He is grumbling about his maths homework. ‘Fractions and equations and square roots are kind of pointless,’ he argues, blasting his hedgehog hair with a cloud of borrowed hairspray. ‘I won’t need any of this once I’m a famous dancer, so why torture me with it now? It’s cruel. Possibly even an infringement of my human rights.’ ‘Rubbish,’ I tell him, working through yet another page of equations. ‘Maths is a basic skill. You’ll need it one day to negotiate your fees when you’re dancing for the Royal Ballet!’ ‘I wish,’ Sparks says. The door opens and Grace comes in, her face registering annoyance when she sees Sparks. ‘What’s he doing here?’ she asks, rudely. ‘Boys aren’t allowed in the girls’ dorms, Jodie, you know that. I could have just been in the shower or anything! It’s totally against the rules!’ ‘Hello?’ Sparks says, waving his fingers at Grace. ‘I am actually here, y’know! You can talk to me directly, like everyone else does. You weren’t just in the shower, so I won’t be fainting clean away at the sight of your naked ankles.
