Leaving London

Chapter Twenty Eight

As soon as the bus door rattles open I'm shooting off down the aisle, almost tripping over myself to get out into the courtyard. I ignored the invisible questions everyone must have been thinking in their minds after Lillie had her outburst. So now, everyone knows that I like Olli. As if things couldn't have possibly gotten any more disastrous. It surely won't take long before the news reaches his ears, and a dissappointment as heavy as a paperweight rests in my stomach as I slink up to the gates and wait inside for Lara to catch up - I saw the familiar sight of her Mum dropping her off around the corner. I can't really blame Lillie, she was probably just shocked: I'll give her time to process it and find her at lunch so I can try to explain. It's Mia who's really at fault here. I pull a segment of denim material through my fingers as I pause for Lara. Lillie trundles by, not giving me a second glance.
Mia and Maegan prowl up to the gates next, throwing their heads back with raucous laughter, splitting a tube of lipgloss and fawning over each other's school bags. This time they don't just walk past and act as if I'm a chameleon which has camouflaged itself against the prickly bushes sprawled behind me. Maegan's legs fall to a halt, as Mia's open mouth is left hanging, mid-laugh, which she firmly suppresses into a thin line.
"I did warn you, Fearne." Her voice comes cleaving through the air.
"You need to move on." I shake my head softly.
"I need to, but maybe I don't want to. I think it's your turn to suffer for once."
"You deserve it." Maegan chips in, although 90% of her attention is focused on her pinging iPhone.
"I won't let you do this, Mia." I whisper hoarsely as Lara finally sidles up to me, tugging on the lacy tie falling down from my rucksack.
"We're going to be late." She mumbles, sending a wan smile towards Mia, who shakes off her greeting.
"Okay, okay. Let's go." I decide, heading up with Lara to the double doors leading inside. The bell has already rung by the time we're in the foyer, but Lara insists we have to go up to the lunch cafeteria where our new form rooms have been posted on slips of paper. We do, and discover that we'll be holed up in one of the geography rooms for the rest of the year. On our way up to the geography room, which coincidently happens to be right at the other end of school, it makes me feel weird to be walking through the corridors again. I guess it also makes me feel as if I'm not such a 'new kid' anymore.
"So, did you have a good time in Australia?" I question Lara, who hasn't really put in much of an effort to start a proper conversation with me yet.
"It was incredible. I'll have to show you the pictures I took at lunch."
"Sounds good. Do you know where to find Lillie at lunchtime? I need to-"
"-I guessed. She'll probably be on the field somewhere. And what Mia said about you was completely untrue, by the way. I got a text from Lillie."
"So what did she say about me?" I feel my face contort.
"She exaggerated and said she found you two practically all over each other in your bedroom, and that it had been going on for weeks - she found texts on his phone from when you two were planning to meet up."
"Well that's a load of crap. For one, it was you who found us, and plus it was only a sudden kiss. And it was always Olli moving things forwards, not me. We only met up like three times to do a few surfing lessons."
"I know...but I think you should try get your story out there. Mia's practically just made things seem twice as bad." Lara mutters, beckoning me towards the geography room door, "We're five minutes late, prepare for some serious grovelling."
"Do you think everyone is going to hate me?" I suddenly blurt out before Lara's hand has touched the door.
"Of course not! It's just gossip, they'll settle down. Plus, there's a few new people starting in our year and all the attention will be on them."
"Really?" My eyebrows shoot up with half-glee. So I'm definitely, in no way whatsoever, the new girl anymore.
"Yup, it might even be two hot twins from England, c'mon. One for me, one for you." She winks, swinging open the door as I laugh in reply.
"I'm glad we're okay, Lara. Especially with Mia on the warpath." I half-whisper with a smile. Lara returns the smile, before both of them are promptly wiped off of our faces.

"Are you two Lara and Fearne by any chance?" A sharp-edged voice comes hurtling through the room.
"Yes, sorry we're late, erm-"
"-Mr Thompson. This is your first day with me, girls, and already you walk in...seven minutes late! If I hadn't been explaining my new role here at NewBridge Academy to the rest of your form, then I'd already have taken the register! What do you have to say for yourselves?" I can practically hear the steam firing out from his ears, the laser-bright eyes piercing down at us through his broad spectacles. It's not like he's very old either, he's fairly young, he looks like he could be one of those down-to-earth teachers. Apart from the slight attitude problem of course.
"We got caught up trying to find our form room, sir, because Fearne thought she'd left her inhaler in the car so we stopped to pick up her spare one from reception and then there was a load of lost Year Sevens in the hallway and we had to direct them to the maths block then-" Lara babbles quickly, seemingly unaware of the fact that we're stood in front of about twenty eight other students, who quite frankly, will probably know that I've never needed an inhaler before, nor get a lift to school from my parents. I mean, asthma? Really?
A brief rapping on the door stops Mr Thompson from going any further.
"Well. Take your seats, both of you. That was not a good start!" His attention turns towards the door as he steps outside to deal with whoever it is, leaving chaos to ensue.
Lara and I head straight over to one of the only desks left, sitting on the front row by the window and a bunch of posters showing different rock formations. A blend of glares and questions and whispering trails after us.
"Did she actually get with him?"
"Personally I wouldn't have bothered showing my face here again."
"It's Mia I feel sorry for."
"Since when have you needed an inhaler, hm?" The last one I manage to pick out catches my attention, turning to see Mia cocking an eyebrow, slumped back in her chair with a nail file in mid-hover. I send her my best smoulder, and face the front again. Whispering and laughter spreads like wild fire again, heating up the anger inside of me. A paper aeroplane hitting my back causes it to explode. I pull open the paper, reading the letters 'Use this to fly home to England' before I promptly rip the message to shreds and leave it scattered on my desk.
"Alright," I raise my voice, twisting around so I'm staring straight at Mia, "It was one mistake. One kiss. That was all, nothing like what she's saying! You're all pathetic for believing her!" By the end my voice is shouty and taut, and I can feel my legs shaking under my desk. Did I really just do that? A ripple of oohs and quieter laughter replaces the earlier harassment.
"Fearne..." Lara pokes me with the tip of her pencil. Crap. Mr Thompson is by the door, guiding two new students into the classroom, one of which looks like she's about to burst into floods of tears. My new form teacher looks absolutely fuming. I hope he didn't hear all of my outburst.
"This is the second time, Miss Wilson! Go and wait outside! Now!" Feeling like a lost puppy being dragged by its tail, I bow my head and stumble my way out of the door, passing the two new members of my class. Great first impression, Fearne. The girl still looks weepy and lonely, with a short-haired, wide-eyed looking face and a collection of festival bracelets still attached to her wrist, blue hair dye peeping from underneath her layers. The other is a boy; a tanned, good-looking guy who gives me a mischievous smirk as I pass under the doorway. His blue eyes seem to be teasing with Wow, way to go, before I lose eye connection with him as Mr Thompson closes the door on me. I sense tears pricking at the back of my eyes. This has been such a terrible day already. I just want it to end. I stop my premature tears from reaching my mascara by sacrificing my clean shirt sleeve, and then I just wait, with the company of an information pamphlet telling me all about the Amazon Rainforest.