Brian Jacques - The Ribbajack

The crimson-faced victim of Jason’s acerbic wit hurried into school, followed by howls of laughter. Jason picked on a fat girl next, she made an easy mark.

“I love the colour of that skirt, Betty.”

She smiled gratefully. “Thank you.”

Jason remarked aloud to his cronies, “I used to have a tent that colour, wonder where it went. Don’t suppose she’d lend me it to go camping, do you?”

They followed one after another, each having to run the gauntlet of Jason’s remarks.

“Morning, Ella, I see you got your new braces. That’s funny, has anyone noticed the old railings round the bus stop are missing? Come on, Ella, give us a smile. No, on second thought, keep your mouth shut. The cops might be looking for those railings. Don’t cry, we won’t tell them.”

That was the day the new girl arrived. She stood out from all the rest as she approached the steps. She was very tall and had long dark hair, which hung down almost to her waist. Her face was pale, her eyes a bleak grey. She wore a simple black outfit of sweater and jeans. Moving with a catlike grace, she came closer, oblivious as to what was in store for her.

Mal Blake, one of Jason’s close confidantes, rubbed his hands gleefully. “Look what’s coming this way, must be a new girl!”

Running a comb through his hair, Jason rose casually. “Leave this to me, I like them new and dumb.”

As she reached the bottom step, he stood blocking her way. Jason smiled lazily at the girl, who was standing on the step below him. He uttered a single greeting. “Morning.”

Their eyes met. She replied dismissively, “So clever of you to have noticed.”

She moved up to the next step, level with him. Jason had to raise his eyes—the girl stood a good three inches taller than him. Brushing carelessly past her would-be tormentor, the new girl went straight into school. Mal stood up, chuckling.

“Pretty smart, eh, Jason?”

Slipping a foot behind Mal, Jason gave him a shove, which sent him back down in a sitting position. The bully snarled at him, “Who asked you, big mouth?”

Jason’s angry glance roved around the others, who averted their eyes. Nobody wanted to cross Jason Hunter; besides being scathing, he could be violent. He stepped over Mal as the buzzer sounded for everybody to go indoors.

“She’s too smart for her own good. You just wait and see, I’ll soon cut her down to size!”

From the rear of the assembly hall, Jason could see the tall girl standing out on the front row. Mrs. Dysart, the assistant principal, addressed the students. It was all the usual stuff about hard work, good manners, friendship and a sense of purpose. Following the initial pep talk, Mrs. Dysart singled out the new arrival.

“We have with us this term a new student. I’m sure you will all try your utmost to make her feel welcome. Her name is Huma D’Este.”

Jason ducked his head, gave out a loud snort of derision and shouted, “Human who?”

In the hush which followed, Jason stared accusingly at a boy standing in front of him. It was Tommy, the one whose hairstyle he had mocked earlier on. Jason spoke out in a shocked tone.

“That wasn’t a very nice thing to say, Tom!”

Mrs. Dysart gave the unfortunate Tommy a piece of her mind in front of the whole assembly. However, the new girl was not looking at Tommy, she was staring directly at Jason. Something in the gaze of Huma D’Este’s strange grey eyes wilted the smug smile from Jason’s face. He looked down at the floor, dumbfounded and angry that he could not stare back at her. Who did she think she was, giving him that look? Still, he reckoned, it was early in the day yet. Plenty of time to reduce her to a figure of fun in front of his admirers. Everybody knew what was going on, they had all witnessed Jason destroying those he had taken a disliking to.

Recess found Jason on the steps, surrounded by his retinue. An air of expectancy hung over them as they awaited their leader’s next move. One of his informants, Mal’s friend Carlene, came hurrying out of the school. “Jason, the Human’s coming!”

They had taken to calling Huma “the Human” since Jason had invented the name at assembly. When she emerged, the new girl did not seem in the least put out at the thought of the bully awaiting her. Jason swaggered up to her, raising his eyes in mocking awe.

“Hi, big girl, what’s the weather like up there?”

Her reply hit him like a slap in the face. “Oh, it’s fine. Would you like me to lift you up so you can see, little man?”

Turning on her heel, Huma wandered back into the school, stopping in the doorway and fixing him with a slow stare from her hypnotic grey eyes. Jason was tongue-tied. He stood there with the laughter of the others ringing in his ears. Why was it that he lost his famous wit whenever she spoke or turned her gaze on him with those eyes?

One or two of the faithful deserted Jason, going inside before the break ended. He heard their smothered giggles. “ ‘Would you like me to lift you up so you can see, little man!’ Haha, she certainly shut him up with that one!”

“Yeah, and Jason just stood there and took it!”

“Huma’s well able for Jason, if you ask me. Hahaha!”

The buzzer sounded. Jason turned to the remainder of his cronies, a bright tinge rising to his cheeks. “Wait’ll lunch break, I’ll make her sorry she ever met me!”

Standing out of range of Jason’s kicks or shoves, Mal grinned. “I’d like to see that.”

Jason made his way back into class alone, wondering, Was that a scornful note he had sensed in Mal’s voice? A small group of girls, whispering about something, broke up as he entered the room. Jason did not pay attention to a single word of the lesson. Huma D’Este . . . his thoughts could focus on nothing else. He rehearsed the lunchtime scenario. This time things would be different, oh so different.

Jason spotted the new girl as he sidled into the school canteen. She was sitting amid a group of girls, chatting animatedly. Some girlish giggles came from the company. Were they laughing at him? He shot them a look of disgust, but Huma seemed to be ignoring him.

Jason strode swiftly and purposefully across. Placing a heavy hand on Huma’s shoulder, he pressed down. Feeling he had the advantage of looking down at his victim by keeping her in the chair, he enquired loudly, “Huma—what sort of a name’s that? Huh, it makes you sound almost human!”

Even though he was pressing down hard on the tall girl’s shoulder, she stood up straight with no apparent effort. Again, he found himself locked within the stare of her riveting grey eyes. They were cold and bleak as rainwashed stone. Huma spoke his name as if it were two separate words.

“Jay son! What’s in a name, Jay son? Is your father a bird? It certainly sounds like it. Jay son, son of a jay!”

Mr. Forshaw, who was on canteen lunchtime duty, had been watching the body language of the pair. Sensing trouble, he made straight for them. “Excuse me, could somebody tell me what’s going on here?”

The moment was lost. Jason muttered something about going to the counter for food, and slouched off.

Mal and Carlene had saved a place for Jason. They moved over as he sat down, placing a slice of pie and a can of cola on the table. Mal could hardly wait. “Well, what did she say?”

Jason shrugged. “Nothing.”

Carlene looked at him disbelievingly. “You must have said something to each other, we saw you talking just before old Forshaw arrived. What was it?”

Fighting for control of himself, Jason clenched his teeth. He gripped the can of cola so forcefully that it crushed, sending liquid squirting all over his slice of pie. “Nothing! Just keep your noses out of it! We said nothing!” He stormed off from the table, knocking his chair over.