Kids On The East Side Of Town, Chapter 7, Negotiation

It was Friday, 25th of March, 1986 and I woke up, I was feeling great, I just needed to sleep it off, it usually does the trick . Johnny, Kevin, Jamie, Dominick and Travis turned on the tube, Johnny was watching some weird space documentary, I swear, he watches all sorts of weird shit .

” What’s this ?”, Jamie asked .

” Oh, it’s a documentary about two astronauts who go into space and they discover a space ship ”, Johnny explained .

” Oh, it sounds quite pleasant, unlike the other stuff that you watch ”, Jamie replied, trying to sound interested .

” It’s not though, it really isn’t, because, they don’t see a space ship, they see a toilet ”, Johnny said, as the atmosphere suddenly changed .

” What the heck, what, a toilet, floating in space ?”, Jamie asked .

” Yeah, it’s like Nasa kind of shit ”, Johnny replied .

” Yeah alright cool ”, Jamie said and he just left, he wanted to have nothing to do with Johnny and the space documentary .

” Where do you actually find this sort of stuff, every time you turn on the tube, it’s always something like this, like a toilet floating in space, like what is that ?”, Dominick asked .

” It’s called variety, you don’t watch something stupid like middle class women laughing over some coffee, talking about flowers, the toilet thing is cool, when are we ever gonna see a flower, there’s no point what’s so ever, it’s like bloody pointless ”, Johnny replied .

” I’ll have what she’s having, hahaha ”, Kevin said, as he started laughing .

” I’d like to watch this my whole life, without a worry in the world, at least you don’t have to hear about politics and Margret Thatcher and all the chaos behind no 10, this is so much better ”, Johnny said .

” Ok, I see where you’re coming from ”, Jamie said .

” Right, cause like I hate Margret Thatcher anyway, she was the one who bought section 28 in, didn’t act fast enough when the Aids crisis came along, just left people to suffer in silence, didn’t care about the poor either, she’s bitch ”, Johnny said .

” Yeah, that’s how it bloody works in this society, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, it’s disgusting really, she’s like the rat of parliement, she’s a bitch, just wish that someone piss in her coffee and shit in a box and mail it to no 10, give her a ruddy good send off ”, Dominick said .

” Yeah exactly, the public wants what the public gets but I don’t get what the society wants, I’m going underground ”, Travis said .

” Damn right ”, Jamie said. Then suddenly, Emmett walks in, he was out for a bit . Went for a little morning stroll, doing god knows what .

” Hey guys. what’s up ?”, Emmett asked .

” Oh nothing, we are just watching a documentary ”, Johnny replied .

” Cool, what’s the documentary about ?, wrestling, body building, serial killers, wood tappers, Deliverance ?”, Emmett asked .

” It appears to be about a floating toilet disappearing off the face of the earth without trace, that’s the clear message ”, Travis explained .

” No, it’s a Nasa documentary, actually ”, Johnny said . He liked watching that sort of stuff, I never believed in the hype. Emmett made hand signals to say that Johnny is crazy.

” Hello Governer, hey Jamie, do we have any cheese ?, I got like a craving for that stuff, you know ?, I feel like a mouse ”, Kevin said .

” No we don’t, we’re all out, I’m afraid ”, Jamie replied .

” Really ?, I thought we got some the other day, what happened to that ?”, Kevin asked .

” We did, it’s just gone bobbins and cotton ”, Jamie replied .

” Oh for god sake, alright then, never mind, go off ”, Kevin said. ” I go to the shops, with stock, then I come home, then the bloody fridge is empty, typical, I’d rather just eat a bloody boot then going out, shopping every few minutes ”, he added, as he sat back down with his hand on his head . Then I came downstairs and said good morning to the boys .

” Hey guys ”, I said, everybody said hi to me .

” Looks like you overslept ”, Jamie pointed out .

” Yeah, I slept like a baby, last night, looks like the sunset did the trick ”, I replied, as I believed that the sunset made me sleepy . Even though it could of been millions of other things .

” I think we should all go somewhere today, what do you reckon ?”, Emmett said .

” Yeah, that’ll be good, where are we gonna go ?”, Jamie asked .

” I don’t know, man, I think we should go somewhere across town ”, Emmett replied .

” You know what, that’s a great idea ”, I agreed .

” I hear that there’s going to be a meteor shower, tonight, maybe we will see some shooting stars ”, Travis said .

” Yeah, let’s go ”, Dominick said . And we made our way outside. Walked up there and while we were doing that, Emmett and Johnny were talking about parkour .

