"Liam?"
Liam jumped. He hadn't been listening.
"Yes Miss?"
"Do you know the answer?"
"Err..." He looked at Sophie begging for help, being the usual brian box she was, but she simply stifled a giggle and looked down.
He hazarded a guess "Forty-one?" Liam chewed his tongue in hope.
"Lucky guess O'Donovan. But next time pay attention!"
He breathed a huge sigh of relief and glared at Sophie.
"Thanks for nothing!" Liam nudged her with his elbow and grinned.
"She's right though. What were you thinking about anyway?"
Liam's grin faltered slightly and he quickly looked back at his book.
"Doesn't matter." He stated.
Deciding she would probe later Sophie returned her attention back to class, well as best you can with Liam O'Donovan sitting next to you.
When their final lesson ended and they'd each retrieved their books from their lockers, Sophie looped her arm through his walking out of school.
"Would you be so kind as to escort this lady home?" she smiled, joking.
Liam grinned but spotted Mike in the mini bus and the Dumping Ground lot scrambling in.
"Sorry Sophie, I've got that erm, club I have to go to, look he's here to pick me up!"
"Oh, okay then, well, have fun and I'll see you tomorrow!" Sophie said cheerily, dropping his arm and smiling, although she really couldn't be feeling more disheartened. He was going to that club every day after school, but he would never say what it was and the club manager picked him up from school.
She realised that although they were amazing friends in school she knew absolutely nothing about him and his home life. Well, other than his mum was a house wife and his dad was away a lot. That was what he told her.
Liam climbed into the minibus throwing a smile and a wave back at Sophie who stood slightly slumped in the play ground where he had left her. He sighed as he sat in the seat. He hated lying to her, but what could he do? Only the teachers knew about him being in care and he'd like to keep it that way. He wasn't ashamed, he just knew people treated you differently when they knew, and he liked being friends with Sophie.
