Mr Matthews says. ‘Can you take Nessa under your wing for the next few days – show her where everything is? Make her feel welcome.’
I reluctantly turn round to look at her. I’m expecting a glare, but to my surprise, Izzy is smiling.
‘Of course, sir.’ Izzy beckons to me. ‘Come and sit here, Nessa. I’ll make sure you’re OK.’
I hear someone to the left of me cough. It’s the kind of pointed cough that’s trying to say something. I turn and see a girl with dark skin and curly dark brown hair hunched over her desk, her face buried behind a book.
I pick up my bag and head over to Izzy. She’s still smiling at me. But I’m not sure I like it. For some reason it reminds me of the smile the big bad wolf gave Little Red Riding Hood – right before he tried to gobble her up.
My morning hanging out with Izzy, Vivien and Stephen turns out to be totally weird and really exhausting. Everywhere they go, the other students either stare at them in awe or suck up to them like they’re mega-famous celebrities. And because Izzy is still being creepily super-friendly to me, the other students have all been treating me the same way. I feel like a singer who’s just found overnight stardom after years of singing songs into her hairbrush in her bedroom. It all feels kind of surreal given how unfriendly they were to me first thing this morning. I’d thought that as soon as registration was over and we were away from Mr Matthews, they’d go straight back to blanking me. But if anything, it’s been the opposite. Izzy made Vivien sit with Stephen in every single lesson this morning so that I could sit next to her. And Vivien didn’t even seem to really mind. She hasn’t been as super-smiley to me as Izzy has, but scowling just seems to be her default setting.
Izzy told me to meet them in the canteen for lunch, but as soon as the bell goes, I head to the toilets. I need some time on my own to process everything that’s happened this morning. I lock the cubicle door, shut the toilet lid and sit down. I’ve never had loads of friends at school and I’ve definitely never been part of the ‘cool group’, so I don’t know how to handle this. My friendship with Ellie has always been enough for me. I take my phone out of my blazer pocket I’m glad to see a new text message from her.
How’s it going? I MISS YOU!!!
As I read it I feel a sharp pain again, as if a giant fist is clenching my stomach. I press reply.
It’s been really weird – I seem to have been adopted by the populars and I can’t work out why!! I MISS YOU TOO!!! xxxx
The door to the toilets bangs open and someone goes into the cubicle next to mine. I take a deep breath and put my phone back in my pocket., Although it’s been unnerving hanging out with Izzy, Vivien and Stephen, I guess it’s better than having to drift around all day on my own. I pick up my bag and head off for lunch.
Even though the canteen’s really crowded, it’s easy to spot Izzy’s white-blonde hair. They’re sitting at a table at the back with a girl who’s from our form. She has very short hair and huge glasses. She looks really sweet and shy and this instantly makes me feel better. I think I’ll feel way more relaxed if I can chat to her. But as I get closer to the table I get hit by a sudden and completely random feeling of fear. Izzy’s leaning in close to the girl, looking like she’s whispering a secret in her ear. But whatever she’s saying can’t be nice – the girl looks really upset.
‘It looks like your mum just put a bowl on your head and started cutting,’ I hear Vivien say to her just as I reach the table.
‘Couldn’t you afford to get a proper haircut?’ Izzy says.
‘Maybe I should shave it all off with my dad’s clippers,’ Stephen adds, sneering. ‘It couldn’t look any worse.’
I’m frozen to the spot. There’s no way I want to sit with them now if this is how they treat people, but I don’t want to leave the girl on her own with them either. But before I can decide what to do, Izzy spots me.
‘Nessa! Come and join us. Eve was just going, weren’t you, Eve?’ She turns and gives the girl a cold stare.
Eve has a full plate of spaghetti Bolognese in front of her, but she nods and picks up her tray.
‘Are you OK?’ I ask as Eve shuffles past me.
‘Yes, fine,’ she mutters without looking at me at all.
‘Come on, sit down,’ Izzy says, smiling up at me.
Reluctantly, I sit down next to her, still staring at Eve. I think about going after her but I don’t know what I’d say. I watch as she scrapes her lunch into a bin before heading out of the canteen. I feel really sick.
‘Did you bring lunch, or are you getting something here?’ Vivien asks.
My heart sinks as I think of the Tupperware box Aunt Clara gave me this morning. I didn’t dare ask her what was in it.
‘I brought it,’ I mutter, taking the box from my bag. It’s full of brown rice and vegetables and weird white cubes. I think they might be cheese, but when I try one it’s tasteless and as chewy as rubber. I look up to see Izzy, Stephen and Vivien all staring at me. My face flushes.
‘What’s that white stuff ?’ Stephen asks, nodding at my lunch. I wonder if he’s going to start teasing me the way he was teasing Eve and I feel a hot burst of anger. If he does, I decide, I’ll shove whatever this stupid lunch is right into his smug face.
‘I’m not sure,’ I reply, my face burning even hotter.
‘You don’t know what you’ve got for lunch?’ Vivien asks.
‘No.’ I stare back at her.
‘I think it’s tofu,’ Izzy says with another smile. ‘It looks delicious.’
I look at her, feeling a weird mixture of gratitude and disbelief.
‘Thank you,’ I mutter. ‘My aunt made it. She’s vegan.’
Izzy nods. ‘Your aunt runs the vegan café in town, doesn’t she?’
‘Yes. Paper Soul.’
Izzy just keeps on smiling, like she’s on some kind of sponsored grinathon. ‘I haven’t been into Paper Soul for ages. We’ll have to have lunch there one weekend, won’t we guys?’
Stephen and Vivien nod but they don’t seem quite so keen.
I glance at the table in front of ours. The girl from our class with the dark curly hair is staring at me over the book she’s reading. When we make eye contact she gives a quick smile before looking back down at her book. I look around and see loads of other students glancing over too. I take a deep breath and force myself to eat another cube of white rubber.
By the time the bell rings for the end of the day my mouth is aching from making myself smile and my entire body is stiff with tension. I have
