left the kitchen with Logan, leaving Lis
to ponder the swirling water, spinning the wrong way down the drain.
Lis had missed the bus by a mile, so Max kindly offered to drop her at school and now the silver Transit van pulled up outside the main gates. She breathed deeply, adoring the
smell of the van: varnish and wood chips.
‘Are you sure you’re all right?’ Max asked, his big blue eyes prying for information.
‘I’m fine. Promise.’ She managed a feeble smile.
‘OK. Have a nice day.’ Her brother-in-law gave her a kiss on the forehead before she flopped out of the vehicle.
Once again the school was wrapped in a veil of fine drizzle guaranteed to turn her hair into a frizzy mess by the time she reached the safety of the corridors. She murmured a solemn farewell to
Max and dragged her feet towards the entrance.
The huge ancient clock that dominated the main hall told her that at eight fifty-five she’d probably already missed the warning bell that prompted students to get to their form rooms by
nine. She swung her bag onto her shoulder and wearily started for G2.
Her spider sense flickered. Something was not quite right . It was exactly the same feeling that had blighted her first day of school. But this was odd. The new-girl sensation should have
left her by now, so why were people staring at her? Her hair couldn’t be that frizzy! She’d left the party on Saturday night soon after Laura and Kitty had fallen down the
stairs, so she was certain she hadn’t done anything to embarrass herself.
Increasingly aware of others pointing her out or whispering, she hurried to G2 and settled herself into her seat next to Harry. To her horror, the hushed voices and sideways glances continued.
Lis turned to Harry, who seemed to be masterfully avoiding eye-contact. The paranoia boiled over.
‘Harry, what is going on? Do I have something weird on me?’ A sense of dread rose in Lis’s gut and she started to wish she’d played sick for Sarah.
‘Nothing, babe.’
‘Then why is everyone staring at me?’
Harry shrugged and tried to pull an innocent expression. The effect was cartoonish and fake. ‘I have no idea, babe. People must be talking about what happened at the party.’
Lis scanned the classroom. In their usual spots at the back of the class sat Jack, Delilah and Kitty, who sported a nasty yellowish bruise under her eye. No one was paying them any more
attention than normal. This was ridiculous.
‘Harry, nothing happened at the party! I was there for the fight, but that’s it.’
As the 9 a.m. bell sounded, Laura and Nasima sauntered into class in their usual catwalk formation: Laura slightly ahead, flanked by her sentry. On passing, Laura gave Lis the most hateful look
she’d seen in a long time.
Lis was baffled. What had she done to upset Laura? The strangest part was, despite the way Laura had behaved at the party, Lis hated the idea of Laura being mad at her. A tiny, residual
desire to belong, to fit in with the popular girls still glimmered within her. Lis pushed that thought out of her head; she was so over that crap.
‘Look, Lis,’ hissed Harry. ‘Laura told me what happened with Danny.’
‘What do you mean?’ Lis demanded. ‘Literally nothing happened! I talked to him for, like, a minute.’
Harry scowled at her and turned away.
‘Jesus, Harry,’ Lis whispered emphatically, ‘it’s not my fault if Danny Marriott doesn’t fancy Laura!’
With a sharp flick of her hair, Harry whipped around to face Lis, a nasty grimace on her face. ‘Whatever. You’re a liar and a slag and I don’t like liars and slags. Now could
you please stop talking to me or I’ll tell Mr Gray you’re bullying me?’
As Harry pushed her chair back to seek counsel with Laura, Lis felt herself gawping. What on earth had she done to deserve that?
Throughout Maths, Lis desperately tried to motivate herself by pretending she was some sort of future scientist who would one day need to know
to ponder the swirling water, spinning the wrong way down the drain.
Lis had missed the bus by a mile, so Max kindly offered to drop her at school and now the silver Transit van pulled up outside the main gates. She breathed deeply, adoring the
smell of the van: varnish and wood chips.
‘Are you sure you’re all right?’ Max asked, his big blue eyes prying for information.
‘I’m fine. Promise.’ She managed a feeble smile.
‘OK. Have a nice day.’ Her brother-in-law gave her a kiss on the forehead before she flopped out of the vehicle.
Once again the school was wrapped in a veil of fine drizzle guaranteed to turn her hair into a frizzy mess by the time she reached the safety of the corridors. She murmured a solemn farewell to
Max and dragged her feet towards the entrance.
The huge ancient clock that dominated the main hall told her that at eight fifty-five she’d probably already missed the warning bell that prompted students to get to their form rooms by
nine. She swung her bag onto her shoulder and wearily started for G2.
Her spider sense flickered. Something was not quite right . It was exactly the same feeling that had blighted her first day of school. But this was odd. The new-girl sensation should have
left her by now, so why were people staring at her? Her hair couldn’t be that frizzy! She’d left the party on Saturday night soon after Laura and Kitty had fallen down the
stairs, so she was certain she hadn’t done anything to embarrass herself.
Increasingly aware of others pointing her out or whispering, she hurried to G2 and settled herself into her seat next to Harry. To her horror, the hushed voices and sideways glances continued.
Lis turned to Harry, who seemed to be masterfully avoiding eye-contact. The paranoia boiled over.
‘Harry, what is going on? Do I have something weird on me?’ A sense of dread rose in Lis’s gut and she started to wish she’d played sick for Sarah.
‘Nothing, babe.’
‘Then why is everyone staring at me?’
Harry shrugged and tried to pull an innocent expression. The effect was cartoonish and fake. ‘I have no idea, babe. People must be talking about what happened at the party.’
Lis scanned the classroom. In their usual spots at the back of the class sat Jack, Delilah and Kitty, who sported a nasty yellowish bruise under her eye. No one was paying them any more
attention than normal. This was ridiculous.
‘Harry, nothing happened at the party! I was there for the fight, but that’s it.’
As the 9 a.m. bell sounded, Laura and Nasima sauntered into class in their usual catwalk formation: Laura slightly ahead, flanked by her sentry. On passing, Laura gave Lis the most hateful look
she’d seen in a long time.
Lis was baffled. What had she done to upset Laura? The strangest part was, despite the way Laura had behaved at the party, Lis hated the idea of Laura being mad at her. A tiny, residual
desire to belong, to fit in with the popular girls still glimmered within her. Lis pushed that thought out of her head; she was so over that crap.
‘Look, Lis,’ hissed Harry. ‘Laura told me what happened with Danny.’
‘What do you mean?’ Lis demanded. ‘Literally nothing happened! I talked to him for, like, a minute.’
Harry scowled at her and turned away.
‘Jesus, Harry,’ Lis whispered emphatically, ‘it’s not my fault if Danny Marriott doesn’t fancy Laura!’
With a sharp flick of her hair, Harry whipped around to face Lis, a nasty grimace on her face. ‘Whatever. You’re a liar and a slag and I don’t like liars and slags. Now could
you please stop talking to me or I’ll tell Mr Gray you’re bullying me?’
As Harry pushed her chair back to seek counsel with Laura, Lis felt herself gawping. What on earth had she done to deserve that?
Throughout Maths, Lis desperately tried to motivate herself by pretending she was some sort of future scientist who would one day need to know
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