Page 48 of The Cut
‘And now … Mark Cherry is moving up into third place behind Chris Davis of Marconi house and Ben Knot of Pasteur.’ Through the lens of Dave’s camera, a line of students pelt around the running track as he gives his best Des Lynam impression.
Mark’s reputation for ducking out of the cross-country run and sneaking off to the chippy with his ‘girlfriend’ means that his prowess on the sports field is sketchy, but he has really pulled something out of the bag this term.
Whispers around school suggest that after so much practice running away from the bullies, he’s become some kind of camp Sebastian Coe.
Either way, he is kicking ass at the Barton Mallet Secondary School sports day so far, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.
‘COME ON, MARK!’ Catherine shouts from the sidelines, nearly deafening Patel, who is trying to focus in on Chris.
Mark’s heart is thumping hard as his feet pound the grass.
He’s been holding back. He’s studied Steve Ovett running like this, hanging off the shoulder on the inside lane, tailing his opponent, using him as a pacemaker of sorts.
It means a shorter run by the smallest of margins but every foot counts.
As they turn the last bend, Mark can hear the crowd roar, and through the cacophony of noise:
‘Come on, Bro! DON’T LET THE FAGGOT WIN!’ Lynette pours kerosene on an already burning fire.
Mark’s heart punches harder, pumping blood into his legs, propelling him faster than he’s ever run before.
He’ll show them. He’ll leave them all behind, not just today here on this running track but for every day, from this point, going onwards, for the rest of his life.
He makes his move, darting out on Davis’s right shoulder and passing him with ease.
Davis attempts to stop him by reaching out and shoulder-barging, but Mark is too fast; he thrusts down the home straight and across the line, just seconds after Ben Knot.
The crowd explodes. Mark’s won silver and is delighted. 265
In that moment, just as Chris Davis leaps across the line, Patel jogs over and Lynette throws her arms around Ben.
As she passes Patel, she whispers something in his ear.
She turns to congratulate her brother and starts to cross the field towards Mark Cherry.
He is bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for breath.
Just as he is about to stand for a victory lap, Lynette takes the waistband of his shorts and yanks them to the floor.
Mark’s bare buttocks, and everything else for that matter, are on show for all to see.
Patel zooms in, laughing his head off as the crowd erupts into more laughter and jeers.
‘Oh my God, he’s got a BUSH!’ Lynette laughs and points.
Mark covers his modesty and pulls his shorts back up, utterly humiliated. Patel runs over, screaming with laughter, trying to get a shot of his bare arse.
‘LEAVE ME ALONE!’ Mark’s voice tremors with fury. Dizzy from the race, his head is swimming; a circle of contorted faces surround him. All of them: Patel, Davis, even Annie and Catherine seem to be laughing and pointing.
‘Aw, Cherry, don’t be shy.’ It’s Ben Knot’s turn to add insult to injury. ‘You should be proud of that thing.’ Ben is smirking and sliding his arm around Annie’s waist, but she shrugs him off and glares at Dave Patel to stop filming. Mark staggers off to the changing room.
His triumph is marred with ridicule. They always spoil everything.
He came in second, but it counts for nothing.
Patel has it all on film, Annie was laughing at him, they all were.
Is this always how it’s going to be? Is there nothing he can ever do to make them stop?
He heads to his locker. The plan has been fermenting in his mind like mould.
Now it’s time to get his revenge. He takes something out of his backpack, sees Dave Patel’s sports bag shoved under the benches, opens the zip and places it inside. 266
He’s already showered and dry by the time the others get into the changing room, combing his wet hair in the mirror, calmly watching them pile in.
‘All right, donkey boy.’ Chris undresses, releasing a ripe stench that clears the area around him by a few feet.
‘Did you get it on film?’ Ben nudges Patel.
‘All of it!’ Patel snorts at his own joke and picks his bag up from under the bench. The zip is half open; he is about to stuff the camera inside when Ben sidles up behind him.
‘Woah, Casanova … what’s all this?’ Ben yanks at a pair of white lace-trimmed knickers peeking out through the gap in the zip.
‘Sod off, losers.’ Patel sits on the bench and removes his socks. ‘Whose bright idea was this?’
Ben Knot pulls on the zip. ‘Duh duh duh … de duh duh der …’ The stripper song accompanies the tease of underwear emerging from the bag. ‘Dirty little dark horse, aren’t you, Patel.’ He helicopters the underwear above his head.
‘No idea who they belong to.’ Patel is red in the face.
Mark looks at the reflection in the steamed-up mirror, enjoying watching someone else having to endure that sinking feeling in their stomach.
‘Unless they’re yours?’ Chris chips in.
Patel grabs his towel and opens his locker door, but Ben has frozen. He is standing holding the lacy knickers. Inspecting the name tag: A Maddock, in green stitching, sewn into the back.
‘Where did you get these?’ His voice is trembling with rage. Patel turns to him but before he has a chance to answer, Ben punches him in the face. Dave’s head whiplashes back and he hits the deck.
Ben holds the underwear aloft. He scans the room, dizzy with adrenaline. 267
‘You all know about this? Huh?’ No one speaks. ‘Is my girlfriend screwing him? Someone better pipe up or he’s dead.’ Everyone is in shock. Dave Patel is on the floor holding his nose as the blood begins to flow.
Dave is on his feet and face to face with Ben.
‘Say that again?’ The rage between them is terrifying.
Patel grabs Ben by the neck, hauling him up like an animal, ready to spit in his face.
Then he drops him like a rag and boots the locker door with such force that it buckles like tin foil.
He picks up his bag and crashes out of the changing room.
Everyone is in shock. Silence falls over the boys.
For the first time ever, Ben Knot is no longer Top Dog, it’s all about Dave Patel now.
Ben visibly shrinks before everyone’s eyes, but he focuses on the door, then his gaze falls on the item of underwear balled up in his clenched fist. No one does this to Ben Knot. No one.
Mark watches with glee, enjoying every single sordid moment. He smiles to himself, imagining the shit Annie is going to be in now. Serves her right for telling everyone his secret, serves Ben right for all the punches.
Serves Patel right for being an onlooker and doing nothing.
It serves them all right. 268