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IV

By third lesson – badminton – the news of Phil's plan to get Dan to 'teach' him piano had spread like wildfire. PJ felt a strange sense of pride when he passed people on the corridors and overheard them telling each other about Inabilities, and he completely forgot that he had to make up his own.

Chris smiled at him from across the changing rooms, and PJ had to try very hard not to squeal and to just smile casually back. It was made more difficult by the fact that Chris was topless at the time, and PJ couldn't quite cope.

In the hall, PJ spotted Dan picking up rackets, and he smiled. If they could be partners again, it would be a perfect opportunity for him to introduce the concept of an Inability.

He turned towards Chris, who was standing with his usual group of annoying girls, but this time he was ignoring them and looking straight towards PJ. When they made eye contact, Chris gave PJ a small smile, then winked. PJ grinned, face burning, and turned away to see Dan approaching him with two rackets. "Er... PJ?"

"Hey, Dan! How are you?" PJ asked, hoping this would go to plan.

"Alright, thanks," Dan answered, smiling shyly. "Do you want to pair up?"

Although PJ would have preferred to play with Chris, he liked Dan, and needed to help Phil, so he grinned back. "Sure! We can work on your overhead clears. You were getting quite good at them last week."

They headed over to the end court, and PJ took a racket, giving Dan a chance to serve. He did so easily, and they rallied, but when Dan missed the shuttle he made no move to pick it up. "Hey, Peej, could we have a quick break?"

PJ almost laughed. Dan's attempts at getting information off him were so transparent, but that made it even easier for him. "You tired already?" he called, trying to sound natural.

"A bit, yeah," Dan answered, sitting down on the edge of the court and leaning against one of the posts.

"So, how was piano the other day?" PJ asked, sitting down beside him and hoping Dan would talk in detail. "I know that was the thing you were looking forward to."

"It went pretty well, actually, except I made one mistake in the piece I played at the end, and now I think everyone knows."

"It won't matter. I did piano last year-" he suddenly realised an opportunity to work the Inability into the conversation- "and they were all really nice to me, very accepting of-" he stopped abruptly, grateful that he was good enough at acting to pull off that trick.

"Of what?" Dan asked, eyes wide and curious. PJ wanted to laugh at how easily he was swallowing the bait.

"Of my Inability."

"Inability?" Dan looked bewildered, and PJ almost felt bad for lying to him. He wasn't going to stop lying, of course, but he felt bad.

"Yeah, didn't you know?"

"Know what? I'm so confused." Dan sighed and leaned back against the post, twisting his jumper sleeve between his hands.

PJ decided now was the time to explain. "Every Master has an Inability," he began, repeating the words he'd been saying all day to other people. "Most people never discover theirs, because it's such a specific thing, and it could be anything. For example, I had a friend whose Inability was cooking pufferfish. She never needed to do it, of course, but that was the one thing she couldn't do."

He saw a smile spread over Dan's face and he knew that his story had worked. "I get it now," Dan said slowly, and PJ faked confusion.

"What?"

"Nothing," Dan answered quickly, and PJ grinned, knowing for certain that Dan was thinking of Phil. "Anyway, what's your Inability?"

PJ panicked. Even with all his carefully laid out plans, he'd completely forgotten to invent himself an Inability. "Mine was talking," he blurted out, saying the first thing that came into his head and cursing himself for not picking something easier.