whether she didn’t want to be friends with a scholarship girl. In the end, I stopped trying to make friends and settled for curt nods and abrupt hellos and goodbyes each day.
Beatrice was sprawled across her bed, flicking through the pages of a magazine, when I returned. I said hello, and Beatrice gave a grunt of acknowledgement and pushed her glasses up to the bridge of her nose.
I rolled my eyes and dumped the heavy text books on the desk.
Beatrice sat up. “Don’t put them there. You’ve put them on top of my revision.”
I looked down at the desk. Beatrice had covered it with A4 sheets of handwritten notes. “Maybe you could make a little space on the desk for my books. It is supposed to be a shared desk.”
Beatrice got up and shuffled her notes into piles, muttering under her breath. I decided to go and see Caroline. I opened the door and saw Mary with her hand raised as if she’d been about to knock. Cindy and two other girls stood behind Mary.
My stomach tightened.
“Beatrice, get out,” Mary said, and Beatrice scurried from the room without a backwards glance.
I tried to close the door, but Mary was too quick and wedged it open with her foot.
“You thought you’d gotten away with it, didn’t you?” Mary said. She reached up and grabbed a handful of my hair.
I struggled, but two other girls held my arms. Panicking, I kicked out and screamed.
“Shut up! You stupid cow.” Mary slapped a hand over my mouth, and I reacted instinctively, clamping my teeth down on one of her fingers.
Mary squealed and pulled away. My arms were held back by two other girls while Mary snarled at me and raised her fist. Her punch connected with the bridge of my nose. The pain was incredible, and I could taste the blood in the back of my throat.
Mary lifted her fist for another blow, and I flinched.
Then I saw a hand come out of nowhere to clasp Mary’s wrist. Unbalanced, Mary wheeled backwards and then sunk to her knees.
It was Caroline. She held on to Mary’s wrist, bending it back until Mary whimpered.
“What the hell is going on?” Caroline’s voice was barely a whisper.
The girls, who seemed so menacing a few seconds ago, seemed to shrink in Caroline’s presence.
Caroline’s family background and money made these girls respect her. Maybe they were even a little afraid of her. She did look scary now. Her face was white and pinched, and her hair was a halo of red.
“Lucy started it. She stole Jason from Mary.”
“Mary?” Caroline looked at the girl kneeling at her feet and released her wrist. “You can’t be serious. Why on earth would Jason be interested in that? Look at the state of her. She looks like the back end of a hippo.”
Mary’s face crumpled, and despite my stinging nose, I almost felt sorry for her.
After the others traipsed out, I looked in the mirror and gasped. My nose was red and swollen.
“You’ll have a job explaining that to the teacher on breakfast duty tomorrow,” Caroline said, handing me a box of tissues.
“Do you think it’s broken?” I said and turned to face Caroline.
Caroline clasped my chin and tilted my face to the light. “I don’t think so. Do you want me to get the nurse?”
I shook my head and sat down on the bed.
Caroline sat down next to me. “Are you sure? You look a bit shaky.”
“I can’t believe she went for me like that. And the others, helping her, holding my arms. I couldn’t even defend myself.”
Caroline stayed silent for a few moments, her clenched fists resting in her lap, then she turned to me. “Don’t worry they won’t dare do it again.”
I shuddered. “We only have a few days left at school. Then I’ll never have to see them again.”
Caroline gave a tight smile. “Enough time for a little revenge, though.”
“I don’t want revenge. I want to forget them.”
Caroline frowned. “Really? You don’t want to get your own back?”
I touched my nose and flinched. “No, I want to go to bed and forget about
Beatrice was sprawled across her bed, flicking through the pages of a magazine, when I returned. I said hello, and Beatrice gave a grunt of acknowledgement and pushed her glasses up to the bridge of her nose.
I rolled my eyes and dumped the heavy text books on the desk.
Beatrice sat up. “Don’t put them there. You’ve put them on top of my revision.”
I looked down at the desk. Beatrice had covered it with A4 sheets of handwritten notes. “Maybe you could make a little space on the desk for my books. It is supposed to be a shared desk.”
Beatrice got up and shuffled her notes into piles, muttering under her breath. I decided to go and see Caroline. I opened the door and saw Mary with her hand raised as if she’d been about to knock. Cindy and two other girls stood behind Mary.
My stomach tightened.
“Beatrice, get out,” Mary said, and Beatrice scurried from the room without a backwards glance.
I tried to close the door, but Mary was too quick and wedged it open with her foot.
“You thought you’d gotten away with it, didn’t you?” Mary said. She reached up and grabbed a handful of my hair.
I struggled, but two other girls held my arms. Panicking, I kicked out and screamed.
“Shut up! You stupid cow.” Mary slapped a hand over my mouth, and I reacted instinctively, clamping my teeth down on one of her fingers.
Mary squealed and pulled away. My arms were held back by two other girls while Mary snarled at me and raised her fist. Her punch connected with the bridge of my nose. The pain was incredible, and I could taste the blood in the back of my throat.
Mary lifted her fist for another blow, and I flinched.
Then I saw a hand come out of nowhere to clasp Mary’s wrist. Unbalanced, Mary wheeled backwards and then sunk to her knees.
It was Caroline. She held on to Mary’s wrist, bending it back until Mary whimpered.
“What the hell is going on?” Caroline’s voice was barely a whisper.
The girls, who seemed so menacing a few seconds ago, seemed to shrink in Caroline’s presence.
Caroline’s family background and money made these girls respect her. Maybe they were even a little afraid of her. She did look scary now. Her face was white and pinched, and her hair was a halo of red.
“Lucy started it. She stole Jason from Mary.”
“Mary?” Caroline looked at the girl kneeling at her feet and released her wrist. “You can’t be serious. Why on earth would Jason be interested in that? Look at the state of her. She looks like the back end of a hippo.”
Mary’s face crumpled, and despite my stinging nose, I almost felt sorry for her.
After the others traipsed out, I looked in the mirror and gasped. My nose was red and swollen.
“You’ll have a job explaining that to the teacher on breakfast duty tomorrow,” Caroline said, handing me a box of tissues.
“Do you think it’s broken?” I said and turned to face Caroline.
Caroline clasped my chin and tilted my face to the light. “I don’t think so. Do you want me to get the nurse?”
I shook my head and sat down on the bed.
Caroline sat down next to me. “Are you sure? You look a bit shaky.”
“I can’t believe she went for me like that. And the others, helping her, holding my arms. I couldn’t even defend myself.”
Caroline stayed silent for a few moments, her clenched fists resting in her lap, then she turned to me. “Don’t worry they won’t dare do it again.”
I shuddered. “We only have a few days left at school. Then I’ll never have to see them again.”
Caroline gave a tight smile. “Enough time for a little revenge, though.”
“I don’t want revenge. I want to forget them.”
Caroline frowned. “Really? You don’t want to get your own back?”
I touched my nose and flinched. “No, I want to go to bed and forget about
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