Tess asked Gabby to drop her off outside school. Even if it was just another day for her friends, to her it felt like a whole new era in her life, and she didn't want to start it with the admission that she'd failed to catch the bus in time.
As she walked up to the heavy, wrought iron gates that marked the main way into the school, she imagined all her friends' response if they knew what had happened to her overnight. They might have saved her from the bullies a little over a year ago, but they would probably be leading a comedy roast if they knew what a baby she had been. She couldn't imagine anyone continuing to respect her after that. Even if, like her cousin had said, it had just been some physiological response to stress, or to getting slightly drunk without realising.
She was worrying so much that she didn't even look up as she approached the gate. At least, until someone came close enough to tug on her bag, and she came to a reluctant halt. The turned around ready to give someone an earful about how she didn't want to be disturbed, and it was so rude to come so close to someone who was clearly deep in thought. But then she saw a scruffy shirt with a never-really-explained burn on the collar, and above that an expression of genuine concern sandwiched between dark hair coarse as a mop and a few straggly strands that might be a desperate first attempt to grow a beard.
"Spike!" She exclaimed, her mood perking up immediately. "I missed you!"
"Got moved in at the new place then?"
"Yeah, it's pretty good. Middle of nowhere, but..."
"Free from the epic tyranny of parents, you now have a taste of true freedom," he answered in a deep voice that somehow managed to sound just like the melodramatic narrator on some fantasy movie trailer. "From wild parties to sleepless nights, one heroine will stop at nothing to taste the limits of her new freedom."
"Heyy..." Tess answered when she could stop giggling enough to get her breath back. "I'm not like, free free. My cousin's there still, like a stand-in for the parents."
"Is she going to care if you have a wild party? Does she seem cool?"
"I think she's cool. She gave me wine last night, to celebrate moving in." Tess glanced down as soon as she'd said that, remembering what she could of the night before. Trusting her with booze had been a bold move, and convinced her that she could trust Gabby not to be too oppressive. But when she thought about what it had led to, she was starting to have second thoughts about the party atmosphere. She certainly didn't want that to happen again.
"You say it like that's a bad thing. Hangover?"
"Uhh... I guess," she answered, hoping he wouldn't press more.
"Walt gets those really bad. When he's not too drunk to get home. He swears at a heavy breakfast to get over it faster. Lots of protein, so like a huge stack of eggs and fried bacon."
"Swears by, surely?"
"Have you ever met Walt? He'll swear at everything. And on that subject..."
"Want to come over and study?" Tess didn't know all the details of Spike's family life, but she knew enough to be sure that he would jump at any excuse to get out of the house for an evening. "Sorry, I don't think I can invite you round yet. Not for a while, anyway. Like..."
She swallowed. She couldn't exactly say "My room looks like a toddler's and I'm scared I might wet the bed again." There needed to be something she could say that wouldn't completely destroy her credibility.
"Need permission from your cousin to invite boys round? I can understand that. It was like, months before your parents would let me in the house without a chaperone. Don't worry about me, but if you think it'd be better after I meet her, I wouldn't mind saying hi. Like, I can help you carry groceries back or something if she sends you shopping. Get in her good books."
"Spike, you live on the far side of Raybridge. Where do you think she'd send me shopping?"
"Well, I didn't say it wouldn't take planning. But if you let me know before you go out, maybe I can manage to be close enough to coincidentally run into you on the way home. Yeah?"
The bell rang before Tess could answer. But she knew Spike was thinking of her as much as himself. He wanted to be there if there was any problems between her and Gabby. He was making sure she had someone to turn to, just like he did for all his friends. Spike would never let anyone down. In a way that was flattering, but in another way she half wished that he would show her a little more attention than anyone else.
On the way inside the main buildings, a girl Tess barely new walked closer and gave them a shark's grin. "You can't take her into class," she sneered. "Don't think she's big enough for high school."
Her friends all laughed, and some echoed part of the taunt under their breath. For a second it looked like Spike was going to make a rude gesture, but then he turned it into a half shrug, like this girl wasn't even worth the effort of telling her to get lost.
"Give it a break, Mindy," he answered, resigned. "You can't fake maturity by padding your bra. I'd rather talk to someone grown-up on the inside."
That got a shocked grasp, and the other girl and her followers scuttled away. Tess felt a little gratified to hear that some of them were still laughing; it seemed like Mindy was popular enough to surround herself with friends who wanted to be like her, but not confident enough to keep pushing when a verbal jab hit the mark.
Tess might have been mad, and would probably have sworn as much as anyone in Spike's family, but she knew that she would have just ended up fuming impotently while the wannabe-cheerleaders laughed even more. But now she had someone who could protect her. Spike, she had learned, knew exactly how to deflate anyone who was too full of themselves. She was glad to have someone like that looking out for her.
But now they had to separate. Spike was heading in the same direction as the spiteful popular-girl squad, which presumably meant they were in his class. He squeezed her hand before he left, giving her a little more confidence for facing the day ahead. But now Tess would be limited to interacting with students her own age. Spike was in the year below, and whenever something went wrong Tess found herself wishing that she could have been born a month later, so that they could be facing the horrors of school together. But she still had friends to hang around with, good people who would appreciate her for herself rather than her childish looks. This school was better than most she'd been to, she knew. Here she might do well in class, or not so well, and she could spend her time chatting with people who really cared about her. There were a couple of weird jerks, like this Mindy girl, but there were always good people who could make Tess feel better after an encounter with them.
School wouldn't be amazing, and it wouldn't be hell. It would be a mix of good and bad, but mostly good, just like every other day. And she could feel triumphant today, because she was still here.