While he still thought Miles was a dorky little kid, he couldn’t help but thaw towards him a little.

The conversation continued long after they had turned the light out, Miles telling him about his life back home in Florida. His mother had passed away and he really missed her; he had struggled to cope with the big changes in his life.

Liam realised they had common ground after all and he started to feel sorry for Miles when he spoke about how difficult he had found it adjusting to life in a new country. Smaller than the other kids, they tended to tease him over his accent and his glasses, calling him names and whispering behind his back. He was too shy to retaliate, which only seemed to make it worse.

Liam had really wanted to hate the kid, but now knowing the challenges Miles had faced, it played on his mind much of the night.

The following day, he had a proposal for the younger kid.

Instead of hanging out with the girls. Miles could show Liam around the village and they could go to all of the places Miles was afraid to go, scared he would run into the bullies.

Liam didn’t relish spending the day babysitting an eleven-year-old, and it would mean foregoing his chance to get to speak to Hannah, but the kid deserved a break. He found himself wanting to do this one little thing for him.

They actually ended up having a lot of fun. It was a warm day and they explored the woods, swam in the river, Liam introduced Miles to British football, and Miles in turn told him all about what it was like at Disney World.

On the way back into the village, they stopped at the garage and Liam went inside for cold cans of Coke. As he was paying, he glanced out of the window and spotted a group of boys surrounding Miles. Anger surged inside him as one of the boys knocked Miles’s inhaler to the ground.

‘Are you ready to go, Miles?’ he asked, leaving the garage shop.

All eyes looked in his direction. Miles’s were wide and fearful behind his glasses, while the four boys surrounding him looked a little unsure, though made no attempt to move.

Liam wasn’t afraid of them. They were all at least a year or two younger than he was.

He strode over to the group, casting his gaze over each of them, a disdainful sneer on his face.

‘Who are you?’ the one who was standing directly in front of Miles asked. He was an overweight kid with a skinhead and although he had gone for bolshy, Liam could hear the hesitancy in his tone.

‘Liam’s my stepbrother.’ Miles sounded proud, a grin spreading across his face. ‘And he does karate.’