My class is the last to be called. Stragglers appear from across the theatre and wander slowly to the front. There is nobody who looks even vaguely like me. The girls are all tall and willowy and the boys seem to know each other and clump together, giggling. I stand alone near the back. A couple of kids stand near me, but none of us look at each other or try to smile. Already my shoulders and neck are aching. I adjust the backpack to make it easier to carry. Most of the other kids seem to have small bags and I wonder how they knew not to bring everything they owned to the very first day.

Our teacher leads us away. She’s pointing out where things are, but from the back of the line I can’t hear much. A few girls whisper to each other in front of me. I look away, not wanting to be caught watching in case they think I’m hoping to be included in the conversation.

We reach our classroom and everyone scurries to get a desk. I’m left with the last one, at the front. I sit down near a boy with a shaved head and a loose tie. Maybe the tie’s ironic, or maybe he would prefer to go to a school with a uniform so he’s wearing one anyway. Whatever the reason, it makes him look much older than me.

Our teacher introduces herself. Miss G. She looks young and wears big green circle earrings and a floral dress. She smiles straight at me and, instinctively, I smile straight back until I remember myself. She talks about what’s expected of us this year: how we have to be on time, do our homework and navigate six different classes in one day. Then she hands out our school diaries and tells us they’ll be our bibles. We need to keep them up to date and make sure we don’t lose them.

I half listen because I keep wondering about Bridge and Ellie and what they’re up to.

The morning goes by quickly. Miss G takes us through the English requirements for the next few weeks, and then it’s time for science. By lunch I realise I haven’t spoken a word to anyone other than my teacher to say ‘here’ when the roll was called, and to correct her when she asked if my name was Clementine.

I text Bridge and Ellie when the bell goes, asking where we should meet. I have to walk down the stairs from level three to level one and it’s so jammed with students I’m bumped all the way down. I can smell the canteen food and I hurry outside to the water taps, hoping I’ll just crash into my friends.

‘How’s your first day going?’