Billy Wizard (3 page)

Joe’s mum smiled. “He doesn’t want us to worry. But I’ve known Dad a lot longer than you, you know. He had a difficult day today. I can tell. He’s very shy, your dad.”

“Shy?” said Joe. “Dad?”

“Yes. Shy,” said his mum. “As a mouse. You never see him when he has to talk to people he doesn’t know. He gets so nervous. You wouldn’t
recognize
him. Now off to sleep and let’s see if you can’t wake up in a better mood.”

“OK,” said Joe. “I’ll try.”

But all Joe could think of was all the things they had left behind in Gaston and how different everything was here and how he hated it. Joe and his dad sometimes used to get a video out of the video shop and buy fish and chips. They would never find fish and chips like those. They were the best fish and chips in the whole world.

Joe snuggled into Fred Bear, his teddy, and tried to think nice thoughts about school the next day. Laura Patterson, who lived a few doors down from him in Gaston, said he was too old to have a teddy, but his mum said you were never too old
to
have a teddy and anyway, what did Laura Patterson know about anything?

Joe liked to talk to Fred before he went to sleep and it made him feel better to have someone to tell his troubles to. He seemed to talk to Fred more than ever these days. In fact, just to be on the safe side, he decided to go and get Floppy Pig, Monster, Furry Tiger and Dog as well.

Joe piled them up along the pillow, leaving a gap for his head, and snuggled down again with Floppy Pig flopping over his ear. Furry Tiger tickled his nose as he tried to think of good things, but the only thing he could think of that made him smile was Billy.

“Crazy,” whispered Joe to himself and fell asleep.

The following day Joe’s dad was leaving for work just as Joe came downstairs for his breakfast.

“Good luck at school today,” said his father, ruffling his hair.

“Yeah,” mumbled Joe.

“Bye,” shouted his father in the direction of the kitchen.

“Bye,” his mother shouted back. “Have a good day.”

“Thanks.” Joe’s dad opened the front door and walked over to his car. Joe watched quietly as he drove away.

Joe ate his breakfast and got
washed
and dressed and brushed his teeth, and then he and his mother walked down the road to school. When they walked into the playground, Neil from his class smiled and said, “Hi.”

“Oh, hi,” said Joe.

Then Billy walked up to him, looking around suspiciously as usual. “Joe, Joe,” he said, “I’ve got to talk to you. Speak to you later, yeah?”

“Yeah, sure,” said Joe.

Billy’s mother called Billy over and was smoothing down his hair. Joe smiled. Some wizard, he thought.

“I thought you said you hadn’t spoken to anyone,” said Joe’s mother.

“Well, I hadn’t really,” said Joe. “Just … just … Neil … and that boy over there – Billy. He’s a bit weird. He thinks he’s a wizard.”

“A wizard?” She smiled. “I’m sure he’s just having a game with you. Anyway, I knew you’d make friends.”

Mrs Michaels rang the bell and Joe and his mum jumped in fright.

“I do wish they wouldn’t do that,” said his mother. “Have a lovely day.”

“Yeah,” said Joe.

“Love you,” said his mother, giving him a kiss. The girl from his class called Molly saw them and giggled.

“Yeah.” Joe could feel his ears going red again.

He trooped into class with the rest of the children. It was not so bad this time, because he now knew where to put his book bag and his snack. He hung his coat up on the peg that now said
JOE
, opposite one that was now labelled
BILLY
.

The morning went reasonably well. They had the end of a story about a flying horse and then they had to write one of their own and do a picture to go with it. Joe liked writing
and
he was good at drawing, so he began to relax a little and almost enjoy himself.

But at playtime he stood in his place by the wall, wishing he had not been so snooty about Neil’s offer of playing Dog, Cat, Monkey. It looked fun. He sighed and gazed down at his shoes. Maybe it was not too late to change his mind. He could always ask to join in.

When he looked up again, a football was flying straight towards his face. In blind panic and without even thinking, he put his hands up to meet it and caught the football in mid air, a couple of centimetres from his nose. When he lowered the ball, Billy was standing right next to him.

“Good catch,” he said.

“Er … yeah. I suppose,” said Joe, staring at him. Someone whistled and he could see a group of children waving at him to throw them the ball. He tossed it back. He hated football. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

Billy looked baffled.

“This morning,” hinted Joe. “You said you needed to talk to me.”

“Did I?”

“Yes,” said Joe with a sigh.

“Can’t remember,” said Billy.

Joe frowned. “I saw your mum this morning.”

Billy looked a little embarrassed. “She’s not my mum,” he said.

“Sorry,” said Joe. “I just thought—”

“That’s Agatha,” whispered Billy with a snarl.

“The, er,
witch
that turned you into
a
boy?” asked Joe, raising an eyebrow. “Hmmm. She didn’t look much like a witch.”

“Of course she didn’t. You don’t think she’s going to come to school all green and warty, do you? Then everyone would know, wouldn’t they?”

“I suppose they would,” said Joe. “But she tidied your hair and everything.”

“Oh she’s good. She’s very good.”

“Look,” said Joe, getting cross. “You are not a wizard, OK? You are not a wizard and your mother’s not a witch!”

“What are you two going on about?” said a voice behind them.

They turned, and standing next to Joe was a stocky boy from a couple of years above them, whom Joe had
already
noticed. He always seemed to have a group of boys with him. His name was Rick. He had short ginger hair and freckles all over his face – even on his ears. “Look, some of us are playing football on the sports field this Saturday. Saw that amazing catch you made just then. We need a goalie. Fancy a game?”

If there was one thing Joe hated more than playing football, it was being in goal when he was playing football.

“Yeah,” he said. “That’d be great.”

“Cool,” said Rick.

“I
am
a wizard!” said Billy.

“What did he say?” asked Rick.

“He says he’s a wizard,” said Joe.

“Weirdo.” Rick turned back to Joe. “Saturday – about ten o’clock,” he said as he walked away.

“Cool,” said Joe.

“
Cool
,” repeated Billy in a smarmy voice.

“
I am a wizard!
” repeated Joe in a silly voice.

“I am!” shouted Billy. “If I wasn’t a wizard,” he went on, raising his hands above his head, holding his hands like claws and staring after Rick, “would I be able to do
this
?”

Billy threw out his arms in the direction of Rick’s retreating figure and waggled his fingers about while looking
boggle-eyed
. Nothing happened.

“Wow,” said Joe in a bored voice.

Billy hunched his shoulders, screwed his hands into fists and stomped off towards the quiet area of the playground, where he sat on a bench and muttered to himself.