The Kids On The East Side Of Town, Chapter 6, Decompress

It was Thursday 23rd of March, 1986, the morning was young, the gang was in the kitchen, having breakfast, we were all excited for the road trip, including me, I spent the whole morning, speaking to Travis, we had a good old chat . You may think that the conversation would include how nice flowers are or how expensive the tins of tomatoes are, but no, this is what we spoke about . Trees, that’s right, trees, yeah, you’re not the only one who’s surprised . Anyway, this is how our conversation went .

” So yeah, I think that the tree was staring at me ”, I told him .

” A tree ?”, he asked, as he gave me a funny look, like I was crazy or something .

” Yeah, I swear it looked at me, it creeped me out, I felt the inside of me like syncronize, do you think that it looked at me ?”, I asked him.

” No it probably didn’t look at you, I think that you had a rough night, last night, your mind plays tricks on you ”, he replied .

” Hah, you wanna bet, how much you wanna bet ?”, I asked .

” My bet, you’re crazy, my bet, you’re insane ”, Travis said .

” No, that can’t be possible, it’s impossible, it’s impossible, it stared at me like it had eyes or something ”, I said, still denieing what Travis said. Then we made our way outside to the car .

” I swear, I saw the tree staring at me, and it was doing like a dance as well ”, I went on about it again . I had nothing else to talk about, now we all know why people go mad were we live .

” Yeah yeah yeah, get in the car ”, Travis said, as he tried to change the subject .

” Yeah so, what were you saying, the tree stared at you, sorry, I just didn’t catch the last part ”, Johnny asked, he wanted to know more about it . I seemed to have peaked his interest .

” Yeah it was creepy, made me jump out of my own ghost ”, I replied, but Travis was having none of it, he put his foot down .

” Oh for god sake ”, he groaned . A few minutes later, we finally reached our destination, we saw a hill .

” Woah, look at that hill, it’s massive ”, I said, I never say stuff like that, I guess that my head was in a weird place at the time .

” Yeah, it’s like five feet ”, Travis said, oh Travis, the master of sarcasm .

” Oh I see ”, I said, then, Johnny called me to see the sunset .

” Hey Liam, come and check out the sunset, the sun is bloody huge, it’s like a massive orange ”, Johnny shouted, what was he on about ?.

” Ok I’m coming ”, I said, and I ran as fast as I could.

” Woah, it’s bright, it’s almost like it’s staring into my soul ”, I said. Kevin, Dominick and Jamie came along too. They are usually not interested in sunsets and those sorts of things, but they came along anyway, I can’t blame them though, there’s not really much to do back at home, except for staring at the ceiling and watching tv programmes and the news on the tube. It’s nice to get out a little bit, get some fresh air .

” Yeah, it’s beautiful though ”, Johnny replied. He loved watching sunsets, it helped him take the weight off of his shoulders and I’m glad that he introduced me to the trend . Usually, we don’t see many sunsets in The East, but if we’re lucky, we might see one and it totally gave me a different view on life and the world around me . Emmett joined in, he was shocked about the view .

” Look at how high we are, I could just about see the view from up here, it feels like I’m on the top of the world ”, he said, as he was completely aroused by the view in front of him .

” It’s freezing, man ”, I said, as I tried to warm myself up by rubbing my hands against my body .

” Why didn’t you bring a coat, stupid ?”, Emmett asked, as he lit a cigarette, Emmett wasn’t silly, he could smell someone’s BS from a mile away, he knows what he’s doing, he doesn’t muck about .

” I forgot it, it happens all the time, I always forget something, I always lose my phone and then I lose big stuff as well, I just can’t win ”, I said .

” Does anybody want a coke ?”, Jamie offered .

” Is it the zero sugar kind ?”, I asked .

” No it isn’t, does it even exist ?”, Jamie said .

” Yeah, but is it though ?”, I asked .

” No it’s not, alright ”, Jamie said .

” Ok whack it in ”, I said, and he threw me a can of coke. Johnny and Emmett were talking about dream goals .

” Johnny, if you could do something with your life, what would you do ?”, Emmett asked .

” I don’t know, man, probably watch the longest sunset with a friend, that’s what I would want to do ”, Johnny replied .

” Cool, I’d probably take part in drag races and buy a motorbike and then I would drive my car to the ocean, to swim with dolphins ”, Emmett said .

” Cool, how about we do that some time ?”, Johnny asked .

