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Chapters (75)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise
  3. About the Author
  4. Title Page
  5. Intoroduction
  6. ONE
  7. TWO
  8. THREE
  9. FOUR
  10. FIVE
  11. SIX
  12. SEVEN
  13. EITHT
  14. NINE
  15. TEN
  16. ELEVEN
  17. TWELVE
  18. THIRTEEN
  19. FOURTEEN
  20. FIFTEEN
  21. SIXTEEN
  22. SEVENTEEN
  23. EIGHTEEN
  24. NINETEEN
  25. TWENTY
  26. TWENTY-ONE
  27. TWENTY-TWO
  28. TWENTY-THREE
  29. TWENTY-FOUR
  30. TWENTY-FIVE
  31. TWENTY-SIX
  32. TWENTY-SEVEN
  33. TWENTY-EIGHT
  34. TWENTY-NINE
  35. THIRTY
  36. THIRTY-ONE
  37. THIRTY-TWO
  38. THIRTY-THREE
  39. THIRTY-FOUR
  40. THIRTY-FIVE
  41. THIRTY-SIX
  42. THIRTY-SEVEN
  43. THIRTY-EIGHT
  44. THIRTY-NINE
  45. FORTY
  46. FORTY-ONE
  47. FORTY-TWO
  48. FORTY-THREE
  49. FORTY-FOUR
  50. FORTY-FIVE
  51. FORTY-SIX
  52. FORTY-SEVEN
  53. FORTY-EIGHT
  54. FORTY-NINE
  55. FIFTY
  56. FIFTY-ONE
  57. FIFTY-TWO
  58. FIFTY-THREE
  59. FIFTY-FOUR
  60. FIFTY-FIVE
  61. FIFTY-SIX
  62. FIFTY-SEVEN
  63. FIFTY-EIGHT
  64. FIFTY-NINE
  65. SIXTY
  66. SIXTY-ONE
  67. SIXTY-TWO
  68. SIXTY-THREE
  69. SIXTY-FOUR
  70. SIXTY-FIVE
  71. SIXTY-SIX
  72. SIXTY-SEVEN
  73. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  74. CLIMATE EMERGENCY
  75. Copyright

‘I think Mr Walters is also upset about your father, Josh.’  Mrs Clarke took over. ‘If you would like to change Biology class, then Mr Walters will not be at all put out, and nor will we. But he wanted to tell you himself that he has his reasons for thinking about your dad.’

‘You look just like him,’ said Mr Walters, weakly. This was true. In the last few months, I’d often looked at our photographs side by side on Mum’s bedside table as I’d tried to wake her with a cup of tea before leaving for school.

‘It’s fine.’ I managed a hoarse whisper. ‘It’s OK.’

Mum had actually started crying now, quietly, smiling at Mr Walters.

Mrs Clarke clapped her hands once. ‘Good, that’s settled then. Josh, Mrs Milton, thank you both for popping in. And at such short notice. I can’t imagine what a difficult…’ and it went on like this for a few minutes. I sat hunched in my coat, trying to smile, following the conversation that moved very slowly around the room like a car about to run out of petrol. Mr Walters was asking where we were living now, he said that he’d regretted not meeting up with Dad for a pint and a catch-up. It was so silly, he said, the two of them still living in the town they grew up in, and not in touch with each other.

‘And now…’ he’d faltered. ‘And now…’

All I could think about was how many pupils would be outside to watch me leaving the school with my mum, whose face was blotched and red, and who wouldn’t let go of my hand.

As we were standing to leave, Mr Walters had placed a hand gently on Mum’s elbow, then turned to me. ‘I’m truly sorry, Josh. I promise you that it won’t happen again.’

But it does.

EITHT

EIGHT

I might not speak much, but I listen well. And I pick things up. All day there’s been a buzz around school about a party at Jamie’s house this evening.

Jamie and I used to be good friends, from the football team and before, but I haven’t spoken to him for a while. The excuse I used to Mum about dropping out of football was the same one I told Jamie: I wanted to ‘focus on my school work’. It worked better with Mum than with him.