Big Man & A Place I Will Never Leave

By R.P. McQuillan

Eleven year-old Toby Dobson is always in trouble at School; disrupting class, fighting in the playground and bullying. We meet Toby, along with his friends and many enemies and at first he seems like a normal misunderstood young boy – one just going through a phase or trying to grow up – but could events at home be having a major effect on his behaviour?
As we learn more about Toby and what he is going through we find there is more to the boy than meets the eye and more than any of his friends and teachers realise. Toby is forced to grow up quickly and examine himself; he re-evaluates what is important in life and attempts to change but will his already shameful reputation prove too big an obstacle for him to overcome?

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.P. McQuillan
• Release date: Oct 29, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463610169

R.P. McQuillan

Having rediscovered my childhood passion for reading whilst working and travelling in Europe in 1997, it wasn’t long before I felt the urge to begin writing.Being an avid reader myself, it is ALL about the writing – the quality of the prose itself – and this is something I try to practice every day. Books shouldn’t just tell a story from start to finish, telling you what happened; a good book should make you feel a certain way too, as well as living with you a long time after you’ve finished reading it. I am passionate about good quality reading and writing.I hope you enjoy my work. Please feel free to leave comments. Thank you!

Book preview

BIG MAN

& A Place I Will Never Leave

R.P.McQuillan

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2020 R.P.McQuillan

Big Man first published 2013

A Place I Will Never Leave first published 2018

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this eBook. This work is the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. Thank you for your support.

Cover image courtesy of ipolonina @ istockphotos.co.uk

Design by the Author

To Mum

CONTENTS

Big Man

A Place I Will Never Leave

Big Man

February, 1983

Toby Dobson looked to the front of the classroom, leaning on his right elbow, bored and tired. He had no interest in what the stupid teacher was going on about; the adrenalin had dissipated now from finally getting his hands on that new idiot Taylor at last break and throwing him to the floor. All he could think of now was when this stupid day would come to an end.

The skinny lad, Taylor, looked tentatively across at Dobson, and then looked back quickly. He was trying to think of a way to avoid him at the school gates when class ended. He had told him yesterday – trying to stand up to him for the first time – that his stepbrother would come and ‘beat him’ if he picked on him anymore. He wondered at the wisdom of saying that, worried that it might make Dobson even madder and hate him more. He was more worried now than he had been earlier, having now felt the full wrath of Dobson. His anger was as ferocious as anything he had ever seen and nothing whatsoever seemed to faze him. Yes, his stepbrother was big, but the truth was he couldn’t really imagine him fighting, and especially not to stick up for him, as he didn’t even like him. He knew that today he had been lucky to escape a proper beating and he wondered how much longer he would be so fortunate. He certainly knew that he wouldn’t stand a chance against Dobson in a fight.

Andy looked across and smiled, his friend Toby responding in a bored fashion, raising his eyebrows and breathing out heavily. He knew he was lucky that Toby seemed to like him. He would never tell him the truth that he was terrified of him and, if truth be told, probably hated him, because he had seen the ferocity of the boy and didn’t ever want to be on the receiving end of it.

Brian Banks looked to the front attentively. He had worked hard again today and was starting to get something out of school. He thought again of his parents’ disappointment at the poorness of his last report, but when his father had demanded he do better it hadn’t bothered him. The truth was, he wanted to do better for himself too. He thought that Toby was to blame for most of it and it was for this reason that he had started hanging out more with Kevin. He thought that Kev was definitely becoming his new best friend. Brian wouldn’t have thought it possible. In the first five years of school, he and Toby had been totally inseparable, but Toby was starting to annoy him. He didn’t understand why he picked on kids who were so obviously weaker than him. It seemed to be more important than anything else to Toby that he make the new kid Greg Taylor’s life a total misery, and Brian was bored of it. He still hung out with Toby of course, still couldn’t imagine not, but he was now