that, I was just…”
“Yes?”
“I just didn’t want to see you put in the bin again.”
“Right,” said Bob. “So you thought it would be better if the Grubbs were really weird and friendly and going on about camping trips.”
“Well, they sort of came up with the camping trip on their own. But yes.”
Bob shook his head. “I can’t believe you. You’re such a… such a… spoiled brat!”
“What?” said Joe. “I was just helping you out! Would you really rather be put in the bin and have your chocolate stolen?”
“Yes!” shouted Bob. “Yes, I would! I’ll fight my own battles, thank you!”
“Suit yourself,” said Joe. “Have fun being dumped in the bin.”
“I will,” replied Bob before storming off.
“Loser!” shouted Joe, but Bob didn’t turn back.
Joe stood alone. A sea of litter surrounded him. He stabbed at a Mars wrapper with his litter stick. He couldn’t believe Bob. He thought he’d found a friend, but all he’d really found was a selfish, bad tempered, ungrateful… Ploomfizz .
Chapter 12
Page 3 Stunna
“…and The Witch still made me do litter duty!” said Joe. He was sitting with his dad at one end of the highly polished thousand-seater dining-room table waiting for his dinner. Impossibly large diamond chandeliers hung overhead, and paintings that weren’t very nice but cost millions of pounds adorned the walls.
“Even after I dropped your homework off in the chopper?” said Mr Spud, angrily.
“Yeah, it was so unfair!” replied Joe.
“I did not invent a double-sided moist/dry toilet tissue for my son to be put on litter duty!”
“I know,” said Joe. “That Miss Spite is such a cow!”
“I am going to fly to the school tomorrow and give that teacher of yours a piece of my mind!”
“Please don’t, Dad! It was embarrassing enough when you turned up today!”
“Sorry, son,” said Mr Spud. He looked a little hurt, which made Joe feel guilty. “I was just trying to help.”
Joe sighed. “Just don’t do it again, Dad. It’s so awful everyone knowing I am the son of the Bumfresh man.”
“Well, I can’t help that, boy! That’s how I made all this money. That’s why we are living in this big house.”
“Yeah… I guess,” said Joe. “Just don’t turn up in your Bum Air helicopter or anything, yeah?”
“OK,” said Mr Spud. “So, how’s that friend of yours working out?”
“Bob? He’s not really my friend any more,” replied Joe. He hung his head a little.
“Why’s that?” asked Mr Spud. “I thought you and him were getting on really well?”
“I paid off these bullies to help him,” said Joe. “They were making his life a misery, so I gave them some cash to leave him alone.”
“Yeah, so?”
“Well, he found out. And then, get this, he got all upset. He called me a spoiled brat!”
“Why?”
“How do I know? He said he’d rather get bullied than have me help him.”
Mr Spud shook his head in disbelief. “Bob sounds a bit of a fool to me. The thing is, when you’ve got money like we do, you meet a lot of ungrateful people. I reckon you’re better off without this Bob character. It sounds like he doesn’t understand the importance of money. If he wants to be miserable, let him.”
“Yeah,” agreed Joe.
“You’ll make another friend at school, son,” said Mr Spud. “You’re rich. People like that. The sensible ones, anyway. Not like this idiot Bob.”
“I’m not so sure,” said Joe. “Not now everyone knows who I am.”
“You will Joe. Trust me,” said Mr Spud with a smile.
The immaculately attired butler entered the dining room through the vast oak panelled double doors. He did a little theatrical cough to get his master’s attention. “Miss Sapphire Stone, gentlemen.”
Mr Spud swiftly put on his ginger toupee as Page 3 stunna Sapphire clip-clopped into the room in her impossibly high heels.
“Sorry I’m late, I was just at the tanning salon,” she announced.
This was evident.
“Yes?”
“I just didn’t want to see you put in the bin again.”
“Right,” said Bob. “So you thought it would be better if the Grubbs were really weird and friendly and going on about camping trips.”
“Well, they sort of came up with the camping trip on their own. But yes.”
Bob shook his head. “I can’t believe you. You’re such a… such a… spoiled brat!”
“What?” said Joe. “I was just helping you out! Would you really rather be put in the bin and have your chocolate stolen?”
“Yes!” shouted Bob. “Yes, I would! I’ll fight my own battles, thank you!”
“Suit yourself,” said Joe. “Have fun being dumped in the bin.”
“I will,” replied Bob before storming off.
“Loser!” shouted Joe, but Bob didn’t turn back.
Joe stood alone. A sea of litter surrounded him. He stabbed at a Mars wrapper with his litter stick. He couldn’t believe Bob. He thought he’d found a friend, but all he’d really found was a selfish, bad tempered, ungrateful… Ploomfizz .
Chapter 12
Page 3 Stunna
“…and The Witch still made me do litter duty!” said Joe. He was sitting with his dad at one end of the highly polished thousand-seater dining-room table waiting for his dinner. Impossibly large diamond chandeliers hung overhead, and paintings that weren’t very nice but cost millions of pounds adorned the walls.
“Even after I dropped your homework off in the chopper?” said Mr Spud, angrily.
“Yeah, it was so unfair!” replied Joe.
“I did not invent a double-sided moist/dry toilet tissue for my son to be put on litter duty!”
“I know,” said Joe. “That Miss Spite is such a cow!”
“I am going to fly to the school tomorrow and give that teacher of yours a piece of my mind!”
“Please don’t, Dad! It was embarrassing enough when you turned up today!”
“Sorry, son,” said Mr Spud. He looked a little hurt, which made Joe feel guilty. “I was just trying to help.”
Joe sighed. “Just don’t do it again, Dad. It’s so awful everyone knowing I am the son of the Bumfresh man.”
“Well, I can’t help that, boy! That’s how I made all this money. That’s why we are living in this big house.”
“Yeah… I guess,” said Joe. “Just don’t turn up in your Bum Air helicopter or anything, yeah?”
“OK,” said Mr Spud. “So, how’s that friend of yours working out?”
“Bob? He’s not really my friend any more,” replied Joe. He hung his head a little.
“Why’s that?” asked Mr Spud. “I thought you and him were getting on really well?”
“I paid off these bullies to help him,” said Joe. “They were making his life a misery, so I gave them some cash to leave him alone.”
“Yeah, so?”
“Well, he found out. And then, get this, he got all upset. He called me a spoiled brat!”
“Why?”
“How do I know? He said he’d rather get bullied than have me help him.”
Mr Spud shook his head in disbelief. “Bob sounds a bit of a fool to me. The thing is, when you’ve got money like we do, you meet a lot of ungrateful people. I reckon you’re better off without this Bob character. It sounds like he doesn’t understand the importance of money. If he wants to be miserable, let him.”
“Yeah,” agreed Joe.
“You’ll make another friend at school, son,” said Mr Spud. “You’re rich. People like that. The sensible ones, anyway. Not like this idiot Bob.”
“I’m not so sure,” said Joe. “Not now everyone knows who I am.”
“You will Joe. Trust me,” said Mr Spud with a smile.
The immaculately attired butler entered the dining room through the vast oak panelled double doors. He did a little theatrical cough to get his master’s attention. “Miss Sapphire Stone, gentlemen.”
Mr Spud swiftly put on his ginger toupee as Page 3 stunna Sapphire clip-clopped into the room in her impossibly high heels.
“Sorry I’m late, I was just at the tanning salon,” she announced.
This was evident.
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