When I Was Joe by Keren David Read Free Book Online Page B

are sitting in an organic health food cafe on the High Street – ‘I don’t think we’ll find any of your fan club in here. They’ll be having frappuccinos at Starbucks,’ says Ellie – and she orders some brown rice stir-fry for both of us.
    â€˜What do you mean, my fan club?’
    Ellie laughs. ‘Joe, you must realise that you’ve taken the school by storm. Most of the girls in year eight – and years seven and nine for that matter – are crazy about you. You’re the talk of the town.’
    She’s got to be joking. ‘How would you know?’ I ask cautiously.
    â€˜Oh, I have impeccable sources,’ she says. ‘I have a sister in year eight, plus I run a group mentoring young sportswomen. Believe me, I know everything.’
    â€˜You have a sister in year eight?’ I’m wondering how I’ve missed an Ellie lookalike, particularly one who has her eye on me.
    â€˜In your class. Claire. Of course,’ she adds hastily, ‘she’s just reporting to me on what the other girls think. She’s not one to follow the crowd.’
    Claire? The tiny little mouse who sits in front of me?How can she be Ellie’s sister? ‘Oh yes. She doesn’t talk much.’ I’m trying to think how to find out more without sounding big-headed.
    â€˜They all think you’re older than you are. That’s why I was teasing you about only being twelve. Apparently you’re very mysterious. And there are the cheekbones as well.’
    Oh. I think she’s probably still teasing, but it sounds like my disguise isn’t holding up too well. I’m chewing my lip, which is what I do when I’m worried.
    Ellie asks, ’You don’t like that? It’s good, isn’t it?’
    â€˜I don’t know. It’s all a bit complicated.’
    â€˜I can see that.’
    â€˜Ellie, please, you won’t tell anyone what happened?’
    â€˜Of course not. I wish you hadn’t been on your own though. If you had passed out on the treadmill you could have injured yourself.’
    â€˜Yeah, yeah. But I didn’t. I mean, I didn’t even pass out.’
    â€˜How much are you eating Joe? That was all crap wasn’t it, when we did the health survey?’
    â€˜Err, well it wasn’t really, because mostly I do eat healthy and sleep and everything. It’s just that the last few weeks have been a bit . . . umm . . . difficult. I mean I was just answering on a general basis.’I was answering from the time when Gran was around to keep an eye on me, to tell the truth.
    â€˜So, right now, how’s your eating? And sleeping, smoking and drinking?’
    â€˜Well, we’ve just moved, so eating’s a bit chaotic. I mean, we haven’t got a routine or local shops or stuff. And I’ve been finding it difficult to sleep. And my mum says smoking is good for her nerves so I thought I’d just try and see if it helps.’ I poke at the brown rice. It’s weird, but nice, to have a proper meal that I haven’t had to make.
    â€˜For God’s sake, Joe, are you mad? You get the chance to join one of the best school athletics squads in the country and you take up smoking?’
    â€˜Er, well. . .’
    â€˜Why did you move in the first place?’
    Why? Hmm. . . ‘My mum broke up with her boyfriend and she wanted a new start.’ I think that’s a pretty good cover story to invent, off the cuff.
    â€˜And what about your dad?’
    â€˜I never see him.’
    I suddenly remember something my gran once said about my dad. ‘That Danny Tyler,’ she grumbled, ‘so bloody good-looking that he had his own fan club. Of course your mum had to outdo all the rest.’ Gran didn’t seem to like my dad much but Ellie’scomment about my fan club makes me feel quite close to him. I’m called Tyler after my dad, and changing my name meant losing that little