The Recruit (3 page)

Anna shook her head and tried to hide behind the cascade of strawberry blonde hair.

‘Ricky was on our seat this morning and Gutless Wonder here didn’t go talk to him.’

‘Jasmine Thomas, how dare you!’ Anna looked horrified.

Jaz put her hand on Taylor’s arm and enjoyed the warmth through his shirt. ‘Anna, it’s only Tay, he’s like…been our friend since the first grade. He probably knows more dirty secrets about you than I do!’

Anna sobered up instantly, her face now showing an intense expression. ‘You know, you might just be right. How lucky we are that you don’t blab to your other friends about us,’ Anna said, squinting up at Taylor.

‘I wouldn’t dare. Jaz would likely kick my butt and have me begging for mercy,’ he said giving her a wink. ‘Besides I don’t think they would be interested in you two rejects,’ Taylor finished jokingly. The girls automatically lashed out. He caught Anna’s hand but took a hit to the guts from Jaz. ‘Oomph, no fair Jaz,’ he said rubbing his belly. ‘You know it doesn’t do much for a bloke’s ego when he’s always getting beaten up by a girl. Blokes like to be the stronger ones…or at least think we are.’

‘Oh please, somebody give him a tissue,’ Anna laughed.

Jaz smiled. ‘Maybe next time you’ll think twice about a smart arse comment. You know we don’t like your other friends, they’re very snobby and mean.’

‘Yeah, and why is it that you like them again?’ asked Anna tilting her head to the side. But they weren’t expecting an answer. They knew that Taylor moved in different circles with his family and deep down they knew he liked being popular…hey, who wouldn’t! But he’d never once dissed them, and because of their friendship all the other kids left them alone. Besides the odd snide comment from Minka when he wasn’t looking.

A short blast rang out over the PA and small groups slowly merged together as they headed inside the building.

‘Come on we better get moving, I’ve got Mr Noble up first and you know how he likes to make a spectacle of anyone who’s late, so I’ll catch up with you two later,’ he said before taking off. ‘Oh, Jaz, you gonna be at training?’

Her heart pounded an extra hard beat as she nodded.

‘Cool,’ he replied before striding off into the merging traffic of uniformed bodies.

Anna watched her friend for a while before speaking. ‘And you think I’m chicken — when are you going to fess up your feelings for Tay?’ she asked as they moved off.

Jaz reluctantly took her eyes away from Taylor’s lean figure. ‘Come on Anna, it’s different. We’ve been friends too long, I can’t risk losing that. Besides I know he doesn’t feel the same way,’ Jaz said sadly.

‘How would you know when you haven’t even asked him?’ Anna said before putting her arm around Jaz’s shoulders. ‘Don’t worry, we’ll sort something out. Come on, let’s get to another exciting lesson of biology, whoopee…not. You might be able to dissect a frog…I know how much you love gross stuff.’

Jaz smiled. ‘And Minka likes to faint at anything gross-related…that would cheer me up.’

‘Remember the last time she fainted and hit her nose?’ Anna laughed.

‘You always know how to cheer me up.’

On her way to her form room she passed a circle of guys on the inside quadrangle who looked like they were shoving someone around. Jaz kept walking, more concerned about getting to class, but in the gap of the guys she saw a familiar face. Simon. Then she heard what the guys were saying, teasing her brother, trying to get him to fight. She skidded to a halt just as one guy punched Simon somewhere near his chest.

That was it. Nobody teased her half-brother but her. Throwing her bag down she pushed her way into the middle of the bullies’ circle to stand in front of Simon.

‘You okay, Si?’

He was rubbing his chest, but nodded his head that he was.

Now she turned to face the older boys. ‘Think it’s funny do you? Like picking on people smarter than you? Well now, you can deal with me. Who’s first?’ She stood there challenging them, waving them on with her hands while daring them with her eyes.

One of them, with an earring, laughed. ‘I don’t hit girls,’ he said. Jaz hadn’t seen him before, maybe he was new and hadn’t heard of her yet.

‘Well I don’t discriminate,’ she said, raising her hands.

The other guys took a few steps back. They didn’t look so tough now. Jaz was itching for one of them to make a move just so she could bust their butts. The one with the earring, who had hit Simon, stood tall, chest puffed out trying to intimidate her.

‘You come near my brother again and you’ll have to deal with me. I don’t like bullies.’

