frankie [episodes 1-3]

-6-

I don't need telling twice. I bolt towards the bathroom at the end of the changing room, past the showers, and into one of the two cubicles. Jared pushes in beside me – his broad frame barely fitting into the confined space. We wait for Rebecca. 

Suddenly she yelps.

Then the door to the changing rooms opens.

There's a brief, deathly silence. My heart thuds against my chest. Rebecca is still out there. I catch Jared's eye. He doesn't look concerned – but then again - he doesn't know Courtney. He leans over me, his chest brushing against mine, and slides the lock on the door.

Outrage washes over me at the thought of him abandoning his friend. But then again, I don't really want to go out there either.

"I can't get caught in the girl's locker room on my first day," he whispers. "Rebecca can look after herself."

Then the noise starts – a frenzy of squawked insults and outrage.

"What have you done, freak?"

"Weirdo."

"Loser."

"Freak."

"Quiet," a male voice cuts over it all, lower volume than the rest, but somehow it seems to slither through the chaos and supress it into compliance. "Rebecca is one of you now," says Mr. Harrison, "And you will treat her as such. Now sit down, let's go through my notes for this evening's session."

The girls obey with no other persuasion. The sound of people sitting down fills the room. Then his voice changes – becomes lower, more venomous.

"You were sloppy. All of you. Courtney – you're putting on weight. Lose it. Sarah, put on some make-up, your complexion is terrible. Lisa, you're wearing too much make-up, no-one wants to look at a clown. You, girl at the back, your nose is too big, cover it up somehow – and you, get some brains, you are stupid, you'll never achieve anything in this life. And, well. all of you could do to lose a few pounds."

He continues with his onslaught and I feel more and more nauseated. Who the hell is this guy? I don't like these girls, but no-one deserves to be spoken to like that. I can feel the anger radiating off Jared, too, the frown on his face is growing and he clenches his jaw.

"That's right girls," says Mr Harrison, "embrace the whispers. And spread them. I need the best possible environment for my inner demons to breed, to grow, to feed. Now tell me girls, what are you?"

In unison they speak, and my stomach lurches when I hear Rebecca's voice among them.

"We are ugly. We are worthless. We are nothing. We are yours."

"Excellent!"

And with that I hear the door open and close and he exits the room. There's a moments silence. And then the girls resume their chatter as though nothing unusual has just happened. Weirdly they even include Rebecca in their bitching about Gemma and how they're intending to pull some cruel prank on her the next day. Shortly after they trickle out – leaving me and Jared in stunned silence by the toilet.

We stare at each other, neither of us sure what to say, when suddenly there's a rap on the cubicle door. Slowly Jared slides open the lock and pushes it open.

Rebecca is stood outside. She raises her eyebrows.

"So...just a theory...but I think Mr. Harrison might be the bad guy..."

Jared releases a breath and I find myself exhaling heavily with relief.

"You're OK?" I say. "Why did he think you were one of them?"

"Beats me. I told you that guy gave me the heeby jeebies. I always thought he was a misogynistic ass, but it looks like he's a demonic misogynistic ass," she looks at Jared and grins. "Also – I knew no teacher in their right mind would take you on as a football coach!"

Jared and I push out of the cubicle. He rolls his eyes.

"He must be destroyed," she adds.

"Agreed," says Jared.

And then I catch sight of something in the mirror. Something that makes my heart jolt in my throat and my body jump back against the cubicle door. There's something on Rebecca's shoulder, clinging on to the back of her neck.

"Rebecca!"

She looks at me confused then follows my gaze.

"Argh!"

She convulses her body, flapping her arms at her back - aided by Jared who catches sight of it too. Abruptly it jumps off her neck and scuttles away up the wall like some kind of over-sized, grey, pincered, bug.

We instinctively group together in the middle of the room, our backs touching, our eyes darting about the bathroom tiles. We follow the sounds of the scuttling. My heart is thudding against my ribcage. I can feel the heavy rise and fall of Rebecca's breaths and the tension in Jared's muscles.

We stand like that - in silence - for a good five minutes until it's clear that whatever that thing was – it's not coming back. Then Rebecca turns to us, her blue eyes wide, her mouth gaping slightly open.

"Holy Moley, what the crapping hell was that?!"

Jared looks at her darkly.

"I think it might be time to go to Carter."

"Agreed."

The two look at me. My body feels cold. I can't help but think back to my dream. Kerri was looking at her shoulder. It was like she was trying to show me something – at least until it scuttled off. 

I shudder.

Then slowly I nod

"Agreed."