Wheels and Wings 9

Character List.

Jack Thomas Later AKA Ellie Transvestite/intersexual and keen cyclist.
Amanda Thomas AKA Amie Jack's sister.
Charlotte Dawson Keen girl cyclist and Jack’s soon-to-be girlfriend.
Bob Cycling club captain.
Mr Thomas Weston School games master and keen rugby player.
Billy Davies. Rugby ‘jock’, kind to Jack, he fancies Charlotte.
Marjorie Spencer. Holder of unofficial ‘Prettiest-girl-in-the-school’ title.
Miss Elizabeth Postlethwaite. The English Mistress.
Aunty Olwen Where Jack changes for school and leaves his bike.
Mandy. Olwen’s daughter, Jack’s older cousin.
Mr Griffiths The County solicitor.

Chapter 9.

On the bus journey home Billy tried to pump Jack about Charlotte and Sunday.

“So where d’you study then?”

Jack shrugged. It was true Charlotte and Jack often studied together but they lived in two different villages. Billy knew this and he knew that Jack lived with his sister and single mum.

“I suppose you go over to Charlotte’s house. Her dad’s a doctor so there’ll be room to study.”

“Not always,” Jack replied, “she comes over to my house sometimes

“D’you think I could come, to share the studying? Charlotte’s good at biology and chemistry and I’m weak in those.”

Jack knew that Billy was also weak in Maths and physics and he was waiting for the next request; namely to ask Jack if he could help with those subjects. Billy was red hot at subjects that required facts and information but less able when it came to understanding and intuitive deduction. He had particular trouble with applying algebraic solutions to problems because he failed most times to identify and isolate the essential unknown.

There was an uncomfortable silence as Jack waited for Billy to tender the question asking for Jack’s help but it never came so Jack offered a solution.

“If you want Charlotte to let you attend our study periods at home, you’ll have to ask her yourself. Most times we do it at her house cos’ her dad’s a doctor and he knows a lot of stuff.”

Billy immediately took out his phone and asked Jack for her mobile number. Jack looked horrified as he declined.

“Heck, I can’t give you that without her permission! Every boy in the school would want that!”

“Yeah, so how is it you’ve got it?” Billy wondered.
Jack hesitated. He was loath to tell about their cycling interests so he used the other reason, homework.

“So that she can call me over when we’re doing homework and sometimes we ask each other for help. She gave me her number unwittingly when she phoned me up once after she’d been given a new phone for her birthday. It was about some physics question and naturally my phone received her number. Ever since then it’s been on my phone. I didn’t just go up and ask her. She phoned me and she hadn’t learned then how to withhold her number on her new phone. She hadn’t realised she was giving me her number. When I saw it, I told her she’d given it to me by mistake. She was upset at first and I offered to delete it. Then she said I might as well keep it, but not to give it to anybody else. I’ve stuck by my promise and she phones me quite often to fix study sessions.”

“Does she fancy you?” Billy asked.

Jack lied, though he wasn’t completely certain anymore because of his transgender issues.

“I dunno; I don’t think so. We work together cos’ we both like the sciences and maths. Charlotte’s really bright.”

“Yeah, but she’s not as bright as you.” Billy replied. “You come top most times in the tests.”

“Only in maths and physics, she’s better at the other stuff. Anyway, you’re always top in English and languages.”

Billy changed the subject.

“D’you know where she hangs out on Saturdays and Sundays?”

Jack played dumb.

“I dunno’, I suppose she hangs out in the mall. That’s what most girls do innit’?”

Billy wagged his head confirming he’d already explored that avenue. His answer also confirmed to Jack that Billy did fancy Charlotte and he was obviously interested. Jack wondered why Billy didn’t simply go up and ask Charlotte cos Billy was a good looking and popular boy.

Billy replied.

“The other girls say she’s rarely there on Saturdays and never around on Sundays.”

Jack was looking to change the subject so he offered one last solution.

“Well I know for certain that she studies a lot. Her dad’s got high expectations. If you want to find out, you’ll have to speak to her in school.”

“She’s stand-offish, avoids the boys mostly.”

