“Hmm?” Charlie glanced at Jess to find her staring intently at him. “What?”
“Would you tell me if you had a girlfriend?”
“A girlfriend? Where the hell would I get one of those around here?”
“What about a boyfriend instead?”
Charlie stopped walking. “What?”
“Oh, come on, Charlie. Don’t be embarrassed. I like boys. Why shouldn’t you?”
“What makes you think I like boys?”
Jess shrugged. “I’m not saying that you do, just that it’s—you know—okay if you—”
“Charlie!”
Dazed, Charlie whirled around, instantly pulled out of the conversation he wasdefinitelynot ready to have. Wayne Murphy was bearing down on him, his perpetually sweaty face flushed, his dull eyes uncharacteristically wild.Damn. Is he finally going to deck me?Charlie braced himself, ready to fight back as much as he could without lowering himself to Wayne’s level.
But the impact of Wayne crashing into him never came. Wayne skidded to a stop in front of him and grabbed Charlie’s arms. “You gotta get to reception. Leo’s flipped his shit.”
“He’s what?”
“He’s lost it, mate. Booted it out of science and kicked the shit out of Darren Stroud in the courtyard. Proper battered him.”
Charlie’s blood ran cold. Darren Stroud ruled year eleven and made Wayne look like a bloody prefect.Oh God.The chill in Charlie’s veins turned to ice, and real fear lanced his heart. Leo hadn’t said much aboutthatnight, but he’d made no attempt to hide the anger in his eyes whenever Charlie had pondered the source of the most idiotic thing he’d ever done. “Where is he? What happened?”
“I just told you,” Wayne said. “He flipped. One minute he was pretty much asleep, next he was outside smashing up Stroud. Griggs dragged him off and to the office, but Leo looked like he was gonna batter him too, so I reckon you should get down there. He ain’t so bad when he’s with you.”
Charlie didn’t need telling twice, even if Wayne’s observation was so astute that he had to wonder if he’d been dropped onto another planet.
He pushed past Wayne and left Jess behind, dashing through the corridors and out of the maths building. The main office was on the other side of the school, and as he ran, there were signs of a major incident all around him—teachers milling about with walkie-talkies, clusters of kids congregated in places that usually held little interest. Blood on the concrete in the courtyard—
Charlie stumbled.Is that Leo’s blood?But that theory didn’t fit with what Wayne had told him. If he was to be believed, then it was far more likely that the shiny red streaks belonged to Darren Stroud, and for some reason that was no comfort as Charlie pushed on.
Besides, Wayne Murphy was full of shit. There was every chance that he’d fed Charlie a load of rubbish.
But the moment Charlie burst into reception, it was clear that Wayne had told him the truth. Leo was nowhere in sight, but Darren Stroud was there—in bits on the visitor’s couch. Broken. Bleeding. And being tended to by a paramedic. Horrified, Charlie’s hands flew to his mouth.Leo. What have you done?
Andwhyhad he done it? Charlie couldn’t deny there was a fire simmering in Leo that he was nowhere close to understanding, but this?
Charlie’s heart hurt. This wasn’t Leo. It couldn’t be.
“Charlie?”
Charlie jumped. Mrs. Parkin grasped his shoulders and turned him gently to face her. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
“Where’s Leo?”
“I was about to ask you that.”
“What do you mean?”
Mrs. Parkin frowned slightly. “Exactly what I said. Leo’s in a lot of trouble, and he’s only made it worse for himself by running off.”
“Leo’s not here? I thought he’d be in the office.”
“He was, but he disappeared when Mr. Griggs left him to fetch another teacher.”
