Chapter 15
I stepped into the school the next day, letting Kadie know since she had asked if I could help her set up outside the cafeteria before lunch. She told me she was in English class and was trying to leave in a few minutes. Deciding I might as well make myself useful, I headed in the direction of the caf, taking a small detour by the gym since I knew that was the class Tracy and Carrie had this period. But I was puzzled to find that the gym was empty, barring a few guys shooting hoops at the far end. My phone buzzed again.
'Hey I'm not being allowed to leave :(,' said Kadie. 'Could either of the twins help you out? If not then you could just hang around I guess, and we'll set up quick at the end of third period.' I suddenly realized that the girls' gym class was probably doing something outdoors since it was such a great day. No wonder I didn't see them! Realizing I should probably respond to Kadie, I went back to my phone.
'Carrie and Tracy are in gym, but don't worry, I'll handle what I can. Hopefully I should have most of the stuff ready by the time you're out of class.' I typed back, laughing as she sent a barrage of 'thank you' and 'you don't have to' texts. Honestly by now I thought they would have gotten that I enjoyed helping them and didn't feel bad about it one bit.
I went over to the spot where we had planned to set up, and saw one of the cafeteria tables had been hurriedly dragged over and left there. I rearranged it to look more neat and professional, and then got a few napkins and paper plates just in case they were needed for anything. The bell went and within a minute Kadie was jogging up to me; as she reached me she doubled over, clutching her ribs. She was gasping for breath slightly and I gripped her shoulder lightly to steady her. Then her eyes landed on the table.
"Sorry I couldn't make it earl- Did you set that all up?" she said, looking in shock at the table and little things I had just gotten from the caf.
"Sort of, the table was here, just not in position and stuff. But brought a few chairs, sorry I didn't know how many of you were planning on being here to sell during lunch. And I don't know if we'll need the plates and stuff, those kebabs can't get all that messy."
She beamed as she surveyed the area. "It's fantastic, thanks so much! I'm sorry you had to do it all by yourself though." She stood upright, still breathing a little rapidly. "I'll go help get the trolley with the treats, it's in student services right now." She made to turn and head back in the direction she had come, but I tightened my grip on her shoulder and forced her gently into one of the chairs I had brought.
"Sit," I ordered with a smile. "You haven't even caught your breath, and there was no need to come running here. I'll go help bring the trolley here." She shook her head and tried to get up but my hand was still firmly pressing her down.
"Thank you," she said when she finally gave up. I grinned and jogged quickly to student services, dodging past the clusters of students in the halls along the way. When I reached I saw Mr. Downey, one of the guidance counsellors, just about to enter. He looked up as I came to an abrupt halt in front of him.
"Well hello," he said without a smile but I grinned; most people didn't smile at me only because they didn't like me. But I had rarely seen Mr. Downey go all out and actually smile at anyone. We had to learn how to tell his mood by his tone of voice, and sometimes even that was tough! "Fancy seeing you back again, did you have a good year?"
"It was different for sure," I said, not really wanting or caring to elaborate on what had been in truth one of the school years I would easily forget if I could. He nodded.
"Yes, the transition is always different, living alone and the increase in work," he commented. I said nothing to that; in truth the transition had been fine, I didn't remember it feeling too tough living away from my parents or Sid. And focusing on the coursework had been easy since most of my classmates didn't really spend much time near me. "So are you back for a visit?" he asked.
