The Alien in the Garage and Other Stories Read online

  Liam, the tallest member of the class, saw it straight away. So did Justin, his sidekick. And the rest of Liam’s gang. Kimberley noticed it too. And her friend, Sophie. And some of the other girls.

  In Nicholas’s schoolbag, a mysterious object had appeared.

  Normally, most of them hardly looked at Nicholas. He never went round with Liam’s gang. They never asked him. He was the quiet one of the class. He always did his homework on time. He never got detention. He was polite to all the teachers. And his schoolbag was always neatly packed, the books and pencil case tidily slotted in.

  But today, a new, strange item had appeared. Almost too much for the bag to hold, when packed in with everything else.

  On one side of the bag, as it rested there on his skinny shoulders, something unknown was bulging out, for all to see.

  The other members of the class were only slightly interested, at first.

  “What you got in there?” Liam demanded, as they lined up in the yard before Assembly.

  “Pardon?” Nicholas, in his usual place at the front of the line, turned to look up at the tall, blond boy.

  “There!” Liam pointed. “In your bag.”

  “Oh.” Nicholas didn’t sound at all interested. “Nothing.”

  Standing behind Liam, Justin shuffled forward to join his leader. He was a stocky, tanned boy.

  “Don’t look like nothing,” he observed. He reached out a finger and poked the bulge. “What is it?”

  “Hey, get off!” Nicholas pulled away. He looked at Liam, slightly uneasily. “It’s nothing, really. Nothing much, anyway. Just…something I need.”

  Liam looked at Nicholas, rather like a fox might look at a particularly timid rabbit.

  If Liam wanted to know what was in the bag, Nicholas would tell him…

  But at that moment, the teachers appeared to bring them inside, and Nicholas was saved.

  As he moved off, Liam and Justin took another curious look at the mystery object that Nicholas had brought to school. What could it be?

  Other members of the class had seen it too.

  “What d’you reckon it is?” Liam wondered. He and his gang were sitting round one of the tables in their classroom, half-heartedly doing Maths. He looked at Justin. “Not like him to bring anything special to school. What did it feel like?”

  “I dunno.” Justin shrugged. “Soft. That’s all, really.”

  “Could be something someone gave him.” Ben,

  Liam’s third-in-command, spoke. He was a thin, sharp- featured boy. On first sighting it looked as if a rat had somehow found its way into a school uniform. “Birthday present or something. People sometimes bring stuff in…”

  “It’s not his birthday.” Liam provided leadership. “His birthday’s in April. I remember ‘cause it was just after my sister’s.”

  “Wait ‘til break.” Justin clenched a fist. He liked to think of himself as the tough guy of the class, the muscles of Liam’s gang. “I’ll ask him again.”

  “Nah.” Liam looked thoughtful. “I know Nick. You won’t get at him that way. No, you’ve got to be a bit clever.”

  Justin looked disappointed.

  Liam leaned in closer, and his gang followed him. He lowered his voice.

  “Here’s what we do.”

  Across the classroom, around another table, the girls were having a similar conversation.

  “I don’t know what it is,” Sophie was saying. “Bet Liam finds out.”

  “Him?” Kimberley curled her lip. She was a big, rather bossy girl. If there was a secret to be found out, Kimberley was going to find it first. “He couldn’t find out that today’s Wednesday.”

  “It’s Tuesday actually,” Emily, the most timid member of Kimberley’s band, put in quietly.

  Kimberley ignored her.

  “I want to find out.” When Kimberley said she wanted something, there were no arguments. She smiled slightly. “Think I know how.”

  Break came.

  Juniper Class, along with everyone else, filed out into the yard.

  Break time was normally a time Nicholas hated. He would either be standing in a corner on his own, or surrounded by the other kids, Liam’s gang especially, who would take the mickey out of him.

  For some reason, today things seemed to be different. As soon as he went outside, there were Liam and his mates. But they seemed oddly friendly.

  “You all right, Nick?” Liam gave Nicholas a grin, which was rather scarier than his usual look. “Come round with us?”

  Nicholas allowed himself to be led away to the playing field, where Liam and co. usually met.

