Free Hot Prospect by Cindy Jefferies Page A

came out in a squeak. “I’ve got in,” he said.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œOh, Roddy!”
    â€œI’ve done it!” he said, his voice now loud and triumphant, with a broad grin stretching his face. “I’ve only gone and got in!”

10. A New School
    Roddy couldn’t stay in the hall. He felt short of air and needed to get outside. He thrust the letter into his mum’s hand, ignored her protests, and made for the back door. On the way out, he grabbed his old, worn football. The next moment he was in the little back garden, with its small patio and patch of scruffy grass. He took several deep breaths and looked about him, as if he’d never really noticed his surroundings before.
    He’d played football out here since he’d been tiny. There were photographs in an album of him in the back garden as a toddler, with a football at his feet. There was even one of him and Liz playing together, somethingshe’d never do now. And there were loads of pictures of him and his dad, and some with his mum. He remembered the goal they’d bought him one birthday. It fell over if you scored, but he’d loved it, and had imagined himself as an international player even then.
    Roddy looked down at the ball in his hands. It was getting very scruffy – he needed a new one really. He shouldn’t dribble it down the street so much. Tarmac wasn’t good for footballs.
    He started working the ball, bouncing it on the patio, kneeing it higher, and up onto his head. He had it under control, like his feelings. It was as if he couldn’t quite allow himself to feel the joy of having got a place, in case it wasn’t true. But it
was
true! He
had
got in. He’d read the letter himself!
    Roddy’s feelings suddenly bubbled up, and overflowed. As the ball bounced higher, hegave it an
almighty
kick, and let out a wordless bellow of excitement.
    For a moment, he thought the ball was going to hit the shed window, but it skimmed over the roof, over the fence and out of the garden into the road. Roddy heard the hollow bounce as it hit the roof of a parked car. He heard it bounce again, this time onto the road, and then start to roll down the hill.
    â€œLet it go,” he said into the empty garden. “Let some other kid have it. I don’t need it any more.”
    He turned to go back indoors and saw his mum and sister staring at him. In a rush, he remembered about the money. Had the letter said anything about a bursary? He couldn’t remember, and he couldn’t read his mum’s expression at all.
    â€œMum!” he said in agony. “Can we afford it?” He held his breath. He couldn’t bear to becheated out of his place at the last moment. He’d tried so hard. How could he not go now?
    His mum was shaking her head, and Roddy felt his heart stop. “How can we say no, Rodrigo?” she said softly. “We’ll manage somehow.”
    â€œAre you sure?” he asked.
    She was smiling at him, and he could see that she meant it. He went over and gave her a hug. “Thanks,” he said, so full of emotion he was almost in tears. It was going to be all right.
    That night there was loads to think about. Along with the letter was a big list of things Roddy would need at his new school. He pored over it with his parents. As well as school clothes and shoes, he would need everyday clothes for after hours. He could take his own duvet cover to make his room more homely if he wanted, a few books, an MP3 player and no more than two computer games. All the sportskit he needed would be available from the school shop, which had second-hand clothing as well as new.
    â€œWe’ll go shopping in the morning,” Roddy’s mum said.
    â€œOK,” agreed Roddy. Shopping for school clothes wasn’t usually his favourite activity, but this time he couldn’t wait.
    Roddy was going to tell Bryn his news straight away, but what with all the