours, the atmosphere was one of friendship and pride in their small community. Nikki ate quickly, and got up to leave.“Where are you going?” Jumo asked.

“I’m going to watch the hockey game,” Nikki said.

“Will Robert be there?” said Sabrina.

“Probably.”

“Oooooh,” her friends chorused. Nikki waved them off and headed up the stairs to the rec room.

The sofas in the rec room were full of people by the time the game started. Latecomers filled up stacking chairs, the piano bench, and much of the floor. The formal uniforms they wore during school hours were ditched completely in favour of jeans and sneakers. The room was loud with chatter as everyone praised their team, put down the other, and discussed which players were lined up for this season. Nikki was squished uncomfortably between Chad, who looked like he’d be making out with Dixie more than he’d be watching hockey, and a Grade 9 kid she had somehow never seen before.

The familiar music came on and they all quieted down. The commentators came on after a few minutes and everyone laughed at Don Cherry’s orange striped suit. “You owe me five bucks, Mark,” said Robert, “Cough it up.” Mark grumbled good-naturedly as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled blue bill.

The game went into overtime. Every time Vancouver scored, the room erupted in cheers. When Toronto scored, there was also a hearty cheer. It was significantly quieter, but only because the number of Leafs fans in the room were a significantly smaller demographic. Everyone was polite enough, at least, not to boo, except for one person once, when Toronto pulled into the lead. After it was over, everyone stood up and stretched. Some people left, but most stood around for a few minutes to socialise. Nikki looked around for Robert, but he had slipped quietly out the door with Penelope.