Hot Prospect (8 page)

It was a good dream, a
great
dream, and Roddy didn't blame Bryn for hanging onto it. But Roddy had been tantalised by a different dream, one where Bryn didn't figure, and that was difficult for both of them.

They went over to the park and had a kick
about. Roddy took an interest in Bryn's new boots, and asked all the right questions. They discussed studs, and what the Valley Comp pitch would be like, and hoped the changing rooms would be better than the ones at their old primary school.

Then Bryn asked about the pitch at Stadium School and Roddy came alive with enthusiasm. “It's better than loads of championship pitches,” he told him. “It's got under-soil heating so the grass doesn't get frosty in the winter, and the drainage is brilliant, too. Jason told me that it hardly gets muddy at all!”

“I wish I'd been there,” sighed Bryn.

“I know,” agreed Roddy. “And I wish you'd been there when Jason was telling us about the stadium seats. I almost sat in the charred one. He looked
horrified
, as if I was going to get
killed
or something. It's obviously really important for some reason.”

“Valley Comp has a ghost,” offered Bryn.

“Really?” said Roddy. “Liz never said anything about it.”

“You know David, the kid who lives in my road,” said Bryn. “His brother goes there, and he told him there's a ghost in the boys' bogs.”

“Seriously?” said Roddy.

“Dunno,” said Bryn. “It's probably not true anyway.”

There was silence for a few moments while each was deep in his own thoughts.

“Bet I can hit that tree from here with the ball,” said Roddy, changing the subject. He was fed up with talking about schools. After all, it
was
the summer holidays. They should forget about school, any school, until the autumn.

“Hey, Roddy!” It was Ian, a boy from round the corner. “A bunch of us are going over to the recreation ground for a game of football. Do you want to come? You can be on my team
if you like,” he added hopefully.

Roddy looked at Bryn. “You up for it?” he asked.

“Why not?”

“OK,” said Roddy. “As long as Bryn's on my side.”

The recreation ground was a short way from Roddy's home. The grass was clumpy and badly looked after. Kids rode their bikes there, churning great grooves when it was wet and sometimes people walked their dogs over it, even though they weren't supposed to. It paid to look out for dog mess before you started playing, but Roddy and Bryn could never be bothered.

Jones is coasting today, oozing class as always but not giving it his all. After his recent trial with a big team he's lost his passion for the game at this level and, to be fair, it's not teaching him anything any more. It can only be
a matter of time before a big club picks up the young star. It'll be a sad day for his current team-mates, but Jones is surely destined for bigger things
.

“See you tomorrow?” said Bryn as they pulled off their boots.

“Yeah,” said Roddy with a sigh. He would never admit it to Bryn, but his Stadium School experience had shown him that football could be much more exciting with players of his own standard. “Liz wants to go shopping. We'll have the house to ourselves so bring some computer games over.”

“Great!”

“See you about ten thirty?”

Bryn nodded. “I'll be there.”

They lived at opposite sides of the recreation ground, so while Bryn headed off to the gate in the far side, Roddy went along the path and out into the street.

He walked up the road and round the corner, where the parade of shops was. He hesitated by the newsagents and wondered whether to go in and buy a Lucky Bag. They were pretty naff by and large, and he'd grown out of them really, but he couldn't help indulging in them occasionally. There was always the hope that you'd find something good inside. Once he'd got a mini Frisbee that had flown for miles.

Roddy settled on a promising bag, checked it said BOY on it, paid and went back outside. He was tempted to open it straight away but decided it would keep until later.

At home, he chucked his boot bag under the coat pegs and went upstairs. Then the front door slammed.

“Liz! Liz, are you up there?”

His sister threw open her bedroom door. “What is it?” she yelled.

“I want to speak with you,” said Mum. “Can you come here, please?”

Roddy listened as his sister stomped down the stairs and into the hall. He was just about to open the Lucky Bag when Mum called up again.

