Chapter Two

Lewis came round later that evening to apologise. Jamie had been in the middle of his dinner when there had been a knock at the door. He didn't go to open it, he was too busy eating, he let his parents get it.

"Jamie," his mum shouted. "Lewis is at the door."

"I'm not in!" he replied. He didn't feel like another confrontation with him. But a moment later Lewis appeared in the room.

"You can't fool me that easily," he said. "I've used that trick on you too many times for you to be able to pull it off." Jamie groaned, he really wasn't in the mood.

"I just came to apologise," Lewis continued. "I had no right to act like your parents."

"You're right about that," Jamie muttered.

"So am I forgiven?" he asked.

"I don't know Lewis. I can't afford to be seen with a geek. I'm Jamie. I don't do school work."

"It won't pay off in the end you know."

"Life's too short." He repeated what had been going through his mind earlier.

"You're right about that," Lewis became solemn. "You know what my mum said to me before she died? She wished she'd gotten something more out of life. She was a bit like you, didn't do well at school, and she ended up going through jobs so quickly she didn't have time to get used to them. And they weren't well paid jobs either -"

"You know your 'sob stories' don't work on me."

"It's not a 'sob story, it's the truth, and I don't want you to end up the same."

"I didn't know you cared," Jamie said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Well I di er this expression was nothing compared to when his mum appeared from round the corner. His look of shock disappeared, and was replaced by one of shame.

"You heard what we said?" he guessed.

"Every d!" Lewis shouted. "But not any more, do what you like with your life!" Lewis left the house as quickly as he had come, leaving Jamie in a state of shock. Howev word," his mum said, sitting down at the table. "But it was nothing I didn't know already."

"What?" Jamie's shocked expression returned. "You knew?"

"I was hanging some clothes in your wardrobe and I came across a pile of letters addressed to me and your dad," she explained. Jamie sighed, he knew he should have disposed of them earlier.

"Are you angry?" he asked, already predicting the answer.

"Not angry, just a little disappointed that you couldn't tell us," she replied. That was not what Jamie had predicted.

"But… aren't you mad that I get into trouble a lot?"

"Maybe I should be. But I remember what my brother was like at that age. However mad your grandparents got he didn't change. So I'm not going to get angry. But I would like you to try a bit harder."

"I'll try," Jamie lied. His parents weren't mad so he had no reason to try harder.

"Thanks," his mum replied, smiling. "Now you can start by going upstairs and doing your homework."

"But mum!" Jamie protested.

"You promised you'd try." She reminded him.

"OK," he said reluctantly as he stood up and left the kitchen.

Up in his room, Jamie could still hear Rachel's music booming from next door. He thought about going in and telling her to turn it down but he knew it wouldn't make any difference, and he'd probably get an earful from her as well. He thought about what his mum had said.

"Homework? Pah!" he said allowed as he stared disgustedly at the pile of school books littering his desk. German, Biology, Maths… what was the point? His eyes were drawn to the pile of letters the school had sent to his parents. He took the top one off the pile and ripped open the envelope, interested about what his teachers had to say about him.

"Dear Mr and Mrs Richardson, We regret to inform you that Rachel's -" he stopped reading allowed as he saw the name on the letter. Rachel. He had thought the letter had been about him, it was the most recent one that had been received. Why was Rachel getting letters sent home? She was an excellent student, as shown by her reports and countless praise at Parent's Evening. Something was wrong. Still holding the letter, Jamie stood up and made his way to Rachel's room. He knocked on the door.

"Rachel," he shouted as he banged hard on the door to make himself heard above the racket.

"Go away," she shouted from within. Jamie ignored her complaints and swung the door open. He marched straight over to her CD player and as he pressed a button on it the room was filled with silence.

"Hey!" she protested.

"What's this," he said, throwing the letter in her face.

"I don't know, why don't you tell me?"

"OK," he began. "It's a letter from school, a complaint from the teachers about your lack of work recently."

"So?" she asked, seeming bored.

"So, you and I both know that you're a great student. The one who always hands her homework in, the one the teachers love."

"Yeah, well maybe I got tired of being teachers pet," she snapped.

"It's more than that, I know it is." Jamie sat on the bed beside her.

"Then let your psychic mind work out what it is, and leave me in peace."

Jamie sighed. He knew he wouldn't get anything more out of her. He stood up and wandered to the door.

"I'll find out eventually, you know."

"Don't count on it," she replied, switching her music back on again as he left the room.