A guy with a shaved head leaned over and whispered something to the dude with the earring before he turned and left. The rest of the crowd went with him. Earring boy gave her an unimpressed glance before turning and following the others.

‘I guess your reputation is still alive and well,’ said Simon as he picked up his spilt books.

Jaz put her hand on Simon’s shoulder. ‘If they bother you again, you tell me.’

‘You can’t fight all my battles, Jaz,’ he sighed while putting his bag on his shoulder.

‘And why not? You got the brains, I’ve got the brawn, together we are unbeatable,’ she said with a laugh. ‘Come on, we better get to class before we’re both in trouble.’

‘Thanks, Sis,’ he said before turning and running towards the nearest door.

Jaz followed along at a slower pace. She was a little disappointed no one had thrown a punch. She did love a good fight but usually it was with her mates at The Ring. Maybe another day, she thought.

Jaz was mesmerised. Yeah, the wooden bench seat in the gymnasium was hard on her butt and her white breeches were a bit tight, but Taylor occupied the rest of her thoughts. He was just so cool. Okay, so the get-up in fencing wasn’t as revealing as a pair of footy shorts but it was the way Taylor moved that was wonderful, his steps so graceful, his arm speed so quick and his riposte so decisive. Jaz wasn’t really good at remembering all the names of things in fencing but that didn’t matter, she could still do all the moves.

Taylor was right into fencing…and anything else different. Like his passion for guns. His dad was the Deputy Commissioner of Operations for the police and had a huge gun collection. Taylor had shown her a few times over the years, and he would ramble on about each new gun every time his dad had acquired another one. He probably thought she was interested but Jaz just liked the way the words rolled off his tongue and the way he spoke so passionately.

‘Hey, you. Finished practice?’ asked Anna as she walked into the school’s large gym. It had grandstands on either side of the court and two fencing mats were set up in the middle, where Taylor and Reece were bouting.

Jaz lifted her mask up off the bench so Anna could sit down. ‘Just about.’

They watched for a few minutes as Taylor won another point.

Anna sighed, ‘Wow, Taylor makes it look so sexy.’ Jaz glanced at Anna who held up her hands. ‘Hey, I’m just sayin’…no wonder you joined.’

‘Hmm.’ Jaz had joined the fencing team just to be with Taylor but she didn’t realise how much you needed fast reflexes and pinpoint precision. Fencing, she’d found, was a battle of the body, mind and spirit between athletes and she got that, it was an extension of what she did at Pax’s gym. Now she enjoyed it as much as Taylor did and she liked beating the other boys.

She watched as Taylor took a lunge and finished off his attack. She turned back to Anna. ‘So did you memorise a few more books in the library?’

Anna rolled her eyes at Jaz. ‘Don’t mock me, because you know you need me. I’m the smartest friend you’ve got.’

‘Anna you’re the smartest kid in the whole of Perth…and I’m glad that you’re my friend…and not just because of that marvellous mind of yours. So you coming to The Ring too?’

Anna tossed her long hair over her slim shoulder. ‘Yep, never know when Pax will be off. He’s always been capricious.’

‘What the…? Stop showing off! How many times have I said not to use big fandangled words I have no idea about? Talka enrish, please.’

Anna laughed, her green eyes sparkling and her freckles creasing in her smile.

‘Thomas, over here now!’ shouted coach Belmore who was dressed in their team tracksuit of red, black and white. He thought he was a modern day Zorro with his pointed triangle of facial hair on his chin.

Jaz swore under her breath. She collected up her mask and picked up her weapon before heading towards the coach and the rest of the team, as Anna pulled out a book from her bag and began to read while she waited.

Taylor was just putting his mask down near his feet as she stood next to him. ‘Hey, what’s coach want now?’ she whispered to him.

He ran his hand through his hair and adjusted it. ‘Pep talk, I reckon.’

Jaz loved the way he leaned in close when he answered. He smelt divine, like an expensive men’s aftershave.

‘Okay, Team Amaris! This year it’s our turn to win,’ shouted Belmore, even though the six of them were huddled closely around him. Jaz was sure she felt spit spray. Gross.

‘We have these two who are going to do us proud.’ He waved to Jaz and Taylor. ‘But they can’t do it alone so don’t forget training on Thursday, that’s you Sutton!’ he said pointing to the largest guy in the group who almost snapped his head to attention. ‘Macintosh, don’t forget your plastron and Benson please, for the love of God, remember your sabre. It’s no good fighting with your hand, son. Right, off you go. Get some rest.’ Coach Belmore clapped them off as the boys headed to the change rooms while Jaz went to the away team change rooms.

