An open post...
In high school I loved English classes, particularly loved writing fiction. I was spurred on by the praise and encouragement of my teacher, Mrs Anderson (who, in a strange twist of serendipity, turned out to be the aunt of the man I would marry 10 years later).
I've written very little since finishing Year 12. Oh, there was that one time when I decided it was time to unleash The Great Novel Within...you know, the one most of us have in our heads. But I never got past chapter 4. Recently, I unearthed it. Twelve years under the bridge offered me a clearer perspective on my writing...whilst not as bad as I feared, my god, it was so over-written!
My husband is an author (predominantly of children's books, primary and middle secondary) and he mentioned an upcoming anthology: "Dead Red Heart". They were open to submissions of fiction...had to be set in Australia and contain vampires in some way. Suddenly, I felt like writing again! So I gave it a crack.
"Write what you know" is a popular piece of advice for novice writers. So I started thinking back. My old school mates might be tickled to know that as I formed this story, I did so with our home town of Sale in mind and our school, John 23rd. Picture the school hall for the social scene, if you will.
And I worked very hard at not over-writing it (evidently a common mistake of novice fiction writers), by keeping to the point and leaving out my usually flowery descriptives.
The submission was ultimately rejected. But that's ok...I achieved my goal of writing a complete piece of fiction with which I was happy. Anyway, if you're interested, please read! And feel free to comment - I'll be looking to give it a re-write and perhaps try submitting it else where!
"Country Vampire, City Vampire"
“Pig Sucker! Oink! Oink!”
I saw the foot hook out and catch Barry’s ankle. Barry lurched forward, his arms flailing, his elbow connecting with the lockers with a crack. He hit the floor with a heavy thud. His bag flew forward, sending books skittering across the hallway, a Maths textbook coming to rest in a narrow shaft of morning sunlight.
The crowded hallway became hushed. Bodies shuffled to the sidelines.
Robbo crooned, “Awww, sorry Pig Sucker, I didn’t see you there.” He flung his arm around his girlfriend’s shoulders. Kristen sniffed. Her uniform was open at the top button, revealing a pink lacy bra. What a slag, I thought. Brett danced around behind the pair, jabbing a finger at Barry, who was still lying on the floor.
“Hey, Pig Sucker!” Brett called, “Got a date for the Social yet? Gonna take one of your piggy girlfriends?” He hopped from foot to foot. “You can have a little sweet loving…” He made a lewd animal rooting action… “Squeeeeee! Then have her for a snack afterwards!”
Kristen tittered and Robbo guffawed, “Good one, Brett!”
The hush was broken by the Principal, Mr Carruthers, who strode along the hallway, clapping his hands together briskly.
“Come on everybody! Off to class! Quickly, quickly!”
Barry scrambled to his knees and began to retrieve his books. Too late, I saw him reach for the Maths book in the sun. I lunged forward.
“Let me get that for you!”
“I can do it!” hissed Barry. As his hand contacted the shaft of sunlight, the skin immediately turned red and a funny smell filled the air. He snatched the book out of the light and stuffed it into his bag.
“Is that bacon I smell burning?” shouted Robbo, as they sauntered off, sniggering.
“Why don’t you stand up to Robbo?” I asked. “He’s 17 and you’re 107!”
Barry shrugged and got to his feet. “I’ll see ya at the VLAD meeting at lunchtime, ‘kay?” And he slouched off.
* * *
The school was pretty cool about all it’s minority groups, let them set up clubs and stuff. They were pretty good to the vampire kids too…made sure they were in classrooms on the south side of the building, let them have break times inside, stocked pig’s blood in the canteen… stuff like that.
The town was pretty cool with them too. The Head of Surgery at the base hospital was a vamp and there was one on the city council. The town was surrounded by farmland. A lot of vamp families ran piggeries. They didn’t, like, suck on the pigs directly, or anything. Kept them happy and healthy and just siphoned them each day. Pig’s blood was a pretty acceptable alternative food source, evidently. My mum said the vampires were fine upstanding citizens.
I never did fit in anywhere….in the town or in school. Didn’t fit with the clubs for wogs or slants or fags or lezzos. I didn’t like chess and was crap at photography. Sport… pfft. I met Barry when I moved into his year level.
He’d been in Year 11 for a long time. He said I could join the VLADs.
