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
The boy looked up, lifted his shoulders and let them drop.
‘You glad Edmund got shot?’
The boy looked up. Darnley seemed to have no interest in his questions. Some of the second formers were proud that Darnley had stolen their property. They didn’t dob on him. One time when money was stolen from a second former’s locker twice in a week, the second former was boasting to all the boys gathered around his locker. He showed the open padlock, he showed where the money was, he told them how much was stolen the first time and how much was stolen the second time. The second formers were laughing with him, punching his arms and ruffling his hair. Darnley’s name was whispered again and again. How did Darnley manage to get out of prep? That’s when he must have done it. How did he manage to pick the lock? What locks had Darnley not managed to pick? One boy had a Lockwood lock and the group went to look at it. The boy had looked at his own lock when the group wandered away and wondered if he could buy one that Darnley could pick.
The boy shrugged at Darnley’s question. But inwardly he seeped blood, he knew it to be blood because he felt it run from his face and neck. All the teachers hated Darnley. The sixth formers constantly punished him. The fifth formers were scared of him. The ‘good kids’ of every year avoided him, but the ‘tough kids’ looked up to him. More blood seeped. If Darnley knew about what Edmund had done to him, he felt it appropriate he seep to death while standing waiting for Carmody.
‘Did you shoot him?’ Darnley asked again with a smile but no real interest in his question.
The boy smiled, despite the seeping, and shook his head.
‘Did you want to?’
The boy still looking at Darnley, nodded. Darnley casually nodded back and began picking his teeth with a match.
‘Do you know who has smokes?’ Darnley asked.
The boy nodded he did.
‘Who?’
The boy whispered a name.
‘Does he keep them in his locker?’
The boy shrugged.
‘You find out his locker number and come back and tell me.’
‘Now?’ the boy whispered.
‘Don’t be stupid,’ Darnley laughed.
The boy nodded back, smiling.
‘You a bit nuts?’ Darnley asked, spitting something from his tongue.
The boy shrugged.
‘Why’re you here?’ Darnley asked.