It was Jack’s turn to wag his head.

“I think she’s just shy, bit of a blue-stocking girl. Try being courteous to her. She doesn’t like it when the boys come over all ‘cock-of-the-walk’ after winning some big game. She doesn’t like show-offs.”

“What! You’re saying we’re show-offs!”

“No! I’m not saying it,” Jack protested, “Charlotte says it. Come to that, lots of the other girls say it as well.”

“D’you think we are?”

Jack resented the question; he felt it suggested that the boys thought of him as more like one of the girls. He didn’t mind being ‘one-of-the-girls’ but he objected to others accusing him of being girly or worse ... gay. He snapped back defensively.

“What does it matter what I think? You’re not trying to make a date with me are you?”

“Watchit’, but you know what I mean; you’ve just shared in this big win. You’ll be able to walk tall in school on Monday.”

Jack smiled and giggled a little girlishly. It was something he never did when around the other jocks but Billy was different. Billy was bright and he respected Jack for his skill on the wing.

“I won’t be walking tall with this leg. It’ll be hurting still on Monday.”

“You can play the wounded hero though; and girls love wounded heroes.”

Billy could never make sense of Jack when he went all giggly. He was just like a girl when he did it but Billy knew for certain that
Jack was as brave as a lion when he felt forced to turn out for the team. There was no matching him when he ducked and weaved out of tackles that would have crippled a slower man. In fact, they would have crippled Jack if he had been caught and hit ... hard.
And for once Jack had been hit hard; he had the bruises that very afternoon to prove it. Even Billy had winced when he saw the full-back’s tactic and almost felt the crunch of the late tackle that had felled Jack. He sucked thoughtfully and warned Jack.

“Yeah, well you rest that leg like that Physio said.”

Jack shrugged non-committedly and answered “Yeah.”

They chatted further and eventually Billy asked Jack to phone Charlotte to ask if he could join them for study at home. Jack pretended he was out of money on his phone and Billy was forced to accept this. Billy knew that Jack only had a single mother parent so he presumed money was tight. Finally the bus arrived at their home town and assorted parents collected their children. Jack lied to Billy and told him he would be getting the later village bus home when I fact he needed to arrange a lift for him and his bike. He was too sore to cycle home. He limped painfully to his auntie’s house and changed whilst he phoned Charlotte to ask if her dad could give him a lift home as he had a cycle rack on the back of the car.

“What the heck have you done darling?” Charlotte demanded.

“Bruised my thigh.”

“But you’ve got the national coach trial tomorrow. Is it bad?”

“A bit. I’m gonna’ be sore for a week.”

“Oh you stupid boy. Bob warned you not to get hurt!”

“Yeah, well it’s pretty difficult when the other team have a dirty cheat as a full-back.”

“Will you be able to ride tomorrow?”

“I’ve got to. I’ll have to speak to your dad.”

“Why?”

“He might give me a pain-killer for the trial.”

“That can leave you damaged for life if you tear the muscle. My dad won’t do it.”
Jack cursed silently. If he missed the trial, Bob would be incandescent with rage. He formulated a plan.
He knew that Charlotte’s dad ran a surgery from home so if he could arrange to study that night with Charlotte, he might be able to sneak into her father’s office and find a syringe and painkiller.

Charlotte arrived with her dad and Jack secured his bike to the cycle rack. He struggled manfully to hide his injury and was overjoyed when they invited him to stay for dinner. He managed to hide the injury from Charlotte’s dad then, once they were listening to music in Charlotte’s study, Jack took the opportunity to see if he could find any painkillers. He had checked on the internet while Charlotte was out of the room and determined the names of some painkilling drugs. On the pretence of going to the lavatory he discovered the surgery door to be unlocked as Doctor Dawson was making some coffee and checking the dinner. Jack sneaked into Doctor Dawson’s surgery and quickly located the key to his drugs locker. He was overjoyed when he found some Bupivacaine and Ketorolic and he hid them in his hoodie pouch along with a couple of disposable syringes and needles. After dinner Doctor Dawson ran him home and Jack was pleased to have carried off the theft of the painkilling drugs without being discovered.