Safety is Relative

Chapter Two- The Secret Anti-Plant Names Society

I watch as Miss Scott writes out how to solve the quadratic equation. All around me, people are sending hopeless looks at each other, totally ignoring the advice she is giving them. Not that she is really explaining it very well at all. One girl, sitting across the aisle to me, is trying to explain how to solve it to her partner when she goes wrong and gets stuck. I feel slightly smug. I’m not very good at maths, but against this lot I look like Einstein.

I sneak a glance sideways at my partner, and my smugness slips. He’s got it right too. I look around to check that my first impression wasn’t wrong- no, I am correct; it looks like only we two have any mathematical ability.

The girl in front of us turns around. ‘I’m completely lost. Tell me how to do it,’

She gives my partner a helpless smile, totally blanking me.

My partner had been looking out of the window, but he turns back at this point. ‘Sorry?’

‘Can you help me?’

He takes her book and looks at it. ‘You’ve mixed up the signs. They’re supposed to add to make this number here, as well as multiplying to make this number here.’

The girl, Jessica Forbes, I think her name is, grins. ‘Oh right! That makes so much more sense now. Thanks!’

‘My pleasure,’ he says, his tone suggesting anything but.

Jessica suddenly turns to me. ‘Hi, I’m Jess. You’re the new girl, right? Rue Hedley?’

‘Yeah, that’s me.’

‘Rue is an interesting name,’ says my partner suddenly.

‘It’s a plant,’ I tell him curtly, just because I often get raised eyebrows from my name. It’s old-fashioned and quaint, I grant you, but I like it. I would prefer it any day over boring everyday names. You meet countless Jessica’s and Olivia’s and Rebecca’s, but I doubt you will meet many Rue’s.

‘Like in the Hunger Games!’ says Jessica excitedly, but we both ignore her.

‘It’s a plant with yellow flowers and very small leaves, I know,’ replies my partner. ‘It is a rather unusual name that is all. Are all your family this…uniquely named?’

He chooses his last word carefully, like there is any number of options he could have equally gone with. Weird, quirky, absurd, strange….the list goes on.

I narrow my eyes. ‘My mum is keen on plant names.’

Jessica butts in again. ‘What’s wrong with plant names? I love flower names! My middle name is Rose in actual fact.’

‘What a lovely name,’ murmurs my partner, turning away from her as she blushes. I detect a hint of failed romance in the air between them, mainly from Jessica. ‘So, your family are all named after plants? That’s endearing.’

‘It’s a family tradition,’ I say, feeling defensive. What’s wrong with calling your family plant names? I’m starting to feel as though there’s a strange secret anti-plant naming society founded by this guy.

‘Rose is a middle name tradition in our family too,’ says Jessica.

‘Do you have any traditions in your family?’ I ask him. ‘Actually, no offense, but I don’t even know your name?’

He looks at me, startled. ‘Oh, I apologise. I’m Nate.’

I notice that he speaks oddly formally. For the first time since we sat next to each other, I properly look at him. His face is all long and angular, with a small pointy nose. He’s got dark hair, the sort that hasn’t decided whether it’s black or brown and is a half-hearted mixture of the two. It’s half-heartedly curly too, with a weird little lopsided fringe that curls sideways, obscuring half his forehead and then curling upwards again. His eyes are dark too, but they are kind of silvery. I shiver, and then blush, as I realise I was staring at him.