” Yeah sure, I’d love to, I’ve heard it’s great at this time of year ”, Emmett replied . Kevin, Dominick and Jamie were talking about other stuff .

” Dominick, remember that time when we got lost in Epin Forest ?”, Kevin asked .

” I sure do, I still have no idea how we got lost, we followed the trail and then we followed a bear, that was a bad idea ”, Dominick replied .

” Yeah, I almost left you there on purpose, you’re lucky you had a car, otherwise, you would of walked home by yourself ”, Jamie said .

” It was still funny though, honestly, what were we thinking ?, those were the days, weren’t they, Dominick ?”, Kevin asked .

” Yeah, the good old days, the days where we didn’t have to be worried about getting jumped or killed on the streets, we could just live our lives without the uncertainty or not having to suffer in silence, you know ?, I’d kill to bring that back, I just wish that I could turn back time ”, Dominick replied .

” Ok guys, the sunset is going down a bit, maybe we should go home ”, Travis alarmed them .

” Oh that’s a shame, I was enjoying that, that was quick ”, Emmett said .

” All good things have to come to an end, eventually ”, I said . ” But that’s okay, cause then, we can look forward to other things ”, I added .

” Yeah, I think we should start heading back ”, Johnny suggested .

” Good idea ”. I said and we got in the car .

” Ok, let’s put some tunes on ”, Travis suggested and he turned on the radio, and the song started playing, I didn’t know what the song was, but it was good, it was Never Again by Flock Of Seagulls, everybody was head banging, like were in bloody Status Quo, except we didn’t have  massive perms and bush hairstyles . We were all nodding our heads to the beat .

” Travis, where did you find this song ?”, Emmett asked him .

” Oh um, I used to go clubbing, I was a DJ, I used to go clubbing in Wag Club, have you been there ?”, Travis asked .

” Yeah of course, are you kidding me, of course I have, I grew up there, I used to go and spend hours in that place, all those people wearing massive cloaks and wigs, it was fascinating, my great grand father used to know Steve Strange ”, Emmett replied .

” Oh get out of it, you must be joking ”, Travis asked, as he didn’t believe him .

” No it’s true, my grandfather used to go clubbing with Steve Strange, he knew him from the early stages of life, he always said that he would turn up in these flamboyant outfits and he wore this hat that went all the way up to the ceiling, my grandfather always used to tell me these stories about them two, he always used to turn up wearing groundbreaking hair and makeup and clothing . ” Going to Wag Club was absolutely sensational, the music surrounds you and you could feel your heart beating out of your chest, it was the best feeling ever ”, Emmett replied .

” That’s wicked, man, I can’t believe that, I feel like going to Wag Club was a place to be yourself, as soon as you waltz in there, you change and you blossom into this lovely flower, it’s like the ugly duckling turning into a beautiful swan, it’s so cool ”, Travis said . Travis used to go clubbing, his grandfather knew a few musicians in Wag Club and they used to let him hang around and mess around with the music equipment .

” What is Wag Club ?”, Johnny asked, he had no idea what Wag Club is, he’s a little bit too young to know that stuff .

” Oh, it’s this club, that’s in Soho, I used to go there to be a DJ and do mixing ”, Travis replied .

” That’s cool, I guess ”, Johnny said .

” But yeah, I used this song when I used to do mixing back in 1981, if feels very nostalgic . I was only doing it for a few weeks, until I decided that I wanted to try something else, I tried becoming a proper artist, but I never really got a promotion, there was this guy who I used to know, he was a manager in the music indestury, he managed many of those famous groundbreaking artists and musicians, such as Boy George, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, all those artists, but um he didn’t think that I had anything to offer, he was like ” Travis, you’re not right for this, you have nothing to offer, you can’t write songs, you can’t be a good role model to the younger generations, why don’t you just get out of here and spend your whole life, sweeping the streets ”, so I left that zone and here I am, on the streets of Hackney, made some amazing friends and I’m really happy that I made that decision, it was fun while it lasted ”, Travis said .

” Yeah, it’s good to try something different, every once in a while, just listen to your heart, if your heart tells you something, you go for it, and you reach for whatever your heart wants, you trust your gut feeling, always trust your gut feeling ”, Johnny said .

” Yeah, thanks man ”, Travis said .

” Who is Steve Strange ?”, Dominick asked .

