‘Here, Miss.’
‘Alistair Morris?
‘Present, Miss.’
‘Kelechi Musa?’
‘Here.’
‘Annalise Price?’
‘Here, Miss.’
‘Alexandra Shelley? Alexandra? Alex?’
‘Yeah, I’m here, Miss, but you can just call me Shelley, yeah?’
En masse, the room turns, wide-eyed, in the direction of the rebellious voice with an intriguing accent. A bright-eyed blonde girl with a tan smiles cockily from the back row. She sits slouched in her plastic chair, her left arm flung across its back like every cool girl in every teen film. She half smiles at our collective astonishment, looking more sure of herself in this moment than I’ve ever felt in my life.
The rest of the class turn swiftly back to the teacher to gauge her reaction but I stay staring at this compelling creature. Mum bought me a dictionary over the summer, as part of a confused attempt at prepping me for my first day of secondary school. I’ve just got to the word ‘audacious’. This girl isaudacious.
We make eye contact. She smiles.
‘Right…’ The teacher’s weary-sounding reaction makes me turn back. ‘Fine, whatever. Shelley it is.’
As the class ends, I make sure to be standing next to Alex Shelley as we file out. I make my opening approach as coolly and casually as I’m capable.
‘Yo, Shelley,’ I offer, looking down at my timetable, printed on a piece of card in my hand. ‘So are you, like, American or something?’
‘Australian,’ she drawls, sounding the perfect amount of bored. ‘My family just moved here because of my dad’s dumb job. It’s cold in England.’
‘It sure is!’ I agree with all my soul, even though it’s actually very warm today. ‘And that’s sooo cool you’re Australian. I watchHome and Awaya lot, it’s the best.’ She shrugs, so I try another tack. ‘So, um, what class do you have next? Science?’
‘Yeah,’ she says through chewing gum, and I feel her eyes on me, taking me in – judging me. ‘I totally hate science.’
‘Oh god, yeah, me too!!!’ I am too loud and I shake myself. Dial down the eagerness to please, I internally instruct –be cool. ‘I mean, yeah, it’s totes rubbish and I’m sooo dreading it.’
‘What’s your name?’ She kicks at a stone as we walk and even that seems awesome.
‘Esther Adams,’ I tell her as we walk in the direction of the science block. ‘But you can call me Adams if you want?’
She looks scornful. ‘Going by a surname is kind ofmything, OK, Esther? Don’t copy me, yeah?’
‘Yeah totally!’ I immediately copy her scornful tone. ‘Yeah, and Esther is fine. There’s an Adam in our form anyway, so it could get confusing, yeah?’ I bark a laugh.
Arriving at our science lesson, we file to the back in silent agreement, selecting a table together in the corner. Another girl takes a seat beside us and introduces herself as Louise. She seems lame but kinda funny. Everyone seems lame next to Alex. Sorry,Shelley. The three of us giggle as a group for no reason over the randomness of sinks on every table.
A girl I knew from primary school asks if she can sit with us and I give her a withering look. I have acrewnow, I don’t need the people I went to kid-school with.
‘Right.’ The teacher sweeps in, tall with a booming voice.‘Welcome, Year Sevens, I’m Mr Havana and I’ll be teaching you biology. Let’s get to know each other by taking the register.’ He looks down at the folder before him as Louise and I turn to watch Shelley in action.
She slouches down in her seat and prepares for her name to be called.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The silence has stretched on for aeons. Empty, empty emptiness is all around us as we sit here, unable to form words.
The Swab is busier than usual, so we’ve gone outside in the cold. We’re sitting as far away from everyone else as possible, on a splintery picnic bench next to the pub’s large, overgrown pond full of ducks. The uncomfortable seating is matched only by the discomfort of this situation. I’m regretting moving away from the cover of other people’s noise. I didn’t want anyone to be able to hear us talk, but it turns out we have nothing to say.
