Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2003 15:04:18 +1200 From: arthur <rochopa@xtra.co.nz> Subject: Short Ass part 2 SHORT ASS Part Two By Arthur JUSTIN CASE 1956-2003 IN MEMORIUM Ricky looked around the room and decided to sit in a seat at the end of the second row from the front as the room began to fill with other students, they looked at Ricky sitting there alone and he heard sniggers and giggles as they went to their seats, Scabby's voice piped up again. "Hey Yank you happy there?" "Yeah, I'm ok, and I'm a Canadian." he mumbled. "Wot eva." A slim looking girl with bright red hair and dark green eyes came into the room and looked at Ricky as she moved to sit at the desk beside him, she turned to Scabby asking. "Who's the new one Scabby?" "That's Short Ass, Marlene, bloody Yank." "Canadian" mumble Ricky "Gidday Short Ass, I'm Marlene but everone calls me Marl." "Hi Marlene, I'm Ricky, FROM Canada." Ricky looked around the room again and saw only smiles and leers on the faces, all the places were filled now except one, Baza's seat was still empty, then he heard the door open and the rest of the room grew silent, Ricky turned around to see who it was, there stood a giant of a kid, or more like a man, he had to be nearly six feet tall, shaggy red hair, and unlike most redheads he had a deep dark tan, his eyes were such a dark green that they looked like two dark emeralds planted in his face, they looked hard and bright as they surveyed the room finally settling on Ricky, the reddish brown eyebrows lowered as they took in the new addition to the room, it seemed to Ricky that the mountain decided to go to mohammed as the boy headed straight for Ricky's desk, two large and scarred fists lowered to the desk top in front of Ricky as the eyes cut through his head and seemed to shred Ricky's mind as they pierced him and stripped him page by page as the boys eyes bored into him, the head lowered a little and Ricky could see the small white scars on the face, thin white lines criss crossing over the freckles and skin as those damn eyes tore into him. Without lifting from his inspection the boy said to Marlene as he tossed a brown paper bag to her. "Mum, said you forgot this again Marl, she said get your head outve it and stop thinkin about Peter Pan all the time." Those green eyes cutting through Ricky never left his face. "Who's the new sheila?" Ricky went white as the words rang around the classroom, how could he know, he can't know about me, no, no this isn't happening. "That's Short Ass, Baza, she's a Yank." Ricky looked around for a hole to crawl into as the truths struck him like heavy blows, the face hovering above him didn't change as the words were said amongst the giggling and smirks of the students, Ricky waited for the first blow as the giant in front of him began to straighten, then the right arm began to move in slow motion, the muscles clear and wrything as they corded to lift that solid piece of flesh, it lifted further then hovered over Ricky like the great cranes he'd seen on building sites back home as they lifted huge steel beams into position, mesmerised Ricky watched it descend toward his head, the fingers begining to flex and open like steel claws as they got closer to him, the fear Ricky felt left him unable to move a muscle, then he felt it, those steel like claws digging into his shoulder and lifting him up from his seat with sheer raw power in the arms of the boy giant. "Come with me Short Ass, yah sit here with me now, these desks're for girls, I like ya even if you're a bloody Yank, Scabby move your ass let him sit there." "Uhhm, Canadian, ahhm, Baza." "Wot eva, Yanks a Yank ta us." Ricky seemed to understand the nasal drawl of the boys a bit better but the way they drawled everything out and then shortened words was still a bit confusing to his ears. "Ya like ta jump brumbies Short Ass?" "Uhm, sorry?" Marlene turned in her seat. "He's asking if you can ride a horse Yank." "Ah oh yeah, I can ride, not an expert but I can stay on." "Sokay, yous comin to the station after school then?" "Uhm wheres the station, I didn't see any railroad tracks here?" "Sheeit bloody Yanks, not one uv those stations Short Ass, hang on a minute mate, thats right you call them ranches or sumit." "Oh yeah, right, uhm would it be ok? like how far is it?" "Hey Short Ass I invitid ya, its about half an hour from here, can take you out in the ute, ok?" "Ahm , well yeah, thanks Baza." "No probs Yank, wees nock off here at 2.30, to bloody hot after that for school, so's we can get started then and me'n me mate Boonga will take you walkabout on