After their study session, the school deserted, Paul had walked Claire home via the school field where the football team were wrapping up their practice, and it was there that she’d seen Paul wave to one of the players. She’d followed his line of sight and seen one of the boys wave back before picking up the football and passing it back and forth between his hands.

‘I didn’t know you and Brian were friends?’ Claire had asked, trying to keep the surprise out of her voice.

‘Yeah, we bike together,’ replied Paul.

‘Oh,’ replied Claire. She didn’t know him personally, but everyone knew of popular Brian Robbins.

‘He’s a good friend too,’ Paul had added, and Claire had heard the pleasure in his voice.

But that had been the end of it and Brian’s name had rarely come up again.

34

Paul lay down on the sofa bed and tried to get comfortable. He rarely opened it up into a bed, mainly because he couldn’t be bothered; most nights he slept on it as it was. He pulled the duvet around him. He was already wearing a jumper over his pyjamas, but it was still freezing. It was one of the coldest months of the year, but he was reluctant to switch the central heating back on once he was in bed. He didn’t want to waste his money on bills.

Lifting his head up to lean against the armrest, he debated whether to get up and put his hat on. He decided against it and instead reached down for the biology textbook Simone had given him earlier. He leafed through it, his eyes quickly scanning the contents. Not much had changed since his own school days.

He let the book drop on his chest, feeling the weight of it, and closed his eyes, going through the list of girls in his mind like an old-fashioned Rolodex. He never wrote any of their names down. He didn’t need to – he easily kept track of them. He had eight now, all stunningly beautiful, and he felt himself grow hard at the thought of them. He would work on Simone next – he couldn’t let such an opportunity pass by.

The youth centre had welcomed his volunteer services as tutor and he’d taught quite a few of the members over the last couple of years. It wasn’t always easy; most of them didn’t come to the youth centre to study, but gradually, little by little, he’d built up a reputation, mainly by making his study sessions different from school. The days of textbooks were long gone and instead he would use different techniques that would resonate with each student.