The hand hit 1.

Instantly the bell rang through the corridors, piercing every student's ears. They all scrambled together their belongings, shoving them into their bags before darting for the door. The teacher, a bespeckled old man in a tweed jacket, attempted to shout over them wishes of good will for the holiday, but not one of them was listening. It was summer. Ben Tennyson was the last one to leave. He'd tried continuously to squeeze past, but their towering, clustering bodies blocked his pathway. Even in his offensively green jacket, with the number '10' emphatically etched into it, he failed to stand out amongst his classmates.

"Have a boss summer," he shouted to his classmates as they scuttled off. None of them paid attention. "Ah, they mustn't have heard me," he thought out loud. A frown flashed on his face for the briefest of seconds, only to be quickly replaced with his usual cocksure grin.

He strut down the corridor to his locker. He was so glad school was over – six weeks without a single detention, piece of homework or lecture from Mr. Wyatt about 'how poor his work ethic is'. No, it was just Ben and the sun for six whole weeks.

He rounded the corner, only to be confronted with an unsettlingly familiar sight.

"I don't have any money left!" Cooper Daniels wailed, as he was shoved up against the locker. "I've already given it all to you."

"Bull," spat Cash, a spindly, nasty piece of work Ben had encountered far too often. "You've always got more money. I heard your folks are tech geniuses, loads of dough, so I want to see some of it."

Behind Cash stood J.T., his short-sighted worse half. The two of them had terrorised the corridors of Bellwood High School since Ben was 10. He'd learnt to avoid them in recent years, but it hadn't always worked out as planned.

Cash lurched forward, plunging his fist into Cooper's chest. He cried out in agony. J.T. scoffed. Frantically, Ben looked around – there wasn't a single teacher to be seen. They were probably celebrating a Tennyson-free summer somewhere. It was down to him. Down to Ben Tennyson.

"It's hero time," he mumbled to himself, excitedly. "Hey Cash! J.T.! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

The two half-brained bullies perked up, dropping Cooper and swooping their heads round to face their new target, like the vultures they were. Ben felt an unsettling sensation in his stomach. Maybe he shouldn't have had the curry for lunch.

"Tennyson, what a nice surprise..." Cash swaggered forward, shadowed by J.T. Neither of them noticed Cooper scarpering away, looking both relieved for himself and fearful for his saviour.

"Yeah, what a surprise," mimicked J.T., much to Cash's annoyance.

"That's what I said," he spat back. "Never mind. Thought you would have ran away from here the first minute you got, Tennyson. Turns out you're stupid as well as a good punching bag." He clenched his fists emphatically. J.T. did the same, but it wasn't nearly as menacing.

"Come on, guys," it suddenly dawned on Ben what he was getting into. He raised his fists, trying to ignore that they were quavering. "We all just want to go home now and have a good time. It's summer!"

"And for you, Tennyson," cackled Cash. "It's going to be a long one." He cracked his knuckles. Ben gulped.

"You're late, Ben," cried Gwen Tennyson, her long ginger hair tied back. That was when Ben knew she was angry.

Ben staggered through the school gates, his scruffy hair hanging over one side of his face as he dragged his rucksack behind him. The entrance was deserted, bar Ben and his cousin.

"Ben?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, great cuz," he said, a feeble smile flickering on his face. "You know how Mr. Wyatt is, just wanted one last chance to bark at me."

"Mr. Wyatt's great with me."

"Of course he is," retorted Ben. "What are you doing waiting for me?"

"Your welcome," she snorted. "And my parents and I are coming round for dinner, in case you've forgot. Start off the summer as a family."

"Oh crap, yeah," said Ben, as the two began walking. "Jeez, that's the last thing I need to start of this summer – sitting around whilst the old ones go on about taxes and jokes that aren't even funny."

"I actually like our meals," said Gwen. "You know, as long as you stay away from me, dweeb."

"Right back at you, doofus," the two of them laughed. They hadn't used such jibes seriously since they were ten. It was a friendly reminder of a simpler time.

They spent the following moments in silence, just strolling down the same road they strolled down every day. The same pavements, the same houses, the same roads, the same Bellwood. Gwen eyes flickered up, catching what was under Ben's combed down hair.

"Is that a bruise?" she gasped. "Oh no! Did Cash and J.T. beat you up again?"

"No!" Ben cried, waving his hand dismissively. "I fell over, that's all."

"Fool proof alibi there, dweeb, I don't know where you come up with them," said Gwen. Ben kept his eyes on the floor, as to avoid her sinister glare. It made him uncomfortable just knowing that she was doing it. "What happened?" she said finally.

"It was nothing," said Ben, laughing apprehensively. "You know me, Cash and J.T. We go back years. I was just talking to them after school and I slipped and bashed my face. It's really nothing cuz, so just leave it alone."

The silence that followed was audible. It was so awkward, so overwhelming, that neither of them had realised were they were.

Max's Plumbing.

Gwen was the first to notice, her eyes straying towards the decrepit site of a building. Windows were smashed in, the remnants of glass littered around the floor. Planks of wood hung over all of the entrances, rotting away unnoticed. The enlarged 'P' hung trepidatiously off of the shop's sign. It was hard to believe that their Grandpa Max ever worked there.

"Do you ever think about him?" said Gwen, drawing Ben's attention to the unwelcoming sight. He winced when he saw it. "Do you ever thing about that summer we were meant to spend together? On the road?"

"Yeah," confessed Ben. "I do."

"I miss him." Gwen said.

"So do I." sighed Ben. "So do I."