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Nov. 7th, 2018 09:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fry_sandhuThere are two letters on the mat first thing in the morning. Fry gets to them before anyone else, scoops them up, and puts them in the pocket of his school trousers. He goes through to the kitchen to set the table for breakfast.
"I don't mind swapping with the baby." Coral is telling Mum. "You can't even get the changing table in that tiny study."
"I'm not sharing the attic with a noisy baby." Fry objects.
"How about I go in the study, Gil goes in the attic next door to you, and the baby goes in Gil's room?" Coral asks. "Gil's not noisy at all."
"We don't have to worry about this yet, and you'll have to ask Gil." Mum says. "If you all agree then yes, that's very kind of you. Fry, can you go and chivvy Brooke and Gil down for breakfast please?"
Fry goes upstairs and follows the noise of Brooke into Gil's room. Gil is in tears, and Brooke is standing in his doorway.
"And the inside bit crawls out and goes into your brain and you can't ever get it out again." Brooke is telling him.
"Brooklyn!" Fry glares at her. "Don't tease him!"
"I like my bwain!" Gil sobs.
"Your hearing aid doesn't go into your brain." Fry says. "You have to wear it until your glue ear gets better, Dad said."
"Yeah, until all the glue comes exploding out..." Brooke says.
"Go to breakfast and shut it!" Fry shoos her. "I hope the new baby doesn't turn out like you. One of you is enough."
"Well if they turn out like you, we might win an award for the boringest family in Britain." Brooke says.
"BREAKFAST! EVERYONE! NOW!" Mum yells from downstairs.
Fry helps Gil put his hearing aid in. Gil holds his hand as they go downstairs. Gil is about the only person that Fry doesn't mind doing this.
"Fwy?"
"Yes?"
"You weally sure about my bwain?"
"Course I am." Fry says. "Brooklyn is teasing. It won't go in your brain, your eardrum is in the way."
"What's this?" Gil tugs at the letter sticking out of Fry's pocket. Fry shoves it back in.
"It's private, don't tell, Gil."
"Secwet?"
"Yes, it's a secret. I want to read it first."
"Goddit."
When he gets to school, he makes a beeline for one corner of the playground. Joram, Tommy and George are waiting there already, also with their letters.
"You didn't sneak a look already, did you?" George asks him.
"No. We all agreed we'd do this together so none of us could wind each other up." Fry says.
They open their envelopes together. And there is silence for a few minutes. Until eventually, George looks up at the others.
"Well aren't any of you going to say anything?" she demands.
"Well why don't you?" Tommy asks her. "Did you get in or what?"
"Yes, I got in, West and Oaking." George says. "And I've got a scholarship for West."
"That's great!" Tommy says. "Well done!"
"I have got into Oaking. I am not sure how." Joram says. Tommy whoops and claps him on the shoulder, and Joram smiles shyly, but looks pleased.
"What about you, Fry?" Tommy asks.
Fry looks down at the two bits of paper.
"I didn't get into West." he says. "But I suspected that when I didn't get an interview."
"And Oaking?" Tommy asks.
They all look at him. Fry picks up the second bit of paper and reads it again.
"I got into Oaking. Full scholarship."
Tommy and Joram cheer for him. George gets up and walks off. And for once, Fry understands what she's feeling. She can't say she's disappointed because she's got a great opportunity to go to another school, and a great school at that, but he knows she wanted that scholarship as much as he did. And he knows that, just a little bit, he'll miss having her as a rival.
"Tommy, please tell me you're coming with me and Joram." he blurts out.
"Hey Joram, give me a minute, I need to talk to Fry." Tommy says. Joram nods and goes off to call his uncle.
"You didn't get the tennis scholarship, did you?" Fry asks him, when Joram goes.
"No mate. You have to pass the exam to get a scholarship. I didn't pass either." Tommy says, casually. "But I'm taking the Holby High exam next week, and that one's dead easy, I'm bound to get in there."
"Are you sad?" Fry asks him.
"No." Tommy says. "I knew I'd blown it. I don't think I would have liked all the homework at Oaking anyway. That's more your thing. I only tried for it again because they were so nice to me and let me use their tennis courts after last time I didn't get in."
"Are you being brave?"
"A bit. But we'll be okay, Fry, we'll all be okay." Tommy says. "You'll like Oaking, I just know it, with all those brainy sorts. George'll be the smartest girl at West and top of the class. Joram might not be your best mate but you'll be able to look out for each other."
"And what about you?" Fry asks.
"Hey, so long as the school has a tennis court, I'll survive anywhere." Tommy says. "And we can still be friends. We'll email or something."
"Are you being brave again?"
"I'm always brave. Hey Fry, do me a favour? Don't tell the others I didn't get in. I spent too long playing tennis and not enough studying. It was kind of stupid of me."
"You're not stupid." Fry says.
"I know. Thanks to you. Doesn't mean I don't still do stupid things sometimes though." Tommy says. He nods. "Your little brother is watching. You should go tell him you're going to Oaking."
Fry looks around, then gets up and goes over to Gil.
"You weed?" Gil asks.
"I read it. I'm going to Oaking. It's the nice big school I told you about."
"Today?"
"Not today. In September."
"When dat?"
"Ten months. Not for ages."
"Can I go, when I'm big?" Gil asks.
"Maybe, if you study hard." Fry says.
"Oh." Gil says. "Fwy?"