She packed up her gear and got dressed in her cargo pants and black hoodie, and put her Doc Martens back on. As she headed back to Anna, Jaz was busy putting in her earphones for her music player when an arm closed over her shoulder. She didn’t need to look to know it was Taylor. Why couldn’t he kiss her as easily as he put his arm around her? But no, he always kept things chummy between them as if she was his best
male
friend. Seriously, she had a good set of breasts; she just wondered when he was going to notice them!

‘What ya listening to?’ his breath caressing her cheek as he spoke.

‘Hayley Williams.’ And when she got a blank stare, ‘You know, from Paramore.’

‘Oh, yep. What else? Still listening to Pink too?’

She smiled and nodded. For a guy that knew Jaz so well, he was completely blind to other things.

‘So you off to the gym?’

‘Yep, with Anna. Pax is off on one of his adventures. What about you? To the firing range?’

He laughed, so sweetly it sent tingles down her back.

‘Yep, they got a new Schmidt & Bender scope I wanna try out. You should come with me next time and I can show you.’

‘Sure, sounds great. It’s been a while since I’ve been.’ She’d no sooner finished before Taylor gave her a nod.

‘Can I give you ladies a lift?’ he asked as Anna joined them.

‘Oh yes please. Come on, let’s go!’

Anna looped her arm through Taylor’s and they left the school gym. Outside it was almost deserted except for the after-school sports kids leaving. Jaz noticed a guy with a full on beard leaning against a black car. He wasn’t the normal type of person around here. Clean-shaven and expensive suits were more the norm. The other thing that struck Jaz was how his eyes were trained on just those three, more to the point, Anna and Taylor who walked in front of her to his car.

Jaz caught up to her friends but kept her eye on the guy in the denim jacket. After Taylor helped Anna into the front of his blue Mustang Jaz got his attention. ‘Hey, Tay. Do you know that bloke?’

She didn’t point but gestured with her eyes to across the road.

‘Nup, why?’

‘Don’t know.’ She shrugged. ‘He was watching you like he knew you.’

‘He probably just likes my car. It’s not just a chick magnet,’ he said with a laugh.

Jaz climbed into the back while Taylor got in the driver’s side. As he drove off, she couldn’t help but glance back. The guy was still there watching them leave. Maybe he did just love a good classic car?

On the ride to The Ring Anna and Taylor chatted about guns. But Jaz couldn’t wait to get to the gym. She loved it, to her it felt like home and she didn’t care that it was in a roughish neighbourhood. They lived in richville in between the Swan River and the Indian Ocean but The Ring was in a whole different area, no designer gardens or two- or three-storey houses. Just the scraps left when development took over the area. The wealthy wanted to clean it up, to push all those people out and redevelop the area. But Jaz liked it. It felt real.

‘Still rubbing St Michael’s back?’ Anna was looking back, watching Jaz playing with the pendant around her neck. A 14 carat gold disc with St Michael on it. It’s all she had of her biological father. Her finger ran over the engraving on the back.
Salvatore D.L.

‘Yeah, I can’t help it!’

‘You know St Michael was the Archangel, field commander of the army of God, leading God’s armies against Satan’s forces. Maybe your father was religious?’

‘I guess I’ll never know.’ From time to time, she’d wonder about him, especially those days when she felt so different. She stood out in all their family portraits, her silky black hair and darker skin making her the odd one out. But she had her blue eyes that kept the link to her mum and her brother. When she saw them in the mirror, that’s what she clung to.

‘So where do you think Pax is off to this time?’ asked Taylor, changing the subject.

‘My bet is overseas somewhere.’ Anna smiled.

‘Ha, talk about hedging your bets, would you like to be more specific and pick a country? I reckon he’ll be off doing another bloody course in something,’ said Jaz.

‘Probably on how to prune bonsai trees,’ added Anna before laughing.

It’s true. Pax loved doing all sorts of weird courses. He had certificates from Thai cooking to Woodwork 101.

Taylor pulled up next to the uneven pathway alongside The Ring. It was a big, white, rectangle building with a flat roof.
The Ring
was painted across the front in blue and red, now faded and flaking. Pax lived next door in a house that was built like Fort Knox with window bars and alarms. A must, apparently.