Page 31 of Christmas at the Movies

Present Day

‘Out of the way, loser,’ said Damon Carter, barging into Nick and sending him sprawling on the ground.

The contents of Nick’s backpack spilled out across the corridor.

As his cronies egged him on, Damon kicked Nick’s pencil case across the floor.

Nick’s charcoal drawing pencils scattered everywhere.

‘He shoots, he scores!’ cheered Damon.

Laughing, he and his mates from the football team continued down the corridor to the gym.

Cheeks burning with shame, Nick scrabbled about on the floor, gathering up his belongings.

He shoved his drawing pencils back into his pencil case.

Luckily, only a few had broken. At least Holly hadn’t witnessed his latest humiliation.

She would have told his parents and Mum would have marched down to the school, demanding to talk to the headteacher.

As if that would solve anything.

Nick picked up a pear that had spilled out of his backpack.

It was too squashed to eat now. I wish it was a Clear-Clear fruit, thought Nick.

In his favourite manga series, One Piece, the characters could eat magical fruits that gave them supernatural powers.

There was one special fruit – the Clear-Clear fruit – that allowed you to become invisible.

Sighing, Nick dropped the squashed non-magical pear into the bin.

Normally, he avoided the corridors when they were so busy, but he’d been in a rush to get to the library.

Mrs Holmes, the school librarian, always put out new books on a Wednesday.

Last week, she’d promised Nick that she had ordered the latest volume of One Piece.

Entering the library, Nick headed straight to the display of new books.

He reached for his favourite manga, but he wasn’t fast enough. Someone else got there before him.

‘Sorry,’ said Mr Wu, turning around. ‘Are you a One Piece fan too?’

‘Yeah.’ Nick loved the long-running manga series about a crew of pirates on a quest to find a mythical treasure.

There were epic battles and adventures, with loads of funny bits too.

Eiichiro Oda’s illustrations featured bright, colourful panels, energetic action scenes and unusual perspectives.

Nick was obsessed with trying to copy his style.

‘Who’s your favourite character?’ asked Mr Wu.

‘I like Nami best,’ Nick mumbled. Nami was the pirates’ navigator. What she lacked in fighting prowess, she made up for with her smarts.

‘She’s my wife’s favourite character as well,’ said Mr Wu. ‘I’m getting this out for her – she loves manga. She’s been feeling down lately. I thought it might cheer her up.’ He held the book out to Nick. ‘But here, I can take something else for her instead.’

Nick shook his head. ‘No, that’s OK.’ It sounded like Mr Wu’s wife needed cheering up, and nothing was better for that than losing yourself in a pirate adventure.

‘Are you sure?’ asked his teacher.

Nick reached for a volume of Dragon Ball. ‘I’ll take this out instead.’ Mr Wu was one of the few things he liked about school, so Nick was happy to wait for the new One Piece.

‘Thank you,’ said Mr Wu, taking the manga volume over to the circulation desk. ‘I’ll bring this back to school as soon as my wife has read it.’

Nick went to sit on a beanbag. Unlike the rest of the school, the library was quiet and calm. There were a few kids doing homework at tables, and one or two others browsing the shelves. It was the only place in the whole building where Nick felt he could relax.

‘You’re staying late, Nick,’ remarked Mrs Holmes. The school librarian was decorating a Christmas tree with hand-made paper baubles. On each one, she’d written a suggestion for a book to read.

As much as he hated school, Nick just didn’t feel like going home today. Ever since he’d heard his parents arguing, he’d felt anxious. He couldn’t stop worrying about his mum and dad, and what would happen if they split up.

When he finished the book, he took out his sketchpad and started to draw.

He was working on an idea for a new manga character called Kanjo who had the power to change people’s feelings.

He could strike fear into a baddie’s heart, just as easily as he could turn tears into smiles.

Nick was trying to teach himself Japanese using YouTube tutorials and Duolingo.

Kanjo was the Japanese word for emotion.

Before Nick heard the girl’s voice, he smelled her minty chewing gum – even though chewing gum wasn’t allowed at school.

‘Hey, that’s really good.’

A girl with long, jet-black hair was standing over him, a book tucked under her arm. She was in Year Seven too – they were in the same geography class but had never spoken before.

‘I’m Julia,’ she said, plopping herself down on the beanbag next to him. ‘Mind if I sit here?’

Nick shook his head, even though he felt anxious about having to talk to someone new. Luckily, Julia didn’t seem to notice his awkwardness, or if she did she didn’t mind.

‘My twin brother, Adam, has football practice after school, and I have to wait until he’s done to get the bus home to Stowford,’ she explained.

