Light Blue

Part xxvi- Hello Childhood

26

2 years earlier on the first day of Sixth Form.

Amelia’s POV

A round of applause started up and I jolt awake and look around. Ah. The head of the school had finished her speech and everyone was clapping. I hastily clap along loudly but it dies down before I could get going and I’m the only left clapping. I lower my hands quickly and Delilah nudges me in the side.

“Wakey, wakey sleepy head. Sweet dreams?”

I nudge her back. “Rather them than listening to that speech. We’ve been at this school for years!”

“But we are going into the Sixth Form.”

I shrug. “Don’t see the difference. At least we don’t have to wear the uniform anymore.”

We all stand up and people all clump together to welcome each other back after the summer holidays. There are plenty of old faces like Alice but then there are plenty of new faces that I was itching to see. Someone taps me on my shoulder and I turn around with a ‘hello’ already formed on my lips but it falls open when I see who it is.

“Oh My God! Emily? Is that you?”

She giggles and nods enthusiastically. She’s changed a lot since when we were little. Gone was the dorky look and now she had long shiny black hair and an outfit to suit the model look she was going for.

“Wow, it’s been years and years hasn’t it?”

She smiles. “Yes, Amelia. It has, hasn’t it?” I let my smile stay frozen on my face, struggling to find something to say. What do you say to a person who was a childhood friend? But then Delilah comes beside me and I snap out of it.

“Oh Emily, this is my best friend, Delilah. Delilah, this is one of my old childhood friends from my old school.”

“Oh hi,” Delilah says waving. “Great to meet you!”

“And you,” Emily says, but her smile widens even further that it looks almost fake. “I must go. Talk to you later?” she waves a quick goodbye before disappearing into the throng.

“She seems nice,” Delilah says with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Yeah,” I could only reply. I watch her talking to some of the other girls. Something has changed about her; but I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe it’s the confidence she oozes. She never was like that. Delilah grabs my hand.

“Come on Amelia, let’s go and say hi to Sophie.”

You heard that right. Delilah and Sophie. Kind of friends even after all the trouble years ago. To be honest, I still think about punching Sophie from time to time, but I’ve managed not to so far. I’ve had Delilah to help me. She should be a psychiatrist of some sort. But she has a heart set on the design world, or something mad scientist- ish.

I have no idea.

**

Delilah and I walk down the road discussing the first day. It was just starters. And then the talks about how we have to work really hard and all that. I think I switched off half the time.

“Hey Delilah! Miss Tree, Amelia!” Josh runs towards us with a football under one arm.

“Hi Josh!” Delilah calls out as he runs past. He smiles at me and I manage to squeak out a,

“Hello!” before he disappeared behind us. I fan my face.

“Is it red?”

Delilah opens her mouth to say something.