” Oh, he was a famous musician in the early  1980s, so think about where we are now, 1986 and then a few years ago, it’s mad to think, really . He was famous for releasing that song, um, Fade To Grey, have you heard of it, does it ring any bells ?”, Travis asked .

” Um no, I haven’t, but I’ll check it out, sounds good ”, Dominick replied .

” Yeah, I used to jam out to that track in my bed room, in my old house where I used to live, the neighbors thought that I was mad, but still, that didn’t stop me from enjoying myself ”, Travis said . When our road trip was over, we returned home and everybody was exausted, including me .

” Woah, that was something else, did you see that, did you see that sunset ?”, Johnny asked everybody .

” Yeah it was great ”, I replied .

” How are you feeling, Liam ?”, Jamie asked me .

” Huh what ?”, I said, I was in a daze, I wasn’t 100 % yet, but I was still recovering .

” Like, how are you feeling, are you feeling better from last night ?”, he asked .

” Yeah, but it’s something that you just can’t erase from your mind ”, I replied .

” I know ”, Jamie said, bless him, he’s just so caring, he cared about everyone and everything .

” I couldn’t sleep last night, so ”, I said .

” We’ll be fine, go to bed and get some rest, let’s see on how you are feeling tomorrow ”, Jamie told me .

” Ok then, goodnight guys ”, I said, as I went upstairs to my bed room .

” Goodnight Liam ”, Everybody shouted .

” What’s wrong with Liam ?”, Kevin asked .

” A tree stared at him, apparently ”, Jamie replied .

When I had my nap, me and the gang had to go to the shop round the corner, to get a few bits and pieces, just some food and essentials and when we were done, we started walking back to the house and we saw The Rejects standing around, Jacob was there with the other gang members, we had no idea what they were doing there, but it was never really our business, so we just stayed out of it, but Emmett wanted to step in, like he always does .

” Jesus Christ, what do people do for kicks round here, play checkers or something ?, wow, this place is out dated ”, Emmett said, as he walked up and saw the gang . ” What do you think this is, Gang bang ?”, Emmett asked . Whilst Kevin was goofing around with the other gang members, I went to talk to Jacob, he was in the car, he was still in a bad mood from the murder of his good friend and the incident between Carter and Johnny, but I didn’t know how to feel, Jacob wasn’t a Reject, he was just an ordinary person, that”s all he was .

” Hi Jacob, how’s it going ?”, I asked, as I got in the car .

” You do know that we are not on good terms, right ?”, he said .

” Look, I know that you are still furious from last night, I understand that you lost your friend, but don’t you think that it’s personally not my friend’s fault, I mean, it was for defense, he didn’t mean it ?”, I told him .

” Yeah well, perhaps you don’t know how it feels, your friend murdered my best mate, he’ll learn the repercussions of that ”, Jacob said .

” Look, I’m sorry ok, my friend has developed PTSD from that, he couldn’t stop thinking about that, his head was in a weird place at the time, he didn’t mean to pull out a switchblade and stab him ”, I said .

” You know, Carter was a good man, he cared for his friends, he was nice when he wasn’t drunk, he was a great soul, they don’t tell you that, don’t they, ay ?”, Jacob said .

” Yeah I know, well, I need to go now, look after yourself, man, see ya ”, I said and got out of the car and walked away with the gang, when I got home, I was really tired, so I took another nap, it only lasted for about 10 minutes. Emmett was in the room, smoking a cigarette, he didn’t make a sound, it was completely silent, all I heard was footsteps menouvering around, coming into my room,  but I didn’t let it get to me, I carried on sleeping. Then suddenly, Emmett tip toes up to me, as quiet as he can be, and he kneels down on the other side of the bed and he shouted from the top of his lungs .

” Gang war, Gang war ”, Emmett shouted. In that split second, I see Emmett kneeling with one leg on the side of the bed, just shouting, he wasn’t doing it for a serious reason, he was just doing it for a laugh, it made me jump out of my skin, I was never so frightened in my life, hearing Emmett do it, his voice is so loud, that you could hear his voice 2 miles away and the scream echos in every room, my heart was racing, I was so annoyed .

” What are you doing, Emmett, you almost gave me a heart attack ”, I shouted, and he started laughing his head off .

” What are you doing, sleeping too long, you’ve been asleep since 6 oclock, don’t sleep for too long, it’s not good for you ”, he told me .

” Where is everybody ?”, I asked .