Nick knew who her brother was. Adam was on the Year Seven football team with Damon Carter. He wasn’t one of the boys who was there when Damon had knocked him over earlier, but Nick was wary of all the sporty kids.

‘My dad is super over-protective.’ Julia shifted on the beanbag until she got comfortable, tucking one leg underneath her bum. ‘Probably because he’s a single parent.’

‘Are your parents divorced?’ asked Nick.

‘My mum left when me and Adam were tiny.’

‘I’m sorry.’ Nick felt a rush of sympathy for Julia and her brother. He couldn’t imagine growing up without a mum.

‘Don’t be,’ said Julia. ‘I don’t even remember her, and my dad’s great.’

As Julia read her book, Nick went back to his drawing. He shaded dark shadows under Kanjo’s eyes. Nick was so engrossed in his drawing that he didn’t notice Julia watching him until she spoke again.

‘Why does the boy look so sad?’

‘He’s an empath,’ explained Nick. ‘He can suck out someone’s sadness and make them happy again. But he has to carry those feelings around with him.’

‘Poor guy,’ said Julia sympathetically.

Nick looked at her more closely. Her hair wasn’t really black – she’d dyed it.

There was an inch of blonde roots growing out of her scalp.

Her eyes were ringed with black liner (which was also against school rules), she had chipped black nail polish on her fingers, and there was a ladder in her black school tights.

But despite her slightly gothic appearance, she had a friendly face.

Nick tore the sheet out of his sketchbook. ‘You can have it if you want.’

Julia grinned. ‘Are you sure?’

Nick shrugged. ‘It’s no big deal. He’s just a character that I’m working on.’

‘Thanks,’ said Julia, unzipping her backpack and putting the drawing carefully inside. ‘How did you learn to draw like that?’

‘Mostly just reading lots of manga and watching YouTube videos.’

‘Do you like anime too? Like Spirited Away? Or My Neighbour Totoro?’

Nick nodded enthusiastically. ‘I’ve seen all the Studio Ghibli movies.’ Nick hadn’t met many other kids who were fans of the Japanese animation studio. ‘How did you get into anime?’

‘My dad used to take me and my brother to the Saturday morning Kids’ Club at Plumdale Picture Palace. They show all sorts of cool movies. Ever been there?’

Nick nodded and gave her a shy smile. ‘Yeah, I actually know it pretty well.’

Julia dragged her beanbag closer to Nick’s. Now he could smell her shampoo – it was the same coconut one his sister used. ‘So what’s that character for?’

‘I’m trying to create my own manga, but I haven’t really worked out the story yet.’

‘Maybe I could help you,’ offered Julia. ‘I’m no good at drawing, but I like writing stories.’

‘That would be cool,’ said Nick, trying not to sound too excited. It seemed like she might actually want to be friends.

Mrs Holmes, the librarian, shushed them good-naturedly, so Nick went back to his drawing and Julia to her book. Nick could smell Julia’s minty gum and hear the rhythmic sound of her chewing, but it didn’t bother him.

Just before five, Julia stood and shoved her book in her bag. ‘I’d better go. Football training will be over now. See you around, Nick.’

‘Bye.’ Nick watched Julia lope out of the library, with her backpack slung across her back. He knew he should head home, too.

Nick quickly gathered up his things, but before he left school, he checked the sports noticeboard to see what days the Year Seven football team practised – Monday and Wednesday.

Maybe Julia would be in the library again after school on Monday.

Although next time, he’d wait until the coast was clear to avoid another run-in with Damon.

When he got home, Nick could hear his mother’s voice drifting out of the living room. Peeping in, he saw his auntie Pari’s face on his mother’s laptop screen. His mum’s back was to him; she hadn’t heard him come in.

‘It feels amazing to be writing again,’ Mum said. ‘I sent Noa the first act and he was really happy with it. I feel like we have a real connection, you know?’

‘I’m sure the fact that he’s easy on the eye doesn’t have anything to do with that,’ teased Auntie Pari.

‘He’s even better looking in person than he is in photos,’ gushed Mum.

Pari chuckled. ‘I think someone’s got a crush.’

‘Stop!’ Mum giggled. ‘Our relationship is purely professional.’

Nick frowned. Mum sounded giddy – like Holly and her friends when they were talking about the boys they liked. He knew he shouldn’t eavesdrop but couldn’t force himself to move.

‘Seriously, Noa has been so encouraging about my writing. He says he wants to read The Ghost Writer. If I ever get around to finishing it.’

‘Well, I’m thrilled you’re working on the script,’ said Pari. ‘One of my clients – Mateo Ajose – is playing the lead. We need it to be a hit.’