Chapter 4

“You’re going to do it. Aren’t you, William?”

Two days later, Will, Bobby and Julie sat at their favourite desk in the school library doing some school work. Julie struggled to get to grips with an essay on Wuthering Heights for her English class. Bobby tackled some Maths homework and Will checked the grammar structures and tenses in an essay for his French class.

“Oh, arse,” said Julie. She slammed the book on the desk. “This doesn’t make any sense at all. It’s a stupid book.”

“It’s a classic,” said Will. It was the same essay he’d tried to read through on the bus back from Westmouth before Amy started quizzing him in French. It was due to be handed in at the end of the week, but Will had turned it in early. “I would’ve thought you’d have loved it.”

“God, no. Give me a good Catherine Cookson any day.”

“Julie, pur-lease...” He rolled his eyes.

“Well if she’s so bad, why does she sell so many books? And have you ever actually read one?”

“If I’d been captured by terrorists, and they offered me two forms of torture, having my gonads electrocuted or being forced to read Cookson’s entire works, then I’d tell them to fire up the generator.”

Julie and Will laughed.

“She’s not that bad,” Julie said.

“No. She’s not,” Will conceded. “But still...”

Bobby slammed his pencil on the table and snapped his textbook shut. “I’ve had enough. Calculus does my fucking head in. What time is it?”

“Quarter to one,” Will replied.

“Good. Nearly lunchtime, I’m fucking starved.”

“Bobby, do you have to swear?” said Julie. “You know I don’t like it.”

“Sorry, babe.” He packed his books into his bag and then got up to retrieve one of the day’s newspapers from the rack by the library entrance. The door opened as he got there and Amy and Lizzie walked in. Will watched the three walk towards him. Or rather, he watched Amy walk towards him. She wore a tight white blouse and short skirt that showed off her curves and legs to maximum effect. Bobby retook his seat and turned the newspaper over to read the sports headlines at the back. Amy had a clipboard in her hand while Lizzie carried a Tupperware box and a small bundle of green cards. The two girls sat down on either side of Will.

“Have you three got your tickets for Saturday night?” Lizzie asked.

“Nah,” said Bobby. “I’m waiting ‘til the last minute tomorrow. You know what I’m like; I’ll lose it if I get it any earlier.”

“But what if we sell out? You could give them Julie to look after.”

“Don’t listen to him,” said Julie with a sigh. “I brought the tickets yesterday. If I left it to him he’d forget.”

Amy looked down the list of names on her clipboard. “Yep, I’ve got you marked off. You must have got them from Smithy. It’s typical of him not to say anything.” She looked further down her list. “You’re not marked off, William. Smithy must have forgotten.”

“No, he hasn’t. I haven’t got one yet. I don’t think I’m going.”

“What?” said Bobby. “Mate, you’ve got to come. It’ll be a blast. Besides, you’re vice-thingy, you know. What-you-call-it. Isn’t it your job to be there or something?”

“I know, but I got a shit ton of work to do this weekend.”

“Bollocks. You’ve got no homework or you’d be doing it now.”

“No, not homework. I got to fill my university application in.”

Lizzie looked confused. “But the deadline isn’t for another month.”

Realisation quickly spread across Amy’s face. She smiled. “You’re going to do it. Aren’t you, William?”

“Do what?” said Lizzie. “Amy...?”

“Do you remember we were talking over lunch at the university the other day? I said how much I’d like to go to Oxford, like my Uncle Fraser, but how I didn’t think I’d get the grades. You need straight ‘A’s and I’m only going to get ‘B’s at most, well, maybe an ‘A’ in art, but that still won’t be good enough.” She paused for breath. “Anyway, Bobby said to William that since he’d be getting straight ‘A’s, what with being the cleverest out of all of us, that he should go to Oxford. He thought it was a stupid idea at the time, but I said he should.” She looked at him. “What changed your mind?”

“My Nana. She said that if I don’t at least try then I’ll regret it later. She also said that if I don’t try, I’ll never know, and that if I’ve got the chance I should grab it with both hands.”

“She doesn’t half go on, your Nana,” said Bobby. “So is it true? Are you going to Oxford?”

Will nodded. “I’m applying at least. I probably won’t get in, but you never know. That’s why I have to do my application this weekend. They have to be in early for Oxford and Cambridge.”