‘I’m Farah.’ She smiled. A sweet delicate smile. Her face bright and her voice confident but warm. My life was turning a corner and this was it. I was buddied with Farah Shah. I wanted to punch the air but I was rooted to my chair as my thoughts drifted to what this could mean. A legitimate reason to spend time with her. The discussions we could have about history. Revision schedules from now until the end of term. Images of me doing my homework with her in her bedroom loomed large and unfortunately triggered some excessive sweating. It was like a single ray of sunshine warming me until someone bumped me in the back.

‘Shift, Harris.’ Joshua Kemp was standing over me. Kemp who thought he was big time because his dad was a school governor and he was captain of the rugby team. He was more big time than me, though.

‘Ah, Joshua,’ said Mr Thackery. ‘We have a new seating arrangement, which I will explain now everyone has deigned to join us. You’ll be sitting next to Amy and she will be your buddy.’

‘Sorry, sir. I won’t be able to see the board from there,’ said Kemp, brightly. ‘It’s okay. I’ll swap with Harris. You don’t mind. Do you?’ It wasn’t a question. My time with Farah had been short and beautiful.

‘Er,’ I said, but Kemp was already leaning over me. ‘I guess not.’ I gave Farah a wan smile. Oh, what might have been. I went to lift my bag but Farah’s chair leg was on it. ‘Sorry…’ I pointed at the chair leg.

‘Piss off, Harris,’ whispered Kemp in my ear. His menace lost a little something as I smelled Hubba Bubba on his breath.

‘Bag. Stuck.’ Suddenly forming a sentence was a struggle.

‘Here.’ Kemp pulled it hard, making Farah topple and ripping my bag. Farah scowled at us both. My heart clenched. Moments ago her look had been so inviting. Joshua slammed my bag into my chest and propelled me out of the way. I left with a heavy heart and my rucksack in tatters.

Amy shook her head as I sat down. A little unnecessary I thought. She’d had a lucky escape from Kemp. He was a bully and he believed he was untouchable. He took pleasure in tripping up year sevens and it was common knowledge that he paid Nicholas Burns to do his maths homework for him. Oddly, though, some of the girls seemed to fancy him. Life was unfair.