Chapters (61)
- Cover
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- 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
- 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
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Acknowledgements
- About the author
‘We’re going to come to your dorm at night, creep, and drown you in the pool,’ he rasped into the boy’s ear.
‘Look, his legs are shaking,’ another third former said with a laugh. The boy knew they were, he was having trouble keeping his feet on the ground.
‘He’s going to piss himself.’
‘What’re you boys doing?’ It was Mr Abbott, a boarding master.
‘Nothing, sir,’ Binder said and released the boy’s hair.
‘What’re you doing there, Harper?’
As Abbott approached the third form boys stepped aside.
‘Nothing,’ the boy managed, looking at the ground. The road was rough there; small shards of blue metal penetrated the black bitumen. The boy saw one shard, a pinprick; it would take years for it to work its way out unless the boy helped it.
‘Stand up, Harper. What do you think you’re doing?’ The third formers laughed. ‘That’s enough from you lot,’ Abbott barked.
‘Yes, sir,’ the third formers murmured.
‘I don’t want to see you lot hanging around here anymore. Why aren’t you at sports training?’
‘We’re sick, sir,’ Binder mocked. He locked eyes with Abbott defiantly.
‘Go!’ Abbott yelled.
‘Come on, Harper,’ Binder said.
‘Harper, stay.’
‘We’ll catch you later, Harper, like we said.’ Binder and the third formers walked away. The boy watched the heels of their shoes until he couldn’t see them without raising his head.
‘What did they want, Harper?’
‘Nothing, sir.’
‘Don’t talk rubbish. What did they mean, “They’d catch you later”?’
‘I don’t know, sir.’
‘No one can help you if you don’t say anything, Harper.’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Well?’
The boy looked for the pinprick of blue metal. He couldn’t find it, and he shuffled his feet and moved his head quickly searching for it.
‘Harper. Don’t be stupid. Look at me. What’s going on?’
The boy looked up to the side of Mr Abbott’s head.
‘Why were you outside the sixth form common room?’
‘I was told to be there.’
‘Who?’
‘It was a day boy. I don’t know his name,’ the boy lied.
‘A sixth former?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Had you told on Twine?’
‘No, sir.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘So what do the third formers want with you?’ Abbott asked.
‘I don’t know.’
‘Was Twine threatening you?’
‘No, sir.’
‘You stay away from them. You understand?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘If they cause you any trouble, you come straight to me. Understand?’
‘Yes, sir.’
Abbott stood looking at the boy. The boy hadn’t met his eyes.
‘I want to help you, Harper.’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Don’t come back this way again.’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Go.’
‘Thank you, sir.’
The boy walked in the opposite direction the third formers had taken.
Forty-Four
FORTY-FOUR
Day 19
Legget’s
4.25 p.m. Thursday, 12th November