” Johnny, have you ever tried parkour ?”, Emmett asked .

” Um, yeah I do, I’m not a professional, I can barely jump over a fence, I can’t do shit, but, I get by, how about you ?” Johnny asked .

” Yeah, I do it most of the time, I do like back flips off of cars and trucks, but mainly drag races, if I’m not on the streets, doing a hit and run, I’d probably be doing parkour instead, but really, it depends on how I’m feeling ”, Emmett replied .

” Yeah cool, hey Emmett, do you have any love interests, are there any birds that you fancy ?”, Johnny asked .

” Um yes I do, you know I do, I’m always at the drive in, a girl walks by, and I just can’t sit there in silence and watch another geezer lay his hands on her, but it’s like a hit or miss, it can work out, but sometimes, it doesn’t, but there is a girl who I have on my mind ”, Emmett replied .

” Oh really, what’s her name ?”, Johnny asked .

” Her name is Cherina, she has red hair, and she doesn’t really talk much, but she’s a lot to look at, and he just plays hard to get ”, Emmett replied .

” Oh cool, I wish I could date someone, but I’m 15, I’m too young, I’ll wait until I’m about 18, just like you ”, Johnny said .

”Yeah that’s true, don’t wanna rush to get old. ” You can come to the drive in with me, we can watch a film, just like the good old days ”, Emmett said .

When we finally reached our destination, we came across a cliff side, and we settled down . The boys were coming up with a plan on how to relieve the tension between The Rejects .

” We have to come up with a plan to relieve the tension between the Rejects, What are we gonna do ?, what do you think, Emmett ?”, Johnny asked, we had to come up with a plan to relieve the tension between The Rejects because they just keep ganging up on us, it’s getting ridiculous now .

” I don’t know, man, we should probably challenge them to a rumble ”, Emmett replied .

” Don’t you think that challenging them to a rumble is just putting ourselves in more danger ”, Dominick asked .

” Nah, I ain’t afraid of knocking their teeth out in cold blood, let alone a bit of blood on my shirt ”, Emmett replied .

” Yeah, it’s either that or getting ganged up on by them, I’d rather go for the rumble ”, I explained .

” I don’t think it’s a good idea, I don’t want you guys getting hurt, I mean, have you seen Carter’s gang, they are totally dangerous ”, Jamie said .

” I know, but I think that we’ll have more of a Chance of getting even, you know ?, you don’t win by doing nothing ”, Emmett said .

” Yeah, I think it’s just fists, no weapons, so it should be fine ”, Travis said .

” Do you think that the gang will approve ?”, Jamie asked .

” Yeah, I think they will ”, I replied .

” Yeah, if they’re not scared of fighting us, they definetely won’t be scared of fighting us in the rumble, they probably went through thousands of them ”, Johnny said .

” Yeah ”, Kevin said . ” I’m sure that it’ll be fun, making sure that they’ll get their revenge after all the wicked things they’ve done to us ”, he added . Me and Emmett started talking about rumbles and street fights .

” Emmett, have you ever taken part in a rumble ?”, I asked, Emmett has all the answers, he is a cave of wonders, the man’s crazy about fighting .

” Yes, every bad boy like me, needs to know how to fight, especially with all these fights and all the mad people about, you’d never know when you’re gonna need it ”, Emmett replied .

” Yeah, I usually never really fight, I don’t really like the idea of people ending up in critical condition and badly hurt just because somebody got restless or because they have a bad attitude ”, I said .

” Yeah me too, I usually stay away from fighting, but when I moved here, I had no choice ”, Travis said . ” I mean, what can you do ?, you know, it’s a mad world ”, he added, as he shrugged .

” Do you know how many members of the gang there really are ?”, Johnny asked .

” Yeah, I think there are about 10 members ”, Jamie replied .

” 10 ?”, I asked. I was shocked .

” Yeah, there’s Jacob, Jack, Lucas, Daniel, Logan, Michael, Samuel, Julien, Dylan and Leo, and there’s Carter, but he’s dead, so it doesn’t really count ”, Jamie counted .

” Bloody hell, am I the only one who’s surprised ?” I asked .

” No, definetely not ”, Dominick replied .

” Yeah, they are like a mafia squad, they are always lining up in bars, thinking they’re tough, when in reality, they look like twats ”, Travis explained .

” Yeah, thinking they are cool, driving their corvettes, mustangs and expensive cars ”, Jamie said .

