‘Worse!’ says Granddad. I hear the clink of crockery. ‘This should not be. Perhaps we need to make some tweaks.’ He puts his tea and my juice down on the table.

‘I think it needs more than tweaks, Granddad,’ I say. ‘I nearly fell asleep in a lesson today because of the dream I had last night. It’s making me really irritable. I snapped at Rebecca because she said I should have gone to che—’

‘To where?’ says Granddad. ‘Did you say chess?’

‘What? No, Granddad,’ I say, trying to cover my mistake. ‘Cello, I should have gone to cello lessons.’

‘Cello?’ says Granddad. ‘I did not know you were learning a musical instrument.’

‘Um, I’m not Granddad . . . I was going to listen to her.’

‘I see,’ says Granddad suspiciously. Then he slurps on his tea, all the time looking at me. I stare down at my books.

I don’t tell him how I nearly went to chess club, and that Rebecca snapped at me because she had seen me at the door and thought maybe I was too embarrassed to go in because I was with Jake. I told her it was nothing to do with being embarrassed; it was just that I didn’t want to play chess with brainy people like her. She looked hurt when I said that so I apologized, but I’m not sure she forgave me.

Granddad keeps slurping. I put my drink down and turn the page of one of my books.

‘No,’ says Granddad, putting his hand on my book. ‘Have a break, because I’ve got a surprise for you.’

‘Have you?’

‘Yes.’ Granddad’s face lights up. ‘I went into town today and got you a present.’

‘You went to town, Granddad? You haven’t been to town since Grandma—’

‘I know,’ Granddad interrupts before I can say the D word, ‘but stop talking and open it.’ He slides a plastic bag across the table. ‘It’s a DVD.’

‘What?’ I say excitedly. ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming? Did Mum tell you I wanted it?’

‘No. It is not Spider Coming. Just open it and see.’

I reach in and pull the DVD case out. On the front is a picture of the actor who played Spider-Man in the first film I’ve got, but the writing says something totally different.

‘Prawn Sacrifice?’

‘Pawn Sacrifice,’ Granddad jumps in. ‘I hope you like it. I told the man in the shop that you are only just starting to like chess but you love watching TV.’

‘I do, Granddad,’ I say, flipping the case over. ‘But what’s it about?’

‘A game of chess,’ he says.

‘Oh.’ I can’t help but feel disappointed.