finished

Above all things, he hated leaving something half-done. To start an act or endeavour and leave it uncompleted was, his father had taught him, the behaviour of a child and not a man. 'Seeing things through', his father called it. He had embarked on his first novel in the early autumn but now, two months on, he knew that -

pick on someone your own size

Slam. His fist in my solar plexus. Crack. A stomach-stopping blow to my temple. This was not going to plan.

My trump card - surprise - had long since been played. For the third time in as many weeks, I would be forced to reevaluate my own physical prowess.

Next time I would have to start a fight with a child.

His hair long, his feet bare, Mr Stevens was as vitriolic as he was blasphemous.

He steadied himself and Inhaled deeply before unleashing a fresh volley of abuse and spittle in to the assembly hall.

The pupils of West Chester looked on impassively. Many felt they had heard enough about the “myth of refrigeration” last year.”