” Everybody’s in the kitchen, Jamie’s creating this new demo, sort of like some break dancing thing, the man has officially lost his head, what’s he doing, dancing like that and talking to the camera, he looks mad ”, Emmett replied .

”Hah, some things just don’t change, don’t they ?”, I asked .

” Nah of course not ”, Emmett replied .

” Well, I’m gonna sleep a little bit longer, I’m still knackered ”, I said .

” No get up, get your lazy ass off the bed, get your head out of your ass and smell the fresh roses, you didn’t even do much today, why are you so tired, do you just get fatigue by inhaling air ?”, Emmett asked .

” No it doesn’t work that way, I was talking to Jacob on the way to the petrol station ”, I said .

” Really, Jacob, what was he doing there, what did he say ?”, Emmett asked .

” I don’t know, he just talked about a few things, the man’s still grieving, he told me to say hi ”, I replied .

” Oh cool ”, he said . And then, Kevin and Jamie came downstairs .

” Hey Liam, Jamie’s done his breakdancing demo, his legs were as thin as a noodle, you’ve got to see this ”, Kevin said .

”  Oh is it, oh ok ”, I said .

” Hey, did you see those Rejects today, my god, they had a spring in their jive, doing god knows what outside the petrol station ”, Kevin said .

”  Yeah, they looked like asses ”, Emmett said . ” Hey Liam, do you know how to fight ?”, he asked .

” Um, I’m not a professional fighter, I know a few things ”, I replied .

” Oh cool, cause like, I’m gonna teach you a few moves, I’m just gonna teach you the basics, alright Liam ?”, Emmett asked .

” Um ok, just go easy with me, I’m not a punching bag ”, I said .

” Yeah yeah yeah, don’t worry, I’ll go easy on ya, just stand in the corner of the room, now do be careful, don’t wanna get blood on the carpet, do we now ?”, Emmett said, and I walked over and stood in the middle of the room .

” Easy for you to say, this is my home ”, I said .

” My home, your home, stranger’s home, it doesn’t matter, but what does matter is that we keep this house tidy and spick and span ” Emmett said .

” Yeah yeah ” I said . ” Ok so, what are we gonna do, are we gonna do this or not ?”, I asked .

” Ok so firstly, I’m gonna teach you how to look tough, so you gotta look your oponent in the eye and pretend that you have coins in your mouth ”, Emmett said .

” What, how the hell am I supposed to do that ?”, I asked .

” Look, just make a face, with your mouth open like this, then you just cross your eyes, would you like me to demonstrate ?”, Emmett asked .

” Yeah ”, I replied .

” Ok so, just like this, this is the face that will scare away any Reject ”, Emmett said, as he made the face .

” Right, I doubt that making that face will make you look tough ”, I said .

” No Liam, look, it works, I tried it once and within three seconds, the kids ran away in plain sight ”, Emmett told me .

” Yeah, you making that face, no wonder why they ran away, nobody would want to see that face of a person that’s chasing them, they’d run a mile ”, I said .

” Ok anyway, moving on, ok so, let’s get onto the next thing, so next, I’m just gonna teach you how to choke someone, now, don’t worry Liam, you are safe, I’ve got you, ok so, just make a stance and when it’s your time, you’re gonna strike back ”, Emmett said and I stood there with my shoulders back .

”  Are you sure you wanna do this ?”, I asked .

” Yes Liam, it’s the only way to go, after this, you’re gonna know everything, no Reject would wanna lay a hand on you, you understand ?”, Emmett said .

” Alright then, just make sure that you do this safely, don’t wanna have a night time trip to A and E, it’s chock a block outside ”, I said .

” I can’t make that promise, this is the 80s, health and safety doesn’t exist ”, Emmett said .

” Ok whatever, just teach me, and I could get it over with ”, I said .

” Right ok, so you keep your shoulders back and make eye contact with your oponent, if you look away or you look down, your oponent will attack you, so always make eye contact, always remember that, let that be a lesson to you ”, Emmett said .

” Ok so, what do I have to do next ?”, I asked .

” Ok so now, on the count of ten, you have to be ready, otherwise you’re gonna get squashed like a grape ”, Emmett said, and I stood up straight, making eye contact with Emmett .

” Is that alright ?”, I asked .

” Yeah that’s good, and now, I’m gonna count to ten and then you’ll have to raise your fists ”, Emmett said and I had my fists out. ” There you go, that’s good, so when I turn around, I’m gonna strangle you, if you get injured a little bit, don’t tell me, because defeat does not exist in this house, does it ?”, Emmett asked .

