Plan B

Chapter Seven

“Oh, it’s you.”  Grinning sheepishly, Piers lowered his hand with the gaming console.  Frankie also pulled back from a punch he’d been about to give Piers.

“What are you doing?” Arthur demanded as he crossed the room and searched for a mug in the cupboard.

“Nothing,” said Piers.

At exactly the same time, Frankie said, “Gaming.”

Arthur spared a glance at the TV screen before sticking his mug under the boiling water point and turning the tap on.  “If you expect me to believe that somebody can convince Piers to game with them, we’ll have to upgrade Frankie’s status from ‘newbie’ to ‘miracle worker’.  What were you really doing?”

“Nothing,” the others chorused in unison.  Sticking a teabag in the mug, Arthur left his drink on the sideboard and came over, hopping over the back of the sofa to settle himself between them.  He flung a dirt-covered arm around each of them.

“Naw, c’mon,” he grinned.  “What’re you hiding?”

Piers covered his mouth and nose and turned away.

“Arthur, I mean this in the nicest possible way, but you stink.”

Arthur ruffled Piers’ hair affectionately while Frankie tried to wriggle free.  “I have just had two hours of rugby training.  I’m going to sit here until you let me in on the plot.”  He turned Piers’ head in towards him.

Piers struggled and broke free, gasping for breath.  “Okay!  I’m covering Frankie’s arse and giving him an alibi!  Now go and shower!”

Arthur retracted his arm from Frankie and turned to face the younger boy.  “Alibi for what?”

The common room door slammed back on its hinges and Isaac appeared, balancing a stack of toasties in his right hand.

“The hell?” he grinned as he bit a corner off one of them.  Melted cheese dribbled down onto his hand.  “You guys seen the roof?”

Piers and Frankie exchanged glances and quickly looked away, obviously trying not to laugh.

“Now I’m definitely not showering until you spill,” Arthur threatened.  Frankie snorted and hastily covered his mouth.

“Some nutter’s gone and rebuilt Simon and Kevin’s room on our roof,” Isaac continued around a mouthful.  “Absolute genius.”

Frankie and Piers both burst out laughing.

“Frankie,” said Arthur, “they are going to kill you.”

A broad grin spread across Isaac’s face as he came into the room and caught the door briefly with his heel so it wouldn’t slam.  “Oh God.  You evil mastermind, Frankie.  Why?”

Frankie shrugged.  “They ransacked my room.”

“And that’s the payback?”  Isaac jerked his thumb at the ceiling.  “Remind me never to piss you off.  How did you do it?”

“I helped,” Piers volunteered with a grin.

“The furniture’s all Ikea,” Frankie added, “so it was really easy to take apart and reassemble.”

“Nobody knows how to assemble Ikea stuff,” said Arthur.

Isaac crammed another toastie into his mouth.  “Well, I hope Simon and Kevin don’t.  I’d love to see them sleep out on the roof.  And the clothes....”  He choked.

“What about the clothes?” asked Piers and Frankie with interest as Isaac cleared his windpipe and took a couple of deep breaths.

“They’re being blown around campus by the wind.  Kevin blew a nut.  He’s so messy with his clothes that it’ll take him a month to collect them all.”