After the movie it is time for bed. Jack and Jem change into their pyjamas and brush their teeth.

Jem’s mum comes to say goodnight.

‘Hope you boys are having fun,’ she says. ‘Don’t stay up too late talking, will you?’

Jack lies in the dark. He wishes his mum and dad were here to kiss him goodnight.

Instead there is just grumpy old Jem who won’t even talk to him.

Jack feels lonely. He wonders if it is too late to call his mum and dad to come and get him.

Just then, he hears a noise. A sniffy snuffly sound. Jack realises Jem is crying!

‘What’s the matter?’ asks Jack.

Jem stops crying. ‘Nothing,’ he says.

Now Jack feels cross. ‘Why won’t you talk to me?’ he says.

Jem sits up in bed. He turns on his bedside lamp. ‘You are the boringest friend ever!’ he shouts.

‘What?’ yells Jack. ‘No, I’m not. You are! You said we could play games all night and now you don’t want to!’

Jack is so angry he feels like he might explode.

Suddenly Jem bursts out laughing.

‘What?’ says Jack.

‘You look funny,’ Jem giggles.

‘I’ve never seen you look that cross before. You look like an angry monkey.’

Jack tries not to smile, but Jem’s laughter makes his mouth twitch.

‘Well, you look like a grumpy gorilla!’ he says.

Jem laughs. ‘You should have seen your face when you tasted Mum’s curry,’ he says. ‘You went all red like a baboon’s bottom.’

Jack frowns. ‘I haven’t eaten spicy food before,’ he says. ‘It’s not my fault!’

‘Don’t worry,’ Jem says kindly. ‘You have to get used to it. I’ve been eating curries since I was a baby!’

‘Do you really think I’m a boring friend?’ Jack asks.

‘Of course not!’ says Jem. ‘I just wanted you to come and play soccer, that’s all.’

‘But you have so many cool video games,’ says Jack. ‘Don’t you want to play with them?’

Jem shakes his head. ‘Not all the time.

Usually it’s just me and Mum at home. I have to play video games by myself. It gets boring. And she never wants to play soccer. That’s why I was so excited about you coming over. Finally, someone to play with!’

Jack feels bad. He might not have any video games, but he always has someone to play with — his dog Scraps, his best friend Billie, even his mum and dad sometimes. He was so excited to play Jem’s games that he hadn’t thought about what Jem might want to do.

‘All right,’ says Jack. ‘Tomorrow it’s your turn to decide what we play.’

‘Cool!’ says Jem. ‘But don’t you want to beat my high score on the computer first?’

‘Nah,’ says Jack, smiling. ‘I think I’d like to beat you at soccer. That sounds like much more fun!’