NUM8ERS

Chapter Five

McNulty's class was still buzzing from all the drama. I had to face them on my own, as Spider had been suspended for three weeks. As it turned out, he never went back to school again. I guess if he'd known that, he'd have done more than give Jordan a black eye and a split lip. There were rumors flying around about him being interviewed by the police, all sorts, and what Jordan was going to do to him when they were both back in circulation. But for the time being, they enjoyed sticking the boot into me.

"What you gonna do without your boyfriend here? No one to defend your honor."

"Jem and Spider sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G."

Obviously, I told them where to go, but it didn't make any difference. They were like a pack of dogs with a bone.
I took it for a couple of days and then I couldn't stomach it anymore. I'd set off for school like normal, then cut off 'round the back of the shops, make my way across to the park or down to the canal, and hang out on my own. Don't feel sorry for me, it was just what I was used to. Been the same everywhere I'd lived, every school I'd been to. You can put up with a certain amount, but it gets to a point when you can't take it any longer, you just need to be away from it. Lots of kids feel like that, but especially me. School lumps you in with so many people, like so many battery hens, and, as you know, I don't really do other people. Everything's easier if I keep myself to myself.

Those few days I did a good job of keeping out of Spider's way, too. I saw him a couple of times, but I made sure he didn't see me. That whole thing at school had been, well, embarrassing. What did he think he was doing, wading in like that, making a scene of us both? Made me feel a bit sad when I thought about it. For a few weeks there, I'd had a friend, sort of. But like everything else, it'd got too complicated, it had to stop. If the Jordan incident had shown me anything, it had shown me what I already knew: Spider was trouble, the sort of trouble I didn't need. Kind of missed him, though.

And, what do you know? I couldn't keep him out of my life, anyway. Like a bad smell that follows you around, or a piece of chewing gum stuck on your shoe, Spider turned up again soon enough. You might say I couldn't shake him. You might say we were meant to be together.

Anyway, that Wednesday I'd taken my eye off the ball for a minute. I was watching someone, an old dosser. He'd bumped into me ten minutes before, asked me for some money, and I'd followed him along the High Street. Now he was digging about in a dumpster on the other side of the road, and I was leaning against a wall, watching, when a familiar sourness drifted into my nostrils and someone said in my ear, "Whatcha doing?"

My attention was all on the old bloke, so I didn't look 'round or nothing, just said to him, like we'd only seen each other five minutes ago, "Spider, what's the date today?"

"Dunno, twenty-fifth?"

The old bloke had pulled something out of the dumpster, half a burger in its wrapper. He looked around quickly, seeing if anyone else was after it, and our eyes met for a second. There it was again, his number: 11252010.

He tucked the burger under his armpit and crossed his arms, then started scuttling off down the road. I set off after him.

"Where you going?" Spider called out, puzzled.

"I wanna go this way."

He caught up with me. "What for?"

I stopped, keeping an eye on Grandpa as he weaved his way through the crowds, and lowered my voice. "I wanna follow that guy, the old one in the sweater."

"What you up to? We don't need to rob no one, Jem. I got money." He patted his pocket. "If you want something, just ask."

"No, I don't wanna rob him, just follow him. Like we're spies," I said quickly, trying to make it into a game.