Chapter 1

The reception area at King George's Comprehensive School was deserted apart from two friends. Just moments earlier it had been crowded with pupils rushing to their classes, but only Matt Marsden and Bobby Edwards remained. They'd been supervising the traffic and trying to keep the younger children from being trampled. With the rush over, they were examining The Wonderwall before returning to the common room for their self-study period.

'How many of these do you recognise?' Matt asked.

'One or two. Not many, ' replied Bobby.

The Wonderwall was a varnished oak board bearing the names of the school's most successful former students. It had been erected during the Christmas holiday and took pride of place in the reception, along with some of the current students' artwork. The headmaster said The Wonderwall inspired his students by giving them an example to follow.

'Wasn't Gareth Jenkins school football captain a couple of years ago?' Matt said.

'Yeah, I think he's on the books at Westhampton Wanderers, but he's not broken into the first team yet.'

'Andy Vansman. That name sounds familiar.'

'It should. He plays for Warwickshire County Cricket Club. He got a call-up to the England B squad last month.'

'How do you know that, Bobby? You hate cricket.'

'Yeah, but it was on '—Midlands Tonight.''

The two boys continued to examine the names. 'Are any of these not sportsmen?'

'Sally Whitehouse, ' Bobby said. 'I think she's on the stage in the West End.'

'So that's all our school's ever produced, is it? Sporting meatheads and artsy bitches. Hardly a set of shining examples.'

'What do you expect, Matt? We're not the grammar school, you know. We're King George's, worst school in town.'

'This place isn't that bad.'

'You can't tell me you weren't disappointed when you failed the entrance exam for the grammar school.'

'I didn't fail it?'

'You didn't? You never told me that. What are you doing here then?'

'I didn't fail it, cause I never took it.'

'Why the fuck not?'

'My granddad had just died and my Mom was in the hospital. I guess it just got overlooked.'

'Overlooked? For fuck's sake, Matt. That oversight has cost you seven years in this dump.'

'Maybe. There is one name missing from here.'

'Who?'

'Phil Jeavons. He's hardly a good role model, though. He robbed Barclays and got sent down for ten years.'

A classmate joined them. They nodded at each other in acknowledgement.

'You two looking at The Wonderwall?' Roy asked.

'Stupid name for it too, ' Matt said. 'Wonderwall. I ask you. What's it supposed to mean?'

'It a wall of wonderful achievement. I think it's cool, ' said Roy. 'And you two know what?'

'What?' Bobby asked.

'Someday, I'm going to get my name on The Wonderwall.'

Bobby stifled his laughter. 'What as? West Midlands Sumo Champion?'

Roy huffed. 'No. Someday, I'll be a millionaire. You'll see. I'll be one of the most famous businessmen in the country. And in ten years they'll be begging me to come back here as a shining example of school success. And you know what?'

Matt sighed. He'd heard all this before. 'What?'

'I'll tell '—em to stick it. I'll be a success despite this dump, not because of it.'

'That right?'

'That's right. And I'll tell you something else, when I'm rich, there's no way that Kelly won't go out with me.'

'Oh, come on, Roy!' Matt shook his head. 'How many times have you asked Kelly out?'

'I don't know, five or six. But at least I have asked her out. You haven't got the balls to. Everyone knows you fancy her, you know.'

'That's cause I know what she'd say. Why would anyone from that posh estate go out with one of us lot? Better to not ask and not get embarrassed by the knock back. Besides, she's a mate. It'd only make things awkward if I asked her out and she said no.'

Two more of their peers passed through the reception. John Nettles and James Asbury were heading for the library, but Matt suspected it wasn't to study.

'Oi, ' Nettles called. 'What you three doing? Dreaming about being sad enough for the Wall of Shit?'

'Go fuck yourself, Nettles.'

'You fuck off, you wanker.'

'Gentlemen!' Mrs Riley, one of the teachers, entered the reception at that moment. 'That's hardly appropriate language, now is it? Mr. Marsden, I'd have expected better from you.'

'He started it.' Matt nodded towards Nettles.

'I don't care who started it. I'll thank you both to clean up your filthy mouths. Detention, both of you. I'll let you know when. Now, don't you have somewhere to be Mr Nettles?'

Matt waited until Nettles and Mrs Riley had left and said, 'Fucking bastard.'

'Yeah, but the girls all like him for it, ' said Bobby. 'I don't know why, but they do.'

'Not all of '—em. Kelly hates him.'

'Oh, Matt. I nearly forgot, ' said Roy.

'Nearly forgot what?'

'Mr. Thompson wants to see you.'

'What the fuck does he want?'

'It's probably the same '—have you thought about your options when you leave school' talk that I had, ' said Bobby. 'I know it's ages away, but he wants as many people to apply to university as possible. I think he thinks he'll get paid more if we do. Fucking idiot.'

'You gonna apply?' Matt asked.

'No point, ' said Bobby. 'Unlike you, the only universities that my shitty grades will get me in are, well, shit. I'd rather go out into the real world and start earning than spend another three years doing homework and racking up huge debts.'

'Where is he?' Matt asked. 'In his office?'

Roy nodded. 'He's waiting for you. He knows you've got a free period, so you've got no excuse.'

Matt sighed. 'Great. See ya later, Bob.'

'Yeah, see ya. I'll be in the library. And remember, don't let the bastard talk you into shit you don't wanna do.'

Matt didn't hurry on his way to Thompson's office, which was on the first floor next to the sixth-form common room. He knocked even though the door was open. 'You wanted to see me, sir?'

The Head of Sixth-Form looked up from his paperwork. 'Matt, yes. Come in and take a seat. And shut the door.'

Matt closed the door behind him and sat down. Thompson reached for some papers at the back of his desk. He searched through them and picked one out. Matt guessed it must be his last set of school reports. Thompson read the paper silently and then looked up at Matt.

'Splendid report again, Matt. Splendid. I see that that your teachers are all of the opinion that you're heading for straight '—A's in the summer's exams. Quite a feat.'

Matt tried to hide his embarrassment. 'There's a long time between now and then, sir.'

'Not as long as you might think. Not as long at all. Have you thought about what you plan to do afterwards?'

'I was thinking of applying to university, sir. I've always wanted to be a lawyer.'

Thompson nodded. 'Good choice. Good choice. Lot of money in the legal profession.'

'I'm not really interested in the money, sir. I just want to help people who can't help themselves.'

'Very noble. Although a whacking great salary can't hurt, can it?'

'Guess not.'

'Of course, you understand that choosing such a career makes your choice of university all the more important?' Thompson put the paper down and leant forward. 'With these grades you'd stand a good chance of getting a place at Oxford or Cambridge. There'd be an interview, of course, but you'd have no trouble with that, I'm sure.'

'I don't know, sir. Aren't Oxford and Cambridge for posh, public school types?'

'Traditionally, I suppose they do have that image. But these days they're expected to take a fair proportion of state school candidates too.'

'I didn't know if it's for me really, sir.'

'Well, it's your choice, of course. But, think about it, okay? You're coming on the trip to Birmingham University, aren't you?'

Matt nodded. 'Yes. I'm looking forward to it.'

'Good. Good. Well, I think that's all.'

Matt left the office and looked in on the common room. It was empty apart from Kelly Larson and Laura Blackwood, who were standing at the vending machine by the entrance.

'Coke or Fanta?' Kelly asked.

'I don't care, ' replied Laura. 'Just pick one and let's go. We're already late. Old man Hubbard will do his nut. I could kill bloody Roy Lakeland. Why hasn't he got the message that you don't want to go out with him.'

'Beats me. You think that the phrase, '—not if you had a million pounds' would be clear enough, but no.'

Laura laughed. 'I can't believe his reply. The cheek of the boy.'

'Why, what did he say?'

They turned around at Matt's words and noticed him for the first time. Kelly beamed. 'Oh, hi, Matthew. I thought you'd be in the library, as usual.'

'Just had a meeting with the boss-man.'

'About what you plan to do next year?' Laura asked.

Matt nodded. 'That's the one.'

'Bet that was a waste of time, ' said Kelly. 'With your grades you'll be off to a top university, while the rest of us will have to make do with what we're offered.'

'I don't know where I'm going yet. I haven't really thought about it. Anyway, what did Roy say? He was boasting earlier that you'd have to go out with him if he was a millionaire. I bet you took the wind right out of his sails.'

'Not really, ' said Kelly. 'I said not if he had a million pounds and he said what about two million, or three. He just doesn't get it.'

Matt half-smirked. 'And what did you say?'

'Me? Nothing, I just walked off.'

'How many times is that he's asked you out now?'

'Eight, I think, if you count that time at the Christmas Party last year when he got drunk and asked almost everybody out.'

'He didn't ask me out, ' said Laura.

'Lucky you, ' said Matt. All three of them laughed.

'We've got to go, Matthew, ' said Kelly. 'We're already late. See you lunchtime?'

Matt nodded. 'Sure.'

The next morning was cold, grey and damp. The wind howled and the rain was relentless. As Chair and Vice-Chair of the student committee, Laura and Matt were often called upon to perform tasks that the teachers believed required someone responsible. That was the reason they were standing under an umbrella in the school car park, waiting for a coach to arrive. It was already quarter of an hour late.

'Here it is, ' said Laura, pointing towards the school gates. 'You go and tell Mr. Thompson and I'll go meet the driver.'

'Do you get to keep the umbrella?'

'Of course. I'm the Chair, after all.'

'By one vote as I recall.'