Playing for Keeps (Glasgow Lads Book 2) by Avery Cockburn

Author:Avery Cockburn [Cockburn, Avery]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-06-16T22:00:00+00:00

John stared across the street at the wee stone building with its stained glass windows and pretty white statue of Mary holding out her welcoming hands. The students were flowing out of the front door, ignoring Mary as they passed her, chattering and laughing in their uniforms.

He looked down at his own boring trousers and long-sleeved T-shirt, then thought of his school’s dull concrete walls. This school in front of him was closer to his house, so why didn’t he attend here? Someone must have made a mistake.

John checked carefully for traffic before crossing the street. He’d ask the headmaster or headmistress if he could come here next year. He would promise to look after his uniform properly.

He was halfway up the front path, just past the statue, when a voice behind him yelled, “Where do you think you’re going?”

John turned to see a group of four lads around his age. One of them, he thought, lived on his street, but they’d never met.

“I’m gonnae see about the school,” he told them.

“What about it?” the biggest one said, lumbering back up the path toward him.

“If I can go here.”

For some reason, they all found this hilarious. The lad from his street whispered the name of John’s school to the others, and they laughed some more.

“What’s so funny?” he asked them.

“You, ya wee eejit.” The big one grabbed him by the shirt collar and spun him to face the statue. “Don’t you know what that means?”

“Erm…” John thought he knew what it meant. He’d seen Mary in a nativity play at his church last Christmas.

“It means ‘No Huns Allowed’!” The boy hurled John face first into the pavement. The skin tore from his hands as they broke his fall, and his rucksack slammed the back of his head.

“I didn’t know!” He tried to push himself up, but the boy set upon him, jamming his elbow into John’s back.

“If I ever see your smelly wee arse here again, I’ll shove my foot so far up it, you’ll be licking my toes.”

“Logan!” thundered a deep female voice behind John. “Leave that poor boy alone and come here.”

John lifted his face an inch off the pavement, enough to glimpse Logan’s mates backing away with unsteady steps. He turned his head and met Logan’s eyes, which had gone round with terror and dark against his rapidly paling face. He almost felt sorry for the lad.

Then Logan gave him one last glare. “Proddy scum,” he whispered.

When he was released, John got to his feet and turned to see a fearsome-looking nun sending Logan back into the school with orders to see the headie.

“And if I find out you didnae give Father Pierce the full story, I’ll rap all your knuckles myself!” She turned to John, and her face softened. “Oh laddie, you look a state. Where you fae?” When he told her his street address, she took his hand. “That’s not far. I’ll go with you.”

Sister Mary Francis led him home, chattering about the lovely early spring they were having and whether it might snow again at the weekend.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.