” Wait, they have expensive cars ?”, I asked .

” Oh don’t worry, they are not even expensive, they look rusty ”, Jamie replied.

” Oh ok good, you had me at one point ”, I said .

” Yeah, but they are Jackasses, I just wanna go up to them, go up like that, bang, Jacob’s on the floor, all dizzy, you know what I’m saying ?, this is gang war, gang war, that’s what it is, not afraid ”, Emmett shouted, as he imitated a punch .

” Yeah it’s um, it’s gang war ”, I said, trying not to laugh. I just couldn’t hold it in. Bloody hell, Emmett is a twisted nut case . Why didn’t I notice that until now ?.

” Emmett, why are so interested in gang war, this is not gang war ”, Dominick said .

” Oh yes it is, it’s gang war, and they deserve shit in a bucket, no, not shit in a bucket, that’s shite, because like, you can chuck it in the bin, but what they deserve is a punch in the groin, cause it lasts forever ”, Emmett said .

” Alright then, we’ll do gang war ”, Dominick said. Then, a shooting star appeared and it was beautiful .

” Oh, it’s so beautiful ”, Travis said, as he took one glance at the shooting star, his eyes sparkled, we weren’t expecting to see one, according to Travis, there was going to be a meteor shower, he got that right. I guess it was our luck and we were there to cherish it . The shooting star was a sign that the rumble is gonna be successful, it was a sign of good luck, it came to wish us luck for the rumble, nature can be beautiful sometimes, good old mother nature, can’t beat it .

” You know, sometimes, I just sit and wonder on how beautiful life is, even with all the bad moments. Just let them sink in, because the bad moments are the things that shape you, and once you deal with them, from then on, you will be able to look forward to the good and exciting things that will come later on in life . ” You know, when I was ten, I was taught that life is unfair and it’s torture, and maybe it is, maybe it is, but life is not all gloomy and grey, if you dig deeper, you can find gold in between the walls, and when I turned nine, I lost my great grandfather, and from that moment on, I thought ” Oh, life is totally worthless, why do I even bother ?”, but when I turned 15, it got better for me, and I had realized that life is not pointless, you gotta have balance, if you are bogged down about something, you just gotta look deep inside of you to find the good stuff, you gotta look deep within, and you gotta keep going, because even if it’s hard and tough, it’s also beautiful ”, Johnny explained .

” Yeah, it’s quite hard sometimes, who knew that life was gonna be so tough ?, first, we all started off as little tadpoles in our mother’s wombs, being welcomed into this new world of ours, and having to experience everything for the very first time, learning how to crawl, learning how to count and how to spell, having human interactions with the people we love and you had nothing to worry about, not even making up to find out that your family member has disappeared off the face of the earth. And here we are, thrusted into adult hood, having to make our own way into this world, and it’s tough, because you don’t know what tomorrow will bring ”, I explained .

” Yeah, but you just have to listen to your heart, cause it comes from your heart, from you, and if it comes from your heart, it’s always right, you know, sometimes, I’m scared of what tomorrow will bring, cause life is too short, I don’t wanna stick around to witness my body shutting down, I’m only 15, I don’t wanna die yet, I haven’t seen enough ”, Johnny said .

” Yeah, but listen to me, Eagles never die, don’t they ?, we’ll stick together until the bitter end, we’ll stay gold just like sunsets will ”, I said, as I put my hand on his shoulders .

” Yeah, I just wish that sunsets and shooting stars would stay and go on forever, on how the world would be a better place if we could all just stay gold, just like that sunset right there ”, Johnny exclaimed . ” The sun is beautiful tonight, too bad it can’t stay like that all the time ”, he added .

” Nothing gold can stay ”, I said .

” Heh ?”, Johnny said, as he looked at me, he probably thought that I went blotto .

” Nature’s first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold, her early leaf’s a flower, but only so an hour, then leaf subsides a leaf, so Eden sank to grief, so dawn goes down today, nothing gold can stay ”, I said, as I recited the poem out loud and Johnny looked at me, out of pure curiousity .

” Where did you learn that ?, that’s what I meant ”, Johnny said .

” Robert Frost wrote it, I’ve always remembered it but I never really knew what he meant by it, it’s from Gone With The Wind, I could lend you the book if you want ?”, I asked .

” Yeah, I’ve always wanted of those, how did you know that I wanted one ?”, Johnny asked.

” I remember you telling me about it once or twice, you told me about it in the sitting room, you said that you wanted a copy of it, when I’m finished with it, I’ll lend it to you ”, I replied .

