I finished the chemistry revision and checked my watch. There was nothing to go home for. Dad and I were still ignoring each other. He was either at work or wasted, which suited me fine. I couldn’t even look at him right now. I decided to stay at the library. It was kind of an all right place to be. The old ladies had stopped staring at me. I was becoming invisible here too and that helped. I was dying to finish off the JoJo Moyes book but I couldn’t. Looking around me I decided there had to be another more acceptable book I could read in public.

I got up and started to peruse the shelves. I’m not sure how long I was there but it was good to check out all the covers and read the blurbs. I found A Game of Thrones and was made up. I didn’t even know it was a book series. Nobody at school had mentioned that. This was awesome. I took the first book and went to head back to my spot. But as I turned I saw Maggie was now sitting in the seat next to mine.

‘Is it okay if I sit here?’ she asked.

‘It’s a free country.’ I hated myself a little bit for my reply.

‘True but if you want some space I can clear off.’

‘No, you’re all right.’ I sat back down and opened my book. Maggie was reading the newspapers and then she moved on to a magazine.

We stayed like that for ages. Both of us just reading. She occasionally chuckled at something. I didn’t ask what.

‘Do you want a water?’ she asked getting to her feet. There was a dispenser in the corner.

‘Er. Yeah. Please.’

She brought two paper cups back. ‘Is that any good?’ she asked nodding at my new find.

‘Awesome.’ I’d already read forty-something pages.

‘Have you tried Terry Pratchett?’ she asked.

‘No. Any good?’

‘The best. Start with Good Omens – it’s funny.’ I nodded and made a note to check it out. ‘You finished your homework?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Are you doing O levels or A levels?’ she asked nodding at my textbook.

‘GCSEs then A levels if I get good enough grades, which I probably won’t.’

‘Ah.’ She nodded wisely. ‘Is that you being realistic or modest?’

‘Realistic.’

‘Not everyone is academic,’ she said kindly. ‘I wasn’t. It doesn’t mean you can’t get a decent job. They seem to be going in for apprenticeships again. They were a big thing in my day. Good way to get experience.’

‘Yeah but if I stand a chance of getting out of the village I need to get into university and that means decent results.’ Why was I telling her all this?

‘What makes you think you need to get out of the village?’