asked Mum.
‘Nothing. Really. I’m fine.’ I felt as surprised by the tears as Mum was.‘Just, I don’t know. Maybe it has all been a bit much. Like, I feel like I am just getting
ahead with one subject and then another pile of work comes in for another one and I feel like I’m not giving all my subjects the proper attention. It’s like that stage act, you know,
when a man balances five plates on the end of five poles – only, with me, it’s like I just get all the plates up and the one at the end starts to fall down, I run to that one and one at
the other end falls. I can’t keep them all in the air at the same time.’
‘Ten subjects is a lot,’ said Mum.
‘It’s what everyone else is doing.’
‘Yes, but they have all been there since the beginning. The syllabus is still new to you.’
I indicated the books. ‘Which is why I am working on a Sunday again, or rather not working. I’ve been faffing about like Queen of Faff.’
Mum looked at me with a concerned expression. ‘We’re all good at faffing when we have work to do. Don’t beat yourself up. Life has to be a balance, you know. At least you have
Joe to go out with and have a good time.’
It was all very well for her. She didn’t have a posse of teachers snapping at her heels about her work and Mrs Goldman telling her to ‘buck her ideas up’. And I wasn’t
sure that I did have Joe any more either. Mum didn’t understand. No one did. I sighed wearily.
‘Has something happened?You haven’t broken up, have you?’
‘Not exactly, but we might. We kind of had a row,’ I said and I filled her in on what had happened the day before.
Mum listened patiently, then smiled.‘I think it’s sweet that he got so jealous, don’t you? Better that than he didn’t care.’
‘He was so sulky though, Mum. You should have seen him, like a girl pouting! And it wasn’t as if anything had happened with Tyler.’
‘OK. Now put yourself in his shoes. How would you have felt if you had seen him holding hands with someone? Some very pretty girl and you’d walked in on them?’
I hadn’t thought of that. I imagined Joe with another girl. I didn’t like it one bit. I laughed.‘Insanely jealous, I guess. I would have imagined all sorts had been going on. I
would have wanted to kill him and her.’
Mum laughed. ‘So there you go. He reacted because he likes you and is possessive and that’s sweet really. And it’s not as if he’s like that all the time. He must have
felt threatened.’
I felt my anger towards Joe disappear in a flash. ‘I could have been more understanding, I suppose,’ I said.
‘It takes time sometimes,’ said Mum. ‘Relationships aren’t always sweetness and light. Some days are going to be like that. And trying to understand where your boyfriend
is coming from is part of growing up. If we all walked away at the first misunderstanding, there’d be no hope.’
I couldn’t wait to see Joe again. I wouldn’t be mad with him any more. I’d show him what he meant to me. I felt better after having talked to Mum and managed to get focused and
down to some work.
Around three in the afternoon, Brook called. ‘Hey, India Jane,’ she said. ‘I got your message.’
‘Where’ve you been?’ I asked. ‘I’ve been trying to reach you and Leela and Zahrah.’
‘We’re in Greenwich. Sorry I didn’t get back to you earlier, but we’ve been having the most amazing time and, we all forgot to check our messages. It’s like being
on holiday here. We’ve been around the markets and —’
As she enthused away, I couldn’t help but feel jealous. They had been out without me. ‘Why didn’t you ask me to come?’
‘Oh,’ said Brook. ‘Um. We assumed that you’d be doing something with Joe.’
‘No. I’ve been at home all day, studying, it’s been really boring.’ I didn’t say that I would have had to stay at home to catch up on work, even if they had asked
me to go. ‘But Zahrah has a boyfriend
‘Nothing. Really. I’m fine.’ I felt as surprised by the tears as Mum was.‘Just, I don’t know. Maybe it has all been a bit much. Like, I feel like I am just getting
ahead with one subject and then another pile of work comes in for another one and I feel like I’m not giving all my subjects the proper attention. It’s like that stage act, you know,
when a man balances five plates on the end of five poles – only, with me, it’s like I just get all the plates up and the one at the end starts to fall down, I run to that one and one at
the other end falls. I can’t keep them all in the air at the same time.’
‘Ten subjects is a lot,’ said Mum.
‘It’s what everyone else is doing.’
‘Yes, but they have all been there since the beginning. The syllabus is still new to you.’
I indicated the books. ‘Which is why I am working on a Sunday again, or rather not working. I’ve been faffing about like Queen of Faff.’
Mum looked at me with a concerned expression. ‘We’re all good at faffing when we have work to do. Don’t beat yourself up. Life has to be a balance, you know. At least you have
Joe to go out with and have a good time.’
It was all very well for her. She didn’t have a posse of teachers snapping at her heels about her work and Mrs Goldman telling her to ‘buck her ideas up’. And I wasn’t
sure that I did have Joe any more either. Mum didn’t understand. No one did. I sighed wearily.
‘Has something happened?You haven’t broken up, have you?’
‘Not exactly, but we might. We kind of had a row,’ I said and I filled her in on what had happened the day before.
Mum listened patiently, then smiled.‘I think it’s sweet that he got so jealous, don’t you? Better that than he didn’t care.’
‘He was so sulky though, Mum. You should have seen him, like a girl pouting! And it wasn’t as if anything had happened with Tyler.’
‘OK. Now put yourself in his shoes. How would you have felt if you had seen him holding hands with someone? Some very pretty girl and you’d walked in on them?’
I hadn’t thought of that. I imagined Joe with another girl. I didn’t like it one bit. I laughed.‘Insanely jealous, I guess. I would have imagined all sorts had been going on. I
would have wanted to kill him and her.’
Mum laughed. ‘So there you go. He reacted because he likes you and is possessive and that’s sweet really. And it’s not as if he’s like that all the time. He must have
felt threatened.’
I felt my anger towards Joe disappear in a flash. ‘I could have been more understanding, I suppose,’ I said.
‘It takes time sometimes,’ said Mum. ‘Relationships aren’t always sweetness and light. Some days are going to be like that. And trying to understand where your boyfriend
is coming from is part of growing up. If we all walked away at the first misunderstanding, there’d be no hope.’
I couldn’t wait to see Joe again. I wouldn’t be mad with him any more. I’d show him what he meant to me. I felt better after having talked to Mum and managed to get focused and
down to some work.
Around three in the afternoon, Brook called. ‘Hey, India Jane,’ she said. ‘I got your message.’
‘Where’ve you been?’ I asked. ‘I’ve been trying to reach you and Leela and Zahrah.’
‘We’re in Greenwich. Sorry I didn’t get back to you earlier, but we’ve been having the most amazing time and, we all forgot to check our messages. It’s like being
on holiday here. We’ve been around the markets and —’
As she enthused away, I couldn’t help but feel jealous. They had been out without me. ‘Why didn’t you ask me to come?’
‘Oh,’ said Brook. ‘Um. We assumed that you’d be doing something with Joe.’
‘No. I’ve been at home all day, studying, it’s been really boring.’ I didn’t say that I would have had to stay at home to catch up on work, even if they had asked
me to go. ‘But Zahrah has a boyfriend
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