I shrugged. “I just …”

“See?” Jacob said. “You don’t really care –”

“I wanted to help you settle in,” I said.

“But you don’t even know me,” Jacob said. “I’m just some new kid, innit? Been in five different schools since Year 5 –”

“Why?” I asked. “Why do you keep moving schools?”

“Stuff,” he said, and he shook his head again. “You wouldn’t understand.”

I looked over the road to my house.

“Come on,” I said, and I did my best to sound forceful. “It’s freezing out here. Come back to mine.”

I waited for him to say no – to swear and walk away. But he didn’t. Instead he wiped his tears on his sleeve, sniffed up a load of snot, and nodded.

*

Jacob stayed until just after nine. We sat in my room at first and looked at comics and books. Then I showed him my dad’s studio in the shed, which he said was really cool. He walked round the rest of the house like it was a castle or something and Mum fussed over him. She made him soup and cheese on toast, then two mugs of tea and a slice of cake. When his mum came to pick him up, Jacob looked kind of sad to leave.

“Sorry, Jas,” his mum said to mine. “He gets like this sometimes …”

“It’s no bother,” my mum said with a smile. “Jacob is welcome any time.”

“See you tomorrow?” I said to Jacob. “In school?”

“Yeah.” Jacob nodded. “Why not?”

I didn’t know whether to shake his hand, bump fists or nod back at him. In the end I did none of them. I just smiled.

8

Dead End

Next morning, Jacob smiled when he saw me.

“All right?” he asked as he sat down.

But then he leaned in close and whispered. “Don’t say anything about yesterday, yeah?”

I nodded. “I wouldn’t,” I said. “I’m not like that.”

When Freya arrived, she was surprised to see Jacob next to me.

“You’re in my seat, you know?” she said.

“Yeah?” Jacob said. “Who are you – his girlfriend?”

Freya went a bit red. Behind us, I heard Anu Patel snigger with her friends.

“It’s like car crash TV in here,” I heard her say. “May I present – The Abnormals!”

Jacob turned and glared at Anu.

“Problem?” he asked.

Anu blushed, but it shut her up. Then Jacob looked at Freya.

“So, you want this seat?” he said.

Freya grinned.

“After the way you shut Anu up?” she said. “You’re more than welcome!”

They smiled at each other, and I felt a stab of jealousy. What if Jacob liked Freya too? What if she fancied him?

“But Cal’s mine first,” Freya added.

I squirmed, but it felt great to hear her say that.

“No worries,” Jacob said. “He ain’t really my type …”

*

The three of us had the same lessons all morning, so we hung out together. It felt strange – I’d never had any proper friends at school before. But I wasn’t complaining. And nor were the teachers – Jacob’s good mood shocked them. He was cracking jokes and smiling, and doing his work at the same time.