* * *
Next day, when I walked into school, every eye was on me. And there was something in their gaze that hadn’t been there for a long time.
Respect.
Nobody likes a wimp. And I had been a wimp for too long.
It still made me angry, thinking about how I had let my so-called friends treat me. How I’d behaved too. Never again. I would have my revenge somehow.
Zak and his mates were all gathered together in the corridor. He couldn’t resist a quip. ‘Hey, Driscoll, good to see the old Hannah back. Where have you been hiding her?’
Had it been so plain to see that even Zak Riley had noticed it?
‘She’s been on holiday. But she’s back, for good,’ I snapped back, and I swept past him.
Mrs Tasker stormed into class, and she was livid. Her eyes settled on me. ‘There have been reports of a fight near this school yesterday. I believe some of our pupils were involved, and to make matters worse, those pupils were girls.’
This set the whole class laughing. Zak shouted up to her, ‘Mrs Tasker, it’s not lassies we’ve got in this school, it’s the devil’s daughters.’
Mrs Tasker went spare. ‘This is no laughing matter!’ she yelled and we all shut up. ‘Hannah. What happened to your face?’
‘Walked into a door, Mrs Tasker,’ I said at once.
She looked even madder. Her eyes moved to Wizzie. Today Wizzie’s nose was like a beetroot stuck on her face, same colour too. ‘And what happened to you?’
‘I walked into the same door. We should be suing for compensation. That’s a really dangerous door.’
The class erupted in laughter again, and it took Mrs Tasker ages to get any order back. Meanwhile, Wizzie turned to look at me, and for the first time there wasn’t any malice in her gaze, just curiosity. She waited for me as we left class. ‘Want to meet up wi’ us later?’
‘For another fight? How many times do you want me to beat you?’
‘We let you win. Felt sorry for you.’
‘In your dreams, McLeod. Anyway, what do you want to talk to me about?’
Grace butted in. ‘I’m just telling you now, Driscoll, this isn’t my idea.’
‘Shut up, Grace,’ Wizzie turned back to me. ‘Meet us at the bus shelters after school.’
I didn’t want to. Didn’t want anything more to do with the Hell Cats. But I was curious. What could they possibly want to talk to me about? Giving them boxing lessons?
Mrs Tasker wanted to talk to me too. She came running down the corridor after me and pulled me back. Yesterday I would have been mortified if she’d done that. Everyone seeing her singling me out? Not today. Today I stood tall. ‘Are you going to tell me what happened, Hannah? I know you were involved in that fight. Did that lot jump you, or what?’
‘I told you, Mrs Tasker, it was an accident.’ I stared straight into her face as if it was all the truth.
‘How can I help you if you don’t confide in me?’
But I didn’t need her help now. It was too late. ‘Honest, I’m fine.’
She shook her head in disgust. ‘Are you frightened to grass on them? They’ll never know you told me. I won’t let them know.’
That almost made me smile. Here I was in the corridor with her, with all eyes on us. They’d never know … ? I don’t think.
‘Everything’s sorted now,’ I said.
Now she really did look mad. ‘If that’s your attitude I don’t see how you can expect any help.’ And she stormed away from me.
Too little, too late, I thought and then I forgot about her. I forgot about everything except what Wizzie wanted to talk to me about after school.
They were all there waiting for me at the bus stop. Was I afraid? No. They didn’t look threatening. Wizzie was lounging against the wall. Lauren was sitting on her rucksack. Grace and Sonya were muttering together, about me, I was sure. They didn’t want to have this talk with me at all.
I stopped dead in front of them. No fear. ‘OK, what’s this about?’
‘I d-d-don’t like you,’ Sonya said.
‘Feeling’s mutual,’ I said.
‘I don’t like you either,’ Grace said, sticking up for her friend.
‘Just because I kicked your butt?’ I pretended to study it. ‘Mind you, it would be hard to miss. It’s a big target.’
Wizzie actually laughed. Even Lauren managed a smile. But Grace swayed on her feet, and if Wizzie hadn’t been there I was sure she would have flown at me.
‘See you, Driscoll – you’ve got style.’ I was totally gobsmacked when Wizzie said that. ‘That took a lot of guts to take us on yesterday.’