Charlie said, “It’s nothing to do with that. He really does like you.”

Jo looked puzzled, and like she was about to cry.

“He told me about telling the police that teenage boys are people too. And he tidied his room.”

Charlie said, “Yeah, well, it got announced in assembly this morning. The headmaster at his old school has given him a second chance. For good behavior. Our headmaster, Hoppy, said he was an inspiration to us all.”

Jo said, “What do you mean?”

Charlie said, “I’m so sorry to tell you this, but he’s being sent back to ordinary school.”

We were all shocked.

I said, “Phil … ordinary school? No. No, that’s …”

Vaisey said, “It’s inhuman.”

We could hear the barking and shouting really near and Charlie scrambled to his feet. He had his back to me as he looked into the woods. He’s got a nice bottom. Not that I think about bottoms. Or noticed his bottom particularly. It just happened to be there. Attached to his legs.

Jo was saying, “But I won’t ever see him again.”

Charlie hesitated.

“I can’t stay now. Hoppy has organized a drag race for the beginning of term and I’m one of the foxes. We have to leave a trail of sausages so that the dogs and other boys can hunt us down.”

Flossie said, “Mmmm, nice. So you boys are actually like animals in joggy bums.”

The boys started to run off. Jack called to Vaisey, “See you at the gig.”

And she said, “Look!” and showed him the plectrum. He gave her a thumbs-up and a big grin and he went off.

Charlie stopped as he went by me and looked me in the eyes and said quietly, “Look, Lullah … about that thing … that happened … well, can we … forget about it?”

The barking was getting very near now.

He said, “Oh, bugger it,” and turned and ran off into the woods after the others.

What did “Oh, bugger it” mean in boy language?

What does “can we forget about it” mean?

As we walked back to Dother Hall, Vaisey was all flushed and said, “Jack gave me a thumbsy-up for having his plectrum.”

She was all smiley.

Jo wasn’t. She’d gone all floppy and miserable. She wasn’t the only one. I was thinking about what Charlie had said to me about “forgetting about it.”

Well, he could rely on me.

I’ve forgotten about “it” already. Whatever “it” is.

The show must go on. Even with a bruised bottom.

Human glue

JO WAS QUIET FOR the rest of the day, and then after last bell she disappeared.

Vaisey said, “Maybe she has gone on the roof. Like when I thought that Jack had dumped me. You know, when Cain told him about the band rules.”

Oh yes, I remembered. Cain had told Jack that he couldn’t go out with Vaisey because the band members of The Jones didn’t have regular girlfriends. He said it was “anti-band” practice. Cain would say that.