They Told Me I Had to Write This Read online

  Table of Contents

  TUESDAY, MARCH 3: THE REV

  WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11: COPPING THE COPPERS

  MONDAY, MARCH 16: TXT

  FRIDAY, MARCH 20: A WAY OUT? DON’T COUNT ON IT

  FRIDAY, MARCH 27

  MONDAY, MARCH 30

  THURSDAY, APRIL 2: REV REVISITED

  FRIDAY, APRIL 8

  TUESDAY, APRIL 7: THIS IS THE HARD BIT

  SATURDAY, APRIL 25: STOKIN’

  WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29

  THURSDAY, APRIL 12: A QUESTION THAT WON’T GO AWAY

  FRIDAY, MAY 1: THE QUESTION AND DAD

  WEDNESDAY, MAY 6: THE REV SHAKES ME UP

  WEDNESDAY, MAY 15: THE GULLY GETS UNDER MY SKIN

  FRIDAY, MAY 15: NEVER LET A CHAINSAW KNOW YOU ARE IN A HURRY

  SUNDAY, MAY 17: MERCY ME

  THURSDAY, MAY 21: LIFTING THE LID ON THE APRILIA

  TUESDAY, MAY 26: OUT FOR THE COUNT

  FRIDAY, MAY 29: LITTLE PEOPLE

  MONDAY, JUNE 1: ONE HOT METAPHOR

  WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3: JACKO DOES GERMAN

  THURSDAY, JUNE 4: MORE JACKO & OTHER STUFF

  SATURDAY, JUNE 6: ANOTHER METAPHOR BITES THE DUST

  TUESDAY, JUNE 9

  WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10

  FRIDAY, JUNE 12: THE FUNERAL, THE CLAM & THE BUS TICKET

  FRIDAY, JUNE 19

  SATURDAY, JUNE 20: INTER-GALACTIC SUPER-SATURDAY

  TUESDAY, JUNE 29: MY LIFE AS AN ALIEN

  SECOND LETTER TONIGHT

  FRIDAY, JUNE 26: HOW DO YOU HOLD A GIRLFRIEND?

  SATURDAY, JUNE 27: VIOLET IS A LEGEND!

  SUNDAY, JUNE 28: THE BIKE IS NOT MY FRIEND

  WEDNESDAY, JULY 1: RAP-RUNNING

  FRIDAY, JULY 3: SUDDEN DEATH

  SATURDAY, JULY 4: TWO-UPPED

  SUNDAY, JULY 5: FOLLOWING ME IN HIS MIND

  TUESDAY, JULY 7: SURVIVING BUNDY

  WEDNESDAY, JULY 8: ONE BANANA SMOOTHIE AND FOUR STRAWS

  THURSDAY, JULY 9: THE SESSION OF SECRETS

  SATURDAY, JULY 25: THE CLAM OPENS UP

  WEDNESDAY, JULY 29: SOME THINGS YOU HAVE TO FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF

  MONDAY, AUGUST 3: THE HAMISH MESSAGE

  TUESDAY, AUGUST 4: HOW HAMISH DIED

  WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5: DEADLY QUIET

  FRIDAY, AUGUST 7: AFTER THE FUNERAL THE EMPTY

  SATURDAY, AUGUST 8: FAMILY ZONE

  TUESDAY, AUGUST 11: STRAIGHTENING OUT THE REV

  WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12: THAT TEACHER IN YEAR FIVE

  FRIDAY, AUGUST 14: ULTRA SCIENCE EXPERIMENT

  TUESDAY, AUGUST 18: THE BIRTHDAY, THE BIKE SHOP, THE BEER

  WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19: BEING MR PATERSON

  MONDAY, AUGUST 24: NICK & ME

  WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26: DNA

  FRIDAY, AUGUST 28: LIKE TRIGONOMETRY

  SATURDAY, AUGUST 29: TAGGIN’ THE SCREAMIN’ DEMON

  MONDAY, AUGUST 31: NICK AND ME AND DEFINITE DANGER

  STILL MONDAY, STILL WRITING

  TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1: GETTING TRIGONOMETRY

  WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2: THE DAY OF THE DOORBELL

  THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3: THE IDEA AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE

  SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6

  WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9: INTO FREEFALL

  THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17: GOING TO THE COPPERS

  SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19: AWESOME WEEKEND

  TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22: WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN TIME STANDS STILL?

  THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24: THE SWAP

  WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30: GETTING MR BOJANGLES

  FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2: INTERVIEW THREE

  WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21: KEVLAR & CHRONOLOGY & CRYING CLEM CLEAN

  SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24: MEGA-APOLOGELATO - HA HA

  A NEW DAY

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  They Told Me I Had To Write This

  Kim Miller

  They Told Me I Had To Write This

  Kim Miller

  Clem is a boy in strife. Blamed for the death of his mother, carrying a terrible secret from Grade 5 and in trouble with the police, he’s now in a school for toxic teenagers. And that rev-head school counsellor wants him to write letters.

  Through his writing Clem goes deep into the trauma that has defined his life. Then he comes face to face with his mother’s death.

  In a rush of bush bike racing, the death of one student and the consequent arrest of another, an unexpected first girlfriend, and some surprising friendships, Clem's story is the celebration of a boy who finds an unexpected future.

  Kim Miller grew up freewheeling the back streets of country NSW where wheels meant freedom. Life changed when he went to live in a boys’ home as a teenager. Following high school he was into motorbike dirt racing and ignoring university lectures. Somehow he made it to marriage and family. Kim works with people in and out of prison, managing a project called Home For Good in Newcastle, NSW. He still rides motorbikes and knows a bit about freedom.

  First published by Ford Street Publishing, an imprint of

  Hybrid Publishers, PO Box 52, Ormond VIC 3204

  Melbourne Victoria Australia

  © Kim Miller 2009

  2 4 6 8 1 0 9 7 5 3 1

  This publication is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the publisher. Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction should be addressed to

  Ford Street Publishing Pty Ltd

  2 Ford Street, Clifton Hill VIC 3068.

  Ford Street website: www.fordstreetpublishing.com

  First published 2009

  National Library of Australia

  Cataloguing-in-Publication entry

  Author: Miller, Kim 1949–

  Title: They told me I had to write this /

  Kim Miller

  ISBN: 9781925000658 (pbk.)

  Target Audience: For children

  Dewey Number: A823.4

  Cover design: Grant Gittus Graphics

  Artist: Michael Hardman

  In-house editor: Saralinda Turner

  Printing and quality control in China by

  Tingleman Pty Ltd

  eISBN: 9781876462840

  Electronic Version by Baen Books

  www.baen.com

  Also by Kim Miller

  Insiders

  TUESDAY, MARCH 3

  THE REV

  They told me I had to write this. It’s taken a while to get started but here I am.

  ‘Here I am.’ Sounds like I’m talking to the coppers again.

  ‘Here I am. Yes, sir. No, sir. OK I did it, sir. Here I am.’

  The stuff I’ve been given up for. I can’t believe it. People are still on my back in this place. Same old story. So here I am writing. Figure that one out.

  Anyway, there’s too many dead people in my world and I’m sick of being blamed. Being blamed for someone being dead sucks. Such is life. Ned Kelly said that. Saw a few people dead then wrote some letter and got famous. Brothers, Ned and me.

  Don’t count on this being a long letter. It’s taken a while to get started but it’s coz of what they told me. Well, anyway, the Rev told me and he’s like the boss around here. The boss of Rocky Valley. The school for kids too hot to handle. You can spot the Rev because of the red-hot car and motorbike. He’s a full-on Mr Revhead.

  The car is old but serious. Falcon GT with the air scoop poking up through the bonnet. That air scoop comes alive with the motor and we call it the Shaker. We all want a ride, but guess what. He never gives anyone a lift. Not even if someone’s missed the bus. Miss the bus and he’ll just drive off. Leaving kids behind sucks.

  His fancy motorbike’s a one player game with no ro
om for a passenger anyway. It’s got this stupid lid where the back seat should be but it’s for a toolkit or something. I reckon he should have a back seat coz that bike could take two people easy. Aprilia RSV1000R. Red and black like the Shaker and designed like it came from outer space.

  You know what’s twice stupid about his bike? It’s got no seat for a passenger but it’s got the foot-pegs. Too right. Foot-pegs, no seat, double stupid.

