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Jul. 29th, 2016 08:02 pmMum made two rules for the summer holidays. The first was that the were only allowed to play Pokémon Go with an adult. The second was that he wasn't to spend the whole summer doing school work.
Fry felt he could handle those rules, but just in case, kept his stash of Miss Havisham's extra credit hidden away. He'd already done all the maths ones - some of which weren't quite as easy as he'd anticipated, and is working through one or two of the others a day, mostly in the evening, when nobody has been up to investigate so far.
Only the Science ones has he dared bring downstairs, as they all involve practical experiments, like seeing what things biodegrade and measuring rain and looking at different leaves, which Mum has taken for some form of play. And they kind of were, really. He wonders whether Xiao, who he let in on this plan and is doing the same, has found any different leaves in her garden.
"This is starting to look like work." Mum comments, peering over at his leaf project at the beginning of the second week. "You're like a thirty year old man in a seven year old body! Have you got your things ready for library club tomorrow?"
"Yes." Fry points to his bag.
Library Club was a compromise: this summer, there weren't enough places at Book Lane Summer School, where Fry usually goes in the holidays to learn skills with other kids with autism. Mum had tried to get him to go to playscheme, which he didn't fancy, and swimming, which he hadn't been allowed in because he refused to wear the hat. But Library Club remembered Fry from before, and this time they were doing a full two weeks.
"He was fine last time." the librarian had reassured Mum. "He didn't join in all the activities but he enjoyed memorising the Dewey Decimal System and arranging the books."
As Mum drops him off, she hands him and Coral some lists.
"These are your recommended fun fiction lists from Mr Irons, so if they just tell you to go pick a book, see if they have any." she says, before giving Coral and Brooke a hug. "Behave yourselves."
"Can I go and sit in the non fiction section if I get bored?" Fry asks.
"Oh dear, if you must, but try not to." Mum says, sighing at him.
Fry and his sisters step into the library, and the noise hits him first. Nobody is keeping quiet. A bigger boy is nearby making a lot of noise, and Fry marches up to him.
"Shh!" he complains. "This is a library!"
The boy looks at him in surprise, laughs loudly, and then turns back to his mates. Coral comes up next to him.
"Leave it, Fry, I think they're allowed to talk."
"You can't talk loud in the library, it's wrong." Fry says.
"Buzz off, Fly." the big boy says, to a ripple of laughter from the other kids.
"All right everyone, time to sit down for a story! After the story, we're going to get in groups and make puppets!" the junior librarian says. The kids start to head over there, but Fry lingers.
"C'mon Fry!" Coral encourages him.
"I think I'll see you later." Fry says. "Watch Brooklyn."
"Where are you going?" Coral asks.
"I won't leave the building." Fry says. "I'm just going to join another group."
He picks up his bag. Mum's statement last night had given him an idea, and he'd nipped online afterwards to find out if there was anything else going on at the Community Centre the library is in. Turned out, there was quite a lot, but the most interesting part was something called Skills Taster Sessions, where people could come and do a one day course in various things for £10, or pay £30 for the fortnight and do as many classes as they like.
As far as Fry was concerned, that was worth raiding his piggy bank for.
He strides up to the reception desk, and places his money in front of the organiser, after taking it out of a wallet containing the old expired credit card Mum lets them play shop with, his GAME loyalty card, and his library card.
"Library club's back that way." the youth on the desk says, pointing back where he came.
"I'm here for Skills Taster Fortnight." Fry says.
"You got to be sixteen or over." the youth says, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm a thirty-year-old man in a seven year old's body." Fry says, without missing a beat. "I have a condition."
"What's it called?" the youth asks, looking sceptical.
"Um, Nosmo King Syndrome." Fry says, after a quick glance around. Maybe he can call it a guess rather than a lie, since for all he knows the syndrome that makes you look like a child could be called that. "Under the disability discrimination act 2005 you are not allowed to deny me entry on the basis of..."