” Cool . ” Hey Liam, Do you think that my parents know about all the things that I’ve been doing with you guys ?”, Johnny asked .

” I doubt it, they’re too in their own world to know what their son’s up to, it’s fine though, you’re with us now, you don’t have to worry about your parents, you’ve left all of that behind, you’ve got a bigger future ahead of you, when you’re older, you marry someone, you’ll have a misses, you’ll have a proper family to raise.” What do they do anyway ?”, I asked .

” Well, it’s anonymous, they give me the clap around the mouth, the clap around the head, a good hiding pretty much every night I returned home, every time I returned home, I’d have something to look forward to, but I have to stay silent, I’m not allowed to preach, cause if I do, I’ll get hit, look, I have these bruises on both of my hips, the first one is from getting hit with a mop and the other is from getting smacked with a leather belt, they don’t look any different from each other ”, Johnny replied, as he showed me the bruises on his hips, they were red and brown, it was all swolen .

” ooooohh, ouch, do you they always do this to you ?”, I asked, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, and to think that it’s happening to a 15 year old, it’s absolutely horrific, it shouldn’t be happening to kids, regardless of anyone’s age .

” Yeah, once, I returned home from hanging around on the streets, late at night, 10 pm on the dot, my mum was fuming, my dad wasn’t any different . He’d always lock me up in my bed room, they would let me starve, they wouldn’t give me any tea, and then they would smack me, words don’t exist in my household, it’s always violence ”, Johnny replied .

” That is terrible, but you are not alone, there are millions of kids who go through abuse, neglect and domestic violence, but they don’t know what it’s like to have a son like you, on the day where you were born, your parents probably thought that you would not last one day on this earth, and that is complete bullshit, because you are here, this isn’t a dream and it’s definetely not happening inside your head. ” I see a lot of myself in you, of course, I wasn’t abused or neglected, but I was struggling, physically and mentally, you know, my family was poor, they had blood, sweat and tears to put food on the table and it’s hard out there, it’s a harsh reality . But it’s nothing to worry about, when we were kids, we were innocent and we didn’t know which was right from wrong, but when we become adults, we begin to lose our innocence and we start have responsibilities and we start to lose control ”, I explained .

” Yeah, you know ?, every time I wake up, I question myself a lot, I think to myself ” Why am I still here ?” and I just feel like I don’t belong in this world ”, Johnny said .

” That is utter pony, of course you belong in this world, you matter more then ever, you know, if you don’t belong in this world, then maybe I don’t belong in this world either, we’re all doing our bit to survive, you just gotta take a deep breath and carry on, you keep calm and carry on, and that’s what you have to do, because it’s worth fighting for ”, I told him with honesty .

” Thanks Liam, I feel silly saying this, but you are like my big brother, you actually give a damn, when nobody else does, I feel like I can tell you anything, I have a certain level of trust in you and it will never fade away ”, Johnny said, as he smiled .

” Yeah, if you ever feel down, just think of the good stuff and you just gotta dig deep inside of you for the good stuff, cause when there’s a lot of hatred and misery in this world, there are so many good things as well, life is happening, people are being welcomed into this world as we speak, there are so much good in this world, you just have to look very carefully for them, and I know that it’s hard, but you can do it ”, I said . ” And also, another thing, you know what those bruises are, they are battle scars, because you have been in battle, and you’re winning, you’re winning, Johnny, you just have to keep your head up and keep on fighting the fight ”, I added, and Johnny looked at me and smiled .

” Yeah, hey Liam, shall I tell you something ?, from the first day we met you, I thought that you were an electritian ”, Johnny said .

” Heh, what ?, an electritian ?, oh gor blimey ”, I said .

” Yeah, I know it sounds weird, but I thought that you fixed washing machines and household appliances for a living, you were dressed like one ”, Johnny said .

” Was I ?, that’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard, where you ok at the time ?, did you bang your bonce or something ?”, I asked .

” Well yeah, we were running from trouble at that day, our heads were all over the place at the time, I remember being so clueless, that’s all I remember, really, the rest has just been a blur ”, Johnny replied .

” Hah hah hah, the irony, huh ?”, I said .

” Yeah, I still cringe every time I think about it, we were all slightly potty ”, Travis said .

” Aren’t we all ?”, I asked .

” Yeah, we’re all crazy sometimes, but each and every one of us has a story, everybody is flawed, even The Rejects are flawed, they just need to share their side of the story ” Johnny said . ” Hey, remember the time where Emmett taught you how to fight ?”, he asked .

” Yeah, that was funny, I accidently punched him in the boat race, it was so much fun, I felt mortified and tough at the same time, that was a great night ”, I said .

” Yeah, I taught this fiesty little rebel how to fight, he surprised me, I never knew that he had a fierce side to him ”, Emmett said as he joined in on the chat .

” What, just because I wear cashmere and I live in a terraced house, I still know how to stand up for myself, I don’t show mercy, there is no middle ground ”, I said .

” Yeah yeah ”, Emmett said, sarcastically .

” When I saw Liam make fists, he looked like a kung fu master, like Bruce Lee or something, wouldn’t wanna get in a scrap with a boy who operates like that ”, Jamie said .

” Nah, he looked like that geezer from Bastard Swordsman, nothing like Bruce Lee, he looked like a monk or like a wizard, like a shoalin master, who is completely shit ”, Kevin said .

” Yeah, like you gave me goosebumps, I bet that you watch loads of kung fu films, that’s what inspired his persona in the first place ”, Travis said .

” Oh hey Liam, what is that book over there ?”, Dominick asked, out of complete curiousity . The man couldn’t gather any curiousity if he tried, but he tried, you gotta give it to him .

” Oh, this one ?, it’s Gone With The Wind, the story is based in and around the time where the wars were going on, like the civil wars in America, and I got glued to it after the 1st and second chapter, I know it’s not really your thing ”, I replied .

” Yeah no, it sounds interesting, I’m not gonna read it, but it sounds good ”, Dominick said .

” I’ve always tried to show my old friends this book and they thought that I was crazy, but maybe I am, but they don’t know, I couldn’t really show anybody else this book, cause they’ll think that I’m on Charlie or something ”, I said .

” Well, perhaps they will appreciate it later on in life ”, Travis said .

” I just can’t over how beautiful the sun is today, I’ve never really noticed that colors and the clouds and stuff, that’s what you kept reminding me about, it’s kinda like they were never here before, sometimes, you just stop what you’re doing and look up at the sky, cause you’re missing out on so much, there’s a beautiful sky above us and we choose to ignore it, you know what I’m saying ?”, Johnny asked, and memories started fludding in, it was almost as if life was flashing before me .

” Yeah, before I met you guys, I was a different person, I went through a couple of tough things, my father passed away, my family seperated and moved to Northampton, I felt like my life was over, I felt like a broken man, I really did ”, I said .

” Really ?, that must have been hard, I’m sorry ”, Johnny said and he felt sad too, looks like I really touched his heart .

” Yeah, I still go through it, from time to time, but don’t bore me with your sympothy, I was born to be a Eagle, and I’ll continue to be one, but it’s not like I’m doing ok or anything ”, I said .

” Yeah, but listen to me, you are gonna be fine, we’re all gonna die some day . But as long as you stay like this, and remain as the person you are, your old man will honor you and cheer you on, he’s up there, watching over you and smiling ”, Johnny said .

” Yeah, I know, I’d kill to bring him back to life, he was the only person who believed in me when I didn’t ”, I told him, I was slowly tearing up. Then, Travis, Kevin, Jamie, Dominick and Emmett were confused on why I was crying. If only you could see the looks on their faces, I wouldn’t hesitate to hand you a vanity mirror .

” Hey guys, what’s going on, why’s Liam crying, is he alright ?”, Travis asked .

” He’s ok, he’s just remembering his father, mind him, let him have his moment ”, Johnny replied, as he was aware that I was deeply upset .

” If you need us for anything, we are right here ”, Emmett said. The five strangers that turned up in my cellar, turned out to be great friends, and I’m lucky to have them in my life .

” Thanks guys ”, I said, with a smile on my face .

” I even root for you, you have the balls to open up and tell us about it, not many people can do that, I’m sure that your father will be so proud ”, Dominick said .

” Yeah, you’re a legend, Liam ”, Kevin said .

” Yeah, you’re one of us now, you’re an Eagle, you’re a hero ”, Emmett said .

” No, I’m not a hero, I’m really not, I’m just an ordinary 20 year old man, but you guys are heroes ”, I said .

” No, of course you are, don’t be silly, you are a hero and you saved us, if it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t be here today, cause if you put good out in the world, the good will come to you ”, Travis said .

” Awww thanks guys, we can all be heroes ”, I said, and we walked away from the sunset, the sun rose around us, I felt the sun on my face, yes, the sun was brighter then ever .

End of chapter