V.L.A.D. stood for Vampires Learn And Do. I thought it was lame. Barry thought the acronym was cool. Barry said they were into intellectual pursuits, like Scrabble and Suduko. Sometimes Dungeons and Dragons. Barry declared an official offshoot of the club, just for me: Friends of VLAD.
When I walked into the dimly lit classroom at the start of lunchtime, there were already about a dozen vamps there, quietly bent over game boards. Barry gestured for me to sit by him.
“Hey, you should totally come to my house this arvo. My cousins are down from Melbourne and you should meet them. They arrived last night” Barry looked thoughtful, as he gingerly touched the blistered skin on the back of his hand. “Seth is cool. He, like, really listens to me.”
“Yeah, alright,” I said. “Wanna play Scrabble?”
* * *
Barry’s house was dim and cool. A weak light shone from the central pendant, a faded apricot satin shade, ringed with long fringe.
A beautiful vampire girl sat on the brown vinyl armchair. She held a pair of drum sticks and was beating a staccato rhythm on the coffee table.
“This is Annabelle,” said Barry, gesturing at the girl. She smiled at me without missing a beat on the table. She had a mass of blond hair, dark painted eyes and shiny red lips. Her skirt was really short. Really, really short. She had a leg hooked up over the arm of the chair. Above her stocking tops I could see the pale flesh of her thighs leading upwards to a glimpse of red and black polka dot knickers.
Barry elbowed me sharply and with a start I realised I’d been staring at Annabelle’s crotch for too long. Barry pointed at the figure leaning on the side of the armchair.
“That’s William,” he said. William was wearing an old fashion suit and tie and his hair was smooth and shiny with oil. He nodded towards me, but didn’t look at me.
“Hey, Bernardo.” The sudden voice at my shoulder made me jump. I hadn’t realised there was a third vampire in the room.
“Aww, Seth, c’mon…you know I prefer Barry or Bazza these days,” whined Barry. Seth stepped into the light. He was tall and lean, with jeans, t-shirt and an unremarkable leather jacket. His eyes were cool and reflective. I sensed ages in them. Around his shaved head was tied a crisp black and white bandana, patterned with…was that, Hello Kitty?
Seth ruffled Barry’s hair playfully. “Sorry, little cousin. Bazza, of course.”
Annabelle’s table top drum solo suddenly stopped and she whined, to no one in particular, “This town is such a hole! Is there anything to do here? I’m bored!”
There was silence. I felt the need to defend our little town. “Well, “ I stammered, “There’s a nice lake, with, er, under cover BBQ areas…and, um, there’s a cinema…and an all-night bowling alley…um…”
“Hey!” interjected Barry suddenly. “You should totally come to our Social this Friday night! There’s gonna be a band, but they will be total shit compared to you guys. You should gatecrash and, like, take over the stage!”
I nodded with enthusiasm. Annabelle shrugged. William didn’t move.
“Sounds like a plan, little cousin,” replied Seth.
* * *
Barry was right. The band was shit. Perfectly good songs being trashed into perfectly awful covers. But most of the kids were dancing anyway.
The theme was “Come as your favourite historical figure”. So lame. Hardly anyone was dressed up. I could see Mr Carruthers grooving over by the drinks table, wrapped in a toga, some leaves twined around his head.
Robbo was dancing with Kristen, practically dry humping her on the dance floor. She was dressed in some sort of porno nurse costume, with stilettos and suspenders and the front of her uniform undone really low. Historical figure? Yeah, right. Such a slag. Brett was cavorting around them, grabbing at Kristen’s arse, while she mockingly slapped him away.
Me and the VLADs were standing at the side, near the stage. VLADs don’t dance.
Suddenly there was a commotion by the entrance of the hall. The crowd of dancers parted and through them strode Annabelle and William. Behind them followed Seth, an electric guitar slung across his back. They nimbly leapt onto the stage and the crap band members faltered into silence, mid song.
Annabelle turned and faced the crowd. She surveyed the pensive faces. From somewhere she produced a can of Fosters and shook it hard. She opened her mouth and with a glint of barely hidden canines, wrapped her shiny red lips around the side of the beer can. She pulled it out as it started to froth and pointed the jetting spray back at the crowd, who started to writhe with excitement.
“Screw you, you country inbreds!!” she screamed throatily. The students suddenly cheered. What the? I thought, looking around at all the faces, glowing and greedy for thrills.