the station for the day, ok?" "Ahm yeah sure, ahm who's Boonga?" "Ova there, the half abo kid, been me mate since he was a baby, only abo in the school, good kid you'll like him, ya eva want ta go walkabout hes the one to teach ya, knows all about the dreamtime and stuff, same age as yoos too." Ricky looked over to the corner of the room where a small dark kid sat alone, the tips of his hair were strangely blonde, the eyes were black and the nose was flared out at the tip, his skin was copper coloured and what Ricky could see of his teeth were brilliant white and looked even and neat, folks back home would pay a dentist thousands to have teeth like those, the boy looked up for just a second at Ricky then turned again to look at the desk top as the teacher made his entrance into the now quiet room. "Morning all?" "Mornin sir." The answer was given as an automatic response without the feeling of being interested in what a teacher was doing. "I see we have a new student with us, Mr Ricardo Mendoza?" "Yeah Sir he's a Yank." "Is that right Wilson, well then you better get the map down and show us where he lives?" "Ahhhhhmmmmmm, well sir....ahhhhmm, well he kinda didn't tell us that bit yet Sir." "Then you better shut up for a bit and you just, and I repeat 'Just' might learn something Wilson." "Yes Sir." "Have you got all your books, Mendoza R.?" "Ahh, I think so sir." "Right you lot Maths first, I want all your homework, NOW." The room became a shambles of moans and groans as the students searched for forgotten home work books and sent them to the front." "Mendoza R, I think it might be better if you just sit and listen today, this'll be all new to you I spose." "Yes sir." "You lookin after him Hamilton B?" "Sir." replied Baza. "Right then do it properly." "Sir." The day dragged on until the bell finally went at 2.30 and the school began to empty in one almighty rush, Baza grabbed Ricky by the arm and lead him to a beaten up old utility truck, the grey of the original paint mostly replaced by pink primer and the odd spot of rust showing through. "Your dad going to drive us Baza?" "Wha, shit no Im drivin Short Ass, c'mon Boonga, shake it." The Dark boy began to run and as he jumped for the back of the ute Baza rammed his foot down on the accelorator and the ute spun dust up as it powered out of the school yard, Ricky could hear that the engine was at least a V8 and seemed to his ear to run like a new one, the truck might be old but that motor was definately new. "Uhm, nice motor Baza?" "Huh, oh yeah the donk is a V8 we rebuilt it last month, the old man helped me, after the accident he reaconed I might's well kill meself next time." "Don't the ahh mounties pull you up for driving?" "Mounties? what the, you goin on about Short Ass?" "Well you don't seem sort of, like old enough for a license." "License? who needs them, I bin drivin since I wuz 10." "But what about the you know, Cops?" "What about them, you think the old man is gonna run me in." "Old man?" "Yeah. the cops my old man." "Oh, uhm, how far is it to the station?" "Half an hour, bout fourty five miles" 'Oh shit what have I got myself into this time' Ricky thought to himself as the dust billowed out the back of the ute as it speed at break neck speed down the unsealed road toward the distant hills. "Don't spose you got any Williams, Short Ass?" "Williams?" "Boots, same as these, s'all we wear out here, those coon shoes you got aint gonna last long out here." Ricky looked down at his brand new pair of Nike's now covered in red dust that seemed to soak into eveything in sight, then looked down at the short elastic sided boots on Baza's feet, they looked solid if a bit scuffed but he could see the sense in them for this place. "No Baza, I dont." "S'ok Marl is about the same size as you she'll have a pair for ya, try to ride in them you'll be bum up in the mulga fore ya know it." "Uhm, Baza?" "Yeah?" "Why does everyone call me, you know, Short Ass, there's another guy there same height as me?" "Oh yeah, thats Shorty, so Scabby musta thought you was close and coudn't use the same name as him, to confusin, besides how tall you anyway?" "5' 4"." "Ah thats it then." "What is?" "He's 5' 5", got an inch on ya, so your Ass is closer to the ground than his." "Does everyone have a nickname?" "Yep, wouldn't know who ya was talkin about otherwise." "But all the other kids must have proper names?" "Spose so, don't know any though, they gets a name when they's younger and it kinda sticks with them." "Oh ok." "Don't sweat it Short Ass, you'll be ok, you're with me and Boonga, she'll be right mate." To Be Continued: