Lone Wolf by Robert Muchamore

park gate. Ryan balled up his chip paper and charged towards the action.
    ‘Think you’re hard?’ Ryan taunted, as he strode in with chest puffed and fists bunched.
    The first rival Ryan faced was his friend Alfie. They’d fought in the dojo a few times and Ryan always got his arse kicked. But this time Ryan launched a pivoting roundhouse kick and Alfie acted out a backwards stumble, clutching his ribcage.
    Jimmy had a Somali named Youssef in a headlock, until Ryan approached and karate-chopped him in the neck, forcing him to let go before giving him a two-fingered eye jab that didn’t quite make contact.
    As Jimmy stumbled back with his hands over his eyes, another CHERUB agent charged at Ryan and ended up sprawled on his face from a trip.
    ‘Any more of you wanna piece of me?’ Ryan yelled.
    The St Thomas’ kids who’d been knocked down in the initial onslaught were still mostly crawling around on the ground, while four of the CHERUB agents were getting to their feet. At the centre of it all, stood Ryan.
    ‘I got four of you,’ Ryan yelled confidently. ‘Where’s your bravado now?’
    Alfie was the first CHERUB agent back on his feet, but as Ryan stepped closer he turned and started running. Within a few seconds the other CHERUB agents had all turned and run away.
    ‘Dartmouth Park,’ Ryan taunted, as they ran off. ‘Dartmouth Shite, more like.’
    By this time, most of the St Thomas’ kids were back on their feet. Abdi, who’d repeatedly blanked Ryan in science class, came up behind and gave him a friendly thump on the back.
    ‘You see that eye gouge on the big kid?’ Abdi shouted. ‘He’s gonna be feeling that one!’
    ‘Where’d you learn your skills?’ Andre asked.
    Ryan smirked. ‘I’ve been moved around a lot of schools and there’s always someone waiting to take a pop at you.’
    ‘Righteous,’ another kid said, before offering to bump fists. ‘Reckon we’d have handled it though. It’s just they took us by surprise.’
    ‘Surprise,’ Abdi agreed.
    ‘So where you from?’ Andre asked.
    Ryan made a circle with his pointing finger. ‘All around. My parents died, so I live with my brother, James. He’s got a job working as a mechanic, so hopefully we’re gonna be here for a while.’
    ‘Didn’t I see you going in a house on the Pemberton estate?’ Abdi asked.
    Ryan nodded. ‘That’s right.’
    ‘You should come over to The Hangout,’ Abdi said. ‘You must practically be able to see it from your house.’
    ‘I’ve seen it,’ Ryan said. ‘I wasn’t sure if it was cool, plus it’s not like I know anyone round here.’
    ‘Come tonight,’ Abdi said. ‘There’s pool, table tennis, girls.’
    ‘Not that they’ll go near you, Abdi,’ someone said.
    Ryan tried to sound nonchalant, even though he was all excited on the inside. ‘Guess I might check it out,’ he said casually.

14. HANGOUT
    Ryan got home from school just before five.
    ‘And?’ James asked.
    Ryan smiled as he threw his school bag down in the hallway. ‘Yeah, your plan worked,’ he said. ‘I had double maths after lunch and I sat with Abdi, Youssef and a guy called Warren. We were pissing around so much that we got a detention.’
    ‘So, am I a genius, or am I a genius?’ James asked.
    ‘Clearly nothing beats a giant fake street brawl to win new friends,’ Ryan said. ‘Now I’m supposed to be meeting the guys at The Hangout in about an hour, so I’m gonna shower and change. Is there something I can blitz in the microwave?’
    ‘That’s the only kind of food I buy,’ James said.
    After his shower, Ryan felt anxious as he picked out clothes for the evening. He didn’t want to look scruffy, but he might also get laughed at if he ponced himself up too much. In the end he went for a blue and white striped T-shirt, cargo shorts and a pair of Vans slip-ons.
    From outside, The Hangout was a grafittied metal shed that could have been a youth club anywhere. The main doors were propped open because of