A life in the Dark

C h a p t e r S i x t e e n

M o n d a y 2 1 s t O c t o b e r 
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One week left beetch!

One. Last. Week. Of. School!

So happy!

I know it's only half-term but still. What's more, it's sports week: we have two lessons of PE a day, which I love! It's nice being part of an actual team for once. This is what I was thinking as I was getting ready this morning, grabbing both my backpack and my PE bag as I walked out the door.

Evelyn was waiting at the bus stop, but didn't really do much, which I found suspicious but understood about five seconds into the bus ride when she tried to trip me up at the top of the steps. "Wha the fuck's wrong with you?" I practically screamed at her after regaining my balance.

"What did ah do?" she replied innocently, the only thing betraying her act being the way her smile curved into an evil grin at the corners.

I growled at her and spun on my heel.

*****

I unbuttoned my shirt and quickly switched it for my navy games top, then changed into my skort, knee-length socks with shin pads and trainers; I exited the perfume-induced suffocation that is the changing room.

After being registered I followed everyone to the cupboard and sifted through the hockey sticks until I finally found one that was big enough for me. "Lettice would you mind taking some cones and a bag of balls over please? Everyone else has already run off!" my games teacher, Miss Greene said softly to me as I passed her.

"Yea, of course," I smiled as I took the two things from her outstretched hands, then I waited for her to lock the cupboard and grab a bag of lime green bibs before we walked off to the astro turf, next to the cage. I miss doing this at least once a week: being able to destress yourself by running around, using all your energy, whilst being able to whack something at someone. It's so...therapeutic. I guess I should be grateful I get to do it at all nowadays: the school decided to change to a whole week with a few hours of sport a day at the end of each half term. I guess it means I can relish the moment for longer when I smash the hockey ball at Jadyn but...

I followed Miss inside of the astro where the other girls were all chatting in their groups. "Okay girls, for your warm up, I want you to jog four laps around the hockey pitch then do some stretches while I set up what we're going to be doing."

As soon as she turned away from us I set off, leading the way alongside the sporty girls in my class: Ava, Evie, Hazel and new girl Summer-who came a year or so ago. Jadyn, naturally, was at the back causing a right scene because-well-exercise.

After a lap there was a huge gap between the sporty girls and I and the rest; after another I'd lapped Jadyn. Don't fall for her act: she can do it. She just enjoys being fake.

*****

"Okay girls: game time! Lettice, over here; Jadyn, here." She went about sorting us into teams, splitting up the good hockey players. I was grouped with Summer, Ava, Betsy, Amber and Skie, which seemed like a pretty good team, if I do say so myself. Plus I wasn't on the same side as Jadyn, always a bonus. On top of that, they had to wear the bibs, causing even more complaints.