'Everyone starts at the bottom with weekday deliveries and no regular customers. The powers that be will see how you do. If you're reliable and you deliver fast, you get moved on to better paid work. Questions?'

'I've only got three bags of c.o.ke, how do I get more?' James asked.

'There's people at your school. We'll arrange for you to meet up with them when you need to.'

'What if someone tries to rob me or something?' James asked.

'If you lose the stuff or get mugged, that's your problem and you owe us for what you lost. If the customer tries any funny business, don't sweat it. Give the customer whatever they want and some of our muscle will show them the error of their ways.'

Kelvin and his silent pal got up from the table.

'One last thing,' Kelvin said. 'If you're out late, you'll get ha.s.sled sooner or later. Never carry more c.o.ke than you need to. A lot of kids carry knives, but if you ask me, you're safer throwing the stuff on the ground and legging it.'

11. KITCHEN.

James ended up walking home from the youth club with Nicole. He didn't feel too good: a mix of nerves about his delivery job and seeing Kerry with Dinesh. They ended up in the kitchen, drinking gla.s.ses of milk. Zara and Ewart were already in bed.

'Did Kerry say anything to you about this Indian guy?' James asked.

Nicole grinned. 'Jealous, are we, James?'

'No. It's just we're good friends and I like to look out for her.'

'Can you smell something?' Nicole asked.

'No,' James said, looking at the bottom of his trainers.

'I can,' Nicole sniffed. 'You know what it is?'

'What?'

'Bulls.h.i.t.'

'Very funny, Nicole.'

'James, you totally fancy Kerry,' Nicole said. 'Why don't you just admit it and ask her out?'

'Give us a break, we're just friends. How did you get on with Junior?'

'He's not bad-looking,' Nicole said. 'But the kid could seriously use some mouthwash.'

James laughed.

'So,' Nicole said, 'if you're not as keen on Kerry as everyone says, what do you think of me?'

James looked uneasy. 'You're a nice person, Nicole.'

'That wasn't what I asked.'

'Well ...' James squirmed. 'Actually, yeah ... You've got a nice body and that.'

'You're not so bad yourself,' Nicole said, leaning against the kitchen cabinet. 'Come over here.'

'Why?' James asked.

'Kiss us.'

James laughed. He leaned in and pecked Nicole on the cheek.

'Is that all you've got?' Nicole asked.

The second time James moved in, Nicole wrapped her arms around his back and they started snogging.

The door clicked open and they burst apart. James crashed into the kitchen table as Kerry stepped into the room.

'h.e.l.lo, h.e.l.lo,' Kerry grinned. 'Did I break something up?'

'No,' James gasped. 'It's nothing. We're just drinking milk before we go up to bed. You want some?'

'Cheers,' Kerry said.

James got a gla.s.s off the draining board and poured out some milk.

'Anyway,' he said, stretching into a yawn. 'It's gone eleven. I might as well go up to bed.'

Kerry called him back.

'What?' he asked.

'You better wash the lipstick off your face,' she said. 'Unless you want it all over your pillowcase.'

James walked up the stairs in a confused state. He fancied Nicole, but he didn't like Kerry knowing about it.

Kyle was in the top bunk when James got to their room.

'Some party animal you are,' James said. 'Home before eleven.'

'Put the light on if you want,' Kyle said, sitting up in bed. 'I'm not tired. It was a decent party, but one of the neighbours complained and the cops came and broke it up. How was boxing?'

James explained about everything that had happened. He tried to make it sound matter of fact, but the Kerry and Dinesh thing was getting to him and he blurted out something he'd never admitted to anyone.

'Kerry kind of... Sometimes I lie awake at night thinking about her. She's really, I mean ... She's not stunning ... Not the s.e.xiest girl in the world or anything, but there's something about her that goes through me like a big warm whoosh.'

'You've got to ask her out,' Kyle said.

