It doesn't matter:' he said.
"Maybe I co uld come toni ght?"
«If you want to," he said and he went back to reading his
book.
Later, at recess, just as Fizza was trying to talk to Fletcher
again. Billy came over.
"HI', I"' IZZ01,., he Salid.
"Fletcher, th is is Billy. Billy, thi s is Fletche r, from Sark .. .
well, he was from America first. then Sark!" she said.
"Hi, Fletch er;' said Billy.
But Fletch er igno red him and turned his head away. Fizza
looked at h im. He was behaving just like he had th e first time
she had met him on Sark: rude, bad-tempered, unlikeablc, Not
like Bill y. The previous evening she had had a nice time with
Billy at the movie theate r - as she always d id.
"Did n't we have a great time last nigh t?" said Billy.
Fletcher turned and stared angrily at Fizza. Now he knew
the real reason why she had not gone to the stables. Pizza tried
to smile at him. hut he just walked toward a tree, climbed it
and salon the highest branch he could find.
"Is he OK?" asked Billy. "He's a bit- "
"What?" rep lied Pizza sha rply.
"You know .. . strange?" said Billy. who didn't like Fizzas
relationshi p with th is odd boy. Why co uldn't he go back to Sark!
"He's not strange!" said Fizza. "He's great! He's just arrived
he re, that's all!"
By then other students had started laughing at the new
red -ha ired hoy who had climbed the tree. And th ey laughed
even more when the school cat climbed up and sat with him.
"Poor Fletcher:' thought Pizza. "I should have gone to see
him last night! He doesn't know anyone in all of Birmingham!
What sort of friend am I?"