silent

24

     She cuts herself off when two girls walk into the closed off space. I recognise one as the girl who cornered me in the petrol station bathroom on Friday with her brother. They said I was the reason their older brother was beaten up, but how could I have been? I've never seen them before in my life.

Jess scowls at me when she sees me, and says to her friend loudly, "first she comes to my dance studio and ruins it, and now this freak is at my school too?"

I look down at the notebook, and Gracie turns to them. Before I can try stop her, she says: "shut up, Jess. You're ruining school for everybody in our year. And you're just mad that Amalia got a duet with Oliver and a solo, and you were just in a group dance. You're the most unnecessary person on that team. I know that and I don't even go to dance."

Jess's eyes widen as I cover my smile with my hand. Even her friend cracks a smile that quickly disappears when Jess turns to her.

     "Let's go. This place stinks, anyway." Jess turns around and walks out.

"It won't when you leave." Gracie rolls her eyes as she says it. Jess scoffs before she leaves.

     I laugh. Gracie smiles. I write down:

THANKS. YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO
DEFEND ME.

     "Of course I do. We're friends." She says. "And besides, it's funny. Whenever I argue with her, it's like arguing with a little kid. She gets offended easily." She pulls a cookie out of her pack and offers it to me. I shake my head, and so she shrugs and eats it instead.

     Friends. I smile, I have two friends.

     "We normally sit in different places at lunch, but if you wanna sit up here today we can. There's me, Ollie, Liam, Ezra and Mia. If you don't wanna stay here, we can go in the lunch hall or one of the work areas."

     I write down: IS THERE ONE IN ART? I WANNA WORK ON MY TITLE PAGE.

     She nods. "Yeah. We can sit there. It's probably the best place, to be honest. It's more private, and none of the teachers mind if you eat there."

I smile.

"By the way, Ollie showed me a video of your solo. You were really good. Jess is just intimidated."

THANKS. I write down.

"No problem."

For the rest of the break, she tells me more about the school until the bell interrupts her voice. She stands. I copy her after shoving my water bottle into my bag.

"What lesson do you have next?"

I show her. SCIENCE—ROOM 01 W/ MR JAMES.

She crinkles her nose. "I'm in Maths. I hate Mr James, though. He's.. weird. Not funny weird, but.. you'll see what I mean. I'll walk you there."

My nervousness grows as she leads me to the science department on the third floor. She stops outside the first classroom and regards me with a sympathetic look. "Walk back the way we came from the stairs and I'll meet you after class. We both have Languages."

I nod. She smiles and turns away, beginning to walk to her own lesson, and I tentatively step inside the classroom. The middle aged man at the front of the room turns to me when I step inside and smiles, showing way too many teeth. I feel like I'm underwater and he's a shark about to gobble me up. I take a precautionary small step back.