Annabelle, strode around the drum kit, snatched up the drum sticks and shoved the startled musician onto the floor. William politely took a bass guitar from one of the other band members. Seth swung his guitar around into his hands and grabbed a plug for the amp. The students gasped in anticipation.
Annabelle cracked the drumsticks together over her head…one, two, three four… and they launched into this most shit hot, throbbing music. The crowd went wild.
Robbo, Kristen and Brett pushed to the front of the stage. Kristen started to jump up and down, her breasts bouncing wildly. Robbo was punching his fist into the air, whooping with enthusiasm. Brett was leaping around, craning for a better view up Annabelle’s really short shirt. Her legs were parted around the kit, her pale thighs glistening. From where I was, I could see she was wearing white knickers tonight.
Brett started to thrust his hips around and screamed out to Annabelle, “Come on, Honey Vamp! You sexy bitch! You know you want me!!!”
Suddenly, Robbo scrambled up onto the stage. He pulled Kristen up behind him, her stupid costume hitching high and revealing lacy pants. Brett leapt up too. They all started to jump around the stage like idiots. The crowd surged forward, cheering and moving to the thumping beat.
Robbo snatched up another electric guitar and…my god, was he trying to play Smoke On The Water? Lame!
“Show us ya tits!” someone in the crowd screamed at Kristen. The stupid slag started wiggling her arse and unzipping her costume even further.
I saw William, still pounding the bass, glance towards Seth, his head cocked sideways in a silent question. Seth looked back at him and shrugged.
In a movement so fast I hardly saw it, William was suddenly behind Kristen, one arm wrapped around her waist, the other came up and grabbed the front of her stupid costume and tore it all away. Her breasts sprang free and she squealed. The crowd gasped then cheered. Then William’s hand, his nails like talons, flew to her neck and dragged a bloody gash across her throat. Blood sprayed across the audience and ran down her cleavage. I saw his mouth open, impossibly wide. His teeth were all vamped up. He twisted Kristen’s head around, her face frozen in surprise, and sunk his teeth into her throat.
The crowd howled and surged forward again. Behind me I could sense the VLADs pulsing with excitement. The crashing drums and pounding guitar played on. Brett’s eyes bugged out…he couldn’t drag his eyes away from Kristen’s blood covered breasts. He half turned towards Annabelle and screamed out, “Come and get me, Honey Vamp!!”
Annabelle threw the drumsticks aside and kicked over the kit with a huge crash. She stepped over it and advanced upon Brett. He slavered like a dog. She thrust her hand down the front of his jeans and he started to howl, “Oh yeah, baby! Yeah, Vampy!” Suddenly she ripped her hand out of his pants, blood spraying high into the air, her fist clutching…oh my god…Brett’s eyes bugged out and he started to scream and scream. Annabelle pulled him to her and sunk her red lips into his neck.
The crowd was howling for it now. I glanced sideways at Barry. His eyes glittered and his teeth were all vamped up. I’d never seen his teeth before. I stared wildly around the hall. I could see Mr Carruthers and some other teachers trying to usher students out the back door.
On the stage, Robbo only just seemed to have noticed what was going on and his string plucking faltered. He stared around. The crowd became still.
Seth finished on a long drawn out note that wavered in the air all around them. Then he quietly put his guitar down and took Robbo’s guitar from him. Too shocked to protest, Robbo just let him take it. Seth took the guitar by the neck and raised it above his head. His voice was quiet but it carried across the tensed crowd.
“And this is for calling my little cousin a Pig Sucker.” And the guitar crashed down into Robbo’s skull.
* * *
At Monday lunchtime, the mood of the VLADs was somewhat excitable. Barry was standing on a table, whooping and waving his arms. I could see his teeth were still vamped out. Tied around his head was the Hello Kitty bandana, stained with dark red splatters.
Suddenly the door opened and Mr Carruthers strode in. Barry quickly jumped down from the desk and stood quietly. But his eyes were wild and he panted a little.
“That was quite a ruckus your cousins caused at the Social on Friday, Barry,” said Mr Carruthers seriously. “I’m pleased to hear they returned to the city on the weekend. We really don’t need their type…err… discrediting our fine town. Rather a bad influence on the students too, I’d say. And on you. ”
He tut-tutted and waved towards Barry’s bandana. “And take that off, Barry. Not really appropriate school wear, you know.” He turned towards the door then paused and pointed at Barry’s mouth. “And put those away too, there’s a good lad.” The door clicked shut behind him.
