while you were in Japan. You come back and you never want to do anything. I don’t know why you even want a boyfriend.’
Kerry jumped off the bed and put on a look of mock astonishment. ‘Do you know what, James?’ she snapped. ‘That’s the most sensible thing you’ve said all day. Why do I want a boyfriend? All you do is moan on and on about school. I’m sick of lending you money and bailing you out with homework that you left until the last minute. I’m sick of not being able to chill out, or go where I want with the girls because you’re always around.
‘In fact,’ Kerry spat, ‘I’m sick of everything about you.’
‘Are you dumping me?’ James asked dumbly.
‘Bingo,’ Kerry nodded. ‘Consider yourself dumped. Now if you’d be so kind as to get your worthless rump out of my room.’
‘But…’
Kerry barged past James and opened her door. ‘Out.’
‘Kerry, come on. Don’t you think you’re over-reacting?’
‘Geeeeeeet out,’ she screamed.
James did as he was told because Kerry had one of her I’m about to shatter your arms and legs looks about her. He stepped out of the room and a gale rushed through his hair as the door slammed behind his head.
The only other person sharing the long corridor with James was a newly recruited cherub called Andy Lagan. The eleven-year-old blue shirt was at a loose end until the next basic training session started in two months.
James looked at him and shrugged. ‘You know what, kid? Girls are all bloody loonies.’
Andy looked baffled by James’ comment. Kerry reopened her door and screamed out, ‘And you can take your stinking boots with you.’
The first boot crashed harmlessly against the wall, but the second hit James square in the back of the head. James turned to have a go back, but the door slammed in his face before he got a chance.
James pounded on the door. ‘You know what? I’m better off without you … Moody cow.’
James realised Andy was grinning. He charged forward and faced the kid off.
‘Do you reckon this is funny?’
‘No,’ Andy smirked, trying to keep a straight face.
James grabbed Andy by his shoulders and wiped his grin off by pushing him against the wall.
‘You wanna try laughing at me again?’ James snarled.
‘I’m sorry,’ the kid grovelled, as he looked up at his significantly larger adversary. ‘I just couldn’t help laughing when she threw the boot at your head.’
Apology or not, James was deeply upset by what Kerry had just done and he couldn’t take someone laughing at him. He raised a hand and smacked Andy across the face, before giving him a powerful shove. The kid bounced off the wall before stumbling backwards into a heap on the floor.
James stood over him with his fists bunched. ‘Still think this is funny? Laugh some more and see what you get.’
Andy gasped tearfully as he crawled back across the carpet. ‘Leave me alone,’ he sniffed.
James watched a tear streak down Andy’s face. He looked nervously over his shoulder to check that nobody else was around, before reaching forward to pick the kid up.
‘I’m really sorry,’ he muttered as his anger deflated. ‘I don’t know what came over me. My girlfriend just dumped me and I went kind of mad …’
Andy screamed out, ‘Don’t come near me, you moron.’
James’ handler, Meryl Spencer, had an office down the hallway and she came out to investigate the noise. James saw Meryl storming towards the scene, as Kerry emerged from her room and barged him out of the way.
Kerry crouched down and handed Andy a clean tissue to dab his face. She cast a furious backwards glance.
‘For god’s sake, James. What is the matter with you?’
10. UNPOPULAR
Meryl spent the best part of an hour shouting at James, while James spent the best part of an hour wondering how one idiotic flash of anger had landed him in such deep trouble. When he finally got out of Meryl’s office, he headed down to the canteen for dinner.
He got a creepy feeling that people were talking behind his back while he was in the queue and none of the gang looked happy when he set his tray down.
James’ crowd was gathered around the two pushed-together tables where they always sat: Shak, Connor, Gabrielle, Kerry and Kyle. The only absentees were Bruce, who was on a mission, and Callum, who was on the toilet. James made a point of sitting as far away from Kerry as possible, in a seat opposite Kyle, who had