summick?”
Joel looked away because he could feel his face growing hot, and he knew what that did to his odd complexion. “I c’n talk,” he said.
“So what you doin here, then?”
“Eating.”
“Well, I c’n see that, mon. But no one eats here. ’S not even allowed. How’d you never get told to eat where you s’posed to?”
He shrugged. “I ain’t hurtin no one, innit.”
She came around and stood in front of him. He looked at her shoes so that he wouldn’t have to look at her. They were black and strappy, the sort of shoes one might find in a trendy shop on the high street.
They were also out of place, and they made him wonder if she had trendy
other
things on beneath the overlarge uniform she was wearing.
It was something that his sister might have done, and thinking of this girl as a Nesslike figure allowed Joel to feel slightly more comfortable with her. At least she was a known commodity.
She bent and fixed him with her eyes. She said, “I know you. You come on the bus. Number fifty-two like me. Where you live?”
He told her, snatching a glance at her face. It altered from curious to surprised. She said, “Ede’ham Estate?
I
live there, innit. Up the tower.
I never seen you round. An’ where you catch the bus anyways? Not near me, but I seen you inside.”
He told her about Toby: walking him to school. He didn’t mention Ness.
She nodded, then said, “Oh. Hibah. Tha’s who I am. Who you got for PSHE?”
“Mr. Eastbourne.”
“Religious education?”
“Mrs. Armstrong.”
“Maths.”
“Mr. Pearce.”
“Oooh. He c’n be nasty, innit. You good at maths?”
He was, but he didn’t like to admit it. He enjoyed maths. It was a subject with answers that were right or wrong. You knew what to expect from maths.
Hibah said, “You got a name?”
“Joel,” he told her. And then he offered her something she hadn’t asked. “I’m new.”
“I
know
that,” she said and he grew hot again because it seemed to him that she sounded scornful. She explained. “You hangin here, y’unnerstan. I reckoned you was new. And anyways, I saw you here b’fore.” She tilted her head in the direction of the gate that closed the school off from the rest of the world. She offered him something in exchange for the information he’d offered her. She said, “My boyfriend comes lunchtimes most days. So I see you on my way to the gate to talk to him.”
“He don’t go here?”
“He don’t go anywheres. He s’posed to, innit. But he won’t. I meet him here cos ’f my dad ever saw me wiv him, he beat me black ’n’ blue, y’unnerstan. Muslim,” she added and looked embarrassed by the admission.
Joel didn’t know what to say to this, so he said nothing. Hibah said,
“Year nine,” after a moment. “But we c’n be friends, you ’n me. Nothing more ’n that, y’unnerstan, cos like I say, I got a boyfriend. But we c’n be friends.”
This was so surprising an offer that Joel was stunned. He’d never actually had someone say such a thing to him and he couldn’t begin to imagine why Hibah was doing so. Had she been questioned on the matter, Hibah herself could not have explained it. But having an unacceptable boyfriend and an attitude towards life that placed her squarely between two warring worlds, she knew what it was like to feel like a stranger everywhere, which made her more compassionate than her peers. Like water that seeks its own level, misfits recognise their brothers even when they do so unconsciously. Such was the case with Hibah.
She finally said, when Joel did not respond, “Shit. Not like I got a disease or summick. Well, anyways, we could say hi on the bus. Tha’
won’t kill you, innit.” And then she walked off.
The bell for class rang before Joel could catch up with her and offer friendship in return.
Chapter 3
As far as friendship was concerned, things were developing far differently for Ness, at least on a superficial level. When she parted ways with
Joel looked away because he could feel his face growing hot, and he knew what that did to his odd complexion. “I c’n talk,” he said.
“So what you doin here, then?”
“Eating.”
“Well, I c’n see that, mon. But no one eats here. ’S not even allowed. How’d you never get told to eat where you s’posed to?”
He shrugged. “I ain’t hurtin no one, innit.”
She came around and stood in front of him. He looked at her shoes so that he wouldn’t have to look at her. They were black and strappy, the sort of shoes one might find in a trendy shop on the high street.
They were also out of place, and they made him wonder if she had trendy
other
things on beneath the overlarge uniform she was wearing.
It was something that his sister might have done, and thinking of this girl as a Nesslike figure allowed Joel to feel slightly more comfortable with her. At least she was a known commodity.
She bent and fixed him with her eyes. She said, “I know you. You come on the bus. Number fifty-two like me. Where you live?”
He told her, snatching a glance at her face. It altered from curious to surprised. She said, “Ede’ham Estate?
I
live there, innit. Up the tower.
I never seen you round. An’ where you catch the bus anyways? Not near me, but I seen you inside.”
He told her about Toby: walking him to school. He didn’t mention Ness.
She nodded, then said, “Oh. Hibah. Tha’s who I am. Who you got for PSHE?”
“Mr. Eastbourne.”
“Religious education?”
“Mrs. Armstrong.”
“Maths.”
“Mr. Pearce.”
“Oooh. He c’n be nasty, innit. You good at maths?”
He was, but he didn’t like to admit it. He enjoyed maths. It was a subject with answers that were right or wrong. You knew what to expect from maths.
Hibah said, “You got a name?”
“Joel,” he told her. And then he offered her something she hadn’t asked. “I’m new.”
“I
know
that,” she said and he grew hot again because it seemed to him that she sounded scornful. She explained. “You hangin here, y’unnerstan. I reckoned you was new. And anyways, I saw you here b’fore.” She tilted her head in the direction of the gate that closed the school off from the rest of the world. She offered him something in exchange for the information he’d offered her. She said, “My boyfriend comes lunchtimes most days. So I see you on my way to the gate to talk to him.”
“He don’t go here?”
“He don’t go anywheres. He s’posed to, innit. But he won’t. I meet him here cos ’f my dad ever saw me wiv him, he beat me black ’n’ blue, y’unnerstan. Muslim,” she added and looked embarrassed by the admission.
Joel didn’t know what to say to this, so he said nothing. Hibah said,
“Year nine,” after a moment. “But we c’n be friends, you ’n me. Nothing more ’n that, y’unnerstan, cos like I say, I got a boyfriend. But we c’n be friends.”
This was so surprising an offer that Joel was stunned. He’d never actually had someone say such a thing to him and he couldn’t begin to imagine why Hibah was doing so. Had she been questioned on the matter, Hibah herself could not have explained it. But having an unacceptable boyfriend and an attitude towards life that placed her squarely between two warring worlds, she knew what it was like to feel like a stranger everywhere, which made her more compassionate than her peers. Like water that seeks its own level, misfits recognise their brothers even when they do so unconsciously. Such was the case with Hibah.
She finally said, when Joel did not respond, “Shit. Not like I got a disease or summick. Well, anyways, we could say hi on the bus. Tha’
won’t kill you, innit.” And then she walked off.
The bell for class rang before Joel could catch up with her and offer friendship in return.
Chapter 3
As far as friendship was concerned, things were developing far differently for Ness, at least on a superficial level. When she parted ways with
Similar Books
