Switching Sides | A Jamie Johnson FanFiction

• Part 6

Over the next few days, I was cramming for exams. For some reason, Thornlake thought it was a good idea to have half-term exams, in which there was a whole week of tests before half-term, then another set before the end of the full term. I had no idea who on earth decided putting a load of pressure on year 7s less than 5 weeks into their new year was a good idea, but I still wanted to make a good impression on my teachers, so whilst Callum and Ruby were at home relaxing, I was filling my head with a load of stuff I didn't really understand.

Callum and Jethro's fight had gone viral on social media apparently; I was trying to avoid my phone, but what I'd gathered was that Jethro's friend Alex was responsible for videoing it, and had put it up online. Apparently he had a reputation for doing stuff like that.

I was on Biology revision, my last subject for the day, when my phone, which I was constantly aware of as it faced downwards on my desk, just a little bit farther than I could reach from where I was sat, buzzed. It was the group chat: Callum, Ruby, Me and some others from school.

Callum: Anyone seen Demi's story?

Ruby: Stalking her again?

Callum: No, stories are public.

Ruby: Did you know she can see how many times you've viewed them?

Callum: 🙄 have u seen it or not?

They stopped texting for a second, and I guessed Ruby was on Instagram, looking at Demi's story. I didn't want to look at Social media, so I anxiously awaited Ruby's response as the three dots came back up to say she was typing.

Ruby: 🤨 wow. Those two are ridiculous.

Callum: Ikr? And it's only been a couple of days.

Why didn't those two ever elaborate? I thought.

Me: What's going on?

Ruby: Demi's making such a big deal out of breaking up with Jethro. Apparently she 'can't be anywhere near him' so she wants to move school.

Callum: As if her dad would let her. He practically owns that school, along with Jethro's dad.

I sighed. None of this stuff would have ever crossed my mind when I was in primary. Why was year 7 so complicated?

______________________
As I walked into school the next day, I noticed that the food court area, where everyone normally met at the start of school, was practically empty; there was only me and another group of an older year who were glued to something on their phones. I wasn't going to stand around like a loner for the rest of the morning, so I decided to wander around school to find some people I knew.

When I got a little way down the path, I realized where everyone had got to: a large crowd was gathered on the astro. As I pushed my way through after spotting Callum and Ruby, I realized what everyone was staring at.

Part of the bottom of one of the pitches were practically ripped up from the bed of the Astro, like someone had taken a knife to the edges and managed to pull up the fake grass. The pitches were now pretty much unplayable, at least, until they were fixed.

"What the hell?" I muttered to Ruby, who was staring at the pitch in awe.

"Apparently someone did it last night. Snuck in through the back entrance." She said.

"Ok, ok everyone, excitement over, to your lesson please now." A teacher said, ushering us all out of the Astro.

On the way out, Ruby laughed as I tripped up over a knocked-over can of white paint which was being used to paint the lines on the pitch.

"Dammit." I moaned as I stepped out of the puddle of paint which had practically destroyed my shoes. "It's not funny." I said to Ruby as she continued sniggering. I was about to complain at her again when I saw Jethro and Alex smirking at me a few meters away.

_____________________

My first lesson was Maths. I hated maths. The only thing that was good about it was the fact that I sat next to Ruby. I was sat on the end of the row, with one seat empty next to me and Ruby on the other side. But because it was exam week, we probably wouldn't even get to talk.

After our teacher handed out the test papers, I was practically shaking with nerves, when a teacher (whose name I didn't know yet, but I knew he was important) knocked and entered the room, Demi by his side, looking bored.

The teachers exchanged some words in the corner of the room, doing that thing where they  cover their mouths with a piece of paper as if we're all incredible lip readers.

Eventually, our teacher gestured for Demi to take a seat next to me. Her usual seat was next to Jethro, but as Demi wasn't going anywhere near him, her parents must have dropped a hint to the school.

So now I had to survive a whole lesson next to Demi, with Callum glaring at me the whole time from behind me.