Debut Jamie Johnson

-Not because you kissed a boy behind the magazine.

-Here comes the boy...

I heard that Tommy really likes you.

-BOYS ARGUE LOUDLY BOY:

-Not me...

# Watch out for those kids

# They'll tear you apart... #

-ALL CHANT:

-Fight! Fight! Fight!

# They'll tear you apa-a-a-a-a... #

..Not because you kissed a boy behind the magazine.

-BOY:

-Oi!

Oi, come on, give me the ball back!

-BOY:

-23, 24...

-ALL:

-25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30.

31, 32, 33, 34, 35,

36, 37, 38, 39, 40.

41, 42, 43, 44, 45,

46, 47, 48, 49, 50.

51, 52, 53, 54, 55,

56, 57, 58, 59, 60.

61, 62, 63, 64, 65,

66, 67, 68, 69...

'..83, 84, 85... '

Jamie...

-Jamie...

-CURTAINS RATTLE

Come on, Sleeping Beauty.

Don't want to be late on your first day.

DIALLING TONE

'Hi, this is Ian Reacher... Leave a message and I'll get right back.'

JAMIE SIGHS, ANSWERING MACHINE BLEEPS

Dad, it's me again. I start my new school today, Kingsmount.

I just thought you might want to pick me up later.

Call me if you're....

-JAMIE'S MUM:

-'Jamie!'

-DIAL TONE

HE EXHALES DEEPLY, BOX THUDS

HE WINCES Aah...

Aah...

SHE SIGHS

I feel terrible I can't go with you.

I'm sure you'd prefer your grandad to take you anyway.

-Uh... Earth calling Jamie!

-What?

There's no need to bite me head off!

Look... You're bound to be feeling nervous,

but things won't feel so bad once you've settled in.

Have you heard from Dad lately?

I tried him before, but it went straight to voicemail.

He's never left it this long before.

The whole point of us moving in here was...

to make a fresh start, remember?

CAR HORN BEEPS OUTSIDE

-Who's that?

-It's Jez, said he'd give us a lift.

-Jez?

-Jeremy.

Well, you must have heard me mention him before.

He's worked at our place for years.

Didn't take long.

-What was that?

-Nothing.

Jamie, he's just a friend.

Well, he sounds like a freak to me.

Whatever he is,

I'm sure he'd never speak to anyone the way you speak to me.

-FRONT DOOR CLOSES

-Morning, Dad!

-Morning, petal.

You all set to make your big debut?

-DOOR BANGS SHUT

-What did I say?

SHE SIGHS

They're going to hate me when they find out I'm from The Grove.

-Don't talk daft!

-You don't understand, Mike.

It's like someone from Foxborough signing for Hawkstone.

-It's that bad.

-I bet you can't name the last player to do that.

David Bryce, 1986.

And the Foxborough fans still hate his guts to this day.

And the Hawkstone fans think he's a living legend.

And it won't be long before the kids here think the same about you.

Once they see you in action, they'll be queueing up to be your mate.

So get in there and show them what you're made of. Eh?

CHILDREN YELL AND PLAY

-WHISTLE BLOWS

-Oi, Simmons...

Off my court now or you'll be hearing from me later!

Go on, right off!

MUSIC: Left Hand Free by Alt-J

WIRE FENCE RATTLES LOUDLY

HE EXHALES DEEPLY, BELL RINGS

CHILDREN YELLING, RINGING GROWS LOUDER

I'd like to introduce you all to your new classmate, Jamie Reacher.

SHE GIGGLES

I'm sure there's a lot of you that recognise Jamie's face,

although you may prefer to forget!

I'm informed Jamie scored a hat-trick against us last term

with his old school, The Grove.

Isn't that right, Jamie?

Yes, Miss.

Only cos our first-choice keeper limped off after five minutes.

That's no excuse for you not scoring at the other end, is it?

Is that a private conversation or can anyone join in?

Goggles down, Harry, Dillon...

DILLON SIGHS

Well, I think we should all be VERY grateful Jamie is now on our side!

-SHE GIGGLES

-And I know

that I can rely on you ALL...

..to make him feel very welcome.