He stood at the top of the landing, looking down at his mother and sister. “What do you want?” he asked.

Mum was waving an envelope. “Look!” she said. “There's a letter for you.”

Roddy started slowly down the stairs, his heart pounding in his chest. “How can there be a letter?” he asked. “There wasn't one this morning.”

“It was put through next-door's letter box,” said Liz. “And they brought it round. I've already explained to Mum. It's not my fault.”

“I didn't say it was,” said their mum patiently. “I just wondered about it, that's all.”

“So can I go back upstairs now?” asked Liz.

“Don't you want to find out what Roddy's letter says?” said Mum.

Liz rolled her eyes, but Roddy wasn't taking any notice of her. His legs had suddenly got a life of their own. He fizzed downstairs and took the letter. The large envelope was made of high-quality paper, and the unmistakable blue-and-green logo was in the top left-hand corner. This was the moment he'd been waiting for, but now it had arrived he didn't dare open the envelope. His future was inside.

“You open it,” he said, offering it to his sister.

“No way!” said Liz. “You have to do it.”

“OK.” Roddy steeled himself to rip open the envelope. He took out the sheet of paper and looked at it. The words blurred on the page and he couldn't make out what they said. He took a deep breath and concentrated.

Dear Mr Jones,

We are delighted to inform you

that you have been allocated

a place at Stadium School,

starting on September 2nd.

If you would like to accept,

please let us know by August

25th. If we do not hear from

you, your place will be

offered to someone else.

Roddy read the letter, and then he read it again. When he finally spoke, his voice came out in a squeak. “I've got in,” he said.

“What?”

“Oh, Roddy!”

“I've done it!” he said, his voice now loud and triumphant, with a broad grin stretching his face. “I've only gone and got in!”

Roddy couldn't stay in the hall. He felt short of air and needed to get outside. He thrust the letter into his mum's hand, ignored her protests, and made for the back door. On the way out, he grabbed his old, worn football. The next moment he was in the little back garden, with its small patio and patch of scruffy grass. He took several deep breaths and looked about him, as if he'd never really noticed his surroundings before.

He'd played football out here since he'd been tiny. There were photographs in an album of him in the back garden as a toddler, with a football at his feet. There was even one of him and Liz playing together, something
she'd never do now. And there were loads of pictures of him and his dad, and some with his mum. He remembered the goal they'd bought him one birthday. It fell over if you scored, but he'd loved it, and had imagined himself as an international player even then.

Roddy looked down at the ball in his hands. It was getting very scruffy – he needed a new one really. He shouldn't dribble it down the street so much. Tarmac wasn't good for footballs.

He started working the ball, bouncing it on the patio, kneeing it higher, and up onto his head. He had it under control, like his feelings. It was as if he couldn't quite allow himself to feel the joy of having got a place, in case it wasn't true. But it
was
true! He
had
got in. He'd read the letter himself!

Roddy's feelings suddenly bubbled up, and overflowed. As the ball bounced higher, he
gave it an
almighty
kick, and let out a wordless bellow of excitement.

For a moment, he thought the ball was going to hit the shed window, but it skimmed over the roof, over the fence and out of the garden into the road. Roddy heard the hollow bounce as it hit the roof of a parked car. He heard it bounce again, this time onto the road, and then start to roll down the hill.

“Let it go,” he said into the empty garden. “Let some other kid have it. I don't need it any more.”

He turned to go back indoors and saw his mum and sister staring at him. In a rush, he remembered about the money. Had the letter said anything about a bursary? He couldn't remember, and he couldn't read his mum's expression at all.

“Mum!” he said in agony. “Can we afford it?” He held his breath. He couldn't bear to be
cheated out of his place at the last moment. He'd tried so hard. How could he not go now?

His mum was shaking her head, and Roddy felt his heart stop. “How can we say no, Rodrigo?” she said softly. “We'll manage somehow.”

“Are you sure?” he asked.