“Wanna play Scrabble?” I said.
“Nah. Boring,” Barry replied with a sly grin.
I've written very little since finishing Year 12. Oh, there was that one time when I decided it was time to unleash The Great Novel Within...you know, the one most of us have in our heads. But I never got past chapter 4. Recently, I unearthed it. Twelve years under the bridge offered me a clearer perspective on my writing...whilst not as bad as I feared, my god, it was so over-written!
My husband is an author (predominantly of children's books, primary and middle secondary) and he mentioned an upcoming anthology: "Dead Red Heart". They were open to submissions of fiction...had to be set in Australia and contain vampires in some way. Suddenly, I felt like writing again! So I gave it a crack.
"Write what you know" is a popular piece of advice for novice writers. So I started thinking back. My old school mates might be tickled to know that as I formed this story, I did so with our home town of Sale in mind and our school, John 23rd. Picture the school hall for the social scene, if you will.
And I worked very hard at not over-writing it (evidently a common mistake of novice fiction writers), by keeping to the point and leaving out my usually flowery descriptives.
The submission was ultimately rejected. But that's ok...I achieved my goal of writing a complete piece of fiction with which I was happy. Anyway, if you're interested, please read! And feel free to comment - I'll be looking to give it a re-write and perhaps try submitting it else where!
"Country Vampire, City Vampire"
“Pig Sucker! Oink! Oink!”
I saw the foot hook out and catch Barry’s ankle. Barry lurched forward, his arms flailing, his elbow connecting with the lockers with a crack. He hit the floor with a heavy thud. His bag flew forward, sending books skittering across the hallway, a Maths textbook coming to rest in a narrow shaft of morning sunlight.
The crowded hallway became hushed. Bodies shuffled to the sidelines.
Robbo crooned, “Awww, sorry Pig Sucker, I didn’t see you there.” He flung his arm around his girlfriend’s shoulders. Kristen sniffed. Her uniform was open at the top button, revealing a pink lacy bra. What a slag, I thought. Brett danced around behind the pair, jabbing a finger at Barry, who was still lying on the floor.
“Hey, Pig Sucker!” Brett called, “Got a date for the Social yet? Gonna take one of your piggy girlfriends?” He hopped from foot to foot. “You can have a little sweet loving…” He made a lewd animal rooting action… “Squeeeeee! Then have her for a snack afterwards!”
Kristen tittered and Robbo guffawed, “Good one, Brett!”
The hush was broken by the Principal, Mr Carruthers, who strode along the hallway, clapping his hands together briskly.
“Come on everybody! Off to class! Quickly, quickly!”
Barry scrambled to his knees and began to retrieve his books. Too late, I saw him reach for the Maths book in the sun. I lunged forward.
“Let me get that for you!”
“I can do it!” hissed Barry. As his hand contacted the shaft of sunlight, the skin immediately turned red and a funny smell filled the air. He snatched the book out of the light and stuffed it into his bag.
“Is that bacon I smell burning?” shouted Robbo, as they sauntered off, sniggering.
“Why don’t you stand up to Robbo?” I asked. “He’s 17 and you’re 107!”
Barry shrugged and got to his feet. “I’ll see ya at the VLAD meeting at lunchtime, ‘kay?” And he slouched off.
* * *
The school was pretty cool about all it’s minority groups, let them set up clubs and stuff. They were pretty good to the vampire kids too…made sure they were in classrooms on the south side of the building, let them have break times inside, stocked pig’s blood in the canteen… stuff like that.
The town was pretty cool with them too. The Head of Surgery at the base hospital was a vamp and there was one on the city council. The town was surrounded by farmland. A lot of vamp families ran piggeries. They didn’t, like, suck on the pigs directly, or anything. Kept them happy and healthy and just siphoned them each day. Pig’s blood was a pretty acceptable alternative food source, evidently. My mum said the vampires were fine upstanding citizens.
I never did fit in anywhere….in the town or in school. Didn’t fit with the clubs for wogs or slants or fags or lezzos. I didn’t like chess and was crap at photography. Sport… pfft. I met Barry when I moved into his year level.
He’d been in Year 11 for a long time. He said I could join the VLADs.
V.L.A.D. stood for Vampires Learn And Do. I thought it was lame. Barry thought the acronym was cool. Barry said they were into intellectual pursuits, like Scrabble and Suduko. Sometimes Dungeons and Dragons. Barry declared an official offshoot of the club, just for me: Friends of VLAD.