Hugo has kindly offered to be your buddy for the day.

He's going to show you around the building

and answer any questions you may have.

SHE CHUCKLES

Right, everyone, if we can open our textbooks at page 24.

-SHE CHUCKLES

-Yeah...

(All right, Hugo?)

(Call me Boggie, everyone else does.)

(Who do you support?)

-(I don't follow football. Sorry.)

-(You don't follow football?)

(Watching a group of spoiled, overpaid Neanderthals

(chasing a ball around is hardly my idea of entertainment!)

BOGGIE SIGHS

MUSIC: Figure It Out by Royal Blood

-Packard!

-Oh, come on! Seriously, get off me.

And this is the Year Seven playground.

We're segregated for our own safety, due to Kingsmount's

proud tradition of turning out the next generation of psychopaths.

Speaking of which...

Tackle me and I'll knock you out. You too.

Save it and you're dead.

Oh...

# Yeah! #

-ALL:

-51, 52, 53, 54, 55,

56, 57, 58, 59, 60.

61, 62, 63, 64, 65,

66, 67, 68, 69, 70.

71, 72, 73, 74, 75,

76, 77, 78, 79, 80.

81, 82, 83, 84, 85,

-86, 87...

-88, 89, 90.

91, 92, 93...

Could he love himself any more?

..96, 97, 98, 99...

-ALL:

-Aww!

-Aw!

-BELL RINGS

-Hey.

-Gimme the ball.

CHILDREN CHATTER

-Mind if I sit here?

-If you can find a spare seat.

-Jamie!

Come and sit with us.

It's all right, I'm here now.

What?!

-So, I see you've opted for the sausages.

-Why, are they not good?

So long as you're happy eating 20% mechanically recovered meat.

It's a process that sucks it directly off the bone

before turning it into the slimy paste.

And don't even get me started on the other 80%!

Sorry, have I put you off?

If you can't stomach the truth,

you probably shouldn't stomach the sausage.

This aubergine bake is to die for.

Think I'll stick to this.

Fancy a game?

Yeah, come on. You two against us. You scared?

BOGGIE SCOFFS

No need to be so worried,

I have a severe allergy to all competitive sports.

And we have a severe allergy to lads who prefer hanging around

with girls.

Come on, sports hall's free.

-I'll be on your side.

-You?

Yeah, why? You got a problem with that?

-I'm Jack, by the way.

-I'm Jamie.

MUSIC: Despair And Traffic by Slaves

-Hoo-ah!

-Oh!

Come on!

-# Signals flying

-Through the air

-# Who discovered

-They were there?

-# Darling, don't be

-So dramatic

-# It's not all

-Despair and traffic... #

-HARRY:

-Yeah!

DOOR SQUEAKS

You know who that is, don't you?

Hansard, head of PE.

-# This is life

-Life... #

-HANSARD:

-Come on, Dillon! It's not wrestling, it's football, remember?

# This is life! #

Aah!

Pfff!

-Sucker!

-On your feet, lad. What's your name?

Jamie, Sir. Jamie Reacher.

Well, I don't know what it was like in your old school, Jamie Reacher,

but you'll have to man up if you want to play in my team.

HE EXHALES DEEPLY

HE SIGHS

-Are you OK?

-Yeah, I think so.

Come on, let's do this.

HEART POUNDS

Jack!

I'm in!

Ooh!

# ..Are united Then we'll never... #

Yeah!

Yes!

-Back in this!

-Come on, Harry!

-HARRY:

-Come on!

-Pressure! Pressure!

-DILLON:

-Shoot!

Yeah!

-HANSARD:

-Come on, Dillon, come on!

# Kids with feelings Like you and me... #

Jamie.

# Understand him He'll understand you... #

Shoot!

-Go...

-DILLON:

-Save it!

Dillon... I thought you were supposed to be the man!

Show me your skills, stop mucking about!

# If the kids are united... #

-HARRY:

-Dillon!

-HANSARD:

-That's better.

Come on, boys! This is not netball, it's football!

CHEERING

Yes!

Yes!

JACK AND JAMIE LAUGH

-WHISTLE TRILLS

-All right, pay attention.

