Free Kick by Tom Palmer (that summer book .TXT) 📕

back to their seats the coach turned into a large square and they fell silent. They had all seen it at the same time: a giant clock tower.

‘Big Ben!’ shouted Jake.

‘I saw it when I was down in London to visit my dad,’ Craig said quickly and equally loudly. ‘That’s the Houses of Parliament. And the Ouse is over there.’

‘The Ouse?’ Steve said. ‘Are you sure, Craig?’

‘Yeah!’ But Craig didn’t sound sure.

‘The Thames,’ Yunis said. ‘The Ouse is the river in York.’

Suddenly several people were laughing.

‘And that’s the moon,’ Ryan was saying, trying to speak in Craig’s voice. ‘And behind it, that’s the Pacific Ocean.’

More laughter.

But Craig said nothing. He just scowled at Ryan.

James watched him. And he had a strong feeling that Craig was going to be trouble on this trip – big trouble.

FIFA 10 Semifinal scores

James

2–3

James’s dad

Tomasz

5–1

Sam

Central London

The coach pulled up on a very busy street, next to a towering building that said ‘Student Accommodation’ over the doorway. This was where they were going to stay for the next three nights.

Right in the centre of London.

It was after 6 p.m., but the streets were still packed with shoppers. There was noise from voices and cars – a general rumble that never stopped.

There was a big clothes shop opposite the student accommodation.

‘Look at all those people in there,’ Jake said.

James nodded. It was packed. There were queues at all the tills.

There was also a huge Starbucks cafe. Two floors of people drinking teas and coffees.

‘It’d be really quiet in the centre of town at home by this time,’ James said.

‘I know,’ Jake replied. ‘Is London always like this?’

‘I suppose so,’ James said. He knew: he’d come to the capital a lot with his dad.

‘Don’t you like it?’

‘It’s OK,’ James said.

Jake smiled. ‘Part of me wishes we were at home. All the snow and that.’

James nodded.

‘But playing Arsenal tomorrow,’ Jake said. ‘That’s going to be amazing.’

James nodded again. He tried to smile too. He didn’t want Jake to think he wasn’t as excited as he was.

Once they were inside the student accommodation building, Steve lined everyone up in what looked like a canteen. Fourteen lads and four adults.

James looked around him. He saw loads of tables and chairs and a huge noticeboard with scraps of paper pinned all over it. Along the side of the canteen were large windows, all with metal grilles protecting them from the street.

It looked like a cross between a school and a prison.

‘Right, lads. This is where we’re staying. These rooms belong to students in term time, but the university has cleared them so we can use them.’

‘Have they all gone?’ Sam asked.

‘Who?’

‘The students?’

James heard Craig snigger.

‘Yes, Sam, they’re all home with their parents now, I expect.’ Steve paused. ‘Before we go up to the bedrooms,’ he said, ‘I want to make one thing clear. Once you’re in your rooms, you need to stay there. I don’t want to find you exploring the rest of the building. I want to know where you are all the time. Tomorrow we’ll be out for most of the day and after that we’ll have a chance to do a bit of exploring.’ Steve pointed out to the street. ‘But tonight I want you to eat here in an hour. Then bed. Got it?’

Several lads nodded.

‘After you’ve finished, Will’s mum will be coming round to check you’re all settled in. If there is any messing, there are two things I can do,’ Steve said. ‘One: I can drop you from a game. Two: I can send you home. Understand?’

More nods.

‘I don’t want to be overdramatic and I do want us to have a great time,’ Steve added. ‘But I will do both those things, if necessary.’

James was sharing a room with Jake. He was pleased. Jake was easy-going, like Chi. If he had to stay with someone like Craig it’d be a nightmare.

After they’d eaten in the canteen, James and Jake went back up to their room, following Craig and Sam, who had sprinted up ahead of them.

Once they were settled, Will’s mum came in.

‘OK, boys?’ she said gently.

‘Yes, thanks,’ the two boys said at once.

‘Remember, no messing about and lights out in thirty minutes,’ she said, still in a kind voice.

And James remembered what Steve had said. He knew that if anyone did mess about, Steve would be down on them like a ton of bricks.

Craig in Trouble

The room had two single beds and a sink by the door. Apart from a bit of cupboard space, that was it. James was lying on one of the beds, doing nothing. He was thinking about the match the next day and how he didn’t feel as up for it as he should.

Jake was staring out of the window. He saw that the city was still really busy. Their room was three floors up and there was a lot to watch: groups of men and women walking slowly, calling out to each other, going in and out of pubs and restaurants; people rushing into a tube station; cars beeping at each other.

And the thing Jake noticed most of all: the air was badly polluted. He could taste exhaust fumes even up on the third floor.

Jake craned his neck to look a bit further out. He could just see into a square along the next road. A strange pale light was coming from it, and music.

Something was going on. It wasn’t like the other streets.

‘What do you reckon that is?’ Jake asked.

James jumped off the bed and peered out. He said nothing for a few seconds, then squinted. ‘It’s an ice rink. Look –’ James pointed – ‘there’s people coming away with skates.’

Jake looked again.

‘You’re right. Do you reckon they’ll let us go tomorrow night?’ he said in an excited voice.

‘I dunno. They’ll be worried we’ll do