"Okay, okay, sorry." the youth says, giving him a name badge and a program.
Fry grins, gets out his notebook, and goes to find his first class.
Fry felt he could handle those rules, but just in case, kept his stash of Miss Havisham's extra credit hidden away. He'd already done all the maths ones - some of which weren't quite as easy as he'd anticipated, and is working through one or two of the others a day, mostly in the evening, when nobody has been up to investigate so far.
Only the Science ones has he dared bring downstairs, as they all involve practical experiments, like seeing what things biodegrade and measuring rain and looking at different leaves, which Mum has taken for some form of play. And they kind of were, really. He wonders whether Xiao, who he let in on this plan and is doing the same, has found any different leaves in her garden.
"This is starting to look like work." Mum comments, peering over at his leaf project at the beginning of the second week. "You're like a thirty year old man in a seven year old body! Have you got your things ready for library club tomorrow?"
"Yes." Fry points to his bag.
Library Club was a compromise: this summer, there weren't enough places at Book Lane Summer School, where Fry usually goes in the holidays to learn skills with other kids with autism. Mum had tried to get him to go to playscheme, which he didn't fancy, and swimming, which he hadn't been allowed in because he refused to wear the hat. But Library Club remembered Fry from before, and this time they were doing a full two weeks.
"He was fine last time." the librarian had reassured Mum. "He didn't join in all the activities but he enjoyed memorising the Dewey Decimal System and arranging the books."
As Mum drops him off, she hands him and Coral some lists.
"These are your recommended fun fiction lists from Mr Irons, so if they just tell you to go pick a book, see if they have any." she says, before giving Coral and Brooke a hug. "Behave yourselves."
"Can I go and sit in the non fiction section if I get bored?" Fry asks.
"Oh dear, if you must, but try not to." Mum says, sighing at him.
Fry and his sisters step into the library, and the noise hits him first. Nobody is keeping quiet. A bigger boy is nearby making a lot of noise, and Fry marches up to him.
"Shh!" he complains. "This is a library!"
The boy looks at him in surprise, laughs loudly, and then turns back to his mates. Coral comes up next to him.
"Leave it, Fry, I think they're allowed to talk."
"You can't talk loud in the library, it's wrong." Fry says.
"Buzz off, Fly." the big boy says, to a ripple of laughter from the other kids.
"All right everyone, time to sit down for a story! After the story, we're going to get in groups and make puppets!" the junior librarian says. The kids start to head over there, but Fry lingers.
"C'mon Fry!" Coral encourages him.
"I think I'll see you later." Fry says. "Watch Brooklyn."
"Where are you going?" Coral asks.
"I won't leave the building." Fry says. "I'm just going to join another group."
He picks up his bag. Mum's statement last night had given him an idea, and he'd nipped online afterwards to find out if there was anything else going on at the Community Centre the library is in. Turned out, there was quite a lot, but the most interesting part was something called Skills Taster Sessions, where people could come and do a one day course in various things for £10, or pay £30 for the fortnight and do as many classes as they like.
As far as Fry was concerned, that was worth raiding his piggy bank for.
He strides up to the reception desk, and places his money in front of the organiser, after taking it out of a wallet containing the old expired credit card Mum lets them play shop with, his GAME loyalty card, and his library card.
"Library club's back that way." the youth on the desk says, pointing back where he came.
"I'm here for Skills Taster Fortnight." Fry says.
"You got to be sixteen or over." the youth says, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm a thirty-year-old man in a seven year old's body." Fry says, without missing a beat. "I have a condition."
"What's it called?" the youth asks, looking sceptical.
"Um, Nosmo King Syndrome." Fry says, after a quick glance around. Maybe he can call it a guess rather than a lie, since for all he knows the syndrome that makes you look like a child could be called that. "Under the disability discrimination act 2005 you are not allowed to deny me entry on the basis of..."
"Okay, okay, sorry." the youth says, giving him a name badge and a program.
Fry grins, gets out his notebook, and goes to find his first class.
