Maddox Academy: Grievous Beginnings - Wattys 2022 Shortlister

Chapter Thirty-Six - Haircuts and Broken Bones

I wasn't the first one awake the next morning.

Several of the girls were already awake, pouring over their presentation notes one last time before they took to the stage. Emma sat cross-legged on the bed beside mine scribbling away on a sheet of paper, still in her pyjamas and with her short, blonde hair in knots. It seemed that everyone was a little stressed over presentation. I took Grace's advice and ignored her, grabbing my running stuff and disappearing into the bathroom to change.

After changing, I tucked my pyjamas under my pillow and made my bed, sticking to my usual routine despite the added pressure of the presentations looming over me. I slipped on my shoes and left the room, moving through the hallway and out onto the grounds. Some of the teachers were already out on the grounds and the large wooden stage was having the finishing touches added. They had had builders working on the stage all week and it made the idea of the presentation that much more intimidating.

"Getting rid of those last-minute jitters?" Mrs Clarington asked when she saw me standing in front of a tree, stretching my legs out.

"You could say that," I said.

"You'll be fine. You've prepared for this and its only ten minutes."

"Ten minutes in front of a lot of people. No pressure."

"I'll let you get on with your run, Felicity. Good luck."

She smiled at me and made her way back across the grounds to instruct the builders on the finishing touches to the stage. I turned my attention back to the two trees I usually ran between and started off slowly, working my way up to a faster pace. Sweat ran down my face and back, the sun beating down from behind as I ran. When I stopped, my breathing was heavy and my chest and side ached, but I felt a little calmer about giving the presentation then I had when I first woke up.

I brushed my hair off my face and returned to the dormitory. Emma looked as though she hadn't moved from the bed and Dorothy was pacing across the length of the room, muttering to herself. Even Victoria was now awake and diligently working on her project notes on her bed. It looked like everyone was a little nervous over the presentations, some more so than others.

We had been told that our uniform wasn't required when giving the presentation, but we still had to look smart, so I grabbed the purple dress I brought for my birthday and headed to the bathroom to change. I took a quick shower to get rid of the sweat and ran a comb through my hair, leaving it damp since I didn't have a hairdryer. After changing, I returned to the dormitory and slipped on a pair of white pumps. There wasn't much I could do beyond that, so I secured the bracelet on my wrist and left the other girls to continue to panic over their presentations.

The school was a flurry of activity despite the early morning and I meandered my way through the halls and up to the fifth-year dormitory. Someone had propped the door open slightly so I simply slipped inside, my eyes immediately going to the model on the floor. It had survived the night, so my only obstacle was the presentation itself. That was the scary part.

"Good morning, Flick. How are you feeling?" Jo asked when I approached the model.

"That's a good question," I said.

"Hey, you'll be fine." Katie came up to me and placed a hand on my back. We'll be there and it's one impressive project you've been working on."

"I hope so."

"We've done this a few times ourselves; we know what a good project looks like. Now, come and sit down so we can dry your hair. You can't do the presentation looking as though you just jumped in the pool."

"I'm going last. It'll dry by then."

"It might now. Come on, sit."

She forced me over to Jo's bed and pushed me down, so I sat on the edge of the bed with my feet dangling over the edge. Jo uncoiled a hairdryer and plugged it into a socket down by her bed, the same one her lamp should have been plugged into but wasn't. I spun the bracelet around my wrist whilst Jo tipped my head back and turned on the hairdryer.