  “Like a crisp?” Justin never liked delays on the food. He ripped open the bag and held it out to Nicholas. “New kind. Roast beef and parsnip flavour. They’re dead nice.”

  “Oh.” Uncertainly, Nicholas took one. “Thank you.”

  “Have some chocolate, too.” Ben shared his own snack with the newest member of the gang.

  They stood on the rough grass in silence for a moment or so.

  “We were wondering what was in your bag,” Justin said abruptly. “Aaargghh!”

  He grabbed his ankle at a sudden pain.

  “Oh!” Liam smiled angelically, and moved his foot. “Sorry.” He addressed Nicholas. “Don’t listen to him. He’s a professional idiot. We just thought we’d like to talk to you. No sense, you always standing there on your own.”

  “It’s nothing anyway,” Nicholas put in. “Nothing interesting.”

  “‘Course not,” Liam agreed. He gave Justin a look that said: You’re dead.

  There was another awkward silence.

  Eventually Liam spoke again.

  “Hey Nick…I’m…having a few mates round to mine, after school. You can…come along, if you like.”

  “Oh.” Nicholas shrugged. “Thanks.”

  “And bring your schoolbag,” Justin finished. “Ow!”

  He doubled up in pain, at another correction from his leader.

  Over by the hopscotch grid, an argument was taking place.

  “I don’t see why it has to be me!” Emily was saying wildly.

  “He likes you,” Kimberley said firmly. “You get on with him.”

  “I don’t even know him that well!” poor Emily protested.

  “You’re the only one.” Sophie stuck up for her leader, as ever. “He’s not going to fancy Kimberley, is he?”

  Kimberley shot her a look.

  “But on a date!” Emily cried.

  “Not a date exactly,” Kimberley said. “Just invite him over to yours, for tea. Today.”

  “I’ve got Guides tonight!” Emily objected.

  “All right then,” Kimberley said. “Tomorrow. Get him to yours, straight from school. Then all you’ve got to do is find the moment…and search his bag.”

  Kimberley sniffed.

  “Teach him to be so secretive.”

  Emily looked dumbfounded.

  Not for the first time, she was starting to think Kimberley was just a bit mad.

  Nicholas suddenly seemed to be popular everywhere. After school, everyone stared in amazement at the sight of him leaving at the centre of Liam’s gang, in pride of place. Very few boys made it there.

  The stories went around the school quickly, as they always did. Nicholas had been round to Liam’s, with the rest of the gang, for pizza. He’d been invited to Liam’s birthday party, at World of Go-Cart. And the next morning, another story was round the Breakfast Club before you could say “toast”.

  Emily had asked Nicholas on a date.

  Or at least, for tea.

  “And remember,” Kimberley said to her firmly. “We’re relying on you.”

  Emily was nervous.

  Nicholas would be arriving at any moment.

  And she was desperately hoping he wouldn’t come.

  She stood in the narrow hallway of her home, looking at her watch. Normally, it would have been fun, having someoneround for tea. She’d always quite liked Nicholas. Hewas on
e of the quieter ones in the class, like her. She’d found some board games for them to play. And Mum was in the kitchen, cooking them fish fingers and chips. Yes,this should have been fun.

  But it wasn’t going to be fun for Emily. Because Emily had a mission to fulfil. Somehow, at some point during the evening, she had to get Nicholas out of the way and search his schoolbag for the mysterious object. And Emily had no idea how she was going to do it.

  She’d tried and tried to think out a plan. But she wasn’t Kimberley, and nothing had come.

  She shot out of her skin as the doorbell rang.

  That was him.

  She paused for a moment. Took a deep breath. Then she stepped forward and opened the door.

  She stopped and stared. Then a wonderful feeling of relief spread through her.

  Nicholas stood there. In ordinary clothes. Dark trousers, and a rather awful plaid shirt. And there was no sign of his schoolbag.

  “Sorry I’m late,” he said, with his usual politeness. “I stopped off at home to change. Dump my stuff.”

  Emily could have hugged him, but she settled for a smile. “That’s cool. Come on in.”

  And Nicholas came in.

  Emily’s smile was getting bigger and bigger. This was going to be a fun evening, after all.

  The next morning was not quite so fun.

  Kimberley and Sophie stood on the netball court with Emily, looking like the Ugly Sisters confronting Cinderella.

  “I knew it!” Kimberley was saying furiously. “I knew you’d mess it up.”

  “It’s not her fault he didn’t bring his bag,” Sophie ventured.

  Kimberley incinerated her with a glance.

  “Now that boy Liam’s going to find out first!” She made the discovery of what was in Nicholas’s bag sound as important as a bid for the Olympics. She paused. “We’ll have to think of something else.”

  “Oh, well…” Emily started to move away.

  Kimberley stared at her, like a general finding half his army had gone off for tea.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Talk to Nicholas.” Emily gave Kimberley a big smile. “I’d love to stop and talk, but…” She turned away from the bigger girls. “See you.”

  Kimberley stared, dumbfounded, as Emily walked away and left her standing there.

  Sophie stifled a smile.

  Most of the class went to Liam’s party.

  Nicholas sat on a bench, enjoying a hot dog amidst the noise and frenzied activity of World of Go-Cart.

  On the go-cart track, Justin had somehow managed to crash his car into Kimberley’s, and a furious row was going on.

  Watching the scene, sitting next to Nicholas, Emily smiled slightly.

  She turned to him.

  “I enjoyed the other night,” she said quietly.

  “Yes.” Nicholas gave her a brief smile. “Me too.”

  Liam came over and sat down next to them, taking a break from driving. The birthday boy had sweat on his brow and ketchup round his mouth. He was looking a bit cross.

  “I still think Justin had right of way!” He looked at his classmates. “Having fun?”

  Kimberley came storming over to them.

  “I don’t care what he says, that Justin was driving straight at me!” She glared at Liam. “We’re meant to be on go-carts, not dodgems!”

  She grabbed Emily by the arm.

  “Come on. We need to sort this out!”

  Helplessly, Emily allowed herself to be led away towards the track.

  Liam grinned. He shuffled closer to Nicholas. He paused, rather awkwardly.

  “Nick…” he said slowly.

  “Mm?” Nicholas looked at him innocently.

  “That thing,” Liam went on. “In your bag.”

  “I told you!” Nicholas insisted. “It’s nothing!”

  “No!” Liam replied hastily. “I know. ‘Course not. But…” He hesitated. “You will let us see it. Sometime. Won’t you?”

  Nicholas was silent for a moment. Then he shrugged.

  “OK. If you really want to. It’s not much though, really.”

  Liam looked delighted – and quite relieved.

  “Cool!”

  He got up and paused to slap Nicholas on the back, nearly sending him onto the floor.

  “See you later then, mate. Glad you could make it.” He swaggered off, to join his friends. There was a look of triumph on his face.

  Nicholas sat a little longer, watching the track. Contentedly, he finished off the hot dog.

  It was Monday evening. Almost a week since Nicholas had first brought the mystery object to school.

  Nicholas stepped into his bedroom and closed the door. He swung his schoolbag down from his shoulder, and placed it on the floor.

  He started to unpack it.

  It had been a good day at school. One of his best ever. Liam and the gang had let him right to the front of the queue for lunch in the canteen. Kimberley and Sophie had presented him with a slightly awful collage they’d made in Art. And Emily was coming for tea with him tomorrow night. He was getting on very well with her.

  The bulging object in his schoolbag had turned out to be very useful. Everyone now wanted to know what it was.

  Smiling slightly, he reached into the bag, found the mystery item, and pulled it out.

  The spare pair of socks Mum had given him for PE.

  Homework

  “Why would you do that, anyway?” Justin asked.

  “Huh?” Liam looked up from his Maths book.

  “Have a bag full of counters.” Justin looked at his worksheet. He was two questions behind Liam. “Look…you’ve got this bag, with eight red counters in, four blue ones and eight green ones. And someone’s gonna take two of ‘em out…I mean, why would you do that? What’s it for?”

  “Just Maths, innit?” Liam shrugged. “It’s not real life.”

  “Probability.” Justin returned to his work. “Weird.”

  The two of them were lying sprawled out on the living room carpet, round at Liam’s house. Liam’s elder sister was upstairs, getting ready for a night out. From time to time, they heard the bang of the bathroom door, and the creak of floorboards as she moved about in her room above them. Otherwise, everything was peaceful.

  “Wish I was better at Maths.” Justin had smudged the ink from his pen across his answers to questions 8 and 9. He rubbed at the smudge carelessly with his thumb. He looked at his friend. “Would you like to be good at Maths, Liam?”

  “What d’you mean?” Liam looked insulted. “I am good at Maths! I come fourth in the Friday test – every week!”

  “Naah.” Justin wrote number 11 in his book and drew a circle round it, slowly, thoughtfully. “I mean, really good at Maths. Like that…what’s-her-name. Thingie. Off the telly.”

  “Oh.” Liam was trying to do question 13 on the calculator on his mobile. “Dunno. I suppose being famous would be nice. You’re famous if you’re on TV.”

  “I wouldn’t mind being famous.” Justin scratched his nose with the end of his pen. “Have your photo in magazines. Get to wear all those really cool clothes.” He reached inside the collar of his baggy tracksuit top and had another scratch. “Go on those reality shows…”

  “Reality TV?” Liam had given up on the calculation and was texting their friend Ben. “Going in the jungle? Eating earwigs? No thank you!”

  “I wonder what earwigs taste like?” Justin reached out a hand and slid another chocolate digestive from the blue-rimmed plate that lay on the floor by them. He took half of the biscuit into his mouth with one bite. “Bet I could eat them.”

  “You probably would an’ all.” Liam sent his message and returned, reluctantly, to question 13.

  There was a moment’s silence, during which Justin finished his biscuit and reached for his can of cola. Liam had an empty orangeade can at his elbow.

  “No,” Liam went on. “Don’t bother with reality TV. Thing to do, if you’re a lad and want to be famous. Be a profess
ional footballer. Then you’ve got loads of cash. And everyone thinks you’re cool.”

  “Like Courtney.” Justin moved onto question 12.

  “What?” Liam looked up from number 14.

  “Courtney,” Justin repeated.

  “Courtney!” Liam had a good go at sniggering and sneering at the same time.

  “He’s a good footballer,” Justin protested.

  “You telling me he’s your idea of a great footballer?” Liam scoffed. “Him from Oak Class? With that mad haircut, and football stickers all over his bag? The boy who landed our football on the roof? Him? He’s not a footballer!”

  There was a pause.

  “Well, he beat you,” Justin said eventually.

  “You what?” Liam spluttered.

  “Well, your team.” Justin put his pen down. “Our team. When we played Oak Class. Five-a-side. Six-one, the score, wasn’t it?”

  “I always said Ben was rubbish in goal.” Liam suddenly seemed to be very busy on question 14. “I’m a brilliant centre forward. That Courtney…” He made a scornful sound.

  After a moment, Justin returned also to Probability.

  “What number are you on?” he asked.

  “Fourteen,” Liam said shortly.

  “I’m catching you up.” Justin grinned. “I’m on thirteen now.” He looked at the worksheet again and frowned. “How many cards in a pack?”

  “Fifty-two.” Liam was having another go at the mobile’s calculator. “Cloth-head.”

  “There’s only forty-seven in ours.” Justin took a swig from the cola can. “Like when my brother showed me how to play poker. I knew he was cheating when he said he’d got four Aces. We ain’t got four Aces.”

  He looked down at his book once more.

  There was another silence.

  “Kimberley’s having a party,” Justin said finally.

  Liam lost count on question 15 and looked up. “What?”

  “Sophie told me,” Justin went on. “Next Saturday. You know, that place where they go to be…what d’you call it…pampered.”

  “Eeughh.” Liam pulled a face.

  “What they do is,” Justin explained, “they get ‘em all there, and they give ‘em a makeover. They do stuff to their eyes, and their lips, and put make-up on…all that stuff.” He was making signs to illustrate this, like cabin crew giving a safety talk. “And then, they put stuff on their nails, which is all sort of sparkly so they -”