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Authors: T. M. Alexander
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rude not to answer.
If only someone else would speak . . .
‘Keener, can we pway the marble wun now pwease?’
Thank you, Charlie!
‘OK,’ I said. ‘Shall we do it in your room?’ I was already reaching for the box and heading for the door.
‘Yes pwease,’ said Charlie.
‘You coming?’ I said to the others. Copper Pie had no choice – I grabbed his elbow on my way out of the kitchen. Charlie followed. (He is probably the nicest person in the
family.) I hoped the others would come. Surely the Tribers all wanted us to be back together? Especially as Copper Pie’s dad had said everything was his fault. Copper Pie didn’t want to play with Callum. He was bullied into it.
‘Sorry about the scout,’ I said, as we headed for the stairs.
‘Dun’t matter,’ said Copper Pie.
‘It does matter,’ I said. ‘I was hoping to be your manager or chauffeur or something and have loads of money and all that.’
He thumped me. Why does he do that? I don’t like pain. Everyone knows that.
‘I’d never employ you. I’d have fat guys in shiny suits and shades looking after me.’
I laughed. Not because it was funny. But because we were chatting for the first time in what seemed like forever .
‘Can I be the dwi-ver?’ said Charlie.
‘If you can reach the pedals, maybe.’ That was the nicest thing I’d ever heard C.P. say to his brother. Charlie smiled a big cheesy smile.
I made it up the stairs without tripping on any of the latest obstacles: a satsuma skin, a Lego Indiana Jones, a bucket, one roller blade and a dummy, sat on the floor and started making
Charlie’s marble run. No one else came up.
‘So will the scout come another day?’
‘I don’t reckon so.’
‘Why not?’
‘He says I’m too young really. Need a few more years before a proper club would take me on.’
‘He should have said that before. Then you could have done the water bombs and you wouldn’t be the outcast Triber.’
I meant it as a joke but when I heard it out loud it didn’t sound funny. It sounded serious. It sounded final.
‘Am I out then?’ said my ginger friend who saved me from Annabel Ellis and ate all the bits of lunch I didn’t like every day.
‘’Course not,’ I lied.
‘How come you’re the only one up here then?’
‘I’m here,’ said Charlie.
‘You don’t count. You wear a nappy.’
Charlie looked down at his nappy and started to peel off the sticky bit at the side.
‘No, no, no,’ I said. ‘You do count, Charlie. Really.’
He went back to plopping marbles down the three runs that I’d made interconnect. It was hypnotising. Either that or I was busy trying to avoid the subject of Tribe.
‘D’you think they’ve gone home?’ said Copper Pie. He was trying to sound normal but inside he was sick – I could tell. Sick at the thought that he wasn’t a
Triber any more.
Yes, I do, I thought but I didn’t say it. I mean, they were hardly going to be having tea and scones downstairs with Shouty Shouty.
‘So you’re an outcast too then?’
I hadn’t thought of that. Did siding with Copper Pie make me a non-Triber? A panicky feeling came over me. I wanted us all to be friends again. But if being with Copper Pie meant I
wasn’t friends with Jonno, Bee and Fifty then I wasn’t ready for that.
two giant yellow rubber gloves
I jumped up and ran downstairs. I had to know what had happened to the others. I stopped at the bottom of the staircase – I could hear the Tribers laughing. That
wasn’t what I was expecting.
Were they laughing at the way I’d trotted off with Copper Pie, like a pet, after everything he’d done?
Something stopped me going in. Worry, I suppose. I try not to worry any more. I try and chase away all the horrible thoughts by making up rubbish words. Anything to keep the worry bit of my
brain occupied.
Bee’s voice rang out. ‘It’s Keener.’
More laughter. I pricked up my ears, like a dog.
‘Total nerd.’ That was Fifty. So much for friends.
If only someone else would speak . . .
‘Keener, can we pway the marble wun now pwease?’
Thank you, Charlie!
‘OK,’ I said. ‘Shall we do it in your room?’ I was already reaching for the box and heading for the door.
‘Yes pwease,’ said Charlie.
‘You coming?’ I said to the others. Copper Pie had no choice – I grabbed his elbow on my way out of the kitchen. Charlie followed. (He is probably the nicest person in the
family.) I hoped the others would come. Surely the Tribers all wanted us to be back together? Especially as Copper Pie’s dad had said everything was his fault. Copper Pie didn’t want to play with Callum. He was bullied into it.
‘Sorry about the scout,’ I said, as we headed for the stairs.
‘Dun’t matter,’ said Copper Pie.
‘It does matter,’ I said. ‘I was hoping to be your manager or chauffeur or something and have loads of money and all that.’
He thumped me. Why does he do that? I don’t like pain. Everyone knows that.
‘I’d never employ you. I’d have fat guys in shiny suits and shades looking after me.’
I laughed. Not because it was funny. But because we were chatting for the first time in what seemed like forever .
‘Can I be the dwi-ver?’ said Charlie.
‘If you can reach the pedals, maybe.’ That was the nicest thing I’d ever heard C.P. say to his brother. Charlie smiled a big cheesy smile.
I made it up the stairs without tripping on any of the latest obstacles: a satsuma skin, a Lego Indiana Jones, a bucket, one roller blade and a dummy, sat on the floor and started making
Charlie’s marble run. No one else came up.
‘So will the scout come another day?’
‘I don’t reckon so.’
‘Why not?’
‘He says I’m too young really. Need a few more years before a proper club would take me on.’
‘He should have said that before. Then you could have done the water bombs and you wouldn’t be the outcast Triber.’
I meant it as a joke but when I heard it out loud it didn’t sound funny. It sounded serious. It sounded final.
‘Am I out then?’ said my ginger friend who saved me from Annabel Ellis and ate all the bits of lunch I didn’t like every day.
‘’Course not,’ I lied.
‘How come you’re the only one up here then?’
‘I’m here,’ said Charlie.
‘You don’t count. You wear a nappy.’
Charlie looked down at his nappy and started to peel off the sticky bit at the side.
‘No, no, no,’ I said. ‘You do count, Charlie. Really.’
He went back to plopping marbles down the three runs that I’d made interconnect. It was hypnotising. Either that or I was busy trying to avoid the subject of Tribe.
‘D’you think they’ve gone home?’ said Copper Pie. He was trying to sound normal but inside he was sick – I could tell. Sick at the thought that he wasn’t a
Triber any more.
Yes, I do, I thought but I didn’t say it. I mean, they were hardly going to be having tea and scones downstairs with Shouty Shouty.
‘So you’re an outcast too then?’
I hadn’t thought of that. Did siding with Copper Pie make me a non-Triber? A panicky feeling came over me. I wanted us all to be friends again. But if being with Copper Pie meant I
wasn’t friends with Jonno, Bee and Fifty then I wasn’t ready for that.
two giant yellow rubber gloves
I jumped up and ran downstairs. I had to know what had happened to the others. I stopped at the bottom of the staircase – I could hear the Tribers laughing. That
wasn’t what I was expecting.
Were they laughing at the way I’d trotted off with Copper Pie, like a pet, after everything he’d done?
Something stopped me going in. Worry, I suppose. I try not to worry any more. I try and chase away all the horrible thoughts by making up rubbish words. Anything to keep the worry bit of my
brain occupied.
Bee’s voice rang out. ‘It’s Keener.’
More laughter. I pricked up my ears, like a dog.
‘Total nerd.’ That was Fifty. So much for friends.
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