Winter's Bite

Chapter 6

 

On Monday morning Kevin showed me the bus-stop at the top of Garntor. He joined another boy. I stood alone. Two girls, older than me, ignored me. One, about thirteen, stared curiously.

'I haven't seen you at this bus-stop before.'

I explained I was new in the village. Her eyes widened at my accent and even the older girls looked over.

'You're Americian!' the younger girl said. 'My auntie lives there.'

She chatted about her aunt in America (nowhere near New York) until the bus arrived. I'd hoped the girl would sit beside me. At least she seemed friendly. But once on the bus she joined a girl her own age. I sat staring out at passing countryside as everyone chatted around me.

As I got off the bus, Kevin and his friend joined me.

'C'mon, I'll show you where school is.'

I followed them up the wide high street, pavement glistening with frost, and along a smaller road. The flood of school kids turned into a dam that stopped traffic.

Kevin dumped me at reception without a second glance.

'Oh, yes. Take a seat and some-one will show you to your classroom,' the elderly receptionist said when I gave her my details.

I took a seat and watched pupils stream past. Some looked at me with curiousity. More ignored me. I felt superfluous. What if no-one liked me? What if everyone had friends already and no-one wanted another?

A bell rang for class. The stream of pupils became a trickle and then stopped.

'Daphne, can you take Caitlin to her class?'

The elderly receptionist addressed a younger woman with blue-rimmed glasses. The brown-haired woman smiled at me and led me down a corridor.

'First day?'

I nodded.

'Don't worry, you'll be fine.'

Daphne stopped at a door with a glass inset and knocked before we entered. Thirty faces stared at me as she spoke to the teacher.

As Daphne left, with a reassuring smile for me, the teacher turned.

Hi, Caitlin. I'm Mrs Tierney. Take a seat.'

I looked out over the classroom. There were several empty seats but which one should I take? I froze, incapable of decision.

Mrs Tierney rescued me.

'Why don't you sit there, behind Shauna?'

I hurriedly took a seat on the classroom's left, amid a splatter of laughter. My face burned. Shauna, a girl with blonde shoulder-length hair, looked round and smiled at me.

I smiled back, feeling a bit better.

As luck had it, the first lesson was history, English history, which I knew little about. I resolved to read up on it as soon as possible. English came next. Although the books were unfamiliar, English was my favorite subject. Some books looked interesting and I quite enjoyed the lesson. Then we had break.

Some pupils headed out the classroom door with Mrs Tierney. Others stood around talking. I hesitated uncertainly. Shauna looked back from the classroom doorway where she talked with two girls.

'Caitlin? We're heading to the tuck-shop. Are you coming?'

I grabbed my bag before they left without me. Shauna's friends were Cherie, a pretty girl with shoulder-length blonde hair and Rosie, an even prettier girl with short dark curls and a heart-shaped face. Shauna and Cherie had been friends since primary school, their kindergarten equivelant. All three shared the same dance–class.