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.
Hot wind blasted down my back and over my forehead as Jo ran a comb through my hair to detangle it as it dried. We could never afford a hairdryer, so I wasn't entirely sure what I expected when Jo had turned it on. It felt as though I was standing outside in a very warm storm but without the rain and it wasn't as cold as a real storm. It certainly wasn't my desired form of drying my hair, I'd rather just leave it then feel as though I was trapped in a storm.
Jo continued to use the hairdryer until she had completely dried it, then she took the brush and smoothed out any knots that had formed as she dried it. She ran her fingers through it a few times and then placed the hairdryer on the bed, taking up a light purple ribbon that wasn't that dissimilar from the colour of my dress. I felt her pull the ribbon under my hair and tie it into a bow.
"That's better. Now it won't be in your eyes when you're speaking," Jo said.
"Thank you, I never thought of that."
"I'm hungry. Grab your project and we can go down they're doing a sort of buffet-style breakfast since the parents will be arriving soon," Katie said.
"Alright. Do you have anything I can cover the model with? I don't want anyone to see it before I give my presentation."
Katie's eyes darted around the room before they landed on an abandoned blanket on the floor, most likely moved when the weather changed, and it became too hot to use. "You can use that. It's supposed to be in the laundry basket anyway, but none of us can be bothered to put it there."
"That would be great, I just need to cover it before I can get to the big reveal."
I climbed off the bed and grabbed the blanket, draping it over the model and picking it up as carefully as I could. The thing was a lot larger than I thought it would be and it was going to be a struggle to get it downstairs without breaking my neck in the process. Katie took a hold of my notes and the draft of my speech, even though I didn't need it and together we ventured from the dormitory and downstairs.
We had to take the stairs as slowly as possible to make sure I didn't slip on the edge of the blanket, or on the steps, and break both the model and myself. It took a little longer than it should have, but I didn't slip, and the model made it down in one piece. By that point, I would have taken a broken bone if it meant my project survived and lived to see another day. I carried it outside and after talking with Mrs Clarington, placed it on a desk just off to the side of the stage where it would be watched to make sure nothing happened.
Katie handed me my notes and then dragged me and Jo into the school and to the dining hall where the usual benches were gone. Instead, there were two large tables at opposite sides of the room weighed down with fruit and cereals, toast and pitches of juice of milk. It almost resembled a usual Maddox breakfast except there was no requirement to sit down and we could just pick at it as we saw fit to do so. Some of the other fourth years looked too nervous to sleep.
I took a few slices of toast from the table with Jo taking an apple and Katie deciding to have the toast, an apple and a small glass of orange juice. We then left the dining hall and returned to the grounds, standing on the gravel to eat as we watched the fourth-year parents arrive. Most of them seemed to take the bus in so about half of the year groups parents were already in attendance and catching up with their child. Mr Havisham had also arrived, but he was talking to Mrs Maddox whilst Victoria hung in the corner.
Out of habit, I spun my bracelet around my wrist and looked out across the gravel path.
"They'll be here," Katie said, finishing her glass of juice and handing both the glass and the apple core to Jo to take back inside.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Yes. If they couldn't make it and couldn't get hold of you, they would have telephoned Mrs Maddox to pass on a message. Since she hasn't spoken to you, it's safe to assume they're on their way."
"I guess you're right. I'm just nervous."
She held my hand. "Don't be, everything is going to be fine." She squeezed my hand and Jo reappeared in the doorway. She gave us a pointed look and Katie dropped my hand, sighing lightly. The being cautious side of things were starting to wear a little thin.
After standing out in the sun for a while, we decided to take shelter in the doorway so hung about on the top step in the shade. I kept my eyes focused on the gravel, staring at the gates just a short distance away. More of the parents had started to arrive, but there was still no sign of Michael's car. They had promised they would be attending the presentation and even with Katie's reassurance, the more time passed, the less I thought it would likely they were going to arrive at all.
The minutes were counting down until we had to get underway and I seemed to be the only one whose parents hadn't arrived yet. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Victoria smirking at me, no doubt pleased that I wouldn't have the same support she did since her mum and older sisters had all turned up. I turned my attention back towards the road, just as a car turned the corner and drove the gates. It looked like Michael's car.
I moved away from the door and towards the edge of the top step, watching the car drive along the gravel and pull over to one side. The engine was turned off and I watched Michael climb out of the driver's seat, his light brown hair in serious need of a cut. Katie nudged me in the side and gave me an 'I told you so' expression, but I ignored her, jogging down the steps and walking along the gravel to the car. Michael noticed me and grinned.
"There you are, squirt. You know, the past few months without you being a pain have been a blessing in disguise," he said.
"I could say the same thing about you. You need a haircut."
"Don't I know it."
"I volunteer to do it."
"No chance, Flick. I'd like to keep both of my ears attached to my head."
"Michael, some help please?" Mum said after she climbed out of the passenger side door.
Michael gave me a look and walked around the side of the car to the boot, propping it open and reaching inside. He grabbed a wicker picnic basket from inside and handed it to me, but it was so heavy I almost dropped it and Katie had to help me before it hit the ground. From inside the car boot, Michael pulled out Dad's wheelchair, not something he used often but we always had it and unfolded it. I passed him the basket and he put it on the folded down seat, closing the boot and leaving the wheelchair where it was.
He walked towards the back seat and opened the door. Mum reached inside and helped Dad to climb out of the car, his walking stick a little unsteady on the gravel. Katie and Jo exchanged looks over me, but I didn't care. Once the backdoor had been shut, Michael locked the door and then grabbed the handles of the wheelchair to wheel it across the grass. Dad looked at me and smiled.
"Hello, Flick," he said, smiling warmly.
"Hello, darling!" Mum wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a hug that I didn't think she would let me out of.
"Can't. Breathe."
"Oh, sorry, Flick." Mum released me from the hug but held onto my arms, looking me up, and down a few times. "You've grown."
"I really haven't." I smiled at her. "I've missed you."
"We've missed you too. Now, who are your friends."
"This is Katie and Jo. Friends, this is my mum, dad and my brother, Michael."
"Shall we go somewhere to sit down? Flick, can you help your dad?"
I nodded and Mum walked over to Katie and Jo, no doubt on a mission to try and find out all they could about the past few weeks without having to talk to me about it. I wouldn't have told her the truth anyway. Dad walked up to me using the case, I looped my arm through his and placed my hand on top of his to help control the cane a little more. Even with it, he was still unsteady on his feet, so he had to have a little bit of help, but I didn't mind. I hadn't seen him in months.
Together, we walked across the grounds behind Mum, Michael and the others. Eventually, they settled on a small patch of grass not too far from the stage and a decent distance away from Victoria and her gang who were all say close to each other. Katie and Jo helped Mum lay out the picnic blanket, a faded white and red one, whilst I helped Dad to sit in the wheelchair that was now picnic basket free. I took a seat beside Katie and Jo.
"Right, I want to hear everything about this place. Don't leave anything out," Mum said.
Katie, Jo and I exchanged looks before I launched into a rather eventful tale of my past few months at Maddox, omitting some details for obvious reasons.
~~~
First Published - August 2nd, 2020