Life Swap

A Problem Shared

"Chloe and Grace really love those swings." Felicity suggested as we stood on the path, down the back garden, about thirty metres from the house, where there was a double swing set at the bottom of a long lawn. She had arrived about an hour after we had finished our breakfast, just as the twins were asking if we could go and play in the garden, so Caroline bundled us all into long red duvet coats, whilst Felicity kept on the grey tweed overcoat she was already wearing and joined us outside. I was a bit surprised by her rather prim appearance. She was fifteen, after all, and the coat was too young for her, and she was wearing a childish white bow in her braided hair as well as a pair of shiny black Mary Janes. She was a lot taller than me, as Olivia, and being two years older than Kelly, I reckoned that she was an inch or two bigger, but dressed as she was, I reckoned Kelly would have seemed much older. Not that it was a fair comparison. I doubted if most Deepdene girls had the same life experience as I had, and I suspected that Mrs Sheila Blackstone, who was still not my favourite person, kept Felicity on a pretty short leash at home. Beneath the hem of coat, which reached below her knees, I could see white tights, just like mine. More than suitable for the temperature, I suppose, but not really for her age. "How are you feeling today, Olivia?"

"Okay, I suppose." I said quietly. I had not said much to anyone since Caroline helped us all into the patchwork frocks, partly because Chloe talked enough for everyone. No one seemed to find that strange. I got the impression that they were all used to Olivia not joining in much with everyone else. But Caroline had told Charles that I had chosen our outfits, which appeared to surprise him, and please him, and I was not actually ignoring anyone. I just had too many things on my mind, and preferred to stay quiet, even if I could have got a word in edgeways with Chloe dominating the conversation. "Thanks for Tuesday."

"I told Mummy about what Samantha Fitzgerald said...after you..."

"Oh..."

"I had to, Olivia...otherwise no one else would know why you were so upset...I don't know exactly what Mummy did to Samantha, other than tell Auntie Caroline?" Felicity explained as she took another step on the path, her prudish shoes crunching on the rough shingle. Like the twins, I was wearing wellies, red ones to match our coats. "I don't like bullies...and when you ended up in hospital, I had to tell? But Mummy wouldn't tell me what happened to Samantha because it is school stuff, and private?"

"I probably said something...or did something...to make her hate me." I pointed out, stuffing my hands in my coat pockets. "It doesn't matter...don't worry about it..."

"Don't you remember what you've said to her?" Felicity asked, turning to look at me with a frown all over her face.

"No." I said honestly. It was true, obviously. I had never spoken to the girl before, but Olivia probably had, as she had spent two terms in the same class as her, after being put down a year back in September.

"How can you not remember something like that?"

"Oh...I don't know...you wouldn't understand..."

"Try me?" Felicity prompted, still staring right at me. "You were actually talking to me on Tuesday as if you wanted to be...friendly...and I do want to help you?"

"Why?" I demanded, staring back as the shadows gathered, all of a sudden, telling me not to trust Felicity, as well as berating me for my general feebleness since waking up. Olivia's very irritating remnants did not seem to be particularly impressed with me.

"Why what?"

"Why do you want to help me?"

"Because Mummy and Auntie Caroline have both asked me to keep an eye on you, ever since you started at Deepdene...like I do with the twins...as I am older...I suppose?" She puffed out her cheeks, and looked away again, watching the twins going just as high as they could on the swings with shrieks of delight. "And because I felt a little sorry for you...after your mum, and starting at a new school on top of getting a new family...I really love the twins, so I wanted to be friends with you as well? Is that a bad thing?"