CHERUB: The Sleepwalker - Robert Muchamore Page 0,54

glass and drained half of his Guinness. ‘So when did you last go to the Arsenal, James?’

‘Yonks ago,’ James said. ‘I keep meaning to sort it out, but you’ve got to get a membership card and stuff.’

‘It gets on my tits, all that,’ Danny nodded.

Gemma wasn’t keen on spending her lunchbreak talking about football. ‘Have you still got the picture of our boys?’ she asked.

‘Sure,’ Danny said, as he pulled his wallet away from his enormous denim-clad butt and flipped it open.

James was surprised to see a picture of Gemma holding a baby boy, while another aged about four stood on the carpet beside her.

‘They’re cute,’ James smiled. ‘You must have been pretty young when you had the first one.’

Gemma pointed to Danny. ‘The dirty sod knocked me up when I was sixteen,’ she giggled. ‘My old dad went mental.’

‘Gemma’s dad’s a dentist,’ Danny laughed. ‘Drives a Lexus, right pompous git.’

Gemma nodded. ‘He won’t have nothing to do with me now. I think he wanted me to marry some boring accountant, or something.’

‘Plus I smacked him one when he got up on his high horse,’ Danny added.

James was starting to get the impression that Danny wasn’t exactly the friendliest person on the planet.

‘So, do you go clubbing, James?’ Danny asked.

‘Too young,’ James said. ‘I mean, I’ve heard the cops keep all the clubs around here on a tight leash.’

Danny smiled. ‘Cops are cops. Put a crate of whisky in the back of a panda car and they’d let you run a human sacrifice. Do you know the Outrage club?’

‘Isn’t that a gay place?’ James asked.

‘Years back,’ Danny said. ‘But these days they’re open to all sorts and I’m starting up my own night there every Wednesday. Me and a couple of mates work the door, so if you show I’ll make sure you get in. Then there’s a DJ who’s my mate’s little brother. It’s not really my type of music, but the students rip up a storm.’

‘You should come,’ Gemma said. ‘Especially if you’ve never been clubbing before.’

‘Yeah, I guess,’ James said, as he tried thinking up an excuse to get off campus. ‘Can I bring my girlfriend?’

‘Which one?’ Gemma asked cheekily.

James was startled by this. ‘Dana. I’ve only got one.’

‘What about Kerry?’ Gemma teased. ‘You said she’s your ex, but I can tell there’s still shit going on with you two.’

James shook his head as Danny burst out laughing. ‘Bring Kerry, Dana and anyone else you like. Maybe you’ll be able to get it on with the pair of them.’

After rapidly drinking a shot of tequila and a pint and a half of beer, James was starting to feel drunk and he laughed noisily. ‘I reckon I could live with that, Danny.’

Gemma shook her head and tutted. ‘In your dreams, James.’

Meanwhile, one of the other staff had placed the three burgers on the bar.

‘Another pint, James?’ Danny asked, as James got up to help him carry the food and cutlery to their table.

‘Why not?’ he slurred, realising that he’d be smashed by the time he got back to work.

23. LATE

Jake and Fahim’s class took things too far in the lesson after lunch and ended up with their head of year bursting into the art studio and giving them all detention. When the bell rang for the end of school, the twenty-eight Year Sevens had to walk around the corridors and playground picking up litter.

Jake and Fahim spent the two afternoon lessons sitting together and during detention they were assigned to clear the same section of corridor. When the head of year dismissed them, they headed off to catch their bus. Jake looked at a text message.

‘My sister Lauren’s waiting for me at the bus stop,’ he said, before pocketing his phone.

But Fahim had other concerns and glanced nervously in all directions as they stepped gingerly through an after-school kick-about on the concrete pitch.

‘They’ve probably gone,’ Jake said casually. ‘School finished hours ago.’

Fahim wasn’t so confident. ‘You should go,’ he said. ‘If Alom finds me he’ll batter me and if you’re with me his mates will get you.’

Jake slid his phone out and typed a quick text to Lauren. LEAVING NOW COULD BE TROUBLE.

‘Shit,’ Fahim said, as he spotted Alom and his Year-Nine cronies hanging out by some telephone boxes fifty metres from the school gate. He gave Jake a shove in the back. ‘Get away from me.’

But Jake shook his head. ‘We’re mates.’

‘Don’t be a tit,’ Fahim said, as the six Asian Year-Nine boys spotted him and chanted