She was smiling at him, and he could see that she meant it. He went over and gave her a hug. “Thanks,” he said, so full of emotion he was almost in tears. It was going to be all right.

That night there was loads to think about. Along with the letter was a big list of things Roddy would need at his new school. He pored over it with his parents. As well as school clothes and shoes, he would need everyday clothes for after hours. He could take his own duvet cover to make his room more homely if he wanted, a few books, an MP3 player and no more than two computer games. All the sports
kit he needed would be available from the school shop, which had second-hand clothing as well as new.

“We'll go shopping in the morning,” Roddy's mum said.

“OK,” agreed Roddy. Shopping for school clothes wasn't usually his favourite activity, but this time he couldn't wait.

Roddy was going to tell Bryn his news straight away, but what with all the excitement, he didn't have time. His father suggested going out for a celebration supper, and it was late when they got back.

Roddy said goodnight and went up to his room. He still couldn't believe it. He wasn't going to start at Valley Comp in a few weeks' time. He didn't need to care about what a huge school it was, and if he was good enough for the football team. He was
too
good for it. That was the truth. He was so good that
Stadium School wanted him to go there instead!

He pulled out his phone, and looked at the time. Bryn might not be asleep yet. He really ought to call and let him know – it would be mean not to. And then he caught his breath. Of course! He'd invited Bryn round in the morning to play computer games. They wouldn't be able to do that now because he was going shopping instead. Now he really
had
to phone him.

After a few moments Bryn answered Roddy's call.

“What?” he said in a sleepy voice.

“Sorry,” said Roddy. “Were you asleep?”

“Sort of,” said Bryn. “It doesn't matter. What do you want?”

“It's just that we can't go on the computer tomorrow,” Roddy told him awkwardly. “I have to go shopping instead.”

“Oh, never mind,” said Bryn. “We can do it some other time.”

“True,” admitted Roddy slowly. “It's just that I've got to get my school stuff, and tomorrow's the best day.”

“Oh, right.”

There was a pause.

“So you got a letter then?” Bryn asked at last.

“Yes,” said Roddy. “It was waiting for me when I got home from the recreation ground.”

There was another pause and then Bryn's voice came accusingly down the phone.

“You could have phoned me before,” he said crossly. “I've been really worried about going to Valley Comp on my own. If it'd been me, I'd have told you straight away. Sorry you didn't get in though,” he added after a moment.

“No, it's not that,” said Roddy quickly.
“I
did
get in. That's just it. I'm going to Stadium School on September 2nd!”

There was a long silence down the phone.

“Are you still there?” Roddy asked anxiously.

“Yes,” said Bryn. His voice sounded very flat. Then it lifted, as if he was making a big effort. “Well, congratulations,” he said. “You must be really pleased.”

“I am,” said Roddy, feeling terrible for his friend. “Look, come round tomorrow afternoon will you? We can play on the computer then. OK?”

“Maybe,” said Bryn. “Well, OK. I will. Look, I do mean it. Congratulations and all that. It's just a bit of a shock,” he explained. “Don't get me wrong, but I thought you hadn't done it.”

“Me, too,” agreed Roddy, grateful that Bryn was coming round. “I was
sure
I hadn't.”

“You'll have to give me your autograph,” said Bryn. “Before you go.”

“Don't be soft,” said Roddy, trying not to laugh. “Who'd want my autograph?”

“When you're famous,” said Bryn. “I want to be able to say that I knew you first, that I got the first autograph of the great Roddy Jones.”

“Idiot,” said Roddy.

“Loser,” said Bryn.

“Night then.”

“Night.”

Roddy snapped his phone shut and smiled to himself. Everything was OK. Bryn was still his mate, even if they weren't going to the same school.

Roddy was just about to get into bed when he noticed something on his desk. He went over and picked it up. It was the Lucky Bag he'd bought that afternoon. It seemed a
lifetime ago. He looked at it and tossed it back onto his desk. He didn't need a Lucky Bag any more.