Mum had already stormed ahead with Lolli, who was strapped into her buggy and happily occupied with a book and a rice cake the size of her head. As I trailed slowly home I tucked my hand in my pocket and scratched Flicker along the ridges of his back. He rumbled under my hand, contented.

He didn’t seem to have grown at all, despite the fact he was eating around thirty-three square meals a day. He was always nibbling something. After all the extra broccoli I was sneaking off my plate and getting him to dispose of, he still sat comfortably on my hand. Even so, I couldn’t help drifting back into the dream of us flying together. Unfortunately the dream didn’t last long.

‘Oi, lame brain.’

I stopped in my tracks as Liam raced up on his bike and skidded to a halt in front of me. He planted himself on the pavement, blocking my way.

‘I’ve been watching you, you and those other meebas.’

So, I’m guessing by now you’re getting a picture of Liam? Big nose for barging into other people’s business, stirs up trouble like he’s frothing a milkshake, acts like he owns the world.

Well, he also has his own special brand of mean nicknames. Sadly for him, a lot of them don’t actually make sense and so aren’t as cutting as he’d probably like them to be. Take ‘meeba’ for instance. What I think he’s actually going for is ‘amoeba’. An amoeba is a small single-celled organism without a brain. The fact he thinks it’s ‘a meeba, two meebas’ just shows who’s really lacking a brain round here.

‘I’ve seen you,’ he sneered.

I curled my hand around Flicker, who seemed to have fallen asleep in my pocket. His hot breath sent little shivers of warmth right through me. It felt like even though he was tiny and asleep, he was protecting me.

‘Well, that’s terrific,’ I said.

This is the point where Ted might have elbowed me into shutting up. But without him around, and with a dragon in my pocket, I just couldn’t help myself.

‘I see you too. Bit old for peekaboo, aren’t we?’

You could almost see the steam puffing from Liam’s ears when I said it.

‘Watch it, ant-boy, or I’ll squish you like the insect you are. You know what I’m talking about. You’re up to something. First at school, and then at the library. You’re being weird, even for you.’

‘Nope, just the usual amount of weird.’ I grinned.

He narrowed his eyes and stepped towards me, leaning close. I suddenly wished Ted’s elbow had been there after all. I had a feeling Liam was about to turn nasty.

‘Well, I say you’re being extra weird. And I’m going to find out what you’re up to.’

He reached out and shoved me, and I stumbled into a tree.

‘And it’ll be easy cos I can smell you coming a mile away, Whiffy. You’re stinkier than those stink bombs my brother got me last Christmas.’

I rubbed my arm, feeling the bruise. And then my heart did that skippy thing like when Dad drives too fast over a speed bump. What if being slammed into the tree had crushed Flicker? My hand automatically reached for my pocket and Liam’s eyes followed.

‘What have you got in there?’ he sneered.

I felt Flicker moving. He was OK! But the relief didn’t last, as I felt the little dragon pushing against my hand, trying to get out. I curled my fingers around his body, desperately hoping it might settle him down.

‘Nothing. Look, I’m not up to anything,’ I said quickly. But I could feel my heart beating faster and faster, and my hands were getting sticky with sweat. And it wasn’t just from panicking about Flicker being seen; I could feel the dragon heating up too. He was as unhappy about getting shoved as I was. I couldn’t risk him being seen, but the more panicky I felt, the hotter he got. I needed a distraction – and quick!

‘Well?’ Liam said as he flicked a slug from the top of a wall in my direction. It landed on my top so, carefully, I lifted it off to the safety of a nearby bush. Poor little thing. I’m not saying I love slugs, but it had just been minding its own business.

Anything I said at this point was likely to make things worse, but not saying anything wasn’t helping either. I could tell Liam was about to go properly Hulk. He was getting bigger again, his muscles bulging before my eyes. I waited for the sound of his T-shirt ripping.

But before he could squash me with his great green fists, three people suddenly appeared by my side.

Ted, Kat and Kai. Materialising there like my own personal superhero squad.

‘Hey, Tomas. Need a hand with Liam the Unincredible Hulk?’ Kai said.

The relief of having my friends there felt like finally getting your Mr Whippy on the hottest day of the year after joining the Guinness World Records longest ice-cream queue.

I imagined the four of us standing in formation in front of him, wielding our superpowers as Kai’s words blasted out like lasers, shrinking Liam to the size of a pea. It must have done the trick, because although he kept up the scowl, Liam got on his bike and pedalled off.

‘You OK, Tomas?’ Ted asked once he’d gone.

‘Yeah, thanks. I’m fine.’ As I said it I felt Flicker’s heat begin to fade, as if he too was calming down.

‘What’s up with him?’ Kai asked, nodding towards the retreating Liam.

‘Has he been hassling you about … you know, the PE stuff?’ Kat asked.

I bent down and pretended to tie up my shoelace, aware of them watching me, and willing Flicker not to try to wriggle out. Or worse, poo. The last thing I needed was another Whiffy Liffy episode. Even my friends thought I was being weird, without that happening. I spotted Mum and Lolli, miles ahead now and just about to turn the corner into our street, and I willed her to turn round and call me.

‘Nah, you know, just usual Liam stuff,’ I said.

I knew they weren’t buying it. That’s the thing about friends. Especially ones who know you as well as these three knew me.

‘TOMAS!’ Mum shouted.

‘I’d better go,’ I said, rolling my eyes and faking a groan.

I ran off, silently thanking Mum for saving me from another lie. But as I left, I couldn’t help noticing that Kat was looking a bit hurt.

Once I was safely on our street I slowed down. Flicker stretched in my pocket. Mum was already wrestling the buggy through the front door and so, after checking there was no one else around, I reached in to lift him out. He unfurled his wings and shook himself, sending a shimmering ripple across his scales. He sneezed and shot out a spray of sparks that I quickly stamped out.

It was a good job he hadn’t got out and done that when the others were there. And, more importantly, that Liam hadn’t seen him. I really didn’t like the idea of him spying on me. I’d just have to be super careful from now on.