Next goal...wins.

Come on, Reacher. Show me what you've got.

Here's your chance.

MUSIC: Won't Get Fooled Again by The Who

Ugh!

# We don't get fooled again

# Don't get fooled again... #

CHEERING

What a comeback!

Whoa!

Oh...

-Why didn't you save it?

-And why did you lose your heads like that, eh?

He left you for dust.

Ah...

Well, you've certainly got some pace and some decent skill about you...

-How d'you fancy joining our squad for training?

-Yes, sir.

What about me? I can play in any position.

Believe me, if you were a lad, you'd walk straight into my squad.

-And I'm not just saying that.

-But why can't I?

It is the 21st century, you know?

With talent like that, I'm sure

there's plenty of girls' teams out there willing to snap you up.

But not in THIS school.

Then, how about... you think about starting one up.

What's your preferred position?

-I played on the left wing at my old school, Sir.

-Mm.

Well, there's no harm in having competition for places...

Keeps people on their toes.

After school on the astro...

Did Dillon do that?

No, I kicked the box this morning, but he's made it even worse.

-Do you make a habit of kicking boxes?

-Don't ask.

Some of those saves you made were amazing.

-Leon Tibbs, eat your heart out!

-Who's Leon Tibbs when he's at home?

Who's Leon Tibbs? Only the best goalie Hawkstone's ever had!

Despite the glazed facade, I really couldn't be more impressed.

Are you a Hawkstone fan then?

-Of course.

-Right answer.

My grandad used to play for the youth team.

-Really?

-Yeah, Mike Johnson, but he got injured.

It's in the genes then. What about your dad?

-What about him?

-Does he play as well?

My dad likes to think he's some big expert,

but he just repeats everything he's heard on Match Of The Day.

It drives me mad.

-Is your dad still around?

-What do you mean?

It's just that I know that you and your mum moved in with your grandad.

Yeah, he's still around. He might even pick me up later.

The look on Dillon and Harry's faces when that last goal went in,

it was priceless.

I thought you didn't like football?

I like anything that shuts those two up.

You kept us in that game. Where did you learn to play like that?

-Football's my life, always has been.

-Never heard a girl say that before.

Well, I'm not your average girl.

-GIRL 1:

-Whoo!

-GIRL 2:

-Yeah!

-BOY:

-Come on!

DIALLING TONE

'Hi, this is Ian Reacher... Leave a message and I'll get right back.'

ANSWERING MACHINE BLEEPS

Jamie?

Jamie!

'It's been a testing few months for this young man...'

'..but this must be one of his greatest challenges to date...

'boy versus machine.

'Even he must know, deep down, that this is a race he can never win.

'Just look at the determination on his face.'

TRAIN WHISTLE HOOTS

HE PANTS

HE PANTS HEAVILY

Jamie! Jamie!

BOGGIE PANTS

I thought your dad was picking you up.

What's it got to do with you?

-Sorry, I just wondered.

-All right, Jamie.

-Fancy coming down the park for a kickabout?

-Just wondered what?

Whether you'd like to come back to mine instead.

Aw, your little buddy wants to play with you!

Why would I want to go back to your house, weirdo?!

Come on, Reacher.

Did you see that goal on Match Of The Day?

Yeah, it was sick...

HE SNIFFS

I don't think I've ever seen a Russian film before, but...

-You know, live a little...

-I saw one in French once, but...

Well, we'll have a good time.

OK, well, I'll see... Oh, hiya, Jamie.

How'd you get on?

All right.

Hi, Jamie, I'm Jez. I've heard a lot about you.

-Who do you support?

-Sorry?

-What football team?

-Ooh, uh... Foxborough.

Wrong answer?

Well, I don't really have a favourite, to be honest.

I think it's great for the city

when both teams are doing well, don't you?

(Bye.)

# The lion in the jungle shows no shame, it shows no pride

# It does what it needs to

# To stay strong and to survive Yeah... #

Morning.

Jack.

I don't talk to bullies.

I was at the bus stop last night. How can you treat Boggie like that?

-What's he ever done to you?

-I can explain.

-Don't bother.

