‘And on bad days?’

‘Then I hold on to that belief even harder,’ Libby replied. ‘Troy, things will get better. You know that, right?’

I didn’t answer. I thought of Mum: the way she smiled with her eyes, not her mouth, the terrible sentimental songs she loved to sing, her rib-crushing hugs, her raucous laugh, her bellowing shouts, her nagging when I left my clothes all over the floor, the way she sometimes smelled of the floral perfume I bought her last Crossmas, the way her voice got lower, not higher, when she was annoyed with me. So many things – some so trivial, others colossal – all of them Mum. I could fill a whole book with the things I missed about her. But, for all the hurt I felt, the world kept turning and life went on. Mum would say that’s what made life so special, something to be embraced each and every day.

‘Why did you drop out of the head-student race?’ Libby asked.

‘It just wasn’t important any more,’ I replied. ‘Congrats on winning unopposed.’

Libby smiled. ‘Thanks. Most of the teachers now hate me though.’

I nodded with admiration. ‘Especially Mr Pike!’

During her very first speech as head girl, Libby had revealed to the whole school just how Mr Pike had tried to cheat during the head-student election vote count. Mr Pike had actually stood up, spluttering and blustering, and calling Libby a barefaced liar, until Libby had called on Mrs Baxter, the Biology teacher, to back her up. You could’ve heard a pin drop as Mrs Baxter looked round the assembly hall and then at Mr Pike before answering.

‘Liberty is telling the truth,’ Mrs Baxter announced at last. ‘Mr Pike tried to solicit my help in electoral fraud. He wanted the two of us to discount all votes made for Liberty or Troy Ealing and install someone else of his choosing as head student instead. I refused.’

‘That’s a lie!’ roared Mr Pike. ‘Mrs Paxton, don’t believe a word Monifa says. She’s lying.’ He turned to Mrs Baxter, his expression – his whole body – blazing with scorn. ‘But what else can you expect from a blanker?’

The gasp that went round the hall at Mr Pike’s words created a vacuum almost strong enough to bring down the ceiling. Mr Pike froze when he realized what he’d said out loud, before storming out of the hall. The next day he was gone. Mrs Paxton announced in assembly that Mr Pike was no longer employed at the school. Everyone in the hall had cheered, including the teachers!