“He’ll get into trouble,” I said.

“He’s always in trouble,” Freya said. “Something tells me he isn’t bothered.”

Jacob’s good mood hadn’t even lasted a whole school day. I wondered what he would tell the teachers tomorrow. But in the end, it didn’t matter. Jacob took the rest of the week off. And then he turned up at my house, out of the blue.

9

Geek Squad – Assemble!

Mum sat in silence, as Jacob’s mum explained. It was early Saturday morning and I was still in my pyjamas.

“There’s no one else I can ask,” Jacob’s mum said.

“It’s fine, Janice,” Mum told her. “No bother at all.”

“I’m really sorry,” Janice said. “I don’t want to impose …”

Mum shook her head. “Really,” she said. “It’s no trouble.”

Jacob was sitting at the kitchen table. His mum needed to visit her brother in hospital, so she had asked if Jacob could stay at ours that weekend.

I could tell Mum was surprised, but she didn’t seem annoyed.

“Jacob never makes proper friends,” Janice was saying. “And he really likes Cal …”

I was a bit embarrassed, but Jacob smiled at me and so I smiled back.

“Of course he can stay,” Mum said. “We’d love to have him.”

“Oh, thank you!” Janice said. “I’ll be back by tomorrow evening. I’m so grateful to you all, Jas.”

Mum and Janice got up and walked into the hall.

“You hungry?” I asked Jacob.

“Yeah,” he said.

“Toast and cereal?” I offered.

“You can tell me the truth,” Jacob said.

“About what?”

I grabbed some butter and jam from the fridge.

“Like, if you don’t want me here,” he said. “I don’t mind –”

“I don’t mind either,” I told him. “It’ll be fun.”

“Hello,” Dad said as he walked into the kitchen. “I hear you’re staying with us this weekend, Jacob?”

“Yes,” said Jacob.

“Great!” Dad said. “I’ve got some things you can help with.”

“Dad!” I hissed.

“Ah! It’s only a few bits,” Dad said. “You don’t mind, do you, Jacob?”

Jacob grinned. “No, Mr … er …”

“Just call me Dominic,” Dad said.

I stuck four slices of bread into the toaster, then asked Jacob what cereal he wanted.

“Dunno,” he said. “You got Frosties?”

“Nah,” I said. “Healthy options only – bran flakes, granola or Weetabix.”

“Whatever,” Jacob said with another grin.

After two bowls of Weetabix and three slices of toast each, I had a shower and got dressed. Jacob sat and looked at a pile of comics in my room.

“So what shall we do now?” I asked.

“Dunno,” he said. “Whatever.”

For the next hour, each time I offered Jacob any sort of choice, he replied with “dunno”. In the end, I took him down to Dad’s studio.

“Ah,” he said. “Are you two ready to give me a hand?”

Dad was taking apart his old workbench. As he undid the bolts and screws, I helped Jacob take the wooden panels outside and pile them up. But Jacob seemed more interested in my tent. It was dumped in a corner, all crumpled up.