The Curse of Thelonious [✓]

seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

The rest of the week passed by uneventfully, the twins getting used to the routine of school once again and Lera grudgingly admitting Clearford wasn’t so bad.

A loud knock interrupted Lera’s English Literature lesson the following Thursday, for which the half-asleep students were thankful for. “Sorry, class!” Mrs Hudson – the head teacher – chirped as she entered, one frail hand around a mug of coffee. “But could I have a word with Tia and Atlas in my office, please?”

She didn’t sound too happy and Lera gave Tia a sympathetic look from across the classroom. Despite the fact that their head teacher was in her seventies and looked like a kind grandma who routinely baked cookies, she was in fact incredibly strict in their behaviour and academics.

The rest of the English lesson sped by, Miss Edwards monotonous voice boring everyone to death. Lera wanted to cheer when the bell rang, signaling lunch-time as they all sprinted out of the classroom and towards the canteen. “Do you want me to getcha anything?” Lera asked Jubaida, as she scrambled around in her bag trying to find some change amongst the loose pens and random sticky notes.

Jubaida shook her head as she revealed the chicken wrap in her bag. “No thanks, just get yourself something before all those bratty Year Sevens turn up.”

It was when Lera was handing over the pound coin for her prawn mayo sandwich, that she first heard all the rumours circulating around the student body. Perhaps it was because the student population was so small but she thought it was ridiculous how much gossip and drama was spread in Clearford High in comparison to her last school.

“Did you hear the latest about Atlas Sinclair?”

“Only that he ran out of school and jumped over the gates. Why?”

“That’s not all; I heard he also punched Mrs Hudson in the face!”

“Oh my God! He’s mad that boy is. Complete barkin’ mad, I reckon.”

Lera snorted to herself when she heard the gossiping girls claim Atlas had punched their head teacher. Ridiculous! Despite Mrs Hudson’s age, their head teacher was a born and bred Irish farm lass and was incredibly tough. No student would dare to attack her, not even someone as ‘bad’ as Atlas Sinclair was.

Waving at Tia from across the canteen, she went to join her friends. “So apparently Atlas Sinclair punched Mrs Hudson in the face,” Lera announced with a wry smile as she sat down. Both Hailey and Claire burst into snickers as Tia walked over to them, just in time to hear Lera’s comment.

“Pfft,” she said. “Nah he didn’t. Mrs Hudson was just on our case about our overall grades. Since I fucked up that English test on the analysis of King Lear, my score has gone really down. She was well pissed, she was.”

Tia pulled out a packet of Salt and Vinegar crisps from her bag and offered some to everyone else.

“And what about Atlas?” Hailey asked, determined to get some gossip out of her friend.

Tia only laughed in reply. “Eh, it wasn’t as bad as everyone’s saying. She was just yellin’ at him non-stop for never doing his homework – I swear, I thought a vein was gonna pop in her head! And obviously he never talks, the weirdo, so he didn’t say anything and just gave her a dirty look and ran out of there. I think he jumped over the back gates, near the Science block and ran off somewhere.”

Hailey sighed, disappointed and Claire teased her. “You sad he didn’t punch Mrs Hudson then eh?” she asked as the girls all giggled.

Vicky, who was the quietest of them all, stabbed her Capri Sun with the straw and took a sip before joining in the conversation. “Why do you lot think he never talks? Like I can barely remember him sayin’ a word even back when we were little.”