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Chapters (75)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise
  3. About the Author
  4. Title Page
  5. Intoroduction
  6. ONE
  7. TWO
  8. THREE
  9. FOUR
  10. FIVE
  11. SIX
  12. SEVEN
  13. EITHT
  14. NINE
  15. TEN
  16. ELEVEN
  17. TWELVE
  18. THIRTEEN
  19. FOURTEEN
  20. FIFTEEN
  21. SIXTEEN
  22. SEVENTEEN
  23. EIGHTEEN
  24. NINETEEN
  25. TWENTY
  26. TWENTY-ONE
  27. TWENTY-TWO
  28. TWENTY-THREE
  29. TWENTY-FOUR
  30. TWENTY-FIVE
  31. TWENTY-SIX
  32. TWENTY-SEVEN
  33. TWENTY-EIGHT
  34. TWENTY-NINE
  35. THIRTY
  36. THIRTY-ONE
  37. THIRTY-TWO
  38. THIRTY-THREE
  39. THIRTY-FOUR
  40. THIRTY-FIVE
  41. THIRTY-SIX
  42. THIRTY-SEVEN
  43. THIRTY-EIGHT
  44. THIRTY-NINE
  45. FORTY
  46. FORTY-ONE
  47. FORTY-TWO
  48. FORTY-THREE
  49. FORTY-FOUR
  50. FORTY-FIVE
  51. FORTY-SIX
  52. FORTY-SEVEN
  53. FORTY-EIGHT
  54. FORTY-NINE
  55. FIFTY
  56. FIFTY-ONE
  57. FIFTY-TWO
  58. FIFTY-THREE
  59. FIFTY-FOUR
  60. FIFTY-FIVE
  61. FIFTY-SIX
  62. FIFTY-SEVEN
  63. FIFTY-EIGHT
  64. FIFTY-NINE
  65. SIXTY
  66. SIXTY-ONE
  67. SIXTY-TWO
  68. SIXTY-THREE
  69. SIXTY-FOUR
  70. SIXTY-FIVE
  71. SIXTY-SIX
  72. SIXTY-SEVEN
  73. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  74. CLIMATE EMERGENCY
  75. Copyright

Eating lunch in the canteen, I sit in one of the window seats. There’s a big bench that goes all the way around the edge of the dining hall, so you can sit right against the glass and look out. It’s another one of those bright, clear, cold days. Autumn is well and truly here, so we had to do the inevitable lesson on poetry this morning with Mrs Burgoyne. I thought she’d forgotten this year, and I wouldn’t mind if it wasn’t the same poem every time, about mists and fruit getting ripe and vines and stuff. This time though, I found myself thinking of Dana’s garden, and that butterfly, and the circle of bricks under the bush.

She’d asked me, at the end of the poem, what I thought of it.

I stumbled at first, then came up with ‘It’s like something’s coming.’ I’d continued, noting the confusion on her face. ‘Something’s on the way,’ I’d said, trying not to sound too loud or too sure of myself. Trying to give her the response that I think she wanted, but with my thoughts in it too. ‘Even if what’s on the way – winter – is bad, it’s still good to have something to look forward to.’

She’d said that it was a very interesting interpretation.

As I eat, I’m suddenly aware of someone behind me. I wait for them to move on, but they don’t. I turn around to see Vince, looming like a tree. He leans in quickly, and stamps. I flinch. He seems happy with my reaction and stalks off.

As he goes, I see Dana and Alan on the other side of the canteen, looking at me. Alan raises a thumb. He gestures with it when I seem reluctant to raise one back. Dana tries to bat his arm down, looking embarrassed. I offer a single wave, a flash of a smile, then go back to looking out of the window.

*

Jamie finds me again on the way home, steering around the knots of younger kids that seem to fill the pavement.

‘You’ll never guess what,’ he says.

‘What?’ I ask.

‘Amber got me to come to her office this afternoon. Middle of double-chem, so I’m fine with that.’

‘What for?’

‘I figured it might be something to do with you, you know, last weekend? There’s been rumours, I guess.’ He looks at me, slightly guilty.

The bruise, as Mr Walters said, is still glowing. I hope it means that Jamie can’t see me blush.