  So that’s it for Mr Revhead. And if he gets to see this he should take my advice about getting a back seat so he can take a passenger. Not that I want to go passenger with some teacher. Had that way back. They could have called him pedals, that other bloke. That rock spider. I’m not going there no more. No way am I.

  But that Aprilia sure is a pretty bike. The Rev told me I had to write this. So here I am and now he can get off my back. It took me a long time to get going, but you probably already know that.

  Do you? Do you know that stuff? I don’t know how it works, that kind of thing. But I’m your grandson and I know you still love me.

  There, I’ve said it.

  Clem.

  WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11

  COPPING THE COPPERS

  Dear Gram

  The coppers were here again. At school I mean. This time it was worse than when they were after Bundy.

  His name isn’t Bundy it’s Barry, but his hair is almost white, even his eyebrows. His chin is seriously fuzzy like he should get to his dad’s shaver and he’s like a polar bear so he gets everyone to call him Bundy. He’s pretty big so we call him that. Hey, you’ve got to choose your battles carefully around here.

  The first time the coppers came I got off the bus real careful and slid out of the way quiet as. My heart was beating like it was about to give me up no matter what. The coppers were here for Troy’s broken arm, which Bundy had done. We didn’t know it was broken but his mum took him to hospital and then somebody called the coppers.

  That’s how it is with some of the fights around here. Had some bruises but no broken arms or anything. Bundy reckons he’s hot property with the coppers after him, but the story from Troy was that he did his arm falling off his bike. Anyway, the nurse figured Troy should have some gravel rash and his mum got a bit suss. His mum gets suss and we get the coppers. Mostly I try to stay out of Bundy’s way. I’m learning.

  Anyway, this morning on my bike I saw the coppers and took off on autopilot. Then I thought, can’t be anything they want me for or they would get me at home. Cooled down and rode back to school. Then had to say why I was late. Bit close there for a while but not like it was last year.

  Having coppers close up gets me going but this school has a secret weapon for guys like Bundy, which is Mr Sykes. If you put Bundy between a couple of weightlifters and roll them into one you end up with Mr Sykes. He takes no prisoners and Bundy slows up something noticeable around Mr Sykes.

  But this letter has gone on long enough.

  Clem.

  MONDAY, MARCH 16

  TXT

  Dear Gram

  U R 2 KEWL! Dad reckons I run up too much money on texting. Of course he’d say that. Here’s another one, U R Gr8 Xlnt C U L8r.

  This boy Peter can text as fast as we can write. One of the teachers calls him Repeater coz he’s so fast. Get it? We just call him Pete. He’s a bit like me and doesn’t like being called by his full name. His mum is always ‘Peter this – Peter that’. I guess that’s the way mothers do it.

  Who ever heard of anyone being called Clement? I prefer Clem. Some of the boys call me Clam coz I never say much. I don’t like Clam either.

  Parents should be careful with kids’ names but being a Dylan is very brilliant. Clem Dylan is all up cool for a name. Another plus for Dylan is a song by this dude Bob Dylan that we did in class. The song is like,

  Fathers throughout the land.

  Don’t criticise

  You don’t understand

  Your sons are beyond your command.*

  I have made it a rap song here because the original needed help, but that song is so true about my dad.

  Discussion on that song was pretty hot I can tell you. It says something about fathers which is Velcro between me and Bob Dylan. That shows you what names can do.

  Another boy here is Jackson but he wants us to call him Jacko coz he’s whacko. His mum calls him Jackson and he rolls his eyes like, ‘Who ever calls me Jackson?’ But one day I heard her call him Jacko as he got in the car and he went seriously off at her. ‘Call me Jackson,’ he yelled.

  What’s that about? Her one thing and us another thing. Weird. Didn’t ask him about it, but. He’s got this t-shirt, ‘My mum went to the $2 Shop and all I got was this lousy t-shirt’. Should be happy he’s even got a mum I reckon.

  I’m gonna finish coz this letter suddenly stings me.

  Clem.

  FRIDAY, MARCH 20

  A WAY OUT? DON’T COUNT ON IT

  Dear Gram

  Life goes on at Rocky Valley and we’re all getting out on the bike track. We’re in the bush a bit and there’s the maddest track up behind the school. It’s a proper bush racing track and long distance. There’s about twenty k of tracks and you can do short loops or the whole thing.

