CHERUB: The Sleepwalker - Robert Muchamore Page 0,53

massive metallic slam as a group of Year-Eight boys bundled into a vandalised locker unit. Year Sevens were refilling Fruit Shoot bottles from the drinking fountain and squirting them at each other.

‘I’ve been watching Fahim,’ Jake said, as he kept a wary eye on the water fight.

‘Where is he now?’ Lauren asked.

‘He stayed back at the end of history to talk to the teacher, but that’s the first time I’ve seen him really speak to anyone. There’s a couple of Asian boys in my class and I think Fahim’s trying to get in with them, but they’re best mates with each other and they’re totally blanking him.’

‘Poor Fahim,’ Lauren nodded sadly. ‘It makes our job easier, at least.’

‘I know,’ Jake said. ‘Next lesson is combined science. I don’t know what the seating arrangements are like, but if I can get near to Fahim I might try to be his lab partner or something.’

Lauren nodded. ‘OK, but however it pans out we’ll introduce ourselves properly after school, so don’t lose sight of him then.’

*

Harold said he liked to keep busy and James, Kerry and Gemma were happy to let him work the till and wipe down the odd table. A couple of extra staff came in to work over lunchtime and once the rush was over, James found himself sharing a lunch break with Gemma.

‘Where you going, James?’ she asked, as she pulled on a white puffa jacket.

‘Dunno,’ James said. ‘Buy lunch or something, I guess. There’s a PC World across the street, I might have a wander over there for a browse.’

Gemma smiled. ‘Never had you pegged for a computer geek.’

‘I’m not,’ James said defensively. ‘Just … I’ll get some money for my birthday in a few weeks and I was gonna see if there were any decent computer games around.’

‘Suit yourself,’ Gemma said, as she did up her zip. ‘I’m going up to the pub on the corner. My Danny works behind the bar, and the grub’s not too bad.’

James shrugged. ‘Pubs won’t usually serve me. I still don’t exactly pass for eighteen.’

‘I guess not, but where I sit’s usually closed to the punters. You’ll be sweet and they do a wicked chilli burger with rice.’

The smell of frying in Deluxe Chicken had stunted James’ appetite, but the chilli burger sounded OK and the prospect of wandering around shops for an hour wasn’t exactly exciting.

When they reached the pub, Danny came out from behind the bar and gave Gemma a kiss. He wore head-to-toe denim and looked like he was touching thirty. There were faded tattoos on his beefy hands, including a couple of handmade prison tattoos and an Arsenal logo.

James followed Danny and Gemma behind the bar and into an area of the pub with dartboards and pool tables which was only open on evenings and weekends. Gemma lit up a cigarette as they sat in the deserted space with pints of beer, waiting for their burgers.

‘You’re an Arsenal man,’ James noted, as he downed a third of his beer.

‘Too right,’ Danny said.

‘You ever go to matches?’

Danny shrugged. ‘Not in donkey’s years. When I was your age I used to go to Junior Gunners. It was such a laugh. Three quid to get in and then you’d go crawling round all the pubs afterwards, come home completely plastered and get shouted at by your ma. Nowadays it’s fifty quid a game, you’ve gotta be minted, ya know?’

James nodded. ‘I’ve heard Highbury was pretty mental in the old days. Did you ever see any trouble?’

Danny laughed. ‘If I couldn’t see trouble, I’d start some. One time I got nicked for twatting a couple of Chelsea mugs.

Thought they were well hard, but they went down like sacks of shite.’

‘What did you get?’ James asked.

‘Caution,’ Danny admitted, sounding almost embarrassed. ‘But I was only sixteen. Getting nicked was like a badge of honour. When I finally got sent down a couple of years later it was for head-butting a priest when I was robbing the tills at Tesco.’

‘Priest,’ James laughed.

‘I was dead nervous, you see. I saw this bloke all in black in the corner of my eye and I thought he was a copper … Another round?’

James stood up and pulled out his wallet. ‘I’ll get them in.’

‘Don’t worry, son,’ Danny smiled. ‘You don’t think I’m paying for any of this, do you?’

Danny came back a couple of minutes later with three more pints and three shot glasses filled with tequila.

‘Down the hatch,’ Danny shouted, as he emptied the shot