*BRIEFS* (ON HOLD)

CHAPTER 2

8am on day two of the new school year and the morning ritual begins again. Hair. Straight, fringe pinned back. Check. Teeth. Braces clean and not broken. Check. Eyebrows. Same as yesterday. Check. Tie. Four double stripes, up to the top. No breakfast on it. Check. Shirt. Tucked in, top button done up. Check. Ready.  

I walk downstairs again and swiftly dodge the incoming jam, taking care to keep my balance and look straight ahead. Noah follows me with his eyes as I march past and pick up my bag, then leave the house. Today's going to be a good day. I can feel it.  

I run to Ginny's house in order to get some exercise where I knock and wait, noticing the presence of silence in the air, an unusual thing to find at Ginny's. She opens the door and does that thing they do in movies, where they take a huge lung full of air and kind of sigh when they breathe out, then smile to the sun. I stare at her, then look up to the sun myself, and wave.  

"Hi, Sun," I smile, "It's nice to see you on this fine day." 

We arrive at school ten minutes early, still with Sam who didn't march ahead today. That leaves me time to finish my homework in the library, and read a chapter or two of a book from the 'recommended' shelf. Even the librarian makes us some tea and toast.  

"What's up with you two today?" Sam asks, sipping at his tea.  

"Nothing," Ginny replies, "It's just a nice day." 

"I feel really..." I stumble to find the right word, but Gin helps me out.  

"Refreshed?"  

"That's the one" I say, as I take a chunk out of my toast.  

At dinnertime, we decide to roam the school grounds, as slowly as possible. We get to the field, where the lads are playing their daily game of football.  

"Hi, girls!" Dan shouts, smiling at us.  

"What brings you down here?" Nathan says as he takes a shot at the goal. The lads take a break from their game to come and sit with us on the bottom of the hill.  

"We decided to have a walk today." Gin replies, watching the birds flying in the sky.  

"So it's nothing to do with him?" Daniel nods his head towards a medium height boy with grey black hair, taking a sip from a water bottle, and joking with the rest of the players.  

I stare at him, not for long I don't think but long enough for Gin to realise that my eyes are fixed.  

"Briefs has got a thing for him." She sighs.  

"B-but we didn't know he was down here!" I rush to speak.  

So Nathan decides to do what any idiot would do.  

"Oi, Zach, come 'ere! I got some people I want you to meet!" 

Zach jogs over to us, then shakes our hands.  

"Mornin' ladies. Pleasure to meet ya." 

Ginny grins at me contently as I make a fool of myself.  

"H-hi. Nice to meet you too. Lovely accent." I stutter with my mouth open wide. He frowns at me as if I'm some sort of lunatic, whilst trying to get his hand back from my death grip. Eventually he pulls it out.  

"Good. And strong. Been wrestling with 'gaters?" I say, trying (and failing) to look casual.

“Heh heh, yeah...” he says. “Listen, I’m gonna go back to the boys now, I’m, er, missing the jokes.”

“Sure, have fun!” I smile, which only makes Ginny snigger even more.

If looks could kill, she’d have been dead five times on the spot. But obviously she didn’t, which is good, because I don’t want a dead best friend.

We watch Zach jog back across the field, and past Hettie, another one of my amazing best friends, and they smile at each other. They must have already got to know each other or something.

Hettie plonks her bum down next to me and sighs. Gin suddenly breaks out in laughter, along with the boys. “For God’s sake” mutters Dan under his breath, rubbing his forehead.

“What?” Hettie and I both say, turning to face them.

“Nothing,” Nathan says, “I can just see a triangle forming.” That is the strangest riddle talk I’ve ever heard. But you really can’t argue with Nate, he’s such a sweetie, so I just go along with it.