When I walked into the dimly lit classroom at the start of lunchtime, there were already about a dozen vamps there, quietly bent over game boards. Barry gestured for me to sit by him.
“Hey, you should totally come to my house this arvo. My cousins are down from Melbourne and you should meet them. They arrived last night” Barry looked thoughtful, as he gingerly touched the blistered skin on the back of his hand. “Seth is cool. He, like, really listens to me.”
“Yeah, alright,” I said. “Wanna play Scrabble?”
* * *
Barry’s house was dim and cool. A weak light shone from the central pendant, a faded apricot satin shade, ringed with long fringe.
A beautiful vampire girl sat on the brown vinyl armchair. She held a pair of drum sticks and was beating a staccato rhythm on the coffee table.
“This is Annabelle,” said Barry, gesturing at the girl. She smiled at me without missing a beat on the table. She had a mass of blond hair, dark painted eyes and shiny red lips. Her skirt was really short. Really, really short. She had a leg hooked up over the arm of the chair. Above her stocking tops I could see the pale flesh of her thighs leading upwards to a glimpse of red and black polka dot knickers.
Barry elbowed me sharply and with a start I realised I’d been staring at Annabelle’s crotch for too long. Barry pointed at the figure leaning on the side of the armchair.
“That’s William,” he said. William was wearing an old fashion suit and tie and his hair was smooth and shiny with oil. He nodded towards me, but didn’t look at me.
“Hey, Bernardo.” The sudden voice at my shoulder made me jump. I hadn’t realised there was a third vampire in the room.
“Aww, Seth, c’mon…you know I prefer Barry or Bazza these days,” whined Barry. Seth stepped into the light. He was tall and lean, with jeans, t-shirt and an unremarkable leather jacket. His eyes were cool and reflective. I sensed ages in them. Around his shaved head was tied a crisp black and white bandana, patterned with…was that, Hello Kitty?
Seth ruffled Barry’s hair playfully. “Sorry, little cousin. Bazza, of course.”
Annabelle’s table top drum solo suddenly stopped and she whined, to no one in particular, “This town is such a hole! Is there anything to do here? I’m bored!”
There was silence. I felt the need to defend our little town. “Well, “ I stammered, “There’s a nice lake, with, er, under cover BBQ areas…and, um, there’s a cinema…and an all-night bowling alley…um…”
“Hey!” interjected Barry suddenly. “You should totally come to our Social this Friday night! There’s gonna be a band, but they will be total shit compared to you guys. You should gatecrash and, like, take over the stage!”
I nodded with enthusiasm. Annabelle shrugged. William didn’t move.
“Sounds like a plan, little cousin,” replied Seth.
* * *
Barry was right. The band was shit. Perfectly good songs being trashed into perfectly awful covers. But most of the kids were dancing anyway.
The theme was “Come as your favourite historical figure”. So lame. Hardly anyone was dressed up. I could see Mr Carruthers grooving over by the drinks table, wrapped in a toga, some leaves twined around his head.
Robbo was dancing with Kristen, practically dry humping her on the dance floor. She was dressed in some sort of porno nurse costume, with stilettos and suspenders and the front of her uniform undone really low. Historical figure? Yeah, right. Such a slag. Brett was cavorting around them, grabbing at Kristen’s arse, while she mockingly slapped him away.
Me and the VLADs were standing at the side, near the stage. VLADs don’t dance.
Suddenly there was a commotion by the entrance of the hall. The crowd of dancers parted and through them strode Annabelle and William. Behind them followed Seth, an electric guitar slung across his back. They nimbly leapt onto the stage and the crap band members faltered into silence, mid song.
Annabelle turned and faced the crowd. She surveyed the pensive faces. From somewhere she produced a can of Fosters and shook it hard. She opened her mouth and with a glint of barely hidden canines, wrapped her shiny red lips around the side of the beer can. She pulled it out as it started to froth and pointed the jetting spray back at the crowd, who started to writhe with excitement.
“Screw you, you country inbreds!!” she screamed throatily. The students suddenly cheered. What the? I thought, looking around at all the faces, glowing and greedy for thrills.
Annabelle, strode around the drum kit, snatched up the drum sticks and shoved the startled musician onto the floor. William politely took a bass guitar from one of the other band members. Seth swung his guitar around into his hands and grabbed a plug for the amp. The students gasped in anticipation.
