Chapters (88)
- Cover
- Title Page
- Dear Reader …
- Also by Robert Muchamore
- PART ONE
- Walter J Freeman Adolescent Mental Health Unit – East Grinstead, UK
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- PART TWO
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- PART THREE
- Walter J. Freeman Adolescent Mental Health Unit – East Grinstead, UK
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- PART FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- SIXTY-FIVE
- SIXTY-SIX
- SIXTY-SEVEN
- SIXTY-EIGHT
- SIXTY-NINE
- SEVENTY
- SEVENTY-ONE
- SEVENTY-TWO
- SEVENTY-THREE
- EPILOGUE
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- Have you read KILLER T?
- 1 SLASHED RUBBER
- 2 NOT HARRY POTTER
‘Imaginative,’ Duke said, laughing. ‘And what would you do to me after that?’
Julius paused to consider, then shot up in the air and dropped his phone as the doors of a storage unit beneath the television flew open.
‘Pervert!’ Gabe shouted, stumbling out of the cupboard and onto his feet. ‘You’re talking to that homo again. I heard everything.’
Gabe sounded angry, but his face was shocked and tearful.
‘Gabe, he’s my friend,’ Julius said, looking down at the phone on the floor and wondering if Duke could hear. ‘Why the hell were you hiding in a cupboard?’
‘I was bored,’ Gabe explained. ‘I was gonna burst out and try to make you jump.’
‘You don’t understand,’ Julius said, taking a step closer to his brother. ‘There’s nothing wrong with what I’m doing.’
Gabe looked like this was the craziest thing he’d ever heard. ‘You were talking to a boy about kissing him. That’s being homo. And don’t say I’m too young to know, because I’ve seen videos online. You’ll go to hell and I’m telling Mum.’
‘Don’t,’ Julius said firmly, as he picked the secret phone off the carpet and saw that the call had dropped. ‘You heard what Mum said. If you go to her, they’ll send me away to military school.’
‘Which makes you into a man,’ Gabe said. ‘Which is what you need to get normal.’
Gabe started a brisk walk towards the door. Julius backed up to block his path.
‘Please, Gabe. You’re my brother and I’m begging you not to tell Mum. At least let me try to explain. I’ve got a book about being gay that I bought in London. I can show it to you. There are millions of gay people in the world. Maybe it seems weird to you, but it’s totally normal.’
Gabe shook his head. ‘Why can’t you like girls like everyone else?’
‘Because …’ Julius groaned. ‘I don’t know exactly. Some people are wired differently. Is there something you want? I’ve got money in my savings. You can have it. Lego, Star Wars, fancy football boots.’
‘Mum buys me all that stuff,’ Gabe said, eyeing the door like he was about to make a dash. ‘And everyone will say I’m gay if you are.’
‘Gabe …’
The ten-year-old made a sprint for the door. Julius tackled him, grabbing his brother under the arms and catching a kick in the head as he lifted Gabe easily, then pinned him, squirming, against the table.
‘Piss off, homo,’ Gabe spat.
Julius stared into his brother’s eyes. He was angry, but not with Gabe, who was parroting stuff he’d heard from the twins, his mother and random kids at school. Nothing short of strangling Gabe would stop him from snitching and Julius couldn’t bring himself to throw a punch.