The Marshalls
by Kit
Chapter 8
Paul realised that starting at a new school would be more stressful for Liam than it would be for Connor. Not only was the older boy more independent, but he would be in a class where all the students were new to the school. By contrast, Liam, who had previously always had the support of his older brother, would now be joining a class with children who'd already been together for three years.
With that in mind, when Paul had found a school for Liam, he discussed the situation with the head teacher, who was a kindly middle-aged woman. He felt a bit guilty playing the 'orphan card' and telling her that their mother had died a few months ago. However, he felt it was justified. In any case, she was very sympathetic and had even gone to the trouble of arranging for Paul and Liam to have a brief tour of the school shortly before term officially started.
During the first week, Stephane hadn't yet begun his university PGCE course, so he drove Connor to and from school. Realising that the younger boy would need additional emotional support, Paul decided that he'd be the little boy's chauffeur. Despite Liam's anxiety on the first morning, he made sure to take a few photos of Connor in his school uniform before they left the house.
The younger boy's school was less than fifteen minutes' walk from the house, and there were no busy roads to cross. At some point in the future, an intelligent and capable boy such as Liam probably wouldn't really need to be taken to school. However, Paul was determined to be available to drive his little brother for as long as Liam wanted him to do so.
At the end of their first day at school, Liam was a little subdued but not unhappy. By contrast, Connor was not only happy but also ebullient. This surprised Paul, whose impression had always been that the boy didn't like school.
"Paul," Connor said as soon as Stephane had brought him home, "I'm in Alban's House, just like you were."
"How did you know I was in Alban's?"
"When the Head of House talked to the new boys, he told us all about how we could score points for the House with sports and exam results and other stuff," the boy replied, his excitement causing the words to tumble rapidly. "Then he showed us the Common Room with the trophies and the board with those who'd scored the most points every year. Your name was on some of them. So it's lucky I'm in the same House."
"It may not be luck. They often put boys from the same family in the same House. Grandad was also in Alban's."
"What about Uncle Geoffrey? Was he in Alban's, too?"
"No, I think he was in Aiden's, but if you want to know for sure, you should ask him," Paul said. "Anyway, it sounds like you had a good first day."
"Yeah. We didn't have any real lessons, just meeting the teachers, getting to know what we'd be doing, finding where everything was, and stuff like that," Connor replied. In a more sombre tone, he added, "Oh yeah, and learning all the rules."
"And did you get on okay with the other kids in your class?"
"We're not kids; we're pupils," the boy replied with a mock haughtiness. "Anyway, they seem okay, but most of them sound very posh. And it feels odd that there are no girls."
"Some clubs are combined with the local girls' school. I remember the dance club and drama club had joint activities. You can join clubs like those if you want to meet girls at school."
"Dancing?" Connor responded as if it had been an indecent suggestion. "I'd never do that. And I don't want people watching me on a stage."
"You don't seem to mind people watching you play football."
"Yeah, but that's different. I'd play footie anyway, even if no one watched. But the whole point of acting is for people to watch you."
"It's not just actors in the drama club," Paul pointed out. "Some people do scenery, props, lighting, or publicity."
"I'm not interested in stuff like that," the boy replied with conviction. Then, wishing to be more upbeat about his first day at the school, he continued, "Anyway, it's nice that there are a few others in the class who're in Alban's, so it feels a bit like being in a team."
"Speaking of teams, you'll have to remember to take your football kit on Wednesday. Will you want to try rugby and see if you like that better?"
"Nah, I'll play footie. The head of house said if we play well, we can get into Alban's under-13s team, and if we do well in that, we can play for the school team," Connor said. Then, showing his innate competitiveness, he added, "That'll earn even more points for Alban's."
It didn't take long for Connor to make new friends at the school. He joined a couple of clubs as well as being selected for his House football team. By the end of the first week, he'd also decided that he wanted to travel to and from school on his own. That way, he could meet up with some of his new friends on the bus. Paul pointed out that Connor would have to take two buses to school, one from home to town and a second from town to the school.
"Why don't I take you into town?" he suggested. "After all, it's unlikely that there'll be anyone you know on that bus."
"Mmm, okay," Connor agreed.
"Parking in town is awful, so I can't hang around in town waiting for your bus when you're coming home. It's better if I pick you up after school."
"But with footie training and after-school stuff, I'm not sure exactly when I'll be ready to come home, and you might end up waiting outside school," the boy pointed out. "I don't mind taking two buses to come home."
"Okay. Well, phone if there's a problem or if you think you might be late for tea."
"I won't be late for tea!" Connor protested, rolling his eyes.
Paul continued taking Liam to and from school and to his weekly piano lessons. Liam also joined his school's choir, and the music teacher quickly noticed his beautiful voice. She asked if he would sing solos, and after a little hesitation, he agreed. Although the little boy didn't take formal lessons for the guitar, he and Stephane were learning to play the instrument together, mainly by watching online videos.
A comfortable daily routine developed in Paul's household. After breakfast, Stephane would set off for his PGCE course, and Paul would make sure his brothers were ready for school. Both boys would get into the car, and he'd drop Connor in town before taking Liam to school. Depending on the weather, Paul would usually go for a run before lunch. In the afternoon, he'd pick Liam up from school and wait for Connor to come home, usually before Stephane arrived.
One evening, after one of his sessions with the sailing club, Connor was a little grumpy when he came home. After changing out of his school uniform, he went to the kitchen and revealed the reason for his discontent.
"It's not fair," he complained to Paul, who was preparing their evening meal. "You pay for Liam's piano lessons, but I have to pay for the sailing club. But he gets an allowance, too. And next weekend the sailing club are going for a first lesson on Todmorton Reservoir. That costs extra."
Paul, who wanted to teach his brothers about financial responsibility, had told them that they should pay for luxuries out of their weekly allowance and whatever they had saved from gifts. However, he could understand why Connor felt that the current situation was unfair.
"Okay, you have a valid point, and I agree with you," he said. "So I'll pay the regular fees for the sailing club and for any lessons on the water."
Connor, who'd learned that his older brother would always consider any reasoned argument, was pleased with the result that had been obtained in this case. Then he thought of something.
"So what about the sailing club fees that I've already paid?" he said. "Will you give me a refund?"
"Okay," Paul agreed.
"And what about when we're in Barbados?"
"What about it?"
"Will I have to pay to go sailing there?"
"No. You won't have to pay for anything while we're there," Paul replied, suppressing a smile and realising once again that someday, Connor could become a formidable lawyer.
Feeling that he'd scored a victory, Connor grinned broadly, but then he quickly became serious again.
"I got really mad today," he said. "I thought kids at such a posh school would be nicer."
"It doesn't matter where they are. People are people. Some are nice, and some are not so nice," Paul replied sympathetically. "Did something happen? You're not being bullied, are you?"
"No, of course not," the boy responded in a tone indicating that he believed that no one would dare to bully him. "It wasn't me, and it wasn't really bullying. Just a kid saying really loud that a boy in our class must be a scholarship boy because he didn't have his own laptop and had to borrow one that belonged to the school."
"If they were trying to embarrass the boy, that's a form of bullying," Paul said, frowning. "If it happens again, maybe you should report it."
"I don't think it'll happen again," Connor said. "I told them that a boy who could get a scholarship was obviously more intelligent than most of the other kids at the school."
"Good for you," Paul responded and grinned. "I'm proud of you."
Later that evening, after the two boys had finished their homework, they joined Paul and Stephane, who were on the large four-seater sofa in the living room.
"We've decided that if you and Stephane want," Connor said to Paul, "he can be part of Rule Two."
Rule Two meant that members of the family wouldn't lie to one another, though they could keep secrets. Stephan could hardly contain his happiness because that brief statement and the invitation it contained meant that the boys had accepted him as a part of their family.
"Yes, I'd like that," he said.
"And I agree, too," Paul added, feeling that there was no need to mention to his brothers that he and his boyfriend had already entered into their own personal version of the rule.
One morning, while on the way into town to catch the bus, Connor asked Paul to vary their usual afternoon routine.
"I don't have anything after classes today. Could you come and pick me up at school?" he asked. Glancing at his little brother, he quickly added, "I know you'll have to pick up Liam first, so I don't mind waiting if you're a bit late."
"Yeah, let's do that," Liam said. "I've not seen Connor's school yet."
"You'll only get a quick look at the front gates, Liam," Paul pointed out. "And Connor, yes, I'll collect you from school."
When Paul arrived outside Linchester Grammar that afternoon, he saw another boy talking with Connor. That boy was similar in height to his brother but wasn't as sturdily built. The most striking thing about him was the contrast between his black hair and his alabaster-white complexion. The fact that he was wearing short trousers like Connor showed that he, too, was a first year.
Connor saw the car, smiled and waved, and when the car drew up in front of him, he opened the front passenger door. Paul was a little surprised because Connor usually sat in the rear of the car with Liam. Instead of getting in, Connor leaned into the car.
"This is Oliver. He's on my footie team," he said. Before Paul could respond, he quickly added, "He doesn't like to be called Olly."
"Hi, Oliver," Paul said to the boy who was now standing closely behind Connor.
"Can we give him a lift home?" Connor asked, still not making any move to get into the car.
Liam, sitting in the back seat, remained silent but leaned forward, trying to get a closer look at Oliver.
"Erm, sure. Where does he live?"
"Just outside town."
Connor immediately opened the rear door and sat next to his little brother. Oliver, apparently a little embarrassed, got into the front passenger seat and pulled the door closed. He gave Paul an apologetic look, then averted his gaze.
"Sorry," he said quietly.
Paul didn't understand why the boy would apologise, but he had the feeling that the request for a lift had been Connor's idea and that the other boy was just going along with it. Bearing in mind Connor's unusual request to be collected from school that day, Paul wondered if his brother had planned this current scenario.
"Nice car," Oliver said, breaking Paul's train of thought.
"Thanks," the man replied. "You'll need to give me directions."
Oliver spoke with a distinct local accent, and although his voice was clearly that of a boy, it was surprisingly deep for a preteen. After driving to an area just north of the town centre, they entered a parking area between two three-storey blocks of flats. From their appearance, Paul got the impression that they were owned by the town council or some other body involved in providing affordable accommodation.
"Thanks," Oliver said as he got out of the car. Addressing Connor, he added, "I'll call you later."
He shut the door, and without looking back, he went into one of the blocks of flats.
"What did you think?" Connor asked when they were about half way home.
While Paul was trying to work out exactly what the question was about and whether the question was addressed to him specifically, Liam responded.
"I think he's nice. He seems like a good person."
"A few minutes getting directions isn't really a conversation," Paul said," so I don't really have an opinion."
"Oh," Connor replied, sounding a little disappointed. After a brief pause, he added, "He can run really fast, and once he gets the ball, no one can catch up with him. And he's got a scholarship, so he's really clever."
At the beginning of the term, John had started running at school with Mike on sports afternoons. Possibly encouraged by seeing more than just a solitary runner, two other boys had joined them by the end of term. However, the redhead didn't seem pleased by the fact that he was no longer alone as he ran around the periphery of the school.
After the start of the new school year, Mike was no longer able to chat with Connor almost every night. They were only allowed to call each other after they'd done their homework, and now Connor had much more homework to do. Also, Connor was often busy in the evenings and on Saturdays with football or with school clubs.
"I understand why you joined the computer club," Mike said during one of his calls with Connor, "but what's the point of wasting time going to sailing club meetings when the weather's too bad for going out on a boat?"
"Unless the weather's really bad, we can have lessons on Todmorton Reservoir. And we have to learn lots of things in club meetings," the other boy replied in a tone that made it clear the answer should be obvious. "There's safety, the different types of boats and how to handle them, tacking, going about, and other stuff like that. There's also a couple of models of dinghies in the club room that we can practise on."
Although some of what Connor had said was meaningless to him, Mike could tell that his friend was happy with the club activities, so he decided not to make any further comment.
"And I want to know all about sailing and get some practice before Paul takes us to Barbados for Christmas," Connor added. "He told me that I couldn't even crew on a boat there unless he was sure I knew how to do it."
A few times during the previous few weeks, Mike had heard Connor excitedly mention the proposed trip to Barbados. Although the redhead had little interest in sailing, he thought the whole trip, especially flying on a plane, sounded like fun. However, envy wasn't his major emotion; he was more concerned about the prospect of not being able to see his friend for a couple of weeks.
Mike still maintained occasional contact with Katie, but even that was tailing off as she made friends at her new school. The town where she now lived was almost an hour's drive from the foster home, and her mother didn't have a car, so meeting in person was a problem. Also, apart from socialising a little more with John at their school, Mike was still a loner there. However, he spent most Saturdays with Connor at Paul's house, where he usually spent the night.
Fortunately, John didn't have to be the only foster child in the home on weekends because he spent Saturdays with Will. Both Mike and John always returned to the foster home for Sunday lunch, and sometimes Will stayed to eat with them. Occasionally, Paul and his brothers, together with Stephane, also joined them for Sunday lunch. It didn't take long for John to feel more at ease and to become comfortable with all the new people in his life.
In September, John started attending weekly counselling sessions after school. Initially, he was reluctant to go, but his brother joined with his foster carers in encouraging him. Also, Mike assured him that it would be okay and that anything he said would be confidential. John eventually came to find the sessions almost pleasant, especially when they didn't concentrate on his experiences with his father. As the weeks went by, his nightmares became less frequent and less severe.
While John was becoming more settled in his new life, Mike was becoming more bored, especially in the evenings. His contact with Connor was limited, and Katie was no longer around. That boredom prompted him to spend more time with John, playing computer games or just socialising while watching TV. Of course, John was more than happy to be spending time with the boy he'd had a crush on for so long.
As Mike began to socialise more with John, he found that he was beginning to like the older boy. However, he would never admit that to anyone, not even himself. The internal thawing of his attitude didn't prevent Mike from making occasional irritable outbursts. That behaviour was one of his instinctive defence mechanisms. Despite those outbursts, John had started to notice the redhead's overall less negative attitude, and it gave him hope that they might eventually become real friends.
One afternoon in the second half of September, Sarah phoned Paul to confirm arrangements for the foster family to visit him on the following Sunday. After deciding that they would arrive before lunch and stay until early evening, the call became a more general catch-up chat.
"How are your brothers adapting to their new schools?" Sarah asked.
"They both seem to be making new friends. Connor's already on one of the junior football teams."
"And how is Liam dealing with not going to the same school as his brother? Knowing how he can be a little, erm, clingy, I was wondering how he's coping with not being able to spend so much time with Connor."
"I think it was a bit tough for him at first, but he's adapting and becoming more independent. Also, before bedtime and at weekends, they make sure that they still have plenty of quality time together."
Paul didn't mention that before going to bed, his brothers usually sat close together on the sofa, usually holding hands and occasionally having a cuddle.
"We're pretty sure that Mike's missing Connor," Sarah said, "but of course he would never admit it openly, and he tries not to show it. So it's good that they still manage to meet up at weekends, especially as John stays with Will on Saturdays."
"How are Mike and John getting on?" he asked. "I know Mike finds it difficult to make friends easily, but John seems to be an easy person to like."
"John appears to be making an effort, but you know how Mike is. The good thing is that at least he isn't showing hostility or antagonism. I think that a wary tolerance best describes Mike's attitude at the moment."
The following Sunday, when the foster family was visiting Paul, the weather was sunny and relatively mild for the time of year. After lunch, Mike and Connor asked if they could put up one of the tents in the garden. When they chose to use the smaller, older tent, Liam complained that there wouldn't be much space for him, so Paul suggested that he and Liam should set up the other tent as well. Mike and Connor disappeared into their tent as soon as it had been erected.
"I wish we could meet up more often," the redhead confided in his younger friend.
"Me, too, but at least we can have phone chats, and it's great on the weekends that you can stay here," Connor replied. "Did you know that Paul's planning on having a party on the weekend between Halloween and Bonfire Night? And there's a big firework display in Linchester on the Saturday night. Anyway, you're invited for that weekend."
"Yeah, Sarah and David said that we're all invited, but they're worried that Susie might be scared by lots of noisy fireworks."
"Anyway, you could stay here from Friday night to Sunday afternoon because Paul said you can all come to Sunday lunch here. He's inviting Will, as well."
"That would be great," Mike said, hoping that he'd be able to stay over for a couple of weekends before then.
"How are you and John getting on?" Connor asked, seeing a hint of sadness in his friend's expression. "He seems nice, and he's always friendly. Don't you want to be friends with him?"
"He's okay, but sometimes I think he's trying too hard and wants to be too friendly. I'm not sure I can trust him."
There was a brief pause while Connor tried to think of a way to make the redhead feel better. Then he made a suggestion.
"You could try playing the truth game with him. That helped us to be friends, and that's how we found out that we could trust each other. So maybe it'll help you see if he can be trusted."
"Mmm. Maybe. But that's our game."
"Okay, but you should at least think about it."
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