A Message for Andrea McLeish

Chapter 2

'Andrea! How was your weekend, babe?' MacKenzie asks as she kisses me on the cheek.

'Fabulous! And your? Hey, Jax!'

I kiss Jaxon on the cheek. Then Marshall arrives so I kiss him on the cheek too. MacKenzie kisses Marshall and Jaxon claps him on the back. Taylor and Pippa run up and we greet them with kisses too. We're all talking at once, our voices growing louder, like a Friday night on fast forward. I hear the bell ring in the background but ignore it. We don't stop until everyone has filled everyone else in on their weekends.

Ahead of us Ms King turns into the classroom carrying a stack of papers. No doubt my D-grade and Harriet's A-grade short stories are among them. We chat for a moment longer, then I walk off in the direction of the classroom, the others falling in step behind me.

We're still laughing and talking when we enter the classroom. Ms King frowns at us.

I give her my ten-thousand dollar, braces off, smile. 'Good morning, Ms King! How was your weekend?'

Behind her, leaning against the wall, is a kid I've never seen before. He must have a super-powered immune system if he doesn't mind touching that manky old wall.

'Who's this?' I ask.

'Sit down, will you, Andrea!' Ms King says. 'You're late enough as it is.'

I slide into my chair, not taking my eyes off the new kid the entire time. He's pale with black hair and is staring off into space. Not in the weird way Bobby does, more like how you stare when you're waiting for a bus or some other mind-numbing thing.

I lean towards the desk next to mine and whisper to MacKenzie, 'Hot vampire.'

MacKenzie pretends to swoon and Jaxon, who's sitting on my other side, mutters, 'Emo is so last decade.'

My laugh comes out louder than intended and Ms King snaps, 'Andrea! Will you keep quiet for once?'

The new kid looks right at me. His eyes are electric blue. Of course they are. I feel my cheeks burning so I switch my attention back to Ms King.

'Class, we have a new student joining us this morning. Please welcome Anthony Jarvis.'

The new kid looks around the room but doesn't say anything. Awk-ward! All I can hear are throats being cleared.

Then in the back row a voice pipes up. 'Hi, Anthony,' says Harriet.

'Hey...' mutter a few more kids.

'Anthony, go sit in that empty desk at the back,' says Ms King.

Anthony walks past me and I hear this faint humming sound. His mouth's not moving and I can't make out the tune.

Taylor bought this new foundation on the weekend. It's so subtle no-one can tell we're wearing it, so we won't get a uniform violation. We stand before the girls bathroom mirrors, checking out our reflections from different angles.

'What's the point? I can still see Pippa's pimples,' MacKenzie says.

Taylor and I laugh. Pippa blushes.

'Yeah, but it smooths out your complexion, don't you reckon?' Taylor asks.

I don't notice any real difference. Still, I like the idea that the foundation is there.

'On another topic, how hot is the new guy?' Pippa says.

'Tell me about it!' Taylor says, and MacKenzie nods her approval.

They wait for me to say something, but instead I take out my lip gloss and begin applying it.

I study the effect in the mirror. 'Anthony...' I concentrate on how my tongue feels forming every syllable of his name. Finally I turn back to the girls. 'I like him,' I announce.

I feel pleased as I watch them mask their disappointment with smiles. If they're jealous, it means I have good taste in men.

'Let's go find him!' MacKenzie says.

My throat feels tight as I stand there looking at Anthony in conversation with Harriet.

'Looks like we arrived just in time,' says MacKenzie. 'Better go rescue him, Andrea.'

We cut across the schoolyard towards Anthony, cutting through groups of kids as we go. I stop directly in front of him, my three friends behind me.

Harriet looks up and says, 'Hi, Andrea!'

I ignore her. 'Well, hello, Anthony Jarvis! Welcome to Glenbury High. I trust you're settling in well?' I hope my lip gloss is sparkling right now.

Anthony looks from me to the girls standing behind me. He's smiling slightly, but I can't tell if it's a good smile or a bad smile.

'Hey...' he says eventually.

Then he starts turning back to Harriet and I have to move fast. 'Have lunch with me!'

Anthony looks at me again. I smile. 'I mean, I was wondering if you wanted to join us for lunch. We can fill you in on the school and stuff.'

'No thanks. I'm having lunch with Harriet. What was that you were saying about pyramids, Harriet?'

Harriet shrugs and smiles at me, before turning her attention back to Anthony.

I feel winded. I turn on my heel and cut back across the schoolyard, scattering groups of kids as I go. MacKenzie, Taylor and Pippa fall into step behind me.

'Rude!' Pippa says.

'Only a weirdo would want to hang out with Hippie Chick,' MacKenzie says.

'He's a freak,' Taylor says.

I sigh. 'Come on, let's go to the oval. Jaxon and Marshall are probably there.'

Instead of writing a short story for our homework, this week we're giving speeches on any topic we like. This suits me much better. I'll do the same speech I give every year – my mother's death. I get an A every year. Sometimes kids in the class cry. I'm pretty sure it was after my speech last year that Jaxon started showing an interest in me.

I really go to town when I give that speech, telling the kids what it's like not to remember my own mother, how that event everyone was watching on television changed my life forever even though I was only a baby at the time. Now my mother's not here to guide me through my teenage years and make sure I keep out of trouble. She won't be there when I walk down the aisle or lie in hospital with a new baby in my arms. I tell the class how I never check social media on Mother's Day; it just hurts too much. I usually tear up at that bit, sometimes my tears are real, more often they're not. Giving this speech is more like acting. I should seriously think about becoming an actor when I finish school.

What I really think and feel about my mother is strictly private though. I can't tell anyone I still hear her voice in my dreams, so I steer from the weird and stick to the drama.

When I'm making my speech I look at Anthony the entire time. This is bad acting. You're supposed to make eye contact with at least everyone in the first couple rows. I want to see how he reacts though. Maybe he'll react the same way Jaxon did last year. At the first mention of the death of my mother Anthony sits up a little straighter, but the more emotional I get the less he gets so by the time I'm done it's as though I'm talking to a stone.

'That boy is seriously cold,' MacKenzie whispers as I sit back down at my desk.