Jack, I know I was totally out of order,

-but it weren't even about Boggie.

-I know who it was about.

What, you think just because your dad let you down

that somehow excuses your behaviour?

I don't think so.

# You keep it We don't want it

# You keep it We don't want it... #

HARRY SINGS MISCHIEVOUSLY

-Hey!

-Harry...

-Hey, give it back!

-You want it back? Come on, then.

-Come on, just give it back.

-Take it.

-DILLON AND HARRY CHUCKLE

-Selfie!

-Ugh...

-Give it.

-Come on.

-Hey, come on!

Jamie, catch.

-Can I just have it back, please?

-Jamie, back to me.

Come on. Time to prove whose side you're on.

What do you mean?

-Smash it.

-What?

You heard me. Go on, I dare you.

And if I don't?

You'll soon find out.

Who are you going to choose? Us...

or your little buddy?

-He bottled it, I knew he would.

-I didn't bottle anything.

Why would I want to smash my mate's phone?

You really think you're going to get into the football team now?

-What's it got to do with you?

-You going to tell him, or should I?

You really think Hansard is going to pick someone else

to play in his grandson's position?

-Hansard's your grandad?

-Yeah.

So don't even think about turning up to training

-because you'll be wasting your time.

-Come on.

Thank you.

-Sorry about yesterday.

-And I'm sorry about those two.

I'm afraid you may have just made two very powerful enemies.

7.1.

7.2.

Push it. 7.3.

Come on, come on, come on! 7.4.

Do you mind if we finish?

-That's not like you.

-It's these, they're killing me.

Thought they were the good ones off your dad.

They are, but they're starting to rub.

I've been trying to call him, but I can't get through.

I know yous two didn't get on,

but he was really trying his best before Mum kicked him out.

He even said he was going to buy us a season ticket.

You don't go around making promises like that

if you're not going to stick around, do you?

Well, it's not always that simple.

Look, the way I see it, our family were like a team.

And now I feel like Mum sold our best striker

and replaced him with a donkey.

What do you mean, replaced him?

-This Jeremy from work.

-What about him?

Isn't it obvious?

You're putting two and two together and getting 46.

Well, I don't like him.

And he obviously doesn't know a thing about football.

He even pretended to support Foxborough.

Look...

What happens when a team is forced to sell

one of its most influential players?

They have to adapt.

Make the most of the squad they've got,

and it's a chance for younger players to step up.

Show them what they're made of.

That's what your mum needs now.

For you to become a leader.

Believe me, the last thing she wants right now is a new man in her life.

And I'm sure your dad will be in touch when he's good and ready.

But you know what grown-ups are like.

Sometimes you're best just keeping out of it.

So, in the meantime...

..I want you to promise me

you'll put all your energy into your football, yeah?

Good. Because you know I won't rest

until I see a Johnson running out for Hawkstone one day.

But I'm not a Johnson, am I?

HE SIGHS

And he skips past one, two, three.

Can he go all the...?

DISCONNECTED NUMBER TONE

Jamie!

What's wrong?

Nothing.

Doesn't look like nothing to me.

I hate her.

-Who?

-My mum.

-You don't mean that.

-I do.

-Why?

You don't want to know.

It all makes sense now.

Just cos she hates him doesn't mean I have to.

He's got nothing without us. He's out there somewhere all on his own.

-Who?

-My dad.

I don't know where he is and now his phone's completely dead.

Anything could have happened to him. I've got to find him.

-I need to know he's OK.

-How?

Someone must know where he is.

I'll phone everyone I can think of. Go knocking on doors if I have to.

Whatever it takes. Cos I won't rest until I've found my dad.

The best way to solve any problem is to approach it like a game of chess.

Attack versus defence. You all know the score.

Promise me you won't try and contact your dad.

Do you have an address for him?

The main thing is,

you don't let any of this distract you from your football.

-I'm through, I'm through!

-What's the matter with you?

-They're not passing.

-Get into the game!

-Jamie!

-Promise you won't mention this to anyone?

You should have just told him the truth about his dad from the start!

-When was the last time you saw him?

-We left training together.

No foul.

-Shove your stupid team.

-You'd better come back here right now!