CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

HOG IT

An hour later Jonny put his controller down and fell backwards on the rug.

‘Wow, you’re really good at this,’ he said. ‘Respect, brother!’

He held up his hand for a high five.

Pete carried on playing.

‘Don’t leave me hanging!’ said Jonny.

Pete left him hanging.

‘Ted never used to play the Xbox with me,’ said Jonny. ‘But then he used to moan that I hogged it and he couldn’t get a go …’

Pete didn’t respond.

‘Come and lay the table, please!’ Jonny’s mum shouted from the kitchen.

‘Come on, we better go. Dinner’s nearly ready,’ said Jonny. ‘See that zombie you’re about to shoot? That’s what my mum will look like if she has to call us in to dinner again!’

‘I’m fine,’ Pete said, eyes glued to the screen.

‘But you must be hungry,’ said Jonny.

‘Not really,’ said Pete.

He continued playing, without looking up. Jonny stood there for a moment, dithering and feeling rather abandoned by his new brother, and then ran into the kitchen. He had to fib that Pete didn’t feel well, and he and his mum had dinner together, just the two of them. Then he ate an apple. Then he read his book. Then he learned his spellings for the test tomorrow. Then he helped his mum trim Widget’s eyebrows. All the while, no sign of Pete.

Finally, as it was a lovely summer evening, Jonny asked Pete to come for a dog walk.

Pete didn’t seem to hear. He was still glued to the Xbox, shoulders hunched.

‘Come on!’ Jonny exploded. ‘Let’s go! It’s so boring you being on the Xbox all the time. Let’s go out. Let’s do something.’

‘I need to finish this level,’ said Pete.

Jonny sat down heavily on the sofa and sighed. Widget, with his lead on, sat down too. They waited. Then waited some more. And some more. At first, Pete had made Jonny feel a little anxious and shut out. Now, though, Pete’s behaviour just made him angry.

‘I give up!’ he snapped. ‘I’ll take the dog out on my own.’

Jonny stomped off to the Common. He walked to the copse and found the place where he and Ted liked to build dens. It was just along from the Hanging Pants of Doom. He glanced at them, fluttering faintly in the evening breeze, and sighed.

When he got home Pete had gone to bed. He went to say goodnight and found him lying there, staring at the ceiling, his thumbs still twitching like they were working a controller.

‘Night, then,’ Jonny said.

Pete ignored him.