CHERUB: First Blood

20 Minutes

Ollie Robertson glanced at his watch. Only twenty minutes remained until the weekend would finally begin, but he knew that those twenty minutes would feel like hours. His teacher, Mr Johnson, droned on about verbs and tenses, but Ollie knew he wasn't going to learn anything while waiting so desperately, and so he zoned out. The clock ticked. Five minutes passed, then ten. Ollie turned to his mate Derek and whispered "This is taking a while,".

"Yeah,"

After that intellectual exchange, Ollie simply lay back and closed his eyes. He was rapidly approaching sleep, but was woken somewhat rudely by the bell. Jumping up, Ollie grabbed his bag, shoved his book inside, and walked out of school, grinning. He was going to play football with his friends at the park, and he had a football in his bag. His mum wouldn't mind; she didn't really care how long he stayed out as long as it was still bright out, and she was probably at the casino gambling anyway. His dad was likely to be sleeping, so he wasn't a concern either. He had been let out a couple of minutes late so he began jogging to the park, hoping to get there before a gang of older boys stole the pitches.

He felt good; he had finished his SATS, summer break wasn't far away, and he had two days of rest to look forward to. As he approached the park, he felt in his bag for the football he always brought and was relieved to find it. Pulling it out, he checked for any punctures or scratches before chucking it at one of his friends sitting on a bench nearby.

The boy looked disgruntled, but realised who it was and laughed. He called out "I'm keeping this now," but he tossed it back and they dashed to the artificial pitches where the rest of the guys were waiting. After they sorted out teams, they began playing, and Ollie launched into a Brexit tackle on some short kid who flew several metres away.

They played for a while, and Ollie scored a few goals, including a top corner free kick. They progressed to a penalty shootout, and his team scored their first shot. So did the other team. And again. Soon, it was 4-3 and the other team sent their best taker out. Ollie volunteered to be keeper, and as the taker connected with the ball Ollie guessed the right way, flinging an arm out and saving it. His team cheered, but Ollie sensed it was the climax of a fun afternoon and it was getting dark as well. He decided to pack up. He jogged home, hoping to beat the sunset as he knew his mum would blow up if it was too late. But as he approached his house, he realised something. 

It was on fire. He sprinted around a corner and raced down the street, but was interrupted by a policewoman.

"Is your name Oliver Robertson by any chance?"

Ollie's heart sank. This wasn't going to be good. He nodded.

"Your house caught fire. We aren't sure why. Your brother was able to escape and he's currently in the hospital, but your mum and dad were sleeping and unaware of the situation. Our brave firemen went in to get them, and they're currently in hospital. We're going to take you there now."

Author Note: I will continue until either it's done or I lose motivation (hopefully the former). Any criticism or feedback (positive or negative) is accepted and taken into account, as long as it is given respectfully. Thank you and I hope you enjoy.