On Monday I went into class with my stomach churning. The lies I had told Ellie weren’t the thing that was worrying me the most. It was Ellie’s hospital appointment. Was she going to be OK? Had her treatment worked?

I sat down at my desk. Nia was already in her seat and she looked up and smiled. I
felt a tiny moment of relief that she was still being friendly, even after my lies. Between us there was an empty space where Ellie-bot normally sat.

“Hi, Nia,” I said. Nia nodded at me but didn’t say anything. She looked sad and a little bit angry.

I looked down at the desk for a few moments and then back up at her.

“Nia?” I said. “I didn’t mean to lie to Ellie. I just got carried away. The rest of you all do so many activities and I just wanted to feel interesting for once. I’m sorry.”

Nia took a deep breath.

“OK,” she said. She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, then looked at me. “Sometimes being so busy isn’t such a good thing, you know?” Nia said.

I remembered how tired she had looked at the fete and how often her mum was waiting outside school with her car engine running, ready to dash to the next club.

I nodded.

“Are you OK?” Nia said.

She was making sure I was OK? After everything that I’d done? She was a good friend.

“I’m fine, thank you, Nia,” I said. “I’m just sad I can’t talk to Ellie to say sorry.”

Nia nodded. “We all make mistakes, Anna,” she said. “I’m sure Ellie will understand.”

Her words made me feel a bit better, but I still kept Ellie in the front of my mind all day.

At the end of school after everyone had left, I walked over to Miss Burnell’s desk and asked if there had been any news on Ellie’s hospital appointment.

“No, we’ve not heard anything yet, Anna,” she said. “I’m sure we’ll find out soon.”

Ellie-bot was sitting on the shelf behind Miss Burnell’s desk. It was turned off, so its eyes were blank as it stared out at the empty classroom. The robot seemed so vacant without Ellie at the other end making its eyes dance and her cheerful voice coming through the speaker. Ellie was what brought the robot to life.

*

I went straight to my room when I got home. A lot had happened over the past few days and I had done a lot of thinking, especially about what Mum had said about forgetting to be me.

I sat on my bed and looked at my desk. The heart collage I’d started was still propped up against the wall. Some of the pieces were a bit wonky, but it really didn’t look too bad on the whole.