"Yes?"
"You weally, weally sure my bwain won't get eated?"
"Really sure. And it's 'eaten', not 'eated'."
"I don't mind swapping with the baby." Coral is telling Mum. "You can't even get the changing table in that tiny study."
"I'm not sharing the attic with a noisy baby." Fry objects.
"How about I go in the study, Gil goes in the attic next door to you, and the baby goes in Gil's room?" Coral asks. "Gil's not noisy at all."
"We don't have to worry about this yet, and you'll have to ask Gil." Mum says. "If you all agree then yes, that's very kind of you. Fry, can you go and chivvy Brooke and Gil down for breakfast please?"
Fry goes upstairs and follows the noise of Brooke into Gil's room. Gil is in tears, and Brooke is standing in his doorway.
"And the inside bit crawls out and goes into your brain and you can't ever get it out again." Brooke is telling him.
"Brooklyn!" Fry glares at her. "Don't tease him!"
"I like my bwain!" Gil sobs.
"Your hearing aid doesn't go into your brain." Fry says. "You have to wear it until your glue ear gets better, Dad said."
"Yeah, until all the glue comes exploding out..." Brooke says.
"Go to breakfast and shut it!" Fry shoos her. "I hope the new baby doesn't turn out like you. One of you is enough."
"Well if they turn out like you, we might win an award for the boringest family in Britain." Brooke says.
"BREAKFAST! EVERYONE! NOW!" Mum yells from downstairs.
Fry helps Gil put his hearing aid in. Gil holds his hand as they go downstairs. Gil is about the only person that Fry doesn't mind doing this.
"Fwy?"
"Yes?"
"You weally sure about my bwain?"
"Course I am." Fry says. "Brooklyn is teasing. It won't go in your brain, your eardrum is in the way."
"What's this?" Gil tugs at the letter sticking out of Fry's pocket. Fry shoves it back in.
"It's private, don't tell, Gil."
"Secwet?"
"Yes, it's a secret. I want to read it first."
"Goddit."
When he gets to school, he makes a beeline for one corner of the playground. Joram, Tommy and George are waiting there already, also with their letters.
"You didn't sneak a look already, did you?" George asks him.
"No. We all agreed we'd do this together so none of us could wind each other up." Fry says.
They open their envelopes together. And there is silence for a few minutes. Until eventually, George looks up at the others.
"Well aren't any of you going to say anything?" she demands.
"Well why don't you?" Tommy asks her. "Did you get in or what?"
"Yes, I got in, West and Oaking." George says. "And I've got a scholarship for West."
"That's great!" Tommy says. "Well done!"
"I have got into Oaking. I am not sure how." Joram says. Tommy whoops and claps him on the shoulder, and Joram smiles shyly, but looks pleased.
"What about you, Fry?" Tommy asks.
Fry looks down at the two bits of paper.
"I didn't get into West." he says. "But I suspected that when I didn't get an interview."
"And Oaking?" Tommy asks.
They all look at him. Fry picks up the second bit of paper and reads it again.
"I got into Oaking. Full scholarship."
Tommy and Joram cheer for him. George gets up and walks off. And for once, Fry understands what she's feeling. She can't say she's disappointed because she's got a great opportunity to go to another school, and a great school at that, but he knows she wanted that scholarship as much as he did. And he knows that, just a little bit, he'll miss having her as a rival.
"Tommy, please tell me you're coming with me and Joram." he blurts out.
"Hey Joram, give me a minute, I need to talk to Fry." Tommy says. Joram nods and goes off to call his uncle.
"You didn't get the tennis scholarship, did you?" Fry asks him, when Joram goes.
"No mate. You have to pass the exam to get a scholarship. I didn't pass either." Tommy says, casually. "But I'm taking the Holby High exam next week, and that one's dead easy, I'm bound to get in there."
"Are you sad?" Fry asks him.
"No." Tommy says. "I knew I'd blown it. I don't think I would have liked all the homework at Oaking anyway. That's more your thing. I only tried for it again because they were so nice to me and let me use their tennis courts after last time I didn't get in."
"Are you being brave?"
"A bit. But we'll be okay, Fry, we'll all be okay." Tommy says. "You'll like Oaking, I just know it, with all those brainy sorts. George'll be the smartest girl at West and top of the class. Joram might not be your best mate but you'll be able to look out for each other."
"And what about you?" Fry asks.
"Hey, so long as the school has a tennis court, I'll survive anywhere." Tommy says. "And we can still be friends. We'll email or something."
"Are you being brave again?"
"I'm always brave. Hey Fry, do me a favour? Don't tell the others I didn't get in. I spent too long playing tennis and not enough studying. It was kind of stupid of me."
"You're not stupid." Fry says.
"I know. Thanks to you. Doesn't mean I don't still do stupid things sometimes though." Tommy says. He nods. "Your little brother is watching. You should go tell him you're going to Oaking."
Fry looks around, then gets up and goes over to Gil.
"You weed?" Gil asks.
"I read it. I'm going to Oaking. It's the nice big school I told you about."
"Today?"
"Not today. In September."
"When dat?"
"Ten months. Not for ages."
"Can I go, when I'm big?" Gil asks.
"Maybe, if you study hard." Fry says.
"Oh." Gil says. "Fwy?"
"Yes?"
"You weally, weally sure my bwain won't get eated?"
"Really sure. And it's 'eaten', not 'eated'."
