“Pretty much,” says Henry. There’s a funny tone to his voice now. He holds the candlestick a little closer to the case, until the flickering light falls on the group pictures behind the trophies.
“That’s Theo,” Henry says at the very second that I think the guy in the middle looks so much like him. “My brother. He was the rugby captain.”
“Wow,” I breathe, stepping a little closer to the trophy cabinet. “Is that why you want to get onto the team?”
He laughs. It’s probably meant to sound natural. But if so, it’s not working. “God, no. Apparently it might help my uni application.”
“Is that so important?” I ask.
“Maybe,” he says curtly. “I’m pretty good at all my subjects, so it might not make much difference, but they say it looks good to play for the school.”
“Where do you want to go to uni?” I ask.
I’d expected Henry to say Oxford or Cambridge, but he doesn’t. “St. Andrews,” he replies.
I’m surprised.
“It’s a bit north of—”
“Edinburgh, I know,” I say. “My mum went there.”
Henry’s face brightens. “Really?”
“Yeah. Law.”
“Do you want to go there too?”
“I don’t know. I think I’ll study somewhere in Germany. Maybe at the Sport University Cologne in Cologne, if I pass the entrance exam.”
He pauses. “I mean, now that you’re here... you could finish your A levels at Dunbridge and study in Scotland, or in England...”
“I know that,” I reply, and it sounds a bit more snappy than really necessary. But I’ve had this conversation so often, with people who apparently know the right thing for me better than I do.
Henry doesn’t speak again. He keeps looking into that display case, and I start to feel guilty.
“Do you really want to be a teacher?” I make an effort to sound friendlier.
“Yes.” His eyes wander over the shelves, to the end of the room. “I really do. I dream of coming back and teaching here one day.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who dreams of going back to their school,” I blurt. “Most of them want to get as far away as possible once they’ve done their exams.”
Henry is silent briefly. “I know. But Dunbridge Academy was the first place that really taught me what home means. I didn’t even know I was missing anything until I started here. I’d been to so many schools and lived in so many places. But it’s different here. I belong here and I’d like to pass on the stuff I’ve learned here to others.” It’s quiet for a moment, then Henry laughs. “Wow, I sound like such a geek.”
I can’t help grinning. “But a very nice geek.”
“Hey...”
“Oh, sorry, should I have said something like ‘That’s crap, Henry! You’re a total rebel?’”
“Yeah, you really should.”
“Sorry, I’m just such a terrible liar.”
Now we’re both silent, and my eyes stray, as if on autopilot, back to that trophy cabinet. “So the rugby team,” I murmur. It’s a big deal to Henry. “What’s the time?”
“What?”
“What’s the time, Henry?” I repeat.
