I'm Paul Langley. Today, I'll be starting a new school called Waterloo Road. The only reason I'm moving is because my old form teacher was sticking her nose into my business and Uncle Dermot didn't like it when people did that.

I live with my uncle, because my mum topped herself and my dad is still unknown. Dermot is evil though; he beats me up, but cleverly avoids my face so that no one questions how the bruises got there.

He also locks me up in cupboards and leaves me there. Once, I survived for a whole week in a cupboard last year. Sometimes, I'm not allowed to eat anything either.

It was much better when Aunt Mabel was still alive, because she used to sneak me biscuits and bread when Dermot didn't let me eat. But when he attacked some girl in the street, he said that Mabel had done it, and she was arrested.

Anyway, I walked away from the house to my new school. I kept my jumper on because the white shirts would make my bruises visible. My tie was done how everyone else did theirs and my top two buttons were undone.

My hair was cut wonkily and unwashed because Dermot wouldn't let me wash it. Dirt and blood was caked under my fingernails and my shoes needed to be put in the bin, badly.

When I walked through the gate, everyone was doing their own thing and no one really paid much attention to me. There was a teacher stood outside, his name was Tom Clarkson.

"Good morning! You must be the new boy- Paul Langley." He said in a friendly enough voice. I nodded, scared that this man had come straight up to me. "Well follow me." He told me.

So I did. Mr Clarkson led me to a classroom where he knocked on the door. "Come in." Came a female voice. On the door it said Miss J Koreshi.

"Right Paul, this is your form teacher Miss Koreshi." Mr Clarkson told me, leaving me alone in the room with my form tutor. I looked up at her, because I'm short, and she told me to find a seat.

About five minutes later, a bell went and about twenty five other kids walked in. They all took their seats. A boy named Bolton Smilie came and sat next to me. He was much taller than me, with dark skin and really short hair.

Bolton talked throughout pretty much the whole lesson. Near the end though, he mentioned something about a fight club that he ran.

"What fight club?" I asked him.

"He speaks!" Laughed Bolton in mock surprise "It's where me and the boys teach wimps like you to fight." He eventually told me. That made me curious to find out more about this fight club of his.

"Well, can I um join your fight club then?" I asked him. Bolton laughed at me. "Oh! You were serious!" Bolton said smiling. "Well how about no."

I really needed to join this club, if I didn't how would I ever win against Dermot? "Please! I have to join." I pleaded with Bolton. "You've got to be having a laugh!" Bolton laughed to himself.

I was angry, I didn't mean to but I told him almost everything. Bolton actually then let me into the club to 'toughen me up' as he said.

That lunch time, I met him in the boys' toilets where he and the other members of the fight club were, waiting for me. "Right, come on then fight me." I said, failing in an attempt to sound brave.

So, Bolton punched me. It wouldn't have hurt as much if I didn't already have hundreds of little bruises, cuts and scars littering my entire body.

I fell to the floor and the fight club all laughed at me, immediately knowing that I, Paul Langley was weak. They all ran out when the bell went, but I stayed in there to get my breath back.

I missed about half of my French lesson with Miss Haydock though and she