Джим Филд – The Person Controller (страница 4)

“Because I’m sure you said something. Was it maybe … something about being a boy who isn’t even as good at video games as his sister …?”

“Yeah! His sister!” said Morris.

Fred looked away, embarrassed.

Even though he didn’t mind at all that his sister was better than him at video games, he did mind people at school making fun of him for it. Which some did. Not because Ellie had told everyone, but because Eric, at Bracket Wood’s last parent-teacher evening, when asked by their form teacher, Miss Parr, what he thought Ellie’s particular talents were, had said: “Video games. You’d have thought that would’ve been the boy, but no, she’s the one with the magic fingers!!”

Unfortunately, Eric’s voice was very loud and booming, and everyone in their form room – and most of the rest of the school – had heard.

“In fact, Fred, you’re probably even worse at video games than you are at actual games!” said Isla.

“Yeah! Actual games!” said Morris.

“Like …” said Isla, turning to Morris.

There was a pause.

“What?” said Morris.

“I thought you might say this bit,” said Isla.

Morris frowned. “What bit?”

“The bit about which games he’s rubbish at …? Like, give some examples?”

Morris looked blank.

“Oh, come on, Morris!” said Isla. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to always drive the bullying? To have to come up with all the clever things to say to humiliate other children? Frankly, I’m starting to think you’re just a passenger in what we’re doing here.”

Morris frowned again. Then he frowned some more. Finally, his face cleared. “Football!” he said, clicking his fingers.

“Yes! Well done, Morris! Yeah! What are you worse at, Fred – FIFA or football? You could hardly be worse at FIFA – because I’ve never seen anyone so bad at football!”

“Yeah, so bad at football!” said Morris.

“Oh, shut up!” said Ellie, getting up to face the bullies.

“Yeah, shut up!” said Fred, getting up and facing them too. He had had enough.

Because football meant a lot to Fred. He wanted more than anything to be in the Bracket Wood First XI. He wanted to be in the Bracket Wood First XI and score the winning goal in the final of the Bracket Wood and Surrounding Area Inter-school Winter Trophy. Ever since he was old enough, he had gone to the school trials for the team. And every year he hadn’t got in. Every year something had gone wrong.

Let’s just take a moment out from the main story to look at the last time Fred went to one of the trials for the school football team.

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