LERNERT ENGELBERTS Real Bad People - De Harmonie

the other day in the playground. About thumping you, I mean. I hope it didn’t hurt toomuch.’‘Oh, you know,’ I said. I didn’t believe a single word he said.‘Maybe we can make friends, hang out one of these days,’ said Craig. He washaving real difficulty getting the words out of his mouth. I almost felt sorry for him.Even though his mum looked like such a nice woman with her parasol and herfreckles and that, I could tell that she’d given him absolute hell. Mum had a reallygentle nature too, but she could chuck her shoe at you just like that, like that timeKevin had asked her for some money for new school stuff, but had come home with apile of comics and hidden them underneath his pillow, which really wasn’t the best ofplaces, so it was his own fault. Anyway, because he’s an athletic type and good atball games, he saw the shoe coming for miles and calmly stepped out of the way,with the result that I, who was standing right behind him, was floored by a flying shoejust a second later. I still have the scar on my forehead. ‘See what happens!’ Mumscreamed at Kevin as they stood over me and she gave him a good shaking. ‘Seewhat you’ve done?’‘Well, of course I’d like to thank you very much for your kind offer, Craig,’ I saidto him over the phone. ‘That’s very nice of you. I’d be happy to accept, but I’m far toobusy with my surfboard at the moment, so I haven’t really got time for a friend. Sayhello to your mum from me.’ My heart was in my mouth. Usually I only realised what Ishould have said in situations like that when I was lying in bed later, but this time I’ddone it when it really mattered.‘That wasn’t very friendly,’ said Mum when I hung up.Dad promised that he’d help me sand down the surfboard the next day, buthe’d also promised to take the letter for Chris, so I thought I’d just wait and see. Inbed that night I asked Kevin if they’d seen Chris and he told me they hadn’t been to