He knew he had to speak or he'd be expelled.
"It was last year. I was only a baby then; I'm six now. I found a puppy on the street and it was crying like dogs cry, and I sneaked it up to the loft to love it and look after it. But it turned cold and…"
Another tear, but Lofty got his hanky out just in time. He knew it was the worst thing ever to have a snotty nose in front of special people like Miss Freeman and Mrs Beauchamp.
"My dad found the puppy and said if he hadn't it would of been dead. And he had to pay a big fat vet bill and I didn't get no pocket money for ages. And I can't have another pet, not even a fish, not even a stick insect, until I'm dead - I mean, for as long as I live. And that's how I got my name. And I have to use it to remind me I'm bad."
"You just wanted to be kind to the puppy, Ben. You can be Ben in class."
Lofty gave Mrs Beauchamp a watery smile.
"Puppy killer! Puppy killer! "
"Don't be so silly, Cal. The puppy went to the vet and was fine. You have to learn to listen in class."
Cal heard his beloved Miss Freeman snapping at him and wanted to murder Lofty. Mrs Beauchamp claimed the teacher's attention:
"Miss Freeman, I hope you'll be able to stay behind with me - we need to make a lot of notes tonight."
Oh, Mrs Freeman DID.
Cal caught the look between them. He was going to snoop around and find that doughnut stash.
Max and Zoe thought it might be nice to have a gang to fight Cal. They would talk about it at the burger place, which was their after-school treat, then they'd be going to the pictures with Zoe's big sister.
And Mrs Beauchamp decided there was something missing from the school and for once she wasn't thinking of a sickroom with red velvet drapes and cushions.
The next day Zoe and Max gathered a little crowd round them because they'd seen the latest Disney and the kids wanted to know about it. Cal deliberately stalked to the other end of the playground because all he wanted to know was where Mrs Beauchamp kept her doughnuts.
"Before we tell about the film, I think we ought to be a gang. You know, to fight Cal because he's bad to everybody."
"We could have secret meetings."
Robyn got excited and pointed to a hut.
"We could have it in there!"
They went to check out the hut. It was cold but it was clean and didn't have tools and stuff to fall over in it.
"Who's Boss of the Gang?" asked Noel.
"Max is boys boss and I'm girls boss. And if we bring fifty pence a week we can buy sweets and stuff to share out."
Lofty got excited because, as he said, maybe they could bring in comics to swap. Lofty loved comics especially adventure stories about saving the world from Aliens.
They trooped out again just in time to join Mr Keogh's class. Mr Keogh taught sums and got in bad moods.
Mr Keogh was a little bit grumpy because Mrs Beauchamp had told him that he had to stop making the kids think he could smack bums. So he put his hands on his hips and said to them all:
"There's a new star system. If you do anything bad or good you get a star against your name. A black star is very bad indeed and the child who gets a black star will stay in at playtime IN MY DUNGEON. It's dark and full of rats."
Zoe gave a little shudder and held Max's hand.
Result, thought Mr Keogh and carried on.
"A green star is could do better. Three green stars in a week get swapped for a black one. A blue star is just to say you behaved yourself. A red star is very good. But a gold star… oh, a gold star is very special. If you get a gold star it goes on your report and you get a prize, of a sugar-free cereal bar."
All the kids except Cal wanted to get that gold star. Cal just wanted to get a black star so he could go in Mr Keogh's dungeon and choke rats.
He decided to make Mr Keogh really cross and ask something that was nothing to do with sums, so he said:
"Mr Keogh, where does Mrs Beauchamp keep her doughnut stash?"
"Doughnut stash?" said Mr Keogh in a very bored voice.
"Yes, the other day I went to the sick room and Mrs Beauchamp came out and her lippy was all smudged so I think she's hiding some doughnuts there."
Mr Keogh didn't give Cal a black star. He just said very quietly:
"Get out those sum books with pictures and read them till I come back."
He went straight to Mrs Beauchamp's study and knocked at the door.
"Come in."
In came Mr Keogh.
"Connie, I'm afraid Caleb Knight is on to you and Rita."
