Bill Rules by Elizabeth Fensham Read Free Book Online Page A

‘there’s no scout group around here anymore.’
    â€˜How do you know?’ asked Bill.
    â€˜My big brother’s a scout. The local scout group has moved across to join with the Mt. Ewart scouts.’
    Both Bill and Mat knew Mt. Ewart was more than an hour’s drive away. Too far to expect their parents to drive to on a regular basis. Mat saw the disappointment in Bill’s face. Bill saw Mat’s jaw tighten. It was just a muscle twitch. But Bill could read Mat’s face; he knew what emotions she was feeling. At this particular moment, Bill knew Mat was preparing for a battle. No scout group? That was just a challenge for Mat. Bill wondered what scheme she was going to come up with. Whatever it was, Bill realised that he would be part of her plan – like it or not. In fact, he didn’t have to wait long. He found out that afternoon as they walked home from school...
    Bill did not like Mat’s plan. In fact, it totally appalled him. He had never, ever point-blank refused to co-operate with her ideas. If he was going to be honest, there had been times when he’d been reluctant to do as Mat suggested. ‘Passive resistance,’ was whatMat called it. If that meant buying time by bringing up potential problems, avoiding outright agreement, or going slowly, then he had to agree he was a passive resister.
    Bill had tried to dig his heels in to avoid the snake-eating challenge and to get out of participating in Mat’s home opera and dance performances. He wasn’t the sort to sing loud and tragic love songs or dance in a ballet, even if it was only in front of their own families. In fact, he needed to be downright stubborn about that. With respect to Mat’s entertainments, he reached a compromise with her. He agreed to announce the acts and to be curtain puller. Bill’s mum told him that he performed those jobs like a professional. He did take his responsibilities seriously; he made sure he stood in a dignified way and he tried to be as helpful as possible. He believed in Mat’s talent.
    But this current plan of Mat’s was madness, and Bill told her so. If he went along with her ideas, he’d never live it down. It wouldn’t just be everyone at school who would hear of it, but the whole valley. Asit happened, Bill’s instincts were right. But he underestimated the publicity he was about to attract.
    â€˜All I’m asking is that you come with me. You won’t have to say a thing,’ said Mat. ‘I’ll do all the talking.’
    â€˜No,’ said Bill.
    â€˜I won’t even mention you. I’ll just get an idea of what’s possible.’
    â€˜No,’ said Bill.
    â€˜If I was you and you were me, I’d go along with you.’
    â€˜You’re not me,’ said Bill.
    For the first time ever in their friendship, Bill deliberately avoided Mat. He went into hiding. He started setting off early for school. If he had to leave his own Grade Six classroom during lesson times, he gave a wide berth to Mrs Facey’s Grade Five classroom where Mat spent her lessons. At recess and lunchtimes, he hung around the boys and played even more sport than usual. And at home, he stayed at his house and devoted himself to his homework. (The new study habits were so extreme and out of character, they almost made Pam take Bill to the doctor.) Bill was so scared that, even on the rare occasion that he sawMatty, her disappointed look did nothing to soften his determination to rebel against her plan.
    â€˜Probably those teenage hormones coming on a bit early,’ said Mrs Mabel Flint over a cup of tea with Pam O’Connell. ‘Sometimes makes boys start to get very awkward and stand-offish with girls.’
    â€˜That would be very sad,’ said Pam. ‘Up to now, the Grubs and us have been like extended family.’
    â€˜Mind you,’ said Mabel, lowering her voice as she did when she had a bit of gossip to reveal,