” No Emmett ”, I said .

” Call me Sensei ”, Emmett said .

” No sensei ”, I shouted .

” Right ok, waaaaa, I’ve got you, now you don’t shriek, because a Reject will try and kill you, he can sense that you are scared of him, so just keep still ”, Emmett told me, as he spun me around and strangled me, I was struggling, but I had to trust him . ” Just imagine, yeah, imagine that I am Samuel, and I’m gonna shove you to the ground, but don’t worry, I’m gonna put a pillow here so you won’t bang your head on the surface ”, Emmett said. ” Oh, look, it’s an Eagle, I’m gonna stab you in the stomach, what’s the matter, Eagle, you don’t like knives ?”, Emmett shouted, as he held his switch blade in his hand and imitated Samuel, who is a member of The Rejects .

” Ah geez, ok, I think that’s enough, I’m gonna piss myself, let go of me ”, I demanded, and Emmett let go of me and I walked away .

” That was good, better then the first time, you just have to improve your stance, it takes a number attempts, nobody really gets it the first time, it takes practice ”, Emmett said .

” Oh ok, wicked, what else are you gonna teach me ?”, I asked .

” Ok so, the next thing that I’m gonna teach you is, how to aim for a straight punch in the boat race, your enemies will keep on attacking you because they want to be punched, so I’m gonna teach you how to do it, you ready ?”, Emmett asked .

” You bet ”, I replied .

” Great, ok so, just stand in front of me, now, this is gonna be interesting because if you are facing forwards, you have someone attack you from behind, I know, it’s mad ”, Emmett said .

” Are you gonna punch me in the boat race, because my teeth are gonna end up falling out ”, I asked .

” I am gonna punch you in the boat race, but I’m not gonna punch you too hard, just a soft blow to the boat race, you won’t feel a thing ”, Emmett replied .

” Right ok, I’ll man up then ”, I said .

” Ok, so when you’re aiming for a straight punch in someone’s face, your first has to be straight, otherwise, it’s just gonna punch the person’s thingy me bob, so just always make sure that it’s straight, I’ll demonstrate then you can copy, ok ?”, Emmett asked .

”  Yeah ”, I replied, and Kevin, Dominick, Jamie, Johnny and Travis were watching us .

” Woooo, look at him, he’s learning to fight, he’s gonna do gang bang ”, Dominick shouted .

” Dom, shut up, Liam needs to focus, otherwise, he’s gonna punch me in the bloody boat race ”, Emmett said . ” Ok so, go up like that, bang, he’s on the floor, all dizzy, get this man an ambulance, save some for later, you know what I’m saying like ?”Emmett shouted, as he imitated a blow to the head .  ” Hate, smash that, punch that, knock that down because of hate”, Emmett said. ” And now, you try ”, he added .

” Ok, how’s this ?”, I asked, and I pranced around and I imitated a punch, you should of seen the look on Emmett’s face, he was livid, he almost flew across the other side of the room .

” Owww, what are you doing, man ?, I told you to punch straight ahead, not me, bloody hell, you’re a fiesty boy, ain’t ya ?”, Emmett shouted .

” Oh shit, sorry, I didn’t see you there, my fists have a mind of it’s own, see ?, how did I do, how did I do ?”, I asked .

” That’s wicked, now you know all the basics, you’re one of us now, you’re a fighter, you’re an Eagle, couldn’t be more proud ”, Emmett, as he shook me .

” Oh that’s great, thanks man ”, I said . Kevin, dominick, Johnny, Jamie and Travis were so chuffed .

” Woooo, go on Liam, that was amazing ”, Travis cheered.

” I was good, wasn’t I ?”, I asked .

” Yeah, you were amazing ”, Johnny replied .

” Yeah, watch out Rejects, Liam’s coming to town ”, Dominick said .

Now I know how to fight, Emmett is a pro fighter, he taught me all the basics, and I’m not afraid to use them, we were laughing all night long . I went downstairs to take a nap, I fell fast asleep, but then, Emmett scared me, once again, but this time, he came down to the sitting room .

” Yieeeeeee, gang war ”, Emmett shouted . This time, I didn’t even bother getting up, I just held the pillow against my head, covering my ears. Emmett taught me how to be a ruffian, and him scaring me didn’t bother me anymore. I am one of them, I am an Eagle .

End of chapter