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Jonathan had been so insistent and so Tommy eventually, instead of saying no, had done what he always did and just gone along with him.
    Now Jonathan was looking furious, and the project had turned into a disaster. Tommy knew that Jonathan wouldn’t let it go; he was so obstinate when he got an idea into his head.
    Jonathan was thinking about what Tommy had said. He didn’t fancy getting caught bunking off school either. Tommy was right, their mum would go nuts and probably ground them. She might even take his camera away, and he couldn’t risk that. Tommy was right; neither of them could go home just yet.
    “Okay, then, there’s only one thing for it. You're going to have to get in there and fetch our boat.” Jonathan nodded towards the water.
    “Why me, Jonathan?” Tommy whined. Just when he had thought the morning couldn’t get worse Jonathan was going to force him get into the water, which had a film of slime covering the surface in places. It was also freezing, and the thought of having to take his clothes off and get into the river was the last thing he wanted to do.
    “I’m not getting in there because I can’t swim! Besides, this is your fault. You were supposed to bring the batteries and you forgot them. It’s only fair that you get in there and bring our boat back.”
    Tommy gulped. He may have got away with not having to go home but there was no way Jonathan was just going to leave the boat out there.
    “What if we wait till three o’clock? I can go home then... pretend I’ve been at school,” Tommy suggested, beginning to panic.
    “Three o’clock is hours away. And what if someone comes, huh? Then we’ll have to leave the boat in the water. I’m not going to risk it. Besides, look at it, it’s going to sink if we leave it. Either you go home and face Mum, or you have to get in there.” He wanted the boat back, and Tommy had to be the one to get it. Jonathan sat on the path, next to the camcorder, and waited.
    Knowing that it was pointless arguing, and remembering that at least he had a towel packed in his PE bag, Tommy reluctantly started to undress. He laid his purple school blazer down on top of his sports bag and shivered; he dreaded to think about the temperature of the river if it was this cold just standing on the bank.
    The marshes were silent this morning, and as Tommy looked around he was grateful that there no-one could see him taking off his clothes. This side of the River Lea was lined with trees and even though their leaves had started to fall, there was just enough coverage for him to remain reasonably undetected by any people who might be inside the houses on the opposite bank. Jonathan had said earlier that if any nosey parkers asked them what they were doing there, he would just say that the school had given them permission to test out their boat. They were both wearing their uniforms under their big black puffer jackets and had their science books with them.
    Jonathan took out a packet of Marlboro Menthol cigarettes, which he had stolen from the newsagents that morning whilst the shopkeeper was distracted, from his trousers pocket. He lit it up as a pasty-looking Tommy stood beside him, now wearing just a pair of white boxer shorts, a matching vest and a look of dread.
    “Go on then.” Jonathan nodded towards the river as he inhaled the minty smoke. He screwed his nose up: he didn’t enjoy smoking, he just did it for effect. He loved the thrill of knowing that he might get caught, another thing that would piss his mum off; that alone had been a good enough reason as any to start as far as he was concerned.
    Tommy watched his brother blow out a thin grey stream of smoke. He had hoped Jonathan would relent, that any minute now he would laugh at Tommy standing there like a twat, shivering in his underwear, and say that he could leave the boat where it was. It was, after all, November, and looking at the water made him feel the cold right down to his bones.
    But Jonathan just