power-walked his way out of there. ‘It’d do you good to loosen up a bit.’
The game ended in a draw and Ms Black took them to the corner of the field, although by then she was Trish. They sat down on the grass. Sharon moved near the front. She’d scored a try, right at the end, and it was turning into a good day, one where there was less reason to drift out to the edges.
‘Right, back to the book.’
They groaned, but not too much. They had a deal.
‘So you,’ she pointed at Junior. ‘You didn’t like the book. Why not?’
‘Oh well, I don’t know?’ Junior shrugged.
‘He hasn’t even read it Miss,’ Sharon said. ‘He’s just a fool.’
‘Have you Sharon?’ Sharon felt everyone looking at her and immediately she regretted having spoken. It was like for a second she’d forgotten it was English, where everything she tried to say always turned to custard. She didn’t even remember the book. She just remembered she didn’t like it.
‘Sort of.’
‘And did you like it?’ Sharon wished Trish’d notice, see how it was making her feel.
‘Not really.’
‘Why not?’
‘I dunno.’ Sounding stupid, when it wasn’t quite like that. It wasn’t fair.
‘It’s not very realistic Miss.’ Jason came in with the save. Hewas trying to impress her, same as he’d been going hard-out in the game, not knowing how obvious he was. ‘She’s so lame. Why doesn’t she just kill the guy and stop whining about it in her diary.’
‘Now you’ve ruined it for me wanker,’ Junior complained. ‘I can’t read it now, I know the ending.’
‘And no one keeps diaries Miss,’ Sharon added, determined to show she did have something to say, something that wasn’t ‘dunno’, or ‘reckon’.
‘Well yes funny you should mention that Sharon,’ Trish said.
‘Oh good one Sharon.’
‘Fuck you.’
‘You wish.’
‘No no,’ Trish interrupted. ‘I was going to do this anyway.’
Yeah, all of it. You’ve planned the whole thing. Maybe even paid old Harp to go psycho. It’s good though. Shows you’re not stupid, not like most of them.
‘The thing is I think you’re right okay? I think this story is absolute bullshit.’
‘I thought you hadn’t read it.’
‘Well I guess I might have lied there.’ She smiled and leant forward, holding her toe in a stretch. ‘I mean, it’s not real is it? It’s about a world that maybe people want you to believe in, but you can’t, because you’re here and you know it’s not real. So I was thinking, why not write about some real people for a change? Let’s write about ourselves. That’s the work I’m setting, it’s the price you pay for your touch lesson Junior.’
‘Yeah right.’
‘But you’ve given us reading too Miss,’ Ollie complained.
‘It can be anything you like.’ Trish ignored him. ‘Aboutyourself. A poem, a diary entry, a story. True or imagined, a mixture if you like. Any length too, so long as it’s in some way real.’
‘I can’t do it this week Miss,’ Junior said. ‘I got too much other stuff on.’
‘Yeah, what happens if we don’t do it?’
‘I’ll kick your arse,’ Trish replied, with a big smile like she was some Auntie come down to visit, someone who could get away with stuff like that. ‘Hey, what’s the time? Five past. Near enough eh? Right, away you go then.’
Sharon had left her bag in class and had to go back for it. By then everyone else had gone and it was just Trish there.
‘Sharon isn’t it?’ Trish looked up from her desk, where she was writing ‘all present’ on the absence sheet, even though she hadn’t taken a roll. ‘Nice game.’
‘It was alright.’
‘Got any ideas for the assignment then?’
‘Ah, not really. I don’t really get what you want us to write.’ Sharon shrugged, feeling stupid again, trying hard not to let it show.
‘Something about yourself.’
‘Yeah, guess.’
‘Say maybe something you like. What’s something you really like?’
‘There’s
The game ended in a draw and Ms Black took them to the corner of the field, although by then she was Trish. They sat down on the grass. Sharon moved near the front. She’d scored a try, right at the end, and it was turning into a good day, one where there was less reason to drift out to the edges.
‘Right, back to the book.’
They groaned, but not too much. They had a deal.
‘So you,’ she pointed at Junior. ‘You didn’t like the book. Why not?’
‘Oh well, I don’t know?’ Junior shrugged.
‘He hasn’t even read it Miss,’ Sharon said. ‘He’s just a fool.’
‘Have you Sharon?’ Sharon felt everyone looking at her and immediately she regretted having spoken. It was like for a second she’d forgotten it was English, where everything she tried to say always turned to custard. She didn’t even remember the book. She just remembered she didn’t like it.
‘Sort of.’
‘And did you like it?’ Sharon wished Trish’d notice, see how it was making her feel.
‘Not really.’
‘Why not?’
‘I dunno.’ Sounding stupid, when it wasn’t quite like that. It wasn’t fair.
‘It’s not very realistic Miss.’ Jason came in with the save. Hewas trying to impress her, same as he’d been going hard-out in the game, not knowing how obvious he was. ‘She’s so lame. Why doesn’t she just kill the guy and stop whining about it in her diary.’
‘Now you’ve ruined it for me wanker,’ Junior complained. ‘I can’t read it now, I know the ending.’
‘And no one keeps diaries Miss,’ Sharon added, determined to show she did have something to say, something that wasn’t ‘dunno’, or ‘reckon’.
‘Well yes funny you should mention that Sharon,’ Trish said.
‘Oh good one Sharon.’
‘Fuck you.’
‘You wish.’
‘No no,’ Trish interrupted. ‘I was going to do this anyway.’
Yeah, all of it. You’ve planned the whole thing. Maybe even paid old Harp to go psycho. It’s good though. Shows you’re not stupid, not like most of them.
‘The thing is I think you’re right okay? I think this story is absolute bullshit.’
‘I thought you hadn’t read it.’
‘Well I guess I might have lied there.’ She smiled and leant forward, holding her toe in a stretch. ‘I mean, it’s not real is it? It’s about a world that maybe people want you to believe in, but you can’t, because you’re here and you know it’s not real. So I was thinking, why not write about some real people for a change? Let’s write about ourselves. That’s the work I’m setting, it’s the price you pay for your touch lesson Junior.’
‘Yeah right.’
‘But you’ve given us reading too Miss,’ Ollie complained.
‘It can be anything you like.’ Trish ignored him. ‘Aboutyourself. A poem, a diary entry, a story. True or imagined, a mixture if you like. Any length too, so long as it’s in some way real.’
‘I can’t do it this week Miss,’ Junior said. ‘I got too much other stuff on.’
‘Yeah, what happens if we don’t do it?’
‘I’ll kick your arse,’ Trish replied, with a big smile like she was some Auntie come down to visit, someone who could get away with stuff like that. ‘Hey, what’s the time? Five past. Near enough eh? Right, away you go then.’
Sharon had left her bag in class and had to go back for it. By then everyone else had gone and it was just Trish there.
‘Sharon isn’t it?’ Trish looked up from her desk, where she was writing ‘all present’ on the absence sheet, even though she hadn’t taken a roll. ‘Nice game.’
‘It was alright.’
‘Got any ideas for the assignment then?’
‘Ah, not really. I don’t really get what you want us to write.’ Sharon shrugged, feeling stupid again, trying hard not to let it show.
‘Something about yourself.’
‘Yeah, guess.’
‘Say maybe something you like. What’s something you really like?’
‘There’s
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