  Some of it is deadly steep, like off a cliff. I don’t know why they made it so steep. It’s not like there’s anything up there or anything, just gnarly old washouts.

  One steep bit follows this gully and when it rains the whole thing is a slippery mess like riding up a creek. We all reckon it’s dangerous but they still make us do races on it, even downhill. If we want to we can take another track but it takes longer that way and most of the kids do that, but then they never win that section. It’s even got a sign saying The Way Out. It’s not, but. Not the way out. It’s just another way to the same place. At the other end you’re still there, still riding, still pushing like mad past all the mud and rocks and stuff.

  Take The Way Out and someone with a bit of skill on the gully track gets ahead of you. I’ve seen the Rev do that. Get ahead of anyone, he can, up the gully or down. You should see him on a mountain bike. It’s as if he’s on his superhot Aprilia. I don’t know how he does it, ride the gully like that I mean. Must be some secret.

  His mountain bike is not red and black like the Aprilia; it’s a Bianchi and it’s kind of silver, kind of blue. Looks magic with that tucked away shock in back. That’s what I want one day, decent shockers. Aprilia and Bianchi. Those Italians sure know how to put a bike together.

  Clem.

  FRIDAY, MARCH 27

  Dear Gram

  I’ve been a while coz we’ve been camping in the bush. We go camping a lot and that is mostly excellent, but not this week. This camp was a two-day thing and it rained. I reckon they must have known it was going to rain. How can somebody mess that up with the TV telling you anyway?

  So we walked there in the rain and we walked out in the rain. When we got back to the school Dad was there to pick me up. Mostly I ride or get the bus. My dad can tell when it’s raining, must be improving.

  Clem.

  MONDAY, MARCH 30

  Dear Gram

  The coppers were at school again this morning. I didn’t go off like I used to but it was weird riding past that cop car as if I didn’t care. Turns out to be only one copper and he was setting up some bike races with the PCYC kids from town. RVS against PCYC. Let’s see who gets most up the nose of the others that day. Can’t wait.

  Anyway having that cop car there was a bit like an omen coz it wasn’t long before I was in trouble anyway and the trouble was about me not saying much which is full-on unfair if you think about it.

  We were in the paddock doing agriculture with Mr Sykes and I was staying quiet because of the coppers when somebody made a comment about my name. Mostly I let this stuff pass and get the guy later. But today when somebody said the unfunny Clem the Clam joke, this smart-arse named Brian said, ‘Clem is a man of few words and one day he will learn the meaning of both of them.’ I went right
off and said, ‘Well here’s the meaning of them both. One in this hand and one in the other.’

  Then I was into him with my fists like you wouldn’tbelieve. But Mr Sykes is like a mountain and he grabbed us both before I could really get going and suddenly my fists weren’t much use to me.

  But what is really weird is that Mr Sykes got Brian to apologise, which was OK by me, but then he got me to apologise which was not so easy coz Brian is a full-on headache and a bit of bruising would shut him up. Shut him up. Ha, that’s funny, coz we sometimes call him ‘windows’. Well, his name’s Dawson, don’t blame me. Anyway, part of the landscape at Rocky Valley is Mr Sykes getting in the way more often than is helpful.

  So the coppers set me up for a bad day but I am hoping that things settle down a bit where the cops are concerned, and at least it was Brian and not Bundy. This place is full of people who set me off, but this is the first time Mr Sykes has had to get hold of me like that. I don’t know if that is bad or good but at least the day is over.

  Love,

  Clem.

  THURSDAY, APRIL 2

  REV REVISITED

  Dear Gram

  Did I tell you that I see the Rev every week or two? Well I do. All the kids here have a teacher that they see like this for a private talk. It’s OK but it can get a bit hectic. If it gets like that I go and look out the window to the car park. I check out the Aprilia or the Shaker and my mind goes somewhere silent in amongst the red and the black.

  Mostly I try to stay private but when I’m talking with the Rev sometimes things slip out, like the time I said something about that teacher in year five. I shut up pretty quick when that came out. The Rev doesn’t bag me out or put me down or anything. Didn’t even mention the fight with Brian which was a surprise to me.