“It just doesn’t make any sense.” Macaulay told Alison as they got out their books from their hallway lockers. “We have a killer on the loose. What if it’s a serial killer, Ali?”

Alison hugged her books to her chest and shivered. “i don’t know what to think anymore. I used to think of Cosham as the safest part of England.”

They turned at a corner and Macaulay spotted Fanny Bridges and her clique of super skinny cheerleaders talking by themselves. Cambria was watching them with the exact kind of gaze you would find a fat kid looking at food with.

“Hey Cammy.” Macaulay said, walking up to her. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m...I’m alright, i guess.”

Cambria had always been the quiet one. Her always melancholic and pale white features made it difficult for anyone to notice that she had the most amazing violet eyes. She couldn’t really be bothered to keep her hair orderly. It had grown into different unbelievable lengths and was so difficult to comb, that she’d given up totally on it. Macaulay wondered what was up with Cambria. How could any mother let her child live this way?

“You want to go talk to Fanny and the skinners?” Alison asked. ‘Skinners’ was the nickname for the Fanny’s puppets that followed her everywhere in pretty short skirts and size 2 tops.

Cambria shook her head. “i have my GCSE revision classes in a bit.”

“Alright. Heard anything from jay or abel yet today?” Mac asked.

Cambria shook her head and hurried along.

Alison had this disgusted look on her face. “The babe smells like puke, Mac.”

“She has bulimia, Alison. Give her a break.”

Alison shivered. “I wonder how you can be friends with such a person. She can’t even get her hair right.”

“She isn’t my friend.” Macaulay shouted back. “Just a club mate that i try to be civil to.”

Just then, Macaulay caught Cambria’s stare from across the hallway and regretted shouting it. Cambria’s face drew up into a scary straight punch as she walked away.

Macaulay tried not to mind and walked into her math class with Alison. Alison pinned herself beside Ben Trojan, a Greek exchange student who had this particularly weird magnetic charm that pulled girls to him. Macaulay rolled her eyes and went to sit at the back of the class. She brought out her blackberry and started texting Alison. At the same time in the gym, Cambria McAdams was running treadmills at 80miles per hour to vent her anger. She would get them for this. Nobody messed with her and walked away with it. She had proof of that already.

Abel Daniels was squinting in the sun, waiting for someone to pick him to join their soccer team. Josh Brandon as, irritatingly as usual, was captain of one team and Keith Andrews was captain of the other. Coach Sylvester was so sure there would be fair picks that he had left to get himself a mocha chino. He watched one by one as they called their friends in to be part of their team. Abel sat down quietly, not minding exactly. It wasn’t as if he usually got picked. Soon, their picks were made and left on the bench with him were the nerd squad. Kevin Bailey, Chris Sharman, Philip Eden, Adam Harris and Mohinder Rai. Abel wasn’t usually the one to start conversation, so he pretended to look forward, stealing occasional glances at the others. He knew Kevin and Adam vaguely because they were in his chemistry class. He couldn’t help imagining how pathetic he must look; sitting with the nerd squad.

“So, um...I’m Adam. These are my friends Chris, Philip, Mohinder and Kevin. What’s your name?”

Abel wanted to roll his eyes. They didn’t know his name? His brother was a legend in this school for Pete’s sake. The first person to score a goal against Peterson highs football team...and this bunch of nerds didn’t know him? Absurd!

“Abel Daniels.” He waited for the recognition to show on Adam’s face to no avail.

“Oh...right.” Adam said, looking as blank as a board.

As silence engulfed the bench, Abel tried to keep his attention on the match going on. How come he never got a shot to try out for this stupid team? It wasn’t as if he liked soccer or anything. It was just that Michael had excelled at it, and Michael was just about his role model in everything. If Michael had done this, he could too. Just then, the cheerleaders came out for their daily practice with fanny bridges leading the way as usual. Abel tried not to look at the enticing display of creamy, white, olive and chocolate coated thighs that scampered across the field. He let himself be sucked into a world where he wasn’t a nobody and he had all the babes stalking him.

“Hi, I’m fanny bridges. I’m sorry to disturb you guys, but can you move over to the other part of the field? The cheerios and I would like to practice our routine for the South High Cup tournament.”

Abel snapped out of his fantasy. Was fanny bridges actually having an actual conversation with him? And what exactly was she saying? He couldn’t stop staring at her cleavage through her cheerleader outfit.

“Excuse me?” fanny was tapping him like he was some retard. “Could you move? Your friends have, so you should too.”

Abel turned a bit and saw Adam and the others waving at him from the other end of the field, beckoning him to come and join them. For some reason, he had turned to stone practically. Fanny looked to be getting irritated. She fanned herself as if telling herself to stay calm.

“You could move now, or when coach Sylvester comes. Either way, you’ll have to go.” Fanny waited for him to move. “For the love of God!”

“I’m..I’m Abel. Abel Daniels.”

Fanny rolled her eyes. “And you’re on cheerios property. Nice introduction. Now could you get going?”

Abel stood up and stretched out his hand. “its a pleasure to meet you fanny bridges.” He was stuttering. He snuck a glance at the other end of the field and saw the nerd patrol watching him like he was a mystery soap opera.

Fanny looked him over and snapped her gum. “whatever.” Then she turned to her team. “Alright girls. Loser’s gone.”

Abel head snapped up. He felt his jitter coming strongly. Who did she think she was? Calling him a loser? He needed something to calm him down. Where were his drugs? Oh God. Oh God! He felt like he was going to die.

“Excuse me? I thought i told you to scamp.” Fanny said poking his back when he still hadn’t left some seconds later.

Abel's eyes were red. He caught fanny’s arm and squeezed it tightly. Fanny cried out in pain.

“Let me go, you freak.”

His voice trembled violently as he tried to make words. “i am not a freak. Or a loser.” He tightened his grip.

The other cheerios members started screaming. Anna ran for the school building in tears. Josh Brandon took a second from his game to look at the commotion. He left immediately to his girlfriend’s side. He pulled fanny free and held Abel by the collar.

“What the hell man?” he said before punching him.

Abel had always been reasonably scared of josh Brandon, who stood 6feet 3inches to Abel's 5 foot 7 stature. But today, he didn’t know where the strength came from. He gave josh a punch back. By this time, Adam, Kevin, Mohinder, Philip and Chris had run back and tried to separate the two young men.

“OMG!” fanny was shouting. “You guys split it right now. You’re acting like a bunch of babies.”

That was when Abel gave Josh another hefty blow. Murmurs scattered round the cheerios, soccer team and nerd patrol. Abel Daniels was beating josh Brandon up?

“Fight! Fight!” Ben Trojan started.

Some minutes later, Mc.Kinley, coach Sylvester and Anna Hunt hurried to the field. Mc.Kinley blew his whistle, abrupt rage showing on his features.

“How dare you!” he began, once they had been separated. Josh Brandon had a black eye that had reddened noticeably. His jaw was swollen and he was holding his obviously broken arm closely to his chest. Abel Daniels just had the cut where josh had scratched at him.

Mc.Kinley looked from one to the other. “Now, i don’t care who started what. This is your last year at Cosham, you two and i expected more! Not this show of immaturity. Scaring your colleagues. Anna Hunt came to me saying that Abel Daniels is the serial killer! I mean, come on. I expect better.” He looked them both over critically before saying. “What classes do you have today, Brandon?”

Josh Brandon had obviously not gotten over the abject humiliation he had been thrown into. “Soccer, gym, and mechanics.”

“How about you, Daniels?”

Abel tried not to jitter too obviously. His body was giving way, telling him that he needed to take his weed as soon as possible. “chem. - istr- i” he managed.

“My decision is final. You both get two hour detention each day of the week for a month and individually, Josh Brandon, you’re working with the Down syndrome students for three months. Abel Daniels, you’re working with the soccer team in that same time limit.”

Josh could have cried that moment. The students around had spluttered into uproars of laughter. Abel really couldn’t be bothered with anything other than the weed calling out to him from his locker.