always but not giving it his all. After his recent trial with a big team heâs lost his passion for the game at this level and, to be fair, itâs not teaching him anything any more. It can only bea matter of time before a big club picks up the young star. Itâll be a sad day for his current team-mates, but Jones is surely destined for bigger things
.
âSee you tomorrow?â said Bryn as they pulled off their boots.
âYeah,â said Roddy with a sigh. He would never admit it to Bryn, but his Stadium School experience had shown him that football could be much more exciting with players of his own standard. âLiz wants to go shopping. Weâll have the house to ourselves so bring some computer games over.â
âGreat!â
âSee you about ten thirty?â
Bryn nodded. âIâll be there.â
They lived at opposite sides of the recreation ground, so while Bryn headed off to the gate in the far side, Roddy went along the path and out into the street.
He walked up the road and round the corner, where the parade of shops was. He hesitated by the newsagents and wondered whether to go in and buy a Lucky Bag. They were pretty naff by and large, and heâd grown out of them really, but he couldnât help indulging in them occasionally. There was always the hope that youâd find something good inside. Once heâd got a mini Frisbee that had flown for miles.
Roddy settled on a promising bag, checked it said BOY on it, paid and went back outside. He was tempted to open it straight away but decided it would keep until later.
At home, he chucked his boot bag under the coat pegs and went upstairs. Then the front door slammed.
âLiz! Liz, are you up there?â
His sister threw open her bedroom door. âWhat is it?â she yelled.
âI want to speak with you,â said Mum. âCan you come here, please?â
Roddy listened as his sister stomped down the stairs and into the hall. He was just about to open the Lucky Bag when Mum called up again.
He stood at the top of the landing, looking down at his mother and sister. âWhat do you want?â he asked.
Mum was waving an envelope. âLook!â she said. âThereâs a letter for you.â
Roddy started slowly down the stairs, his heart pounding in his chest. âHow can there be a letter?â he asked. âThere wasnât one this morning.â
âIt was put through next-doorâs letter box,â said Liz. âAnd they brought it round. Iâve already explained to Mum. Itâs not my fault.â
âI didnât say it was,â said their mum patiently. âI just wondered about it, thatâs all.â
âSo can I go back upstairs now?â asked Liz.
âDonât you want to find out what Roddyâs letter says?â said Mum.
Liz rolled her eyes, but Roddy wasnât taking any notice of her. His legs had suddenly got a life of their own. He fizzed downstairs and took the letter. The large envelope was made of high-quality paper, and the unmistakable blue-and-green logo was in the top left-hand corner. This was the moment heâd been waiting for, but now it had arrived he didnât dare open the envelope. His future was inside.
âYou open it,â he said, offering it to his sister.
âNo way!â said Liz. âYou have to do it.â
âOK.â Roddy steeled himself to rip open the envelope. He took out the sheet of paper and looked at it. The words blurred on the page and he couldnât make out what they said. He took a deep breath and concentrated.
Dear Mr Jones,
We are delighted to inform you
that you have been allocated
a place at Stadium School,
starting on September 2nd.
If you would like to accept,
please let us know by August
25th. If we do not hear from
you, your place will be
offered to someone else.
Roddy read the letter, and then he read it again. When he finally spoke, his voice