'But I want her to carry on being my mate. What if we end up rowing and hating each other?'

'You've got to risk it,' Kyle said.

'What if she doesn't even want to go out with me?'

'Look,' Kyle said firmly. 'You just got off with Nicole, so you should be excited about that; but all you're talking about is Kerry, Kerry, Kerry.'

'What do I say to her?'

'Try the truth,' Kyle said. 'Tell Kerry how much you like her and then it's up to her.'

'Maybe you're right,' James said. 'I'll say something to her first chance I get. I mean, you never know, it might even work out between us.'

'That's right,' Kyle said.

James clicked out the light and climbed under his duvet.

'Kyle, what I don't get is: how come I'm taking all this advice off you when I've never seen you with a girl?'

'I've never had a girlfriend,' Kyle said.

James was surprised by the honesty. He'd expected Kyle to be defensive.

'Seriously?' James asked.

'Yep,' Kyle said.

'But there's loads of girls at campus. I'm sure I could fix you up with one.'

'I don't want a girlfriend,' Kyle said.

'What?' James asked. 'Did a girl hurt you really badly or something? Is it like one of those romantic films my mum used to watch?'

'No, James. I don't like girls.'

'What, you mean you only like old birds? Like, in their twenties or something?'

Kyle laughed. 'No. I like boys.'

James shot up off his mattress. 'p.i.s.s off you do.'

'James, I'm gay.'

'No b.l.o.o.d.y way,' James said. 'This is another Kyle wind-up.'

'I'd appreciate it if you don't go shouting it off to the whole world, but you were honest to me about Kerry, so there you go. It's the truth, whether you want to believe it or not.'

'Wow,' James said. 'Do you swear that you're gay, on your life?'

'Yes,' Kyle said.

'Wow,' James said.

He felt like his head was going to explode. He already had too much going on in there, with Kerry and Nicole and the drug dealing.

'Who else knows?'

'I've told a few people,' Kyle said.

'I can't believe it,' James gasped. 'You don't seem anything like a poof.'

'Actually, I'd prefer it if you didn't call me that.'

'Oh, right ... Sorry.'

James lay awake the whole night, listening to the aeroplanes rumbling over the house. He got up with the sun, had a shower, got a bowl of Shreddies and made himself tea. When the newspaper dropped through the letterbox, he read the sports page at the kitchen table, but it was like the words were going through his eyes and bouncing straight off his brain. All he could think about was Kerry with Dinesh and Kyle being gay.

Kerry and Nicole came downstairs. James didn't like that they were together; it made his paranoid side imagine that the two of them were working together and scheming against him.

'I'm making bacon sarnies,' Nicole said. 'You want one, James?'

'Mmm,' James said. 'Cheers.'

Kerry sat on the opposite side of the table and poured orange juice. Kyle had asked him not to tell people he was gay, but James was practically bursting. He had to tell someone. It felt too big to keep locked up.

'I spoke to Kyle last night,' James said.

Kerry looked up from the colour supplement. 'And?'

'He told me something. It's totally mind-blowing, but you can't spread it around.'

'Whatever,' Kerry said. 'Spill the beans.'

'Kyle told me he's gay.'

Kerry smiled a bit. 'Well duh. Of course Kyle's gay.'

Nicole looked away from the spattering bacon. 'It took you thislong to work out Kyle's gay,' she said.

'He said he'd only ever told a couple of people.'

Kerry smiled. 'You must at least have suspected.'

'No. Why would anyone suspect that Kyle's gay?'

'Well, dingus,' Kerry said. 'He's always clean and neatly dressed. Unlike most of you guys, his room isn't covered in disgusting pictures of half-naked women and n.o.body has ever seen him within five kilometres of a girl. I mean, short of walking around with a plaque on his forehead saying Gay Boy, how obvious do you want it to be?'

'But I share a room with him,' James gasped. 'He sees me naked.'

'So what?' Kerry said. 'I've seen you naked.'