Annabelle cracked the drumsticks together over her head…one, two, three four… and they launched into this most shit hot, throbbing music. The crowd went wild.
Robbo, Kristen and Brett pushed to the front of the stage. Kristen started to jump up and down, her breasts bouncing wildly. Robbo was punching his fist into the air, whooping with enthusiasm. Brett was leaping around, craning for a better view up Annabelle’s really short shirt. Her legs were parted around the kit, her pale thighs glistening. From where I was, I could see she was wearing white knickers tonight.
Brett started to thrust his hips around and screamed out to Annabelle, “Come on, Honey Vamp! You sexy bitch! You know you want me!!!”
Suddenly, Robbo scrambled up onto the stage. He pulled Kristen up behind him, her stupid costume hitching high and revealing lacy pants. Brett leapt up too. They all started to jump around the stage like idiots. The crowd surged forward, cheering and moving to the thumping beat.
Robbo snatched up another electric guitar and…my god, was he trying to play Smoke On The Water? Lame!
“Show us ya tits!” someone in the crowd screamed at Kristen. The stupid slag started wiggling her arse and unzipping her costume even further.
I saw William, still pounding the bass, glance towards Seth, his head cocked sideways in a silent question. Seth looked back at him and shrugged.
In a movement so fast I hardly saw it, William was suddenly behind Kristen, one arm wrapped around her waist, the other came up and grabbed the front of her stupid costume and tore it all away. Her breasts sprang free and she squealed. The crowd gasped then cheered. Then William’s hand, his nails like talons, flew to her neck and dragged a bloody gash across her throat. Blood sprayed across the audience and ran down her cleavage. I saw his mouth open, impossibly wide. His teeth were all vamped up. He twisted Kristen’s head around, her face frozen in surprise, and sunk his teeth into her throat.
The crowd howled and surged forward again. Behind me I could sense the VLADs pulsing with excitement. The crashing drums and pounding guitar played on. Brett’s eyes bugged out…he couldn’t drag his eyes away from Kristen’s blood covered breasts. He half turned towards Annabelle and screamed out, “Come and get me, Honey Vamp!!”
Annabelle threw the drumsticks aside and kicked over the kit with a huge crash. She stepped over it and advanced upon Brett. He slavered like a dog. She thrust her hand down the front of his jeans and he started to howl, “Oh yeah, baby! Yeah, Vampy!” Suddenly she ripped her hand out of his pants, blood spraying high into the air, her fist clutching…oh my god…Brett’s eyes bugged out and he started to scream and scream. Annabelle pulled him to her and sunk her red lips into his neck.
The crowd was howling for it now. I glanced sideways at Barry. His eyes glittered and his teeth were all vamped up. I’d never seen his teeth before. I stared wildly around the hall. I could see Mr Carruthers and some other teachers trying to usher students out the back door.
On the stage, Robbo only just seemed to have noticed what was going on and his string plucking faltered. He stared around. The crowd became still.
Seth finished on a long drawn out note that wavered in the air all around them. Then he quietly put his guitar down and took Robbo’s guitar from him. Too shocked to protest, Robbo just let him take it. Seth took the guitar by the neck and raised it above his head. His voice was quiet but it carried across the tensed crowd.
“And this is for calling my little cousin a Pig Sucker.” And the guitar crashed down into Robbo’s skull.
* * *
At Monday lunchtime, the mood of the VLADs was somewhat excitable. Barry was standing on a table, whooping and waving his arms. I could see his teeth were still vamped out. Tied around his head was the Hello Kitty bandana, stained with dark red splatters.
Suddenly the door opened and Mr Carruthers strode in. Barry quickly jumped down from the desk and stood quietly. But his eyes were wild and he panted a little.
“That was quite a ruckus your cousins caused at the Social on Friday, Barry,” said Mr Carruthers seriously. “I’m pleased to hear they returned to the city on the weekend. We really don’t need their type…err… discrediting our fine town. Rather a bad influence on the students too, I’d say. And on you. ”
He tut-tutted and waved towards Barry’s bandana. “And take that off, Barry. Not really appropriate school wear, you know.” He turned towards the door then paused and pointed at Barry’s mouth. “And put those away too, there’s a good lad.” The door clicked shut behind him.
“Wanna play Scrabble?” I said.
“Nah. Boring,” Barry replied with a sly grin.