Kaimoana Tales, Lachlan & Gary 58

“Look at what, Gary?”

“Over there – the eye-candy. Nice!”

Coming down into the street from the Esplanade were 3 blond teenage boys. They were dressed identically in boots, tight blue jeans, plaid shirts and cowboy hats. They all looked very similar and were stunningly good-looking, but they were 3 different sizes – large, medium and small. Heads were turning as they passed.

“Vey nice,” Gary sighed. “Those guys would give William Scott a run for his money. He’s got competition if they’re staying around here.”

“They’re staying,” Jacob said. “They’re going to be living here now.”

“They are? Really? Cool! How do you know that?”

“We met them last night.”

“You did? Lucky Sods! How did you meet them? Where did they come from, and why are they living here? Also, how do we meet them?”

“They’re Peter’s cousins, the de Groot brothers. They’re from Canada and they’re going to be living with Peter.”

“Whoah! Lucky Peter. Where’re you going, Lachie?”

“I’m going home. See you later, Riley, Jacob.”

“What’s the big hurry?” Gary asked. “Wet your knickers or something?”

“No, but I think you might. I’m not sitting here watching you drool over the eye-candy.” Lachlan picked up his bag and walked away. Gary sat and watched him.

“What the hell’s got into him?” he shrugged.

Jacob and Riley looked at each other. Jacob grinned and winked. Riley nodded.

“Gary, do you like Lachlan?”

“Yeah, he’s okay. He’s a mate.”

“A mate. I think maybe you’d better buy 2 bunches of flowers – one for Dianne and one for Lachlan.”

“What would I want to buy flowers for him for?”

Jacob said, “You don’t see it, do you? You just hurt the kid’s feelings.”

“Lachlan’s feelings? He hasn’t got any feelings; he’s got a hide as thick as a pig-skin. We’re mates but we trade insults all the time, that’s what we do. I don’t see what I said anyway.”

“Please yourself, Gary, but if you want to keep your friend, you’d better do something.”

“Whatever,” Gary shrugged. “How do I meet the new boys?”

“I’m sure I don’t know.” Riley got up. “We’re not getting involved. We’ve got work to do, c’mon, Jake.”

“Okay, Slavedriver. Gary, forget about the new boys; go fix things with your mate.”

“But I didn’t do anything.”

“Whatever. Laters, Gary.” They went into the café.

“Whatever yourself.” Gary finished his drink and started walking. What was going on with Lachlan? He didn’t have a clue.

‘Must be his time of the month or something.’

He crossed the street and started walking along to where the cowboys had gone. However, they’d reached the end of the short street, turned around and were walking back towards him.

They really were nice to look at. He smiled as they approached, but got no response at all. They didn’t even look at him and just kept going.

‘Stuck up Pricks!’

He went around the corner and up to Virgil’s house. Maybe Lachlan had called in there. He hadn’t, so Gary walked on home to South Bay.

He was getting tired of living in a poky old caravan. It was fun for a while, but there was no room to move. It was about time he bought a house or something. He didn’t see why Joel was so against the idea, he could afford it.

It was all right for Joel living way out of town, he had a car, Gary didn’t. It was about time he did. He’d have to learn to drive first though.

There was no sign of Lachlan anywhere. He passed his house in South Bay, but didn’t stop. To hell with him. If he was going to be weird, he could do it on his own. He went home.

Next day, after school, Gary was waiting in the street outside, as usual. Peter de Groot was there as well. Gary didn’t know him well, but he knew who he was, it was a small town and Peter was a friend of Joel’s.

“Hey, Peter. How’re you doing? Waiting for Ashton?”

“No, I’m waiting for my cousins. It’s their first day here and Mother insisted that I came here to make sure that they get home safely.”

“They’re hardly going to get lost are they?”

“Of course not, but Mother worries, it’s what she does best. Who are you waiting for?”

“Oh, nobody, just my mate.”

“You shouldn’t say that. Having a friend is special, there’s nothing ‘just’ about it.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Here they come.”

The kids came pouring out of the school like leaving there was the high-point of their day. A few of them greeted Gary in passing and a couple said, “Hey” to Peter, but no-one stopped.

Peter’s cousins came out together and walked away with Peter. Gary was disappointed that he didn’t get an intro, but they were in a hurry and didn’t stop. He stayed where he was, he was waiting.

In a surprisingly short time, the rush was over and everyone had gone. There was no sign of Lachlan. Oh well, he shrugged and wandered away down-town to see if anything was happening.

There was nothing much, but there was a furniture truck outside Mrs. Woods’ shop. A couple of guys and a big butch girl were loading it with the stock from the shop. So, it really was all over for that business then. Would anyone miss it? He’d been in there, for a look, but there was nothing there that interested him.

There was an empty shop in the street then. It probably wouldn’t be empty for long, it was quite a big building and was a prime-site, right in the heart of the main street.

Gary thought that, maybe, he should buy it and open a shop of his own. It’d be something to do. Selling what? What would appeal to locals and, more importantly, to tourists? Sex toys, party drugs and filthy movies? No, not in this town.

He wandered on up the Esplanade, and then went for a walk to the lookout on the top of the hill. He seriously had to find something productive to do with his days. He needed a job or something. Anything would be better than nothing.

Okay, driving lessons would be a good place to start. If he had a car, he could run Lachlan to and from school, and they could go away for trips together too. That’d be great.

Where was the Fat Boy anyway? He went to Virgil’s place to see if he was there. He wasn’t, Virgil didn’t know where he was.

And where was Lachlan? Still at school actually. He knew that Gary would probably be waiting outside for him, he usually was. Then again, he might not be. Peter’s American cousins had arrived and started at the school, one of them was in his class.

Maybe Gary had got lucky and got to meet one of them. Whatever, he didn’t care. He knew that he couldn’t compete with the good-looking new kids in town. Everyone seemed to want to know them, but not Lachlan. Fuck ‘em, anyway.

He finished his assignment of homework reading and looked out of the front windows. There was no-one there. Good. He zipped-up his book-bag, swung it onto his back and put his arms through the straps.

He went outside, walked out of the school and started the long, hard, run home. It was hard going up the hill, but at least the worst part came first, once he got over the top it was easy, down the hill and around into South Bay. He didn’t stop running until he got to the door at the back of his house.

He stood, bent forward with his hands on his thighs, recovering as his breathing slowed and feeling damm proud of himself. His gran came out of the door with a washing-basket under her arm.

“Hello, Sweetheart. Did you run all the way home?”

“Yeah, I did,” he grinned. “And I didn’t stop once. First time I’ve done that. There was a time, just a few weeks ago, when I didn’t think I could do it. Walking was hard enough, but I did it!”

“Good for you, Boy. I’m proud of you. Do you want something special for dinner to celebrate?”

“Gran! You know that I don’t.”

“Well you should. It wouldn’t hurt to break-out once in a while. I must say though, you’re looking good, really good. All your hard work is paying off. Well done, Lachlan.”

“Thanks, Gran. We’re not there yet, but we’re on the way.”

“You are! Well on the way. All the girls will be chasing you soon.”

“I’d better keep up the running then.”

“Don’t run too fast, Sweetheart. It might be fun to get caught.”

“Yeah, rite! I’ll get changed, and then I’ll chop some of that wood up.”

“There’s no hurry for that. Your dad’s left it out of the way, for once, and there’s plenty of firewood in the shed. It’s a nice day, why don’t you go and see your friends? Gary walked past here before, so he’s at home.”

“Gran, I don’t care what Gary is doing. I’ll chop some wood, it’ll be good exercise.”

“Please yourself, you usually do, but don’t neglect your friends. They are important and I like Gary, he’s a nice kid.”

“You go and see him then, I’m not.”

“Oh? Have you two fallen out?”

“No, I just can’t be bothered with him. I’d rather chop wood. Laters, Gran.”

He went inside and his grandmother went out to the clothesline, shaking her head. Lachlan had come such a long way in the last couple of months, she’d hate to see him slip back to the lonely boy he was. Diet and exercise was all very well, but there was more to life than that.

Lachlan changed out of his school-clothes and went out to start on the wood. Someone had to do it. The big ‘rounds’ of sliced-up logs had to be broken-down and stacked in the wood-shed. It was fun to do, except when the axe bounced off the knotty bits. It was good exercise and it was doing something productive.

He was tired of trading insults with Gary all the time, it was all they ever did. Then some good-looking kids walked past and Gary got all excited. To hell with him anyway! Why didn’t he look at Lachlan like that? He never had and he never would. Did he want him to?

No! To hell with him. Gary was just a waster, a total waste of time and they were going nowhere. He needed to find somebody, but it wasn’t going to happen while Gary was in the way. So, who would he like to get to know? Bloody no-one, that’s who. To hell with Gary.

The axe sliced satisfyingly into the wood.