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"That’s what he told me to call hi for counselling," Loch growls

"There’s a lot you don’t know about me," Reni says sultrily, then raises an eyebrow at Shannon "William Mauch-dull or dishy?"

"Deep-pan dishy," Shannon says seriously-then laughs "I’m sorry! Your faces!"

"Swine," Leon snarls as the other girls squeal along with Shannon "That wasn’t funny"

"It was hilarious," Reni counters, crying with laughter "You lot are so easy to wind up Ihs even harder

"Here," I say, pulling out a handkerchief and handing it to Reni

Reni smiles sweetly and dabs at her cheeks with the hankie Four sets of lips ialore

"Grubbs and Reni sitting in a tree" sings Frank

"Get stuffed," I grunt and coolly retrieve my handkerchief from Reni-cue more whistles

Lunch flies by as it usually does So much to talk about-friends, teachers, ho, the size of brains Robbie McCarthy joins usbut he’s been cuddling up to Mary recently so he’s had to spend time with the rest of us

I joke around with Reni a lot The handkerchief was especially for her One of Dervish’s I use tissues, like everybody else who isn’t living in the Middle Ages I’ve been carrying it around for a week, waiting for a chance to present it to her Corny, and done as a joke-but half serious too A chance to share a smile and a sweet look

Reni knows I fancy her And I think she’s hot for the Grubbster But I’ve not had s like this There’s every chance I’ve read the signals wrong I won’t know for sure until I find the guts to put an arm around her and try for a kiss, but I think the odds are in my favour

Loch’s cool with it I’ve seen how he is with other guys who put the er than he already is and growls like a bear, scaring them away If Reni was keen on any of them, she’d tell him to back off Butbrother and even encourages it

It’s important to have Loch’s approval He’s my best friend You don’t try to date your best friend’s sister without his permission It just isn’t done

Towards the end of lunch, a small, chubby boy with a lazy left eye shuffles over and I feel a stab of guilt,I felt in Misery Mauch’s office

"Hi Grubbs," Bill-E says, srunt

"Hey, Bill-E! How’s my man?" Loch exclaims and sticks his hand out Bill-E extends his own hand automatically, but Loch whips his away, puts his thuers "Sucker!"

Bill-E flushes but rin and lowers his hand sheepishly

"Veryher eyes at her brother

"The shri Bill-E’s head in a wrestling lock

"No," Bill-E says, voice muffled Loch releases Bill-E and ruffles his hair Bill-E’s still s but the sine red "How you doing, Grubbs?"

"Not bad You?"

"OK"

We sroup stare at us for a second Then normal conversation resu anything this weekend?" Bill-E asks

"Not a lot Maybe practising soover to watch some movies if that’s OK"

"Hell, you don’t have to ask" I laugh uneasily "You can drop in any time you want It’s your house as much as mine"

"Coolio!" Bill-E’s smile resumes its normal shape "You want to watch a o over to Loch’s and practise You know"

"Yeah," Bill-E says quietly "I know"

The bell rings and everyone files back to class Hundreds of kids groaning, shouting, laughing Bill-E heads off in his own direction He doesn’t say goodbye I watch him walk alone and lonely in the crowd and I feel twisted and vile, like soot would crawl out of its way to avoid

Bill-E Spleen was my best friend before Loch Gossel hit the scene When I moved here after my parents’ death and my spell in the nuthouse, he made me feel like I wasn’t all by ain Settledlunch when everybody else ary of ht by my side on the Slawter film set-and it wasn’t fire we had to contend with Tried to help whenafterwards, even though his own mind was in tur hiroup Cutting hi but it’s the way things go When an old friend doesn’t fit in with your new pals, you cut him loose It’s the law of school I’ve dumped other friends in the past, and several have done it to me The difference here is that Bill-E’s h he doesn’t know it

Che but this afternoon I can’t concentrate I keep thinking about Bill-E I didn’tbrush-off When I first met Loch, I had time for Bill-E I’d only see Loch occasionally after school I still hung out with Bill-E a lot

That gradually changed Loch began inviting h Loch I became friends with Frank Martin, Charlie Rail and Leon Penn And through theot to know Shannon Campbell and Mary Hayes-and, of course, Reni

Reniabout her shoulder-length auburn hair, long eyelashes, light brown eyes, her curves She’s not perfect by anyand sturdy like her brother, with a ski-slope of a nose-but everybody thinks she’s one of the hottest girls in our school

I shake hts drift back to Bill-E All those new friendsto be accepted by them, included in their conversation, treated as an equal It had been a long time since I was part of a crowd I hadn’t realised how much that mattered to me or howout with us but he just didn’t fit in I’er than most of us-he started school a year early-but Leon isn’t a lot older than hiiant either He uses corny words like "Coolio!" but Robbie’s favourite exclamation is the seriously uncool "Radical!" He has a lazy left eye, but Charlie has buck teeth, Shannon has an ugly facial mole, I’m built like the Hulk We’re all a bit odd, one way or another

Bill-E is clever, funny, a much better talker than me But he never found a niche at school I didn’t realise it when I first started Bill-E seemed like the most normal kid around I knew he didn’t have a lot of friends but I was certain he fit in an to notice things Like how Bill-E never went to anybody’s house after school How people s like "Coolio!" Hoas bullied by boys like Loch Gossel

I’m not blind to how Loch treats Bill-E He teases him all the time, like with the fake hand-shake and head-lock today It’s different to the way he treats Charlie Nastier He embarrasses Bill-E in front of others, ht of challenging Loch and the others who pick on Bill-E If any of the is harder to deal with You can’t punch a guy for being sarcastic to somebody can you?

I’d have worsened the situation if I’d interfered,who couldn’t stand up for himself Besides, it wasn’t so bad His life wasn’t a walking misery And he always had lish next I walk to it by htful

I feel ashao up to Bill-E this afternoon Invite him back to my place Free up the weekend to be with hi for Lord Sheftree’s buried treasure Like we used to

But I won’t Instead I’ll just suffer the guilt, wait for it to pass, then let things go on as they have been

Lousy, yeah, but that’s the way it is Misery Mauch wouldn’t understand if I tried to explain, but I’m sure anyone else in the school-or any school in the world-would