He rolled up his trouser leg but I didn’t care. I stood up. ‘You’re an idiot.’

He looked up at me in an exaggerated movement. ‘Lighten up, Tom. It was a joke.’

‘Not funny.’

‘Life isn’t,’ said Dad. ‘You’ll find that out when you get a job.’

‘I’m going to university.’ I’d got my mind set on it now. An apprenticeship might have been more my level but it would be local and I needed to get away.

‘Not this again.’ His voice was rising. ‘You’re acting like a child.’ He reached for his glass and I kicked it away.

‘You’re acting like a drunk.’ I walked out so I didn’t have to listen to him. I wished I’d gone via the kitchen because, with a loud rumble, my stomach reminded me I was still hungry.

I went to my bedroom but it was the wrong place to go. I was like a dog at the rescue, pacing up and down. I could cover the small room in three paces. I’d outgrown this space. It was starting to feel like I’d outgrown a lot of things.

*

On Monday I walked into my history class and they’d moved the desks around. I hate it when they do that. I paused in the doorway, scanning the faces and working out my best odds of making it through the lesson unnoticed.

‘Ah, Tom Harris,’ said Mr Thackery, the teacher. ‘I’m introducing a buddy system.’ I scratched my head. He consulted a list on his desk. ‘Can you sit next to Farah please?’

Instant overheating mode engaged. ‘Uh, well…’ I frantically looked about. Farah had her back to me and was chatting to her friend.

‘Move along. Over there.’ He shooed me away as more people clogged the doorway.

Had I remembered to put on deodorant today? I had but was it up to this kind of extreme test? I tried to tilt my nose towards my armpit and have a sniff as I walked. Not great but not enough to scorch her eyeballs. At least I hadn’t had PE today. Farah swivelled around and her eyebrows registered alarm at my strange underarm-sniffing behaviour. Bad start.

‘All right?’ I mumbled but didn’t make eye contact, dropped my bag to the floor and slid onto the chair, being careful not to sit centrally for fear of looking like I was getting too close to her.

‘You’re Thomas Harris right?’ She said it like a question. But the fact was she knew who I was. Farah Shah knew who I was! It was like a metal rod being inserted in my spine.

I looked at her for a moment. ‘Yeah. It’s just Tom.’