Rain May and Captain Daniel by Catherine Bateson Page B

said, ‘you’ve got friends. You’ve got heaps of friends, if you think about it. They just aren’t the kind of friends most kids have.’
    And that was true. Daniel got emails from kids around the world who, like him, were Trekkies. Every two months he went down to Melbourne to meet with other Trekkies at some club. He got stuff in the ordinary mail practically every day — newsletters and magazines that he brought to school and read during free time. He even wrote for some of them.
    But none of that made him any friends at school. And sometimes I wondered whether he even wanted ordinary friends. He wouldn’t come along to Scouts. He wouldn’t come and learn tennis with me. He just didn’t try.
    â€˜It’s no use,’ he said when I asked why he didn’t, ‘it’s just no use, Rain. You don’t understand. You’re new here.’ And he got this really stubborn look which meant the conversation was closed, just like that.
    Still, it was hard for me. Becky and I were good friends at Scouts and she started to talk to me at school. We liked some of the same things. She was reading some of the same books I was reading, books Daniel claimed were too girly. We both liked basketball. We liked the same music and we both liked to dress up and dance as though we were pop stars, but not so serious.
    â€˜Isn’t there anyone you used to play with before I came to the school?’ I asked Daniel one lunchtime. The girls were playing basketball and I was itching to join them.
    â€˜No,’ Daniel said, ‘but that doesn’t mean you have to sit with me if you don’t want to. I can read.’
    â€˜No, it’s fine.’ I said.
    I watched Tina miss three easy baskets in a row. I could practically feel the ball between my hands and the easy lift of it through the air.
    â€˜How are you going, D1 and D2?’ Tom, Becky’s twin, asked as he went past. It didn’t sound unfriendly.
    â€˜Pretty good,’ I said.
    Daniel ignored him.
    â€˜How’s it going, Dan my man?’ Tom asked, standing right in front of Daniel.
    â€˜I’m Daniel,’ Daniel said, ‘and I’m not your man under any circumstances.’
    And he stalked off.
    â€˜I was only saying hello,’ Tom said. ‘What’s got into your boyfriend?’
    â€˜He’s not my boyfriend,’ I said. ‘But I suppose it’s hard to tell when someone’s being friendly when they’ve called you names, taken your hat and generally made your life a misery.’
    â€˜Come on, we’re just kidding. Anyway, why is he so full of himself? Everyone’s got a nickname. You don’t mind.’
    â€˜I don’t like it,’ I said.
    â€˜He doesn’t want friends,’ Tom said, ‘otherwise he’d make more of an effort. He’s a snob.’
    â€˜He’s not, that’s not true at all.’
    â€˜Oh yeah? Well, how come I can’t understand half of what he says?’
    â€˜He’s different,’ I said. ‘Look, he doesn’t mean to talk so you can’t understand him. He just uses big words. He reads all the time. It rubs off on him.’
    â€˜And if you do something he wants to do — like play chess — it’s not like a normal game. He tells you all this stuff.’
    â€˜Just like you do when you’re playing soccer or something. There’s no difference. You tell kids what they should have done, don’t you?’
    â€˜That’s called coaching.’
    â€˜Well, Daniel’s coaching you at chess. I don’t see the difference.’
    â€˜I just don’t get why you hang out with him. You’re pretty cool, Rain, for a city girl.’
    â€˜See — there you go again. Always picking on differences.’
    â€˜Hey, I just said you were cool.’
    â€˜Well, anyway, Daniel’s my friend. And he’s cool, too.’
    â€˜If you say so,’ Tom