his arm?’
‘You mean when he fell off the wall?’ There’d been a big fuss about it and nobody was allowed to play on the wall any more; Oliver hadn’t been too popular for a
while.
‘He didn’t fall off the wall – it was Hayden.’
‘But that’s . . . How come no one knows? I mean, shouldn’t we tell someone?’
‘You are kidding, right?’ said Anil, looking at me like I’d gone crazy. ‘How come you don’t know, anyhow? Everyone has to bring Hayden something every
week.’
Which reminded me I didn’t know what I was supposed to bring.
‘Well,’ said Anil, when I asked him, ‘he prefers money but it has to be over fifty pence. If you can’t get that then he’ll make do with sweets, but if he
doesn’t like them you’ll get a Chinese burn. Mars bars are his favourite or most things in that line. Just don’t bring Jelly Babies or you’ll regret it.’
That night I was so worried I couldn’t sleep. Lily knew there was something wrong but I wouldn’t tell her what had happened at school. She’d stopped throwing up and told me
she’d had a nice day at home with Mum and she was going to have another day off just to make sure she was better.
That did it. I knew Hayden had said I mustn’t tell anyone and I’d held out for ages, but in the end I had to tell Lily. She looked furious.
‘So I have to take something tomorrow. Have you got any money?’
‘I’m not giving my money to Hayden.’
‘Please, Lily. If I don’t have it he’ll break my arm.’
Lily laughed.
‘You don’t understand!’ I was close to tears now. ‘He broke Oliver’s arm because he forgot to bring something.’
‘No he did not,’ said Lily. ‘Oliver fell off the wall because he’s a clumsy idiot.’
‘He didn’t,’ I whispered urgently. ‘It was Hayden.’
Lily laughed again. How could she! Now I was crying, not only because I was scared but because Lily was being so heartless.
‘Oh Milly! Don’t,’ said Lily. She got out of bed and climbed in beside me. ‘Stop worrying,’ she said, giving me a hug. ‘I’ll go to school with you
tomorrow and it will be fine, okay?’
So Lily convinced Mum she was well enough for school and at break time we went into the playground.
‘Right,’ said Lily, leading me to the old loos, ‘you stand here and when Hayden comes, tell him you’ve got something. Then I’ll come out and you run
away.’
I stood there while Lily disappeared round the side of the building. I felt like that goat in Jurassic Park; the one they tie up to try and lure the biggest dinosaur.
Then Hayden arrived and motioned to me to follow him round the side of the loos. As soon as he’d gone round the corner Lily appeared from the other side.
‘Don’t worry,’ she said and followed Hayden.
I stood and waited. It could only have been about a minute but it felt like for ever. I wanted to look to check that Lily was okay, but at the same time I couldn’t bring myself to look.
I was just about to go and fetch someone to help when Hayden came round the side of the building. He was limping. I shrank back against the wall but he didn’t even look at me.
Lily came out looking grim but perfectly unharmed.
‘He won’t bother you again,’ she said.
‘What happened?’
Lily grinned. ‘I told him that, if he so much as looked at you, then I’d get Mum to put him in one of her books. I said she’d draw him as the ugliest, meanest boy in the
school who everyone hated and the whole world would know it was him and it would be on the telly and everything.’
‘Really? Is that what happened?’
‘No,’ said Lily, linking arms with me. ‘It’s a nice thought, though.’
I can’t believe that I kissed Hayden Bailey when he was demanding money with menaces. I never did tell Lily that part. It still makes me cringe.
Chapter Nine
I couldn’t get out of bed this morning. Not that I needed to because it was Sunday,; but it wasn’t a nice Sunday morning feeling, like I knew
‘You mean when he fell off the wall?’ There’d been a big fuss about it and nobody was allowed to play on the wall any more; Oliver hadn’t been too popular for a
while.
‘He didn’t fall off the wall – it was Hayden.’
‘But that’s . . . How come no one knows? I mean, shouldn’t we tell someone?’
‘You are kidding, right?’ said Anil, looking at me like I’d gone crazy. ‘How come you don’t know, anyhow? Everyone has to bring Hayden something every
week.’
Which reminded me I didn’t know what I was supposed to bring.
‘Well,’ said Anil, when I asked him, ‘he prefers money but it has to be over fifty pence. If you can’t get that then he’ll make do with sweets, but if he
doesn’t like them you’ll get a Chinese burn. Mars bars are his favourite or most things in that line. Just don’t bring Jelly Babies or you’ll regret it.’
That night I was so worried I couldn’t sleep. Lily knew there was something wrong but I wouldn’t tell her what had happened at school. She’d stopped throwing up and told me
she’d had a nice day at home with Mum and she was going to have another day off just to make sure she was better.
That did it. I knew Hayden had said I mustn’t tell anyone and I’d held out for ages, but in the end I had to tell Lily. She looked furious.
‘So I have to take something tomorrow. Have you got any money?’
‘I’m not giving my money to Hayden.’
‘Please, Lily. If I don’t have it he’ll break my arm.’
Lily laughed.
‘You don’t understand!’ I was close to tears now. ‘He broke Oliver’s arm because he forgot to bring something.’
‘No he did not,’ said Lily. ‘Oliver fell off the wall because he’s a clumsy idiot.’
‘He didn’t,’ I whispered urgently. ‘It was Hayden.’
Lily laughed again. How could she! Now I was crying, not only because I was scared but because Lily was being so heartless.
‘Oh Milly! Don’t,’ said Lily. She got out of bed and climbed in beside me. ‘Stop worrying,’ she said, giving me a hug. ‘I’ll go to school with you
tomorrow and it will be fine, okay?’
So Lily convinced Mum she was well enough for school and at break time we went into the playground.
‘Right,’ said Lily, leading me to the old loos, ‘you stand here and when Hayden comes, tell him you’ve got something. Then I’ll come out and you run
away.’
I stood there while Lily disappeared round the side of the building. I felt like that goat in Jurassic Park; the one they tie up to try and lure the biggest dinosaur.
Then Hayden arrived and motioned to me to follow him round the side of the loos. As soon as he’d gone round the corner Lily appeared from the other side.
‘Don’t worry,’ she said and followed Hayden.
I stood and waited. It could only have been about a minute but it felt like for ever. I wanted to look to check that Lily was okay, but at the same time I couldn’t bring myself to look.
I was just about to go and fetch someone to help when Hayden came round the side of the building. He was limping. I shrank back against the wall but he didn’t even look at me.
Lily came out looking grim but perfectly unharmed.
‘He won’t bother you again,’ she said.
‘What happened?’
Lily grinned. ‘I told him that, if he so much as looked at you, then I’d get Mum to put him in one of her books. I said she’d draw him as the ugliest, meanest boy in the
school who everyone hated and the whole world would know it was him and it would be on the telly and everything.’
‘Really? Is that what happened?’
‘No,’ said Lily, linking arms with me. ‘It’s a nice thought, though.’
I can’t believe that I kissed Hayden Bailey when he was demanding money with menaces. I never did tell Lily that part. It still makes me cringe.
Chapter Nine
I couldn’t get out of bed this morning. Not that I needed to because it was Sunday,; but it wasn